
The past couple of weeks brought big smiles and French delights as we took Rave On international!
I don't know which smile is bigger... mine at receiving a lovely review from the Guardian or Sonia's at spotting some treats in Biarritz. Sonia and I at FIPADOC International Film festival where Rave On for the Avon screened. Sonia has been going above and beyond coordinating these screenings and buying me a rose to celebrate our international debut- c’est adorable!
The fantatsic team at FIPADOC suggested the title Que Vive Le Rivière which translates to 'Long Live The River'. A bit more about that later...back to those four stars...

The four stars help to lend legitimacy to our film but I was truly most excited by reviewer Cath Clarke's reflection that;
"campaigning never looked so fun and friendly as it does in this joyous documentary about Bristol’s clean water campaigners."
Aggie our Co-Producer echos our delight that the message of our film stands strong;
“To be reviewed on The Guardian is such an honour because it puts the film on the map. These four stars are a huge nod to the hard work and dedication the entire team behind Rave On put into the project. I love that the reviewer Cath Clarke highlights the sense of community behind the film, because this film is about love, community,
and our right to nature!
As Rave On continues to tour the UK (with more cinemas signing up each week) our hope is to share this joy and love of the river so that positivity and energy can be directed into local action. At each Q&A we have invited campaigners and swimmers to join me on stage to provide an insight into their local issues. Please continue to spread the word to friends, swimming groups and campaigners you know nearby.

Back to FIPADOC. One of the most prestigious documentary festivals in the world, its flagship programme, Impact, supports the conception and distribution of films that aim to radically change the conversation on key contemporary issues, including the environment, human rights, and social justice.
We were over the moon when our producer Sonia brought the news that we have been selected out of 2,300 submissions. With only 180 films in the official selection this year, we made it to the final 7%! So last weekend we are celebrated in Biarritz by broadening our network, watching amazing films and competing in "Impact Documentary” category.
Anne Georget (right), President of FIPADOC moderated a fantastic Q&A session where we dove into the core message of the film, what does a relationship to the river look like? We also explored how the French way of doing things can be similar to the Bristol way.
Anne described Rave On for the Avon as “delicious” which brought a massive smile to my face. Thank you so much to the FIPADOC team for championing our film and seeing that, in order to better protect our rivers we need to deepen our relationship to them and express that with creativity and joy.
I have so many more updates including reflections from local swimmers and campaigners who joined the panel for our first few screenings in Penrith, Letchworth and Hebden Bridge to share but I'll leave it there for now.
Let's keep raving to save our rivers!
Charlotte
Director of Rave On For The Avon
💙✨🪩🎬🏞️🍿🦦

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