What's On / Bristol Concerts, Theatre & Dance / cinema

Cinema & Independent Film in Bristol

upcoming event

Bristol's Cinema Scene

Headfirst aims to cover all the events that make this city special and so we’re really pleased that this also includes cinema. We consider the The Cube cinema an essential asset to Bristol, a venue with ethics and enthusiasm to match its innovative programming. Over the past few years we have seen this volunteer driven ‘microplex’ provide a launchpad for emerging Bristol artists, ranging from filmmakers and performance artists to theatres shows and alternative musicians. Less experimental but equally as prolific, The Watershed hosts discussions and independent film festivals alongside its world cinema programming.

Buy tickets for cinema events in Bristol

Our recent cinema recommendations

Sell out warning! Head to the Watershed, where Jeremy Lent stands up for ecocivilization. His new book treats modern social crises as symptoms of Western notions of nature and progress. But help is at hand, as he also outlines our shift toward interdependence, balance, and long-term collective wellbeing. A perfect evening for eco-optimists and climate fear-mongerers alike! Ecocivilization Making a World that Works for All at Bookhaus.

It’s only a laugh, no harm done. Jack Bond's surreal Pet Shop Boys flick follows the duo through a decaying Thatcherite England of rundown seaside towns, urban blight, and Catholic guilt. Panned at the time for its navel-gazing vanity, It Couldn’t Happen Here has become a fascinating time capsule, dripping with melancholic 80s pop sensibility. Pet Shop Boys: It Couldn't Happen Here 15 7.30pm at Cafe Kino.

PWYC! Shoal Collective and PM Press shine a very human light on the unbreakable strength of Palestinian women. Far from passive targets of Zionist trauma, this collection of interviews shows 11 individuals navigating networks of oppression to engage in tireless activism at home and abroad. The launch includes PWYC vegan dinner, video links with the interviewees + 50% of proceeds donated to the cause. 'Everything We Thought Was Beautiful' - Book Launch at BASE Social Centre, 14 Robertson Rd, Bristol, BS5 6JY.

Widow’s Rock n Rollium’s alt-cabaret joins forces with Bristol queer rock royalty Punka in a sweat-soaked variety show spanning drag, cosplay, circus and… emo ballet??? Soundtracked with live riot grrrl covers from the Punka house band and steered by the iron grip of burlesque domme Frances Widow, there’ll be enough latex-clad sideshow carnage happening here to short-circuit the Loco Klub grid… brace yrselves! Widow's Rock n Rollium X Punka presents AMPED UP Cabaret at Loco Klub.

What our editors say

“Exchange Horror Club: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari With improvised live score by noise makin' free thinkers from the south west weirdo fringe This screening is a food drive for Bristol South and East Foodbank - bring what you can, we'll have a donation point at the door. https://eastbristol.foodbank.org.uk/ 1pm doors 1:15pm start time GIANT screen FREE popcorn Exchange has a small ramp entrance from the street. Our bar and main event space are on the ground floor with level access throughout and we have an accessible toilet. If you need any other info on accessibility, please contact [email protected]”
From: Exchange Horror Club: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

“The Trip is just a film about a guy taking LSD and tripping. That is the entire plot. Roger Corman was at his most experimental here, layering the film with a psychedelic atmosphere and hallucinogenic visuals. Written by Jack Nicholson, the cool, disconnected imagery and rapidly edited montages are very evocative. They're boosted by the colourful sets and great re-use of old material to make the journey feel larger. The Trip is very 60s, capturing the zeitgeist of drugs and hippies, and embracing that trend. It's also very funny and a fair depiction of drug taking which neither glamorises or demonises drug use. It's a groovy film.”
From: Hippy Trippy Summer presents...The Trip...A Lovely Sort of Death

“Our pride month celebrations may have come to an end but we're keeping the party going with an absolute modern classic of queer cinema! In July we are screening Booksmart, the painfully awkward and hilarious sapphic comedy from Olivia Wilde. Starring Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein, follow Amy and Molly, two teacher's pets as they finally break bad the night before graduation. Amy wants to ask out the girl of her dreams! Molly wants something romantic to finally happen in her life! Both of them will make it happen... TONIGHT! Grab your best friend, partner or crush and head on over to Cafe Kino on Sunday 12th July for this literal queer joy-ride!”
From: Booksmart 15 7.30pm

“A happening at the Cube on a July Sunday afternoon. A festival film followed by Sixties music in the bar. Monterey Pop, held June 16 to 18, 1967, is the rock festival that started it all, beckoning hippies to the seaside town of Monterey while the tune of "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" wafted softly through the air. As Ben Sisario writes in the New York Times, Monterey Pop "served as the blueprint for the explosion of rock festivals that culminated in Woodstock, and with its crowds of face-painted hippies and slogan of 'music, love and flowers,' Monterey defined the look, spirit and sound of the Summer of Love."”
From: Hippy Trippy Summer presents...Monterey Pop 1967

“AKIN Creative Futures Exhibition 07 – 07 – 2026 5pm – 8pm The Courts, Bridewell St, Bristol, BS1 2QD A vivid exhibition of artwork and film woven through with live music Expect an evening of cyberpunk found-fashion fusions, cinematic who-done-its and pulsating flows blending hip hop & grime, exploring themes of re-finding joy, post-colonial resistance and hope. Bought to you by commissioned artists on the Creative Futures Commission & Residency Programme BÓLÁRINWÁ GRACIE SAMARA MAX BEVAN TAYA PANOHO Creative Youth Network”
From: AKIN - Creative Futures Exhibition