Cinema Rediscovered: UK Premiere – Fall of Otrar

18

Sat 26 Jul 10:00am

From state-of-the-art 13th-century warfare to perfumed sex, The Fall of Otrar has it all; a hypnotic epic about one of world history’s crucial battles championed by Martin Scorsese and best experienced on the big screen.

Immerse yourself in the intrigues and turmoil preceding Genghis Khan’s systematic destruction of the lost East Asian civilization of Otrar. A cornerstone of the Kazakh New Wave movement of the 1990s, The Fall of Otrar is hallucinatory, visually stunning, and packed with eye-catching (and gouging) detail; traversing an endless variety of parched, epic landscapes and ornate palaces.

Evoking the dynamic pacing of Akira Kurosawa, and the sensuousness of Tarkovsky (with some deft alternation among colour, black-and-white, and sepia film stocks), Amirkulov follows the build-up to war through the eyes of Unjukhan (Dokhdurbek Kydyraliyev), an audacious Kipchak soldier who tries to convince Khwarazm’s ruler (Tungyshpai Zhamankulov) of Khan’s imminent invasion.

With a panoramic scope that covers the intimate details of palace intrigue as well as the merciless sweep of battlefield carnage, The Fall of Otrar is a masterful imagining of the seismic changes of history – and a terrifying, electrifying feast for the senses.

With an introduction by writer, curator and filmmaker Daniel Bird.

Cinema Rediscovered: Diva

18

Sat 26 Jul 3:20am

Two tapes, two Parisian mob killers, one corrupt policeman, an opera fan, a teenage thief, and the coolest philosopher ever filmed.

Director Jean-Jacques Beineix, most well-known for his sensual erotic romance Betty Blue (1986), launched the “Cinéma du look” movement with Diva, a stylish cult thriller that remains as visually striking today as when it premiered in 1981.

Jules (Frédéric Andréi), a young postal carrier, illegally tapes a concert of a reclusive opera singer (American soprano Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez). Jules’ attempts to woo the diva are interrupted when Taiwanese bootleggers come after the recording. His problems worsen when a prostitute slips another tape, one that incriminates a police chief, into his bag. Now, Jules must escape the police chief, the cop’s henchmen and the bootleggers to keep both precious tapes safe—and to stay alive.

Featuring a celebrated – and much imitated – chase through the Paris Metro and an early appearance by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Delicatessen 1991, Amélie 2001) favourite actor Dominique Pinon, Diva earned César Awards for Beineix, Vladimir Cosma’s (Le Bal 1983) sumptuous music and Philippe Rousselot’s (Henry & June 1990) visceral cinematography.

With an introduction by film historian, repertory programmer and video essayist Jonathan Bygraves.

Cinema Rediscovered: UK Premiere – Yajû shisubeshi (The Beast To Die)

18

Sat 26 Jul 6:00pm

Toru Murakawa’s gritty and violent thriller is a vital addition to the pantheon of Japanese crime epics, centring on a deeply scarred war photographer turned bank robber.

Yusaku Matsuda plays a war photographer deeply scarred by what he’s captured on the blood-soaked Asian battlefields. On returning to the bustling metropolis of Tokyo, he channels his disillusion into robbing a bank – but first he needs an accomplice in the form of the volatile Tetsuo (Takeshi Kaga, Death Note).

This is the jumping-off point for a tough and uncompromising look at urban alienation and endemic violence from director Murakawa (the Game trilogy), adapted from the novel by Haruhiko Ōyabu. Although little seen in the west, it’s a movie that proved highly influential on later hardboiled Japanese classics including Takeshi Kitano’s Violent Cop (1989).

Radiance Films present the debut of the film’s 4K restoration in which the nihilistic tone and set pieces shine even more luridly. Above all, it allows noted actor Matsuda to put a darker spin on his then well-established action movie persona. It remains one of Matsuda’s most noteworthy roles prior to his premature death at the age of 40.

This film contains a depiction of sexual assault which may be triggering to some viewers.

Presented in collaboration with Film Noir UK.

With an introduction by film writer and critic Christina Newland.

Cinema Rediscovered: Manji (All Mixed Up)

18

Sat 26 Jul 8:30pm

Director Yasuzō Masumura broke new ground in Japanese cinema with this progressive exploration of lesbian sexuality.

Manji (translated as ‘All Mixed Up’) is the story of a loving yet dangerous relationship between two women. Sonoko (Kyōko Kishida) is married yet bored and Mitsuko (Ayako Wakao) is a young art student. When they meet, they feel an immediate frisson but their intense union breaks any number of societal taboos.

Masumura’s adaptation of Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s 1928 novel Quicksand was remarkably daring for its day and has attained greater significance in the intervening years, making way for new avenues of representation in queer cinema. The director’s typically sharp insight into character and society is further buoyed by another strong performance from his regular collaborator and muse, Ayako Wakao. Manji has been reclaimed from relative obscurity to cast its spell over a modern audience who can appreciate its forthright and emotional take on sexual identity.

A sweet and dangerous relationship between a married woman and a beautiful young lady. A masterpiece that embodies the aesthetics of Tanizaki’s literature.

This screening is presented in collaboration with Queer Vision and SWITCH co-curated with Harriet Taylor who is participating in Other Ways of Seeing, with support from BFI Awarding Funds from National Lottery.

Presented in partnership with the Japan Foundation.

With an introduction by co-curator Harriet Taylor.

Mega Silents: Wizard of Oz Double Bill

Sat 13 Sep 12 – 4pm

South West Silents is very excited to present this special double bill consisting of the UK Premiere of the brand new 4K restoration of the forgotten silent film His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (1914) and the classic of Hollywood classics, The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Produced and written by the man behind the legend of Oz, L. Frank Baum, this screening of His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz gives audiences, of all ages, a very rare chance to see the backstory to some of OZ’s most beloved characters. Characters who we all fell in love with from the 1939 classic.

UK Premiere: His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (1914): Directed by J. Farrell MacDonald, and written and produced by L. Frank Baum (author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz). His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (1914) stars Violet MacMillan, Frank Moore, Vivian Reed, Todd Wright, Pierre Couderc, Raymond Russell, and Fred Woodward.

The film originally opened on September 28, 1914, to little success, though it was received as well above average fare by critics of the time. Early in 1915, it was reissued under the title The New Wizard of Oz and was slightly more successful.

The film is loosely based on Baum’s 1900 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but in the screenplay, Baum introduced many new characters and a large new story that later became the basis for the 1915 book The Scarecrow of Oz.

Similar to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow’s origin is revealed, although his life is now attributed to “the Spirit of the Corn”, who appears as a conventional Hollywood depiction of a Native American.

The film with have live piano musical accompaniment by Dominic Irving. Restoration courtesy of Nate Barlow.

The Wizard of Oz (1939): The classic musical adaptation of the L. Frank Baum novel starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr and Jack Haley.

 A tornado whisks Dorothy (Garland) and her house from Kansas to Munchkin City, squashing the Wicked Witch of the East upon landing. The Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) vows revenge, while Dorothy sets off on the yellow brick road to see the Wizard of Oz (Frank Morgan), hoping he can tell her how to get home.

On the way she makes friends with a scarecrow (Bolger), a tin man (Haley) and a cowardly lion (Lahr) – all of whom have specific reasons for wanting to meet the magical Wizard. With the Wicked Witch out to get her, will Dorothy ever get home again?

We highly recommend booking tickets early to avoid disappointment!

Mega Silents: First World War Double Bill

Sat 22 Nov 12 – 4pm

South West Silents is very excited to present this special double bill consisting of classic silent film The Battle of the Somme (1916) with Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece, Paths of Glory (1957).

The Battle of the Somme (1916): One of the most successful British films ever made, it is estimated that more than 20 million tickets were sold in Great Britain in the first two months of release of The Battle of the Somme (1916). Soon afterwards, the film was distributed worldwide to prove Britain’s commitment to the First World War.

The Battle of the Somme gave its 1916 audience an unprecedented insight into the realities of trench warfare, controversially including the depiction of dead and wounded soldiers. It shows scenes of the build-up to the infantry offensive, including the massive preliminary bombardment, coverage of the first day of the battle – the bloodiest single day in the British Army’s history – and depictions of the small gains and huge costs of the attack.

As a pioneering battlefield record, the very concept of The Battle of the Somme outraged commentators on its release, inaugurating a debate about the on-screen depiction of combat that continues to this day. Its use of a staged sequence to represent the opening of the assault also set the scene for continuing controversy about the ‘truth’ of a filmic record. If anything however, The Battle of the Somme is a piece of history and the key source of many of the conflict’s most iconic images.

The film with have live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne. With thanks to Imperial War Museums.

Paths of Glory (1957): Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory is among the most powerful antiwar films ever made. A fiery Kirk Douglas stars as a World War I French colonel who goes head-to-head with the army’s ruthless top brass when his men are accused of cowardice after being unable to carry out an impossible mission.

This haunting, exquisitely photographed dissection of the military machine in all its absurdity and capacity for dehumanization (a theme Kubrick would continue to explore throughout his career) is assembled with its legendary director’s customary precision, from its tense trench warfare sequences to its gripping courtroom climax to its ravaging final scene.

Queer Vision: Brokeback Mountain

Sat 5 Jul 8pm

Why can’t I quit you? 

In honour of its 20th anniversary, we are thrilled to present queer cowboy classic, Brokeback Mountain.

A film with such an extraordinary, yet complicated legacy – but nonetheless, wholly synonymous with LGBT+ cinema for bridging the gap with the mainstream.Taking place at the Bristol Megascreen (the former IMAX) on Saturday 5 July this is your chance to see this iconic film and breath taking cinematography and the largest cinema screen in Bristol!

Ang Lee’s beautiful, epic western tells the story of Ennis del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal); two ranch hands hired to herd sheep on the pastures of Brokeback Mountain during the summer of 1963. Whilst the pair are initially standoffish with each other, the solitude of their environment brings them together, culminating – one night during a storm – in a highly-charged sexual encounter. This relationship becomes complicated when they return to their former lives, where they must learn to either embrace or deny their true feelings against the traditional societal views of masculinity.

We are presenting this as double bill with The Wedding Banquet with a special discounted combination ticket available

We’re encouraging everyone to don their rootinest tootinest rodeo and brilliant bridal looks to be in with a chance of winning some great prizes! There is a bar onsite as well as a special pop up cocktail bar with specially themed cocktails for the event.

Festival of Nature: Behind-the-scenes talk: Ocean with Silverback Films

Sun 15 Jun 1:45pm

Join Silverback Films for a behind-the-scenes talk about their new feature length documentary ‘Ocean with David Attenborough’

David Attenborough explores the planet’s undersea habitats, revealing the greatest age of ocean discovery and emphasizing the ocean’s vital importance while exposing its problems and highlighting opportunities for marine life recovery.

Forbidden Worlds Film Festival 2025

Wed 28th May – Sun 1st Jun

Ahead of the 50th anniversary re-release of Jaws this August, Forbidden Worlds invites audiences to dive into new depths of fear and excitement with FORBIDDEN WORLDS OF THE DEEP, featuring a line-up of classic and cult films set on, around and under the water.

Events include a special 30th anniversary screening of Waterworld (1995), which will see the extended European ‘Ulysses Cut’ shown theatrically for the first time in the UK; The Whale God (1962), a rarely screened Japanese-take on Moby Dick with stunning life-size practical effects; cult horror Blood Tide (1980) featuring the late, great James Earl Jones as a secretive treasure hunter; an in-depth look at the world of Jawsploitation films with screenings of the new 4K restorations of Orca (1977) and Alligator (1980); and Below (2002) –  a WWII-horror film featuring supernatural occurrences onboard a submarine from David Twohy, director of Pitch Black (2000) – screened theatrically for the first time in the UK!

The festival will also honour and celebrate the career of Gale Anne Hurd by naming her as this year’s FORBIDDEN WORLDS LEGEND. Hurd has had unprecedented success as both a film and television producer on some of the biggest films and TV shows of all time including The Walking Dead universe. Initially hired as an executive assistant to the legendary Roger Corman, Hurd rapidly rose through the ranks to become head of marketing at his independent film company, New World Pictures. 

After launching her own production company in 1982, Hurd produced her first film, the science fiction classic The Terminator, setting the stage for her meteoric rise in the entertainment industry. Forbidden Worlds will be hosting special in-person Q&A screenings with Hurd for three of her most iconic and influential films – Aliens (1986), Tremors (1990) and Battle Beyond The Stars (1980).

Pulled FROM THE VIDEO SHOP ARCHIVES of Bristol institution 20th Century Flicks also comes special screenings of French fantasy The City of Lost Children, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and Amblin Studios adventure Young Sherlock Holmes that marks its 40th anniversary.

The festival will once again be celebrating the GENRE FILMMAKERS OF THE FUTURE with the return of its short film showcase where attendees can enjoy new action, horror, sci-fi and fantasy shorts from filmmakers both local and international.

The festival will also be hosting the WORLD PREMIERE of Bristolian film-maker Arthur Cauty’s new documentary The Big Picture which tells the story of how the Bristol IMAX, a state of the art cinema, was left forgotten for over a decade in the middle of the city, and how it came to find a new lease of life as a new community space – Bristol Megascreen.

Forbidden Worlds Film Festival is Bristol’s leading genre film festival dedicated to screening repertory fantasy, action, science-fiction and horror films from around the world, and celebrating the people who made them.

Mega Silents: City Montage Season

Double Bill

Battleship Potemkin (1925)/The Battle of Algiers (1966)

Sat 29 Mar 12pm

Over the course of three weekends, South West Silents, in collaboration with Future City Film Festival, will showcase the use of montage and cutting in silent film and its impact on future films in the history of cinema. These specially curated events will include introductions, screenings notes and live musical accompaniment to some of the silent films presented.

Battleship Potemkin (1925) Director: Sergei Eisenstein Starring: Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barksy, Grigori Aleksandrov Music: Live Musical Accompaniment by John Sweeney USSR / 72mins / PG

Declared the greatest film of all time at the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair and one of only two films to have appeared on all of Sight & Sound’s critics’ polls (1952–2022), Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin is one of the true masterpieces in the history of cinema.

In essence, it tells a five-part story of a naval mutiny leading to full-blown revolution, but while this material could be crudely propagandist in other hands, Eisenstein uses images of such dynamic compositional strength and editing of such frame-perfect precision that it’s hard not to be swept along, regardless of personal politics.

Widely censored as much out of fear of the perceived influence of its ideas as for any contentious material on screen the film would later be banned outright in Britain until 1954 and X-rated until 1987.

For ten decades Eisenstein’s 1925 masterpiece has remained the most influential silent film of all time. South West Silents presents one of the true classics of cinema on the big screen with live music by John Sweeney for its 100th anniversary.

The Battle of Algiers (1966) Director: Gillo Pontecorvo Starring: Jean Martin, Saadi Yacef, Brahim Haggiag, Tommaso Neri ITA, ALG / 121mins / 15

One of the most influential political films in history, The Battle of Algiers, by Gillo Pontecorvo, vividly re-creates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French in the 1950s. As violence escalates on both sides, children shoot soldiers at point-blank range, women plant bombs in cafés, and French soldiers resort to torture to break the will of the insurgents.

Shot on the streets of Algiers in documentary style, the film is a case study in modern warfare, with its terrorist attacks and the brutal techniques used to combat them. Pontecorvo’s tour de force has astonishing relevance today.

Bristol Megascreen presents: Ghost in the Shell

Sun 9 Mar 7pm

Doors open 6:30pm

Ages 15+

Celebrate three decades of cyberpunk brilliance with a rare cinematic experience of Ghost in the Shell (1995), brought to life on the largest screen in Bristol! Join us on Sunday, 9th March, at the Bristol Megascreen for an unmissable evening that pays tribute to one of anime’s most iconic masterpieces.

As a special treat, attendees of the Bristol Anime and Gaming Convention enjoy an exclusive discount on tickets—because we know true anime fans won’t want to miss this! (This discount only applied to those with purchased tickets to the convention which needs to be shown as proof on entry to the Bristol Megascreen).

One Last Farm, One Last Chance

Free entry!

2 Film Screenings & Panel Discussion

Friday, 28th Feb 6pm

THE FILMS

One Last Farm: A poignant documentary about Bristol’s last working farm and its fight to protect a unique wildlife habitat from development. Produced by Nikki Dodd.

Save Our Wild Isles: Hungry for Change: An award-winning film from Nick Gates and Silverback Films that brought together experts from three of the UK’s largest conservation organisations. The National Trust, the RSPB and WWF reveal the impact of the food system on UK nature and crucially what could be done to reduce its impact. 

THE CONVERSATION

How can we feed the nation and farm sustainably? At this event, the filmmakers will speak with leading voices at the intersection of food production and nature conservation. They’ll discuss how farming can be a crucial ally to combat the ecological crisis and climate change. Speakers include Nikki Dodd (director of One Last Farm), Nick Gates (Silverback Films), Patrick Holden (Sustainable Food Trust), Sumita Hutchison (West of England Nature Partnership), Guy Poultney (Bristol City councillor), and Catherine Withers (Yew Tree Farm).

The evening concludes with a drinks reception, an invaluable opportunity for attendees to connect with one another. 

We hope you can join us for this very special evening.

Slapstick Festival: The Great Dictator (1940) with Alasdair Beckett-King & Robin Ince

Thu 13 Feb 2025 8pm

Alasdair and Robin introduce this special big screen outing of Chaplin’s masterful and timely satire.  They will explore how Chaplin masterfully used comedy to take aim at authoritarianism, racism, and war. Released before the USA entered WWII, The Great Dictator was Chaplin’s first talking picture, and he didn’t hold back. His brilliant lampooning of Adolf Hitler made the film both a courageous act of defiance and a masterclass in using humour as a political weapon.

Despite being banned in Nazi-occupied territories and doubts about its success elsewhere the film became Chaplin’s highest grossing film. The film’s closing speech—a moving appeal for peace and humanity—remains strikingly relevant in today’s turbulent world. One of cinema’s most daring and significant works on the big screen.

Slapstick Festival: Hundreds of Beavers – with Ryland Brickson Cole Tews

Wed 12 Feb 2025 8:30pm

Made on a lowly $100,000 budget, this surprise independent hit about a trapper (Ryland Brickson Cole Tews) battling malevolent beavers is already heading towards cult classic status, having picked up scores of awards from festivals worldwide, earning glowing reviews from top critics & audiences and getting a 97% score on the Rotten Tomatoes’ tomatometer. It is also such a masterful homage to slapstick hits of the silent era that its makers are being awarded the Slapstick Legacy Medal.

With introduction and post show conversation hosted by Robin Ince awith co-writer/ lead actor Ryland Brickson Cole Tews Plus Q&A

“Genuinely bananas and genuinely funny” – Mark Kermode. 

Cary Comes Home Festival 2024

Fri 29 Nov – Sun 1 Dec 2024

Celebrate one of Bristol’s biggest icons on Bristol’s biggest screen with 8 classic films across 3 days.

Cary Grant Festival celebrates their 10th anniversary this year! This year the festival explores Cary’s acrobatic prowess and his lasting impact on action cinema.

Under the Sea Technicolor Double Bill

1–5pm, November 10th, 2024

A Technicolor underwater masterpiece featuring BBC TV’s nature film icons, Dr. Hans and Lotte Hass, UNDER THE CARRIBEAN / UNTERNEHMEN XARIFA (1954) offers the opportunity to explore the underwater realm with Hass and his team in an especially immersive fashion in this new subtitled digitisation from a vintage Technicolor print by Filmarchiv Austria, screened with kind support from Dr Michael Jung.

Furthermore, thanks to the Royal Film Archive of Belgium – CINEMATEK, we explore THE GREAT BARRIER REEF in Pierre Levie’s 1969 film that has been likened to Cousteau’s best works, features footage by shark experts Ron and Valerie Taylor (JAWS) and remarkably reflects some of the ecological issues sadly threatening the ocean realm in the present.

Wildscreen

13 – 18 Oct

Wildscreen Festival is the world’s leading wildlife and environmental film festival. Immerse yourself in our Official Selection of unique and original productions about the natural world, created by storytellers from across the globe.

Forbidden Worlds Film Festival: The Big Scream

11th – 12th Oct

Forbidden Worlds looks at the perils of stranger danger with six selections from around the globe: the cult British folk horror of The Shout; a brand-new 4K restoration of VHS favourite The Hitcher, starring the much-missed Rutger Hauer; Dario Argento’s audacious Opera, also presented in a brand-new 4K restoration; the creepy and influential Cure from Japan; teen horror fave I Know What You Did Last Summer; and the quintessential ‘stranger danger’ horror, When a Stranger Calls.

South West Silents: Witchcraft Double Bill

Sat 28 Sep, 2pm

South West Silents are teaming up with Hellebore magazine to bring you this double bill of classic tales of witchcraft and folklore. Häxan (1922) followed by The City of the Dead (1960).

Deep Blue Sea – 25th Anniversary

Sat 21 Sep, 7.30pm

A team of scientists at a remote underwater facility conduct genetic research on Mako sharks in hopes of finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. However, their experiments take a terrifying turn when the sharks become smarter, faster, and far more deadly.

Cinema Rediscovered: The Conversation

Sat 27 Jul. 6:15pm

From legendary director Francis Ford Coppola, Gene Hackman stars as Harry Caul, a reticent surveillance expert, gets into trouble when he suspects the couple he secretly recorded is going to be murdered by his client. With intro by Adrian Utley.

Cinema Rediscovered: Paris, Texas

Sat 27 Jul, 2pm

One of the most iconic films of the 1980s, Harry Dean Stanton stars as a man wandering out of the desert and in to the ghosts of the past.

Tucker & Dale Vs The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 1974

Sun 21 Jul, 3pm

Horror Without End and 20th Century Flicks, the team that brought you ThreadGames, invite you to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the greatest horror film ever made… followed by one of the funniest.

Queer Vision: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Sat 6 July 2024

Showing as part of Bristol Pride’s Queer Vision film festival, this classic comedy celebrated it’s 30th anniversary at Bristol Megascreen with a performance from the Bristol Show Choir and Bristol’s very own drag icon, Tess Drive.