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

Cinema & Independent Film in Bristol

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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

“The Cary Comes Home Festival returns with our most ambitious edition yet, bringing together three days of screenings, talks, music and special events celebrating the life, legacy and stardom of Cary Grant. We can’t announce the full programme until film rights are confirmed, but we can promise a carefully curated weekend of cinema and conversation, with four events each day and a vibrant atmosphere throughout.”
From: Cary Comes Home 2026 Festival

“OLUKEMI LIJADU: 'FEEDBACK' Spike Island presents Feedback (31 January–10 May 2026), the largest solo exhibition by Nigerian-British artist, filmmaker and DJ Olukemi Lijadu. Developed through extensive research in Chicago, Lagos and Bristol, Feedback centres around a major film commission and marks a landmark in the artist’s moving image practice.”
From: Spotlight Tours: Phillip Lai 'RAIN / RUIN' and Olukemi Lijadu 'Feedback'

“This ground-breaking documentary, originally made in 1983 for Channel 4 at the height of the war in Ireland, provided a critical counter-narrative to the pro-British propaganda spouted by most of the mainstream media in this country. Rarely seen, Ireland: The Silent Voices (80 mins), focuses on the stories and perspectives of ordinary people actively or passively involved in the conflict. In three parts, the film analyses the representation of the conflict on TV in Britain and in Europe. It argues that in Britain, Irish politics is presented in a way that is closer to the fiction of film narrative and thus denies rationality, making the acts of individuals seem a-political and a-historical.”
From: Ireland: The Silent Voices

“On the occasion of Olukemi Lijadu’s exhibition at Spike Island, Feedback, Lijadu will perform a newly commissioned live music score to her film 'Feedback'. Unfolding behind a sheer screen, the performance draws on the tradition of expanded cinema to collapse the virtual realm of the film into the physical space of the galleries.”
From: Performance: 'Feedback', Olukemi Lijadu

“Jo is an old dancer, George an old clown. International artists with 100 years of life experience between them, armed with a soundtrack of floor-fillers, a book of raffle tickets and a sprinkling of eco-friendly optimism. Joyful, celebratory and hilarious.”
From: The Rest of Our s