Cinema Rediscovered, presented by Watershed, is the innovative festival that brings the best digital restorations, contemporary classics and film print rarities back to the big screen in Bristol, featuring a Bristol City of Film strand that celebrates the city’s UNESCO status and film legacy.
The festival began in 2016, taking inspiration from the pioneering Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in Bologna, Italy with a distinctive Bristol twist. Backed by partners including the then fledgling South West Silents, Bristol video shop institution 20th Century Flicks and Come The Revolution, this was a deeply felt meeting of minds with a shared passion for cinema. One year later, Bristol became a UNESCO City of Film which further cemented the the city’s commitment to film.
Writer & broadcaster Samira Ahmed with Bristol writer/director Mike Hodges introducing the outdoor screening of his 1980 film Flash Gordon at Cinema Rediscovered 2018 (Photographer: Jack Offord)
Cinema Rediscovered takes place in late July in and near Bristol in venues including Watershed, 20th Century Flicks, Arnolfini and Curzon Cinema and Arts in Clevedon.
Cinema Rediscovered’s 4th edition took place from 25-28 July 2019 featuring a packed programme that explored the invention, innovation and mystery of cinema; diving deep into the legacy of revered filmmakers such as Nic Roeg, Alfred Hitchcock, Robert Bresson and Bristol born Mike Hodges (pictured) as well as shining a spotlight on lesser known cinematic voices including Maureen Blackwood, Márta Mészáros and Věra Chytilová.
Bristol City of Film highlights included:
- Opening the festival, the UK Premiere of a new 4K restoration of Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious (1946) starring Ingrid Bergman alongside Bristol boy Archie Leach (aka Cary Grant) introduced by critic and film historian Pamela Hutchinson (Sight & Sound, Guardian);
- Screenings of two films from Bristol born screenwriter, film director, playwright and novelist Mike Hodges: intriguing noir Croupier (1999) starring Clive Owen, and psychological thriller Black Rainbow (1989), starring Roseanna Arquette. Accompanied by live Q&A with Mike Hodges;
- Cinema Walk with Dr Peter Walsh (South West Silents) taking visitors on an animated tour of the rich history and plentiful hidden treasures among Bristol’s cine-streets and iconic locales;
- ‘Victorian Film Inventor: Friese-Greene’ – film director Peter Domankiewicz examined the fascinating life of Bristol born William Friese-Greene, the first person to present a movie camera to the world.
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