A new film that uncovers the untold story of Bristol’s IMAX cinema – a once state-of-the-art venue deserted in the heart of the city for over a decade – and its remarkable transformation into a grassroots community cinema space, will have its World Premiere at this year’s Forbidden Worlds Film Festival.
Tickets are now on sale for the screening of The Big Picture, the new feature documentary from award-winning Bristol-based filmmaker Arthur Cauty, which takes place at the former IMAX (now Bristol Megascreen) on Wednesday 28th May to open Bristol’s biggest repertory genre film festival.
Once a symbol of the future, Bristol IMAX now serves as the epicenter of a thriving community cinema movement, where DIY culture and punk ethos breathe new life into a forgotten landmark.
“The moment I learned about the Bristol IMAX, I thought, ‘This would make a really cool film’,” says Cauty. “Just the fact that it had remained intact but also weirdly completely forgotten, right in the middle of a city with such a thriving film scene—I thought was crazy. But what really grabbed me was the story of the people reclaiming the cinema. It wasn’t demolished, it wasn’t taken over by some corporation—it was revived as a community space. That was really exciting to see.”
Plans for Bristol’s IMAX cinema emerged in the 1990s, and it was opened for the millennium, but various problems led to it being closed down by 2007. It remained unused until a few years ago, when the film community in Bristol revived it as a community cinema space. Today – as part of Bristol Aquarium – it’s known as Bristol Megascreen, and is available for film festivals, one-off film events, and community hire.
“I moved to Bristol long after the IMAX had closed, but I’d lived and worked here as a filmmaker for the best part of a decade before I’d heard anything about an IMAX being here”, explains Cauty. “I knew the building—a big, cylindrical, red brick tower in the harbourside—but as it was right next to the aquarium, I’d just assumed it was a giant fish tank. Turns out a lot of people shared that assumption. I first learned about the IMAX when Forbidden Worlds Film Festival came along, and Dave Taylor at 20th Century Flicks got in touch with me about showing my short film The Last Video Store as part of the Festival.”
Describing the making of the film, Cauty says: “Bristol is known for its political culture, punk ethos, sense of independence and community, and there’s a vibrant arts, music, and film scene here—which is part of what drew me to the city. I’ve always found the film community here to be friendly and welcoming. Less gatekeeping, fewer egos, and more collaboration. Compared to other places I’ve worked, it’s been easier to make films here, easier to get stuff done. And making The Big Picture was no exception. It was just a case of reaching out to a handful of people, and the response was, “Absolutely – let’s do this!”
Arthur Cauty (Photo by Kelly Bond)
“The film scene in Bristol is rich and varied, and there’s lots going on, but it’s also quite small and tight-knit. You need to meet maybe half a dozen people and you’re networked into everything that goes on film-wise. And that’s very much how The Big Picture came together. I reached out to a few of the people I knew, and it grew pretty quickly and organically from there.”
“In fitting with the theme of the film, and also my background as a filmmaker, it was a fairly grassroots affair—so a very small budget and an even smaller crew. A few favours, some goodwill, and a lot of DIY mentality. The aquarium staff were amazing from the get-go, offering us access to the IMAX time and time again, often with very little notice. We shot a lot of the interviews in there and spent many days rifling through the projector room, unearthing bits of archive and old offcuts of 70mm film.”
The Big Picture is Cauty’s second feature film. His debut, A Royal Hangover, premiered in Los Angeles in 2014 before a successful festival run and subsequent release on Amazon Prime. Cauty’s films have screened in theaters across the globe, from North Hollywood’s Laemmle to Adelaide’s Piccadilly, as well as Bristol’s Watershed, Everyman and former IMAX cinema.
More about Forbidden Worlds
Ahead of the 50th anniversary re-release of Jaws this August, Forbidden Worlds Film Festival (28th May – 1st June 2025) 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.
View the full festival schedule and book tickets at www.forbiddenworldsfilmfestival.co.uk.