Film / News
Pagan romping and Wicker Man screening
Fancy a promenade through the wild places of Boiling Wells, discovering hidden histories and pagan tomfoolery, followed by an al fresco screening of that great cult classic The Wicker Man? The three-day Equinox: A pilgrimage of folk tales, pagan myths and legends is just the event for you. Burning alive in a gargantuan sacrificial effigy is presumably optional.
Organised as part of the BFI’s ongoing Britain on Film season, Equinox aims to unveil “some of the mysteries of the ancient rural countryside in inner city Bristol”. It takes the form of an archive film trail through the wild gardens of evocatively named Boiling Wells, near St Werburghs City Farm. Along the way, punters can expect to enjoy encounters with ‘pagan-headed ushers’, wicker-weaving witches and naked frolickers. On two of the three days, the whole thing culminates in an outdoor screening of The Wicker Man in a natural amphitheatre.
It’s the latest production by Bristol-based Community Interest Company Compass Presents, whose previous sell-out show, The Caligari Experience, bagged the 2015 Media Innovation Award for best event.
You can explore the archive trail for free on Friday 23 September every half hour from 7pm to 9.30pm. The archive trail with The Wicker Man screening is on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September from 7pm, with the film on screen at 8pm. Tickets cost £8.50/£7 (concessions). Go here for more details and to book. Note that because of its spookiness and general naughtiness, Equinox is open to over-15s only.
Read more: Our comprehensive daily film listings start here