BPF Film Programme

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.