Outdoor screening of Battleship Potemkin (1925) with live electronic score, Sept. 2013.

This year the Bristol Radical Film Festival takes place from the 3rd to the 9th March. Find out more at: www.bristolradicalfilmfestival.org.uk or: Download Programme

Founded in 2011, the Bristol Radical Film Festival showcases contemporary and historical works of overtly political left-wing documentary and fiction filmmaking. Organised by staff, students and alumni from the Centre for Moving Image Research and the Film team at the University of the West of England (UWE), the festival also aims to draw attention to a range of other progressive, community-based initiatives in the city. Venues include digital outreach projects, anarchist social centres, drop-in centres for sex workers, political squats, radical bookshops, community bicycle hubs, trade

union halls etc. All our events feature an introduction to the topic & are followed by an audience discussion. This is in keeping with the tradition of political film cultures around the world, in which the films are the pretext for action & debatein which the films are the pretext for action & debate as much as being important aesthetic & cultural objects in themselves. Our interpretation of the word ‘radical’ is an open one: while we believe that radical social, economic & political change is needed for a more equal, just & sustainable society, but that fundamental belief can be articulated in a variety of ways. Film is a rich medium and we are very keen to exhibit works that interrogate political and aesthetic radicalism in new and challenging ways. 

Since its first event the festival has grown significantly, and the team now organises events throughout the year as well as the annual festival. We are not-for-profit, with all the money made from our work reinvested into the organisation. We’re always looking to develop new relationships and try new things, so if you’re interested in working with us please get in touch at [email protected]. 

Political Cinema in the 21st Century

Political Cinema in the 21st Century is a two-day conference, exhibition and launch event to mark the founding of the Radical Film Network. Taking place on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th February 2015, the event will be held at the Birmingham School of Media Parkside Campus (http://www.bcu.ac.uk/pme/school-of-media) and Vivid Projects (http://www.vividprojects.org.uk/), an atmospheric warehouse space for interdisciplinary film, media and arts practice. 

For more information about this project contact Steve Presence at [email protected].