Join Professor Shawn Sobers, Simon Bright (Zimbabwe) and fellow filmmaker Martin Mhando (Tanzania) to watch Corridors of Freedom (1987) and reflect on the vibrant collaboration and resistance of the Southern African Transnational Cinema movement that emerged in the 1980s and 90s to counter South Africa’s apartheid propaganda and the media biases of former colonial powers.
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Open your animal eyes. An immersive exhibition of groundbreaking video games & virtual reality. A must-do this summer in Bristol's Undershed Gallery.
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Interested in meeting some of the film curators involved in Cinema Rediscovered and getting insights into how the festival gets programmed? For those of you interested in pitching an event or season for next year’s edition of the festival, this is also a great opportunity to pick up practical tips from those involved in our Other Ways of Seeing commissions supported by BFI awarding funds from National Lottery.
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Today at 13:00
In this Lunchtime Talk, mechanical sculptor Nik Ramage will present a collection of his useless machines and absurd devices, revealing the stories behind their creation - and the ideas that never made it off the drawing board.
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part of Reframing Film
Until
Come and find out how a film archive works in this new exhibition on display in W1 throughout the festival. All welcome including younger guests in this free drop-in space hosted by the BFI National Archive team.
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Claude Chabrol’s masterful thriller hinges on the unlikely bond between a schoolmistress and a butcher and the unsettling possibility that all might not be what it seems as a wave of murders grip their small idyllic French village.
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Dirk Bogarde and Stanley Baker star in a study of masculine malaise among the academic elite told through the elliptical rhythms of Harold Pinter's’ script and cool and penetratingly detached direction of Joseph Losey.
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Crafted by renowned poet and screenwriter Ahmed Bouanani, this experimental masterpiece draws from Morocco’s rich oral traditions, and the ever-present spectre of colonialism.
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A schoolteacher (the late Diane Keaton in one of her most striking performances) living alone spends her evenings frequenting late-night bars and picking up men in this dark complex drama.
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part of Reframing Film
Before the era of YouTube mashups came The Movie Orgy (1968), an immense found footage cultural catalogue curated by legendary director Joe Dante in his debut feature.
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This first and only feature film directed (and edited) by Park Nam-ok, South Korea's first female filmmaker, provides an intimate look at the female experience in post-war Seoul.
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The film the British Board of Film Censors didn’t want you to see… until the world changed.
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A gritty crime drama focusing on the intense, cat-and-mouse relationship between Inspector Chan and a drug informant, exploring corruption and the "rules of the game" in 1970s Hong Kong.
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Enjoy this specially curated BFI Replay showreel bringing together the BFI Replay trailer and Bristol archive highlights of the Harbourside selected by South West Silents for you to enjoy.
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With a star-studded cast including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Zendaya and Charlize Theron, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is the most anticipated film on Letterboxd for 2026.
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Until
Charles Burnett’s deeply humanist follow-up to Killer of Sheep centres on Pierce Mundy caught between family expectations and loyalty to a friend, providing an intimate window into early ’80s South Central LA.
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part of Rogue Hollywood
A conservative Midwestern patriarch has his world shaken when he must search for his missing daughter in the seedy underworld of the California sex industry in this bleak psychological neo-noir from Paul Schrader.
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Set against the gritty backdrop of 1990s New York City, this postmodern reimagining of the Dracula myth, executive produced by David Lynch, follows estranged vampire twins as they reunite after their father’s death.
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Join us before the screening of Closed Circuit (1978) in Cinema 2, for a murder mystery inspired by the film. This interactive event will be taking place in Waterside 1, and will pull details from the film, but without giving away whodunit!
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part of Vive Le Cinema!
Fiction becomes reality for an audience quietly watching a matinee of a spaghetti western at their local cinema when suddenly one of the patrons dies…
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part of Reframing Film
Bristol has been an UNESCO City of Film since 2017, but Bristol and cinema have been entwined since – some would say before – the beginning of moving pictures. Join local enthusiast and historian Mark Fuller for the second of three gentle weekend walks.
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BFI National Archive Curator Rosie Taylor presents two rare comedies of farcical romance, weddings and tomfoolery from the early period of British Lion and Hammer, now only viewable on 9.5mm film.
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British film noir at its darkest and most deadly.
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part of Vive Le Cinema!
B-movie director Lawrence Woolsey rolls into a Key West cinema with his new film Mant (half man, half ant - all terror) whilst the Cuban missile crisis cranks up nearby.
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Based on one of Chile's most notorious true crimes, this debut feature by Miguel Littín is a cornerstone of the New Chilean Cinema, ushering in an urgent, realist, and political filmmaking movement.
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part of 50 Years of Aardman
Join Aardman co-founders David Sproxton and Peter Lord for a deep dive into the world of Morph, one of the first characters created by the Bristol based studio, who would go on to entertain generations with his slapstick antics.
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Join the team behind The Creative Nonfiction Film Weekend (CNFW), Will Swinburne, Curator at the BFI National Archive, and local viral video star Paul Weedon for a screening of early internet video and a discussion about what it means to preserve online moving image and to screen it in cinemas.
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Join in for our pre-party presented by Party Girl Productions ahead of the Josie & The Pussycats screening.
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Back on the big screen on its 50th anniversary, Elaine May’s neglected mid-1970s gem is a dissection of masculinity and male friendship anchored by mesmerising performances from John Cassavetes and Peter Falk.
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Beneath the glitter and pop lies a razor-sharp critique of corporate manipulation and manufactured fame, way ahead of its time. Gather your friends, cats and kitties and join Party Girl Productions to celebrate this classic on its 25th anniversary.
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With a production almost as dramatic as its plot, this lavish late silent masterpiece by Erich von Stroheim can be fully experienced thanks to a vital new reconstruction by Milestones.
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part of Restored & Rediscovered
This important rediscovery banned in 1963 by the Venezuelan government provides a striking snapshot of social disparity which draws on the director’s own childhood experiences.
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Cinema Year Zero will be hosting an open discussion of the contemporary film criticism landscape. Essayists Kirsty Asher, Ben Flanagan, Adam Murray, and Daisy Steinhardt will share readings from their new work, followed by a convivial conversation around their critical practice.
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A decade before 9.5mm and 16mm film, Pathé launched 28mm, one of the first non-theatrical film gauges. Explore this forgotten format, featuring original prints projected on a 28mm Victor projector.
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part of Comics Come Alive
Break-out roles from Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson, and also starring Steve Buscemi, this cult classic adapted from Daniel Clowes’ graphic novel remains a sharp, funny, and deeply relatable portrait of youth, identity, and not fitting in.
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part of Rogue Hollywood
Fifty years after it picked up the Palme d’Or at Cannes, Scorsese’s chilling masterpiece has lost none of its power to shock and disturb in its visceral exploration of alienation and violence in urban America.
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Set in 17th-century China, T’ang Shushuen’s groundbreaking debut feature - one of the first independent films made in Hong Kong - traces the plight of a widow torn between passion and moral obligations.
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Until
Get insights into the creation of the Peter Gabriel’s award-winning Sledgehammer music video featuring innovative stop-motion animation by Aardman and the Brothers Quay.
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part of Reframing Film
Join in a Chat & Craft drop-in workshop, inspired by the films showing as part of Comics Come Alive.
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part of Reframing Film
After his success with Point Blank and Deliverance, Warner Brothers offered John Boorman the opportunity of a lifetime... what could go wrong?
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Now newly restored for its 30th anniversary, Steve Buscemi’s debut feature is a still-largely unsung indie masterpiece capturing the chaos of hopeless loser Tommy (Buscemi) as he stumbles through life.
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A twentysomething aspiring musician’s romantic life takes a dramatic turn when he meets the (literal) girl of his dreams, Ramona. Brace yourself for Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz)’s high energy adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s cult comic book.
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part of Rogue Hollywood
Join us for an informal discussion before and after Friedkin’s film Cruising (1980) where archive materials will be provided to look through and Jim Hubbard's film Stop The Movie (1980) will be playing on the Café & Bar screen.
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From the director of Point Blank and Deliverance comes this vision-like metaphysical thriller that confounded audience expectations by delivering something unique and entirely unexpected.
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part of Comics Come Alive
Comic book Japanese style with a Korean twist: the Oldboy manga is brought to screen by maestro Park Chan-wook, a masterpiece of visceral violent vengeance.
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part of Rogue Hollywood
Controversial at the time of its release, William Friedkin’s nocturnal thriller which sees Al Pacino’s undercover cop descend into New York’s gay leather scene on the hunt for a serial killer is being reappraised by a new generation.
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part of Reframing Film
Bristol has been an UNESCO City of Film since 2017, but Bristol and cinema have been entwined since – some would say before – the beginning of moving pictures. Join local enthusiast and historian Mark Fuller for the third of three gentle weekend walks.
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part of Reframing Film
Until
Join Watershed’s Charlotte Bendrey and BFI National Archive Curator Rosie Taylor on a tour of Watershed’s projection booth and discover how the films screening at the festival make it to the screen during a festival like Cinema Rediscovered.
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To celebrate the centenary of Lotte Reiniger’s beautiful 1926 silhouette animation, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, The Little Film Society bring you an enchanting screening of these magical tales from the Arabian Nights showing alongside some her lesser known, but no less spellbinding, fairytale films.
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Join The Pretend Company for this second of two Improv Cinema Club sessions, a unique opportunity to explore some of the films presented at Cinema Rediscovered in a nuanced and in-depth way.
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On the centenary of his birth, BFI National Archive presents a brand new 35mm print of Brian Forbes’ directorial debut, which put the rural North of England on screen and launched the screen career of Alan Bates.
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part of Comics Come Alive
Real comic-book artist Harvey Pekar is brought to cinematic life in this sweet, funny and off-kilter take on his highly idiosyncratic, autobiographical work.
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Join Dáire Carson (The Little Film Society) for a special shadow puppet making workshop inspired by the work of Lotte Reiniger, the foremost pioneer of silhouette animation.
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Few films tell a heartbreaking story as hilariously as this must-see 1960s British New Wave classic in which Tom Courtenay stars in this tale of a young clerk lost to daydreams in his Yorkshire hometown. But will they ever come true?
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part of Rogue Hollywood
Fresh off box-office comedy smash The Longest Yard (1974), director Robert Aldrich and star sensation Burt Reynolds ditched laughs for a gritty, uncompromising neo-noir set in the seedy underbelly of LA.
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Take a trip out to the stunning Curzon Cinema in Clevedon (and a peek at their Christie organ) followed by a special screening of this lavish late silent masterpiece introduced by critic and film historian Pamela Hutchinson.
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Until
Set in the final hours before a nuclear war threatens to wipe out humanity, Andrei Tarkovsky’s visionary final film is a visually breathtaking meditation on existential terror and a melancholic swan song from one of cinema’s true auteurs.
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part of Comics Come Alive
Joseph Losey’s screen adaptation of the 1960s British comic strip Modesty Blaise is a camp, star-studded pop-art romp that brilliantly satirises the Bond-mania of the time.
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A hilarious cautionary tale about the perils of independent filmmaking starring Steve Buscemi as a penniless New York screenwriter with big cinematic ambitions.
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Until
Based on an iconic Italian comic, Mario Bava’s stylish cult classic has been an inspiration to many from the Beastie Boys to acclaimed British filmmaker Edgar Wright, who will present a pre-recorded introduction to the film.
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Until
An anonymous tip starts a traditional whodunnit which quickly segues into a surrealistic farce and moves from film noir to science fiction in the mysterious and enigmatic Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel.
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Until
Deeply personal, beautifully realised, and symbolically obscure, Andrei Tarkovsky’s first film directed outside of his home country stands as a testament to his own conflicting thoughts regarding Russia as he considered a self-proclaimed exile.
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It’s time to prove your film knowledge at this year's 10th Anniversary Cinema Rediscovered Film Quiz — a night where deep-cut movie knowledge meets friendly competition.
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Deeply personal, beautifully realised, and symbolically obscure, Andrei Tarkovsky’s first film directed outside of his home country stands as a testament to his own conflicting thoughts regarding Russia as he considered a self-proclaimed exile.
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A double bill of the first outings of Bristol's favourite animated duo Wallace & Gromit.
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Until
Joe and Angela’s marriage is on thin ice. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbours for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places. Have they reignited the spark or lit the match that burns it all down?
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Sumitra Peries’ groundbreaking Sri Lankan film offers a tender and transporting journey through young dreams and first loves.
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Taika Waititi's iconic film is back in 4K to celebrate its 10 year anniversary!
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Fall back in love with those crafty hens (and one smooth-talking rooster) with Aardman's classic Chicken Run!
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Join us for a special Bristol culture sector screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing – an eye-opening film bringing together nine leading UK scientists covering weather, food, health and the cost of living.
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In the late 1990s, a family of six settles into their new home on Vancouver Island, as internal dynamics are slowly revealed through the experiences of the youngest child, Sasha. Their fresh start is interrupted by the increasingly dangerous behavior of Jeremy, the family’s oldest child.
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A pampered pet "society mouse" Roddy St. James thinks he's got it made... until he's literally flushed away to a bustling underground world of ninja frogs, hench-rats and singing slugs.
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When one of 600 million children to receive a gift from Santa on Christmas Eve is missed, it is deemed ‘acceptable’ to all but one—Arthur Claus.
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Set and filmed in Luton, Ish follows 12-year-old best friends Ish and Maram, who wrestle to hold onto their friendship in the wake of a police stop and search. Written and directed by acclaimed artist Imran Perretta, Ish also stars singer/songwriter Joy Crookes.
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A double bill of the third and fourth short outings of Bristol's favourite animated duo Wallace & Gromit.
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Fri 31 July 13:00
In this Lunchtime Talk, Studio Resident Prince will explore the realities of co-leadership in a purpose-led business in 2026.
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Set in the final hours before a nuclear war threatens to wipe out humanity, Andrei Tarkovsky’s visionary final film is a visually breathtaking meditation on existential terror and a melancholic swan song from one of cinema’s true auteurs.
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A group of international doctors breach the blockade of Gaza. What they find is the calculated dismantling of life itself...
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Pirate Captain sets out on a mission to defeat his rivals Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz for the Pirate of the year Award. The quest takes Captain and his crew from the shores of Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London.
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The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was Wallace and Gromit’s first ever feature film, which led to the pair winning an Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature.
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When Shaun decides to take the day off and have some fun, he gets more fun than he bargained for!
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Early Man takes us on an extraordinary journey into an exciting new world, unleashing an unforgettable tribe of unique and funny characters voiced by an all-star British cast.
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Spike Lee documents the former Talking Heads frontman's brilliant, timely 2019 Broadway show, based on his album and tour of the same name.
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Shaun’s second movie adventure sees Shaun become guardian to a lost little alien called Lu-La after a UFO crashes near Mossy Bottom Farm.
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Bitter Christmas opens August 2026.