Bristol Radical Film Festival returns with an eclectic selection presenting different ways to see the world

Bristol Radical Film Festival returns on the weekend of October 4-5 with a typically eclectic selection of films covering a variety of topics, all screened at the Cube cinema.

Fanon

On the opening day, the festival celebrates Black History Month with the UK premiere of Jean-Claude Barny’s drama Fanon. This focuses on a formative moment in the life of Martinique-born radical psychiatrist, political activist and revolutionary Franz Fanon, who was a key influence on the US Black Panther Party.

London Recruits is a drama-documentary exploring a hidden chapter in the fight against South Africa’s apartheid regime. It tells the story of courageous  young international volunteers – many of them British – who were secretly recruited by the African National Congress (ANC) to assist in their struggle for freedom.

Another historical perspective is explored in Miners’ Strike: A Frontline Story: an account of 15 men and women and one life-changing year on the front line of the most divisive conflict of a generation: the 1984 miners’ strike.

Two films use innovative ways to chart the experiences of both Lebanese and Palestinian peoples in the past and today under the shadow of the Israel military machine. The Diary of a Sky is a 45-minute video essay that plunges viewers into a chilling chronicle of daily life transformed by the weaponisation of the air as violence erupts over Beirut. Return to al-Ma’in chronicles the collaboration between Forensic Architecture and Palestinian historian and Nakba survivor Salman Abu Sitta on the reconstruction of his birthplace, the lost village of al-Ma’in. Together they have used 3D technology to reconstruct al-Ma’in’s occupation by Zionist militias on 14 May 1948, its subsequent demolition, and the Israeli settlements constructed on its ruins.

Sunday brings the powerful documentary Sudan, Remember Us, directed by award-winning journalist and filmmaker Hind Meddeb. This offers an urgent and moving portrayal of Sudan’s ongoing counter-revolutionary war, which is largely ignored by mainstream media.

Censoring Palestine explores how the topic of the genocide in Gaza is being censored in British mainstream and social media, and the ways terrorism law is being used to silence dissent, through dawn raids, arrest and detention. Interviewees include Ken Loach, Alexei Sayle and Roger Waters. One notable section focuses on police treatment of the Bristol peace activists, the Filton 24, who are all awaiting trial having at various times broken into Elbit Systems arms manufacturer site to protest against its supply of weapons to the Israeli military.

And the annual International Showcase Of New Short Films presents innovative and different ways to see the world. From comedy to formal experimentation, this year’s innovative works cover everything from carnival culture to small boats, memories of radical film, Pride, and much more.

See https://www.brff.org.uk for the full programme. Individual tickets for all events cost £8/£5 (concessions) and are available from https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/checkout/bristol-radical-film-festival-2025

Main image from London Recruits. All images supplied by Bristol Radical Film Festival.