Author: BPFTest_Admin

Bristol Photo Festival Accompanying Film Programme.
Sundays at 2pm throughout October. Location: Watershed.
Tickets: £11 (concessions available). Coming soon!

Throughout October we will be screening weekly films related to the festival’s programme: 

Sunday 6th October – Tish (2023) + Q&A panel discussion

An intimate, tender portrait of the late Tyneside photographer Tish Murtha.

Driven by a commitment to document the impact of deindustrialisation on working class communities in Northeast England in the 1970s and 80s, Murtha used her camera to expose societal inequality. However, despite early acclaim for her work, she was unable to make a living from photography and died in poverty.

This film is a journey of exploration for Ella Murtha, as both daughter and custodian of her mother’s archive. A chance to elevate and preserve a lost legacy, and to tell the story of an artist and woman outside of the mother she was familiar with, from the perspective of people Tish knew, and the images she left behind.

We have chosen to screen Tish specifically in connection with Kirsty Mackay’s exhibition, The Magic Money Tree, on view at Bricks St. Anne’s House throughout the festival.

Sunday 13th October – Shadow World (2016) 

An investigation into the multi-billion dollar international arms trade, this documentary pulls back the curtain to reveal the real costs of war. It examines the complicity of all parties – from governments to intelligence agencies, arms dealers and manufacturers – in fostering corruption, undermining democracy and furthering conflict. 

In shedding light on how our realities are being constructed, Johan Grimonprez’s timely exposé offers a way for audiences to see through this horror, in the hopes of creating a better future.

Sunday 20th October – Twice Colonized (2023)

Renowned Inuit lawyer Aaju Peter has led a lifelong fight for the rights of her people. But while launching an effort to establish an Indigenous forum at the European Union, Aaju finds herself facing a difficult, personal journey to mend her own wounds after the unexpected passing of her son.

In this powerful exploration of cultural trauma, director Lin Alluna follows alongside Aaju Peter as she strives to reclaim her language and identity after a lifetime of whitewashing and forced assimilation.

We have chosen to screen Twice Colonized specifically in relation to Inuuteq Storch’s exhibition, Porcelain Souls and Keepers of the Ocean, on view at Centrespace Gallery throughout the festival.

Sunday 27 October – I Am Not Everything I Want to Be (2024) 

After the suppression of the Prague Spring in 1968, photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková strives to break free from the constraints of the repressive Czechoslovakian regime and embarks on a long journey towards freedom. As she moves from Prague to Berlin to Tokyo, Jarcovjáková captures her experiences on thousands of photographs, shown slide-show style in this unconventional, boundary-pushing documentary from Klára Tasovská.

12-4pm. Venue: The Laundrette, 145 Cheltenham Road, Bristol, BS6 5RR
Free entry, donations welcome. 

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Herbert Shergold operated a commercial photography studio in Bristol, using glass plate negatives – an unusually antiquated technique popular in the 1910s – to create highly stylised portraits of actors as well as of his local community. In Shergold’s studio, Bristol’s working class residents were styled to appear as Hollywood film stars. We have invited the team at Negative Thinking – Bristol’s leading darkroom and analogue photography space – to run a drop-in workshop, exploring Shergold’s methods. Come along to explore large format cameras, glass plate negatives and other historic techniques. 

The workshop will be drop-in and is suitable for all aged 6+. 

Negative Thinking CIC is the home of analogue photography in Bristol. We have created a unique space for the photographic community where education, experimentation, creativity, and discovery are always encouraged. 

Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or are just starting out on your analogue journey, the love of the craft of photography is what drives us.

About Negative Thinking

Negative Thinking is a place built for you – for the photographers, artists, historians, and printmakers; for the curious, the creative, the enthusiastic, and the passionate. Negative Thinking is a home for all, and we would be so excited for you to join us under the safelight!Negative Thinking CIC is a community darkroom, studio, and exhibition space, offering industry-leading workshops, courses, and educational partnerships focusing on hand-made, historic, and alternative process photography.

2pm to 4.30pm. Location: M Shed.
Free entry, donations welcome. 

Join us to celebrate the group exhibition Dreamlines. During summer 2023, Bristol Photo Festival, in collaboration with Historic England and Bristol City Council, invited 14 photographers to collaborate with local communities, creating a portrait of Bristol today. Highlights included: 

• Clementine Schneidermann collaborated with the Shire Stitchers, a local textiles group based in Shirehampton, to create a series of quilts that included new photographic portraits of the women involved.
• After researching Two Mile Hill’s historic brass band parade – which in its heyday draw 10,000 participants – Sebastian Bruno worked with current members of the local Salvation Army to restage the parade today.  
• Jessie Edwards-Thomas and Kelly O’brien worked with elders from Acta Community Theatre to explore overlooked histories of working class labour in South Bristol. 
• After finding an image of Shirehampton Men’s Social Club from 1951, Chris Hoare set out to document the club today, creating an updated portrait of its membership. 
• Esther May-Campbell set herself the challenge of photographing every business along Church Road. Along the way she photographed local families, religious leaders, undertakers, key cutters, hairdressers and many more besides. 
• Grounded in the desire to increase the visibility of women of colour, Jade Carr-Daley joined a group for young mothers that meets regularly on Stapleton Road. Together they created a series of portraits that examine experiences of Black motherhood. 

The Community Event 

The event offers a chance to view the exhibition, which will contain works by all of the participating photographers. The Bristol Photo Festival team will talk about the production of the project, inviting some of the photographers and project participants to share their experiences. Light refreshments will be served. 

The full line-up of photographers includes: Khali Ackford, Michael Alberry, Sebastian Bruno, Esther May Campbell,  Jade Carr-Daley, Yuko Edwards, Mohammad Hassan, Chris Hoare, Kirsty Mackay, Lua Ribeira, Clementine Schneidermann, Mikael Techane and Jessie Edwards Thomas & Kelly O’Brien.

Venue

M Shed

©Photo: Michael Alberry

6-10pm. Location: Lost and Grounded Taproom.
Free entry, donations welcome. 

In collaboration with Hapax Magazine, Bristol Photo Festival is holding an open-call for new photographic projects. Artists and photographers are invited to submit a body of work. A shortlist of selected works will be screened throughout the evening, with a winner announced at the end of the night. The winner will be supported to develop a solo exhibition to be presented at Bristol Photo Festival 2026 and a concurrent feature in Hapax Magazine. 

The Evening 

The evening will include the launch of Issue 6 of Hapax magazine with a brief introduction by the magazine’s editors, Christiane Monarchi and Gordon MacDonald. There will be copies of the magazine available to view and buy on the night. Following this, there will be a screening of new photographic projects by emerging Vietnamese photographers, organised by Bristol Photo Festival in collaboration with Matca (Hanoi). The screenings will culminate with the presentation of the open-call shortlist, with the announcement of the winner. If they are an international entry, we will try to get them to zoom in, just like a real awards ceremony. 

The evening will conclude with a DJ set by members of Birds of Peace Orchestra.
 
The Open-Call

This programme is intended to support artists and photographers who are working on long-term projects that would be ready for exhibition in 2026. The project can be ongoing with intentions to continue producing work over the coming months. Everyone is free to enter and there are no restrictions in terms of age, professional experience or geographic location. The only condition is that the work must be currently unpublished and cannot have been shown in exhibitions to date.

While there are no restrictions, we particularly encourage the following:

• Expanded approaches to visual storytelling that combine multiple forms of image-making. For example, your project might include new images alongside archival or gathered materials. Alternatively, you might combine image and text. 
• Projects that find new approaches to address ongoing social and political issues. 
• Collaborative projects where participants have the opportunity to create part of the work. 
• International projects from artists and photographers who have never had the opportunity to show their work in the UK. 
• Projects that have a direct relationship to the city of Bristol, its many communities and histories. 
• Projects that address ideas of memory, movement and relation.
  

Please send a selection of up to 20 images, a brief artist statement and CV as follows:

• All materials (images, statement & CV) should be in a zipped folder. The folder should be titled ‘Your Name_Hapax & BPF Open Call’ 
• All images should be labelled with your name plus their corresponding number in the series. For example ‘Your Name_01’. 
• All images should be jpeg, 300 dpi and medium resolution (average 3 mb per file), appropriate for screening.
• The artist statement should be no more than one side of A4 text (size 12 font). Please provide an outline of the project, including how you would like to develop it prior to Bristol Photo Festival 2026. 
• The CV should be no more than one side of A4, providing a brief outline of your journey to date. 

All submissions should be sent to info@bristolphotofestival.org
SUBJECT: BPF Open Call

The deadline for submissions is Friday 1st November at 5pm. 

Selection Process

All selections will be viewed by a panel including: 

Christiane Monarchi – Hapax Co-Editor & Photomonitor Editor
Gordon MacDonald – Hapax Co-Editor (Gost Books, Photoworks)
Tamsin Silvey – Curator (Historic England)
Alejandro Acin – Bristol Photo Festival Director
Kirsty Mackay – Photographer

12.30-14.30pm.
Location: University of Bristol, Ivy Gate, University of Bristol.
Free, donations welcome. 

Join us to celebrate the outcomes of Weaving Narratives, a collaborative project led by artists Nilupa Yasmin and Jessa Fairbrother as part of Brigstow Institute’s (University of Bristol) city-wide Co-stitch project. The project brings researchers and community groups together, exploring communal stitching (embroidery, quilting, mending) as a form of storytelling. Throughout summer 2023, Yasmin and Fairbrother worked with community groups across the city, with a particular focus on diasporic communities who have arrived in Bristol seeking refuge. Join us to celebrate the outcomes of the work. 

Location

Ivy Gate Square (North East of Royal Fort House), University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1FD. To note, the square can be accessed from the steps leading up from St. Michaels Hill, from Tyndall Avenue, or through Royal Fort Gardens.

Realms of Memory History Salon: Overseas Chinese Merchants, Aw Boon Haw and the Tiger Balm Mansion. With contributions from Kelvin Chan and Billy H.C. Kwok.

26 October 2024
2pm – 4pm. Location: Royal Photographic Society Auditorium.
Free but booking essential.
Language: Cantonese. 

History Salon (2.30pm-4pm)

Hong Kong has been a crucial site for connecting the overseas Chinese diaspora across Southeast Asia with China. This History Salon – organised by the University of Bristol’s Hong Kong History Centre – focuses on the story of Aw Boon Haw, the founder of Tiger Balm ointment and Sing Tao Daily newspaper. He began his medical business in Singapore, later shifting the headquarters to Hong Kong in the 1930s. He became one of the most successful overseas Chinese merchants by investing in philanthropy, architecture, and media. So, why did he come to Hong Kong? How did overseas investment shape the history of Hong Kong and modern China? Kelvin Chan will discuss the patterns of Chinese migration, explore the connections between China, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia, and highlight the lasting legacies of Aw through the Tiger-Balm Mansion. In addition, photographer Billy H.C. Kwok will share the ways he employs AI generation software to contest the memories and imaginations of the Tiger Balm Mansion, and how the derivative memories from these AI-generated images traverse between reality and illusion.

Pre-Salon Exhibition Guided Tour: Realms of Memory exhibition (2pm – 2:30pm)

Join a Cantonese language tour of the accompanying exhibition Realms of Memory, which includes Billy H.C. Kwok’s artistic exploration of the Tiger Balm mansion. The tour will be led by WMA, a Hong Kong-based art organisation. WMA is the programme partner of this Hong Kong History Salon, as well as a cultural partner of the Bristol Photo Festival 2024. 

Tickets 

Tickets are free however booking is essential. Please register your spot via Ticketpass: https://tktp.as/EGZERU

Venue

Royal Photographic Society, 337 Paintworks, Bristol, BS4 3AR

Please note, both events will primarily be delivered in Cantonese. Refreshments will be provided.