Summer on Screen at Watershed

In this article Steph Read, Cinema Programmer, and Mark Cosgrove, Cinema Curator, take you through some of the highlights on screen this summer and offer some insights into their own reasons why these films really connect with them.

The Beautiful Game

To kick things off ahead of this year’s FIFA World Cup, we’re screening a short season of films on Sundays throughout June, celebrating the beautiful game and those who follow it. This includes new release Ultras, from Swedish filmmaker Ragnhild Ekner – she and her crew visit stadiums in eight countries across four continents, exploring the different communities of passionate, hardcore fans at the heart of support in the stands.

We’re marking two 20th anniversaries with Douglas Gordon’s impressionistic experimental doc Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, and Jafar Panahi’s Offside, a charming comedy with piercing political critique about a young group of female football fans in Iran. To cap things out we’re bringing Copa 71 back to the big screen – a recent doc that shines a light on the suppressed history of the 1971 Women’s World Cup in Mexico City.

Wong Kar Wai Weekender

After our annual Chungking Express show sold out again in May, we received a fair few requests for more Wong Kar Wai – so we're dedicating a whole weekend in June to the much-loved Hong Kong auteur, playing a selection of hits.

With their woozy, sensual visuals, pitch-perfect soundtracks and wistful romanticism, Wong's films have defined him as one of cinema's great stylists. From the glimmering, neon-soaked streets of Fallen Angels and As Tears Go By, to the warm glow and striking shadows of 2046 and In the Mood for Love, these are films that deserve to be seen on the big screen.

New release highlights

Théodore Pellerin gives a César-winning performance in a beautifully nuanced debut feature from French director Pauline Loquès in Nino, released Fri 19 June.

“It’s a subtle, naturalistic performance that compellingly draws you in – we follow Nino as he wanders through Paris, reeling in the wake of a shock cancer diagnosis, and trying to make sense of the sudden, pressing reminder of his own mortality. Losing himself a little in the reassuring anonymity of life in a big city, before trying to reconnect with family, friends, and most of all himself. It’s a narrative structure somewhat reminiscent of the French New Wave, specifically Agnès Varda’s ‘Cléo from 5 to 7’, giving due time and attention to each moment of Nino’s few days. And there’s a couple great needle drops, including a Fontaines D.C. track and Cassius by Foals.”

- Steph Read, Cinema Programmer

Canadian filmmaker Sophy Romvari’s first feature Blue Heron premiered at Locarno and then played Toronto film festival last year to near-unanimous critical praise. A lyrical, imaginative debut, the film offers an inventive take on a coming-of-age story, drawn from Romvari’s own childhood, and experiences of growing up with a brother who falls in and out of difficulties and crises (released Fri 26 June).

“Comparisons to Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun feel a bit inevitable, in a sun-bleached, 90s-set kind of way, with camcorder memories a common thread. There’s a quiet, keen sense of observation and attention to a child’s perspective in both, but Romvari’s feature swings more boldly in terms of form and structure, blurring the lines between reality and fiction and at times piercing the fourth wall. It’s a hugely empathetic film, exploring the fragmentation of memory and identity, and the ways that trauma and grief shape us. One of my favourite films of this year, it really sticks with you.”

- Steph Read, Cinema Programmer

Move over Saltburn - Karim Aïnouz’s delicious eat-the-rich satire Rosebush Pruning is as brash and outrageous as it is garishly beautiful (released Fri 10 July).

“This is one of my guilty pleasures from Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, it divided critics but I much preferred its wild extremes to those of Fennell’s class frivolities. A wealthy and very dysfunctional American family relocate to Catalonia following the outlandish death of their mother, who was ripped apart by wolves. When one son tries to move in with his girlfriend and another uncovers the truth about their mother's death, the family's dark secrets and twisted dynamics begin to unravel. With a cast including Pamela Anderson, Elle Fanning, Riley Keough you know you are in for a riot. Written by Efthimis Filippou, a regular collaborator of Yorgos Lanthimos and loosely inspired by Marco Bellocchio’s 1965 scathing satire Fists in the Pocket, Rosebush Pruning will shock and delight in equal measure.”

- Mark Cosgrove, Cinema Curator

Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair

Sun’s out, misery’s in! This year we’re joining in for the first time with the American Cinematheque’s global film festival ‘Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair’, bringing it to sunny Harbourside. At Watershed we’re presenting a distinctively British selection of bleak cinema: from vicious 1948 noir Brighton Rock, to last year’s haunting drama from Paul Andrew Williams, Dragonfly, followed by a director Q&A.

We’ll also be revisiting Shane Meadows’ iconic revenge thriller Dead Man’s Shoes, Lynne Ramsay’s astonishing debut feature Ratcatcher and Andrea Arnold’s raw and earthy adaptation of Wuthering Heights. For some deeper cuts, we’re presenting several BBC TV productions from the 80s, including cult classic Threads and a double-bill of stunning and short Alan Clarke films – Christine and Road. We’re finishing up with a tribute to the late, great Béla Tarr, an early champion of the festival, with The Man From London, starring audience-favourite, Tilda Swinton.

Queer Vision Film Festival

Bristol Pride’s annual film festival returns with a fantastic and varied lineup, including several special events and Q&As. Raucous queer animated adventure Lesbian Space Princess opens the festival on Fri 26 June, followed by a themed party and DJ set in the Café/Bar until late. There’ll be director Q&As for tender Indian romantic debut drama Cactus Pears, and the latest in contemporary cult series Castration Movie, with Chapter 3 from Louise Weard.

Highlights from the South West include Washed Up, a crowd-pleasing Cornish drama about a struggling artist falling in love with a mythical selkie, and the annual Queer Vision South West Shorts Showcase, platforming some of the best emerging talent from the region. Bristol Butch Bar are partnering up with the festival on a screening of Barbara Forever, a cinematic portrait of the trailblazing lesbian experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer. There’ll also be a special 30th anniversary screening of the Wachowskis’ “masterclass in lesbian eroticism”, Bound.

Cinematic Odysseys on 35mm

Christopher Nolan’s hotly anticipated ancient Greek epic The Odyssey docks at Watershed in July. To tee things up, we’ll be screening several cinematic odysseys on Sundays leading up to the release, with a line-up that features a pair of Russell Crowes (in The Master and Commander, and the original Gladiator) and Amanda Seyfried in the title role in Mona Fastvold’s grand-scale epic The Testament of Ann Lee, a musical portrait of the revolutionary Shaker preacher, with compositions by musician Daniel Blumberg – all presented on 35mm film. Register your interest here.

10 Years of Cinema Rediscovered Festival

Join in the 10th anniversary edition of Cinema Rediscovered – the UK’s leading celebration of newly-restored films, forgotten gems and classic revivals presented in association with independent Bristol brewery Wiper and True. The 70+ event, premieres rich line-up takes place at Watershed and other venues in and around Bristol UNESCO City of Film from Wed 22 to Sun 26 July 2026.

It opens with the UK premiere of a new 4K restoration of Mario Bava’s influential pop-art masterpiece Danger: Diabolik, with a video introduction from director, Edgar Wright, marking the launch of our Comics Come Alive strand featuring live action screen adaptions of comics.  

Other festival highlights include Rogue Hollywood, a strand exploring the dark side of the American psyche in the 1970s, including the 50th anniversary of Elaine May’s neglected gem Mikey and Nicky, starring John Cassavetes and Peter Falk; Paul Schrader’s dissection of middle-class morality in Hardcore; and Diane Keaton cruising bars for sex and drugs in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, presented on 35mm.

With an astonishing seventeen Premieres of new restorations and so much more, do make sure you take a look at the full programme here.

Crackin’ Films, Gromit! 50 Years of Aardman

Following on from several Aardman at 50 special events at Cinema Rediscovered, we’re joining together with local icons Aardman to mark their 50 Years of Clay with an expansive season of their impressive filmmaking history, playing throughout the summer. From Gromit to Shaun, we’ll be playing their iconic claymation features alongside some of the shorter films too – keep an eye on our site soon for more info! Find out more on other celebrations taking place across the city here, including the cracking exhibition just across the water at MShed.

Finally, keep an eye out for Rip It Up at Watershed in September, as part of a BFI FAN UK-wide season exploring and celebrates the changing face of youth rebellion, culture and expression – from joy to heartbreak – on screen in the UK.

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