Happy weekend to the ravers, bathers and river campaign community.
As we move into Autumn and the river starts to bring that chilly thrill,
the eyes of the winter dippers start to light up.
Thank you for so many responses to my last newsletter, it’s lovely to hear back from those who have seen the film or are looking forward a screening nearby. That will happen soon thanks to our crowdfunder (I hope)! I’ve been reaching out to brands for juicy rewards for our distribution crowdfunder launching 11th October primarily to afford a cinema rating which costs up to £1,500 eek.
This is an independently made documentary film so any support from our community goes a long way. I'm excited to give a massive shout out to TrueStart coffee, dryrobe, Finisterre, Tobacco Factory, The Wave and PictureHouse Cinema who have already pledged vouchers! If you don’t hear any more the crowdfunder soon it’s because I’ve absconded with all this fabulous new swag….
So we’re plunging into action, making a splash and riding the wave of excitement to get this very Bristol story, inspiring people across the UK. One person who is helping us to make waves (yes the swimming related puns aren’t going to stop there) is our kick-ass Producer (pictured below meeting the Goddess of the Wye at our Bristol premiere).
After we screened the film, the first question in the Q&A came from someone we didn't know. "Congratulations on making this beautiful, wonderfully Bristolian film. You've certainly started a fire in the bellies of 300 people in this audience. My question to you is, what do you want us to do with it? What's next for the film?"
Little did we know then that this question came from Sonia Wargacka, a Bristol-based filmmaker and a high end TV production coordinator whose credits include Sex Education, Wolf Hall and His Dark Materials. And that was an excellent question! To which we didn't quite have an answer yet.
Sonia says:
I heard about"Rave On for the Avon" through Bristol filmmaking circles, and I came to the premiere intrigued, but with zero expectations. Boy, was I in for a ride! This film made me cry, laugh, think and celebrate the city I have been living in for nearly a decade. In the world surrounded by narratives of crises, it made me feel not only that there is hope, but also that there are great everyday people amongst us who will not stick to the status quo.
They will fight for our right to nature in the most fantastic, creative ways. And if that includes getting married to the river with dozens of people attending the wedding, then so be it".
So, can we now tell you what's next for the film? - we've been applying to documentary festivals, hoping we'll be getting the film to wider audiences this autumn. If you'd like to donate to the film to fund festival fees (as they can get quite expensive!), please do so on our website. - we're having meetings with distributors, planning to get the film on streaming services following a festival circuit. Thank you for your ongoing support! If you know someone who we should get in touch with regarding this film, please let us know at connect@eightysita.com
Sonia has joined us as a Producer, helping us with film festival strategy as well as distribution of the film! We are planning some more creative and comedic events such as our Aquarium IMAX preview screening hosted by actress and comedian Jayde Adams. You can read how the event was experienced by Poppy Casey, a Graduate of Global Development & Sustainability at Bath Spa University and avid wild swimmer.
'I think I had these problems and I was getting my fix without knowing what it was fixing. '
Co-Producer Aggie explains that swimming in the Bristol Avon is a way of life at the Bristol Aquarium IMAX screening Q&A. Photography by Nic Kane.
And finally, some more great news. Our film has been selected as part of the world’s largest sustainability film festival. The Big Syn International Film Festival, run by the United Nations’s Centre for Big Synergy it is the ‘biggest United Nations Sustainable Development Goal initiative of its kind, inspiring millions to act on these goals and make positive changes for the environment, society and economy. We will head to the festival in London this November to see how our film can participate in this worldwide effort inspire change.
The festival organisers cast a clear vision full of hope:
Given the state of the world around us, there is a well-recognised need of building a more responsible future for us. The arts, for ages have inspired, challenged and proposed much-needed changes to our socio-economic conventions. Film, amongst others, holds immense power to bring to perspective the ‘real’ needs of the time and offer ideas of meeting those needs through a synergy of ideas and actions. They also help open dialogues amongst, at times, totally disjointed parts of the society or the world to usher a new era or collaboration and change.
November looks to be an exciting time for the film, screening a scene as part of River Action's March For Clean Water on 3rd Nov on the big screens at Parliament Square and the Big Syn Festival. We can't wait to bring the 'Bristol way' to as many people as possible, encouraging creativity and joy in campainging and of course....some drum and bass!
Charlotte
Director, Rave On For The Avon
Member of Conham Bathing
Swimmer in nature.
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