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.

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What our editors say

“This year’s headline feature is Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid (1921), a landmark in film history and Chaplin’s first full-length masterpiece. Hilarious, heartfelt, and unforgettable, The Kid captures Chaplin at the peak of his creative powers, blending visual comedy with deep emotional resonance.”
From: Silent Comedy Gala 2026: The Kid

“The much beloved film The Snowman will be shown on the big screen with a live symphony orchestra providing the soundtrack. sixteen year old Alice Mackenzie sings the aria made so famous by Aled Jones, Walking in the Air.”
From: The Gruffalo and The Snowman

“Swedish baroque/psychedelic pop trio Death And Vanilla, sonic archaeologists with a hauntological bent, conceive a foreboding live soundtrack to 'Whistle And I'll Come To You', the stark '60s televisual adaptation of MR James's eerie ghost story of a man alone by the sea, haunted, pursued by something malevolent. A story thick with creeping unease, uncoiling dread, and awful revelation.”
From: Death And Vanilla

“Karen Alexander is an independent film and moving image curator, writer, and researcher. She is currently the 3D Pathway Leader on BA Fine Art at Central Saint Martins and a consultant with Cinema Rediscovered in Bristol. In 2017, she co-founded the moving-image commissioning platform Philomela's Chorus.”
From: Cartographies of Memory

“- Techniques for making live storytelling vivid and engaging - how to open up the cinema in your listeners' minds and transport people deep into the pictorial realms of wonder, delight and wisdom that the old tales carry.”
From: Traditional Storytelling Workshop 2: Music & Story