The Goddess of the Wye passes a grafitti’d plane behind a River Bride who carries Avon water in a beautiful blue vase towards a large warehouse. Syncro swimmers Open Water Syncro, battling the chilly March air beckon people to come, the film is about to start. Three hundred river lovers and campaigners gather in PYTCH’s impressive Box7 warehouse venue at Skyline Park for the Rave On For The Avon documentary film's sold-out Bristol premiere.
Gorgeous photography by Charley Williams. Swipe right to see the images in this article.
The energy and creativity infused into the premiere event reflects the spirit of Bristol's community-driven activism featured in this film.
Director Charlotte Sawyer and Co-Producer Aggie Nyagari invited attendees to ‘Fall in love with our Avon and the people fighting to protect it, the Bristol way! Rave On For The Avon is feature-length documentary film that follows campaigners and river lovers through six seasons, their highs and their lows, their love and loss.’
Charlotte ended her introduction with ‘This film is about love.’
As the audience immersed themselves in the visually stunning landscapes captured on screen, they were confronted with a stark reality - our precious water bodies are under threat. The detrimental effects of sewage pollution endanger aquatic life, pose risks to our environment, and impact public health.
The crowd laughed, cried, cheered, boo'd and applauded as the film came to a close with Meg's touching vows to the Avon.
At the Q&A Director Charlotte Sawyer shared that she "wanted to capture the spirit of Bristol - people not accepting the status quo, taking things into their own hands, and doing it with creativity and flair.”
Joining the Q&A were Conham Bathers Becca Blease, Em Nicol and Eva Perrin and campaigner Johnny Palmer, mc'd by Co-Producer Aggie..
Becca Blease of the Conham Bathers emphasized, "Whatever your strength is, never feel like you're not qualified to stand up for your local river. You can stand up for your river in whatever way you choose."
The documentary culminated in a call to action, urging viewers to advocate for cleaner waters and protect the ecosystems that sustain life. The Conham Bathing group are currently working towards the development of a charter for Bristol’s rivers, which they hope will inspire action from Bristol’s new incoming councillors to protect our city’s waterways for the benefit of our wildlife and residents.
Michelle Williams of The Rivers Trust reflected after the film, "Back five years ago, when a couple of us in The Rivers Trust started trying to develop a campaign for river health that was relatable to the public, we started publishing data and maps. We could never have dreamed of where things would lead to. It’s humbling to have played a small part in what has become a fantastic movement with so many diverse voices and stories all fighting for better access to a healthy natural environment."
Many incredible Bristol artists who donated their tracks to the film performed at DJ set after the screening. Ngaio, Chiverin and Elder Island all brought their epic beats to the dance floor and the Goddess of the Wye even busted a few moves! This film featured a stunning amount of Bristol music, from drum and bass to afrobeats, electronic and folk. It was a joy to celebrate the music which brought so much emotion in the film to life at our premier event.
If you missed this screening, we are showing the film at the Bristol Aquarium IMAX on Thursday 25th April. Please invite your friends!
We extend our gratitude to all the event partners and sponsors. Thankyou Johnny Palmer and the Pytch team for lending us your gorgeous venue and spectacular AV system. A huge thanks to House&Co for their generous support, cheerleading and encouragement. Thank you to Mermaid Gin for their delicious range of spirits. In prepping for this event with you as our sponsors we have seen how much your teams care about this issue and have been incredibly blessed by your sponsorship and support.
Poppy from the lovely team at The Isle of Wight Distillery who made Mermaid Gin said "We’re passionate about the well-being of our planet, and keeping our ocean, rivers and waterways safe. We advocate for cold-water swimming and realising the benefits it brings, which is why we work with ocean-conservation charities such as Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Surfers Against Sewage and Project Seagrass who help to give our blue spaces a voice. Our bottles are ocean-friendly, completely plastic-free and made from recyclable materials." Thanks again for your support in this campaign and for your tasty Gin, Rum and Vodka!
We received incredible donations of delicious beer from Arbor Ales, Lost&Grounded, Bristol Beer Factory and Zulu Alpha Brewing. Thanks to Kingston Events for their support in providing us with an affordable luxury toilet hire.
We received such wonderful raffle prize donations from Bristol Fungarium , Finisterre, Rosa Bloom, Dry Robe, Barti Rum, The Wave, Voyloks, This That, Tobacco Factory, Weleda, Kendal Mountain Film Festival, True Start Coffee, Alpkit, Patagonia, Gus Hoyt, Farrah Fortnum Bristol Muralist, Lindsey Cole, Swimoga and Dakota Rae Dust. These prizes, sourced by the one and only Lindsey Cole were an example of how many local businesses want to support campaigns for better rivers.
We were blessed with so many wonderful partners and collaborators in making this film Conham Bathing, Save Our Avon, Open Minds Active, Earth Minutes, Surfers Against Sewage and The Rivers Trust. Your work is astounding and we are honoured to work along side you all. Here is a little highlights video of the event.
For media inquiries or partnership opportunities, please contact connect@eightysita.com
Were you at our premier event? Check out the rest of the photos below and please share your reflections with us, find us on instagram @raveonfortheavon.
All photography by Charley Williams. Written by Aggie and Charlotte.
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