Watershed Podcast

Mark Cosgrove, Watershed Cinema Curator, and Tara Judah, Watershed Cinema Producer, share their picks from April in cinema. The Sisters Brothers is first up and is a classic Western from French director Audiard. Then we're off to Glasgow for the toe-tappingly good Wild Rose and the story of one woman's dreams of singing all the way to Nashville. Next it's off to Italy for Happy as Lazzaro a magic-realist fable about modern Italy, greed and corruption directed by Alice Rohrwacher; a filmmaker that lights up your life with exciting cinema. Mark and Tara then look forward to Rafiki a ground breaking film about hidden love and the first Kenyan film to be selected for Cannes film festival.Finally ahead of a twelve film retrospective of Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda through April and May they share what it is that makes his filmmaking so unique and look forward to some of the films screening at Watershed.

Mark Cosgrove (Watershed Cinema Curator) and Tara Judah (Watershed Cinema Producer) share thoughts and insights on photographer turned filmmaker Richard Billingham's superb portrait of deprived 1980s Birmingham family life Ray & Liz; Out of Blue Carol Morley's unmissable adaptation of a Martin Amis novel; plus Swedish outsider, genre defying Border.In the second half of this extended podcast Mark is joined by Filmic co-curator Phil Johnson to share their highlights from this two month series of films, concerts and live performances and to discuss the what is it that, especially in Bristol, creates such an inextricable bond between film and music.

The focus this month is on filmmaker Barry Jenkins and his captivating new film If Beale Street Could Talk.Watershed Cinema Producer Tara Judah and Watershed Cinema Curator Mark Cosgrove share their thoughts on what makes Barry Jenkins such a brilliant director and extraordinary visual filmmaker. They also share insight into Jenkins' key influences and his previous work as part of a short accompanying season of films – In The Mood for Barry Jenkins.

Cinema at Watershed in 2019 kicks off with scabrous wit and two period dramas, both with a modern feel and contemporary resonances.In January's podcast Tara Judah, Watershed Cinema Producer, and Mark Cosgrove, Watershed Cinema Curator, talk about The Favourite and Colette amongst other film highlights for January. They also eagerly anticipate films coming to Watershed in February and beyond and look forward to another exciting year in cinema.

Reflecting on the 2018 programme Mark Cosgrove, Watershed Cinema Curator, and Tara Judah, Watershed Cinema Producer, celebrate their Top 5 Films of the year and talk about the films that have stayed with them till the end of 2018.

November's Cinema podcast highlights just a few of this month's much anticipated new releases and a season of playful reflections on what it means to be a witch in film.This month Mark Cosgrove (Watershed Cinema Curator) and Tara Judah (Watershed Cinema Producer) are joined by MA Curation student Thea Berry to talk about Reclaiming the Witch. This season of films explores all manner of sorceress-on-screen outings to laugh at and wonder – why is it that some women were represented that way?Alongside this they explore a clutch of highly anticipated new releases from the likes of Japanese master filmmaker Koreeda with Shoplifters, artist turned filmmaker Steve McQueen's remake of 80s tv classic Widows, and much loved Mike Leigh's latest historical drama Peterloo. If that weren't enough they wave a flag for some of the must sees at Afrika Eye – a celebration of African cinema and culture which returns to Watershed this month.

Watershed's Cinema Podcast for October highlights two films that are trying to make sense of Europe's recent past, but in very different ways.Mark Cosgrove (Watershed Cinema Curator) and Tara Judah (Watershed Cinema Producer) focus on new film Utøya – a Norwegian, real-time recreation of the horrific attack by armed right-wing extremist Anders Breivik on 500 teenagers at a summer camp, that ultimately left 69 people dead. Mark and Tara discuss when is the right time for a film like this, how the film came to be and the role of film as a collective remembering.They also talk about Dogman, a dark and sometimes humorous depiction of a contemporary Italian community on the margins, which questions what it means to be Italian today. Further highlights include two more films that loosely sit within an ongoing women on film theme – Voyageuse and Make Me Up. The former offers a beautiful and poetic look at one woman's history and the latter a candied coloured artistry that picks apart contemporary feminism and art hi

Cinema Curator Mark Cosgrove and Cinema Producer Tara Judah share their highlights and must see films this September at Watershed.They discuss the absorbing and sometimes confounding blurring of fact and fiction in three fantastic new films - The Rider, Skate Kitchen and Matangi/Maya/MIA. Enfant terrible and arch provocateur Gaspar Noe's new film Climax takes Mark completely by surprise, despite his low expectations, whilst Tara continues to revel in the singular vision of Agnes Varda's new film Faces Places, in which Varda embarks on a road trip like no other, to examine what it takes to make a meaningful piece of art.A season of films – Working Class Heroes – still provides much food for thought 50 years after their original release, with some of the most dynamic, subversive and radical films you could hope to see. And finally there is Pawel Pawlikowski's extraordinary Cold War which Mark and Tara already predict will be one of the films of the year, if not the decade.

August brings an embarrassment of cinematic riches gathered together under the broad headline of seriously playful, or indeed playfully serious, filmmaking.In this month's podcast Watershed's Cinema Producer Tara Judah and Cinema Curator Mark Cosgrove revel in the highly inventive and unabashedly feminine 60 year filmmaking history of Agnes Varda, look forward to a preview of Spike Lee's latest film BlacKkKlansman alongside a retrospective season of Lee's films and work as one of the most distinctive and funny filmmaking voices in American cinema, plus they share just a few of their highlights from the month ahead.

This month's cinema podcast focusses on four highlights for July; two new films that explore religion – one a faith testing thriller and the other a rare insight into the complex nature of faith, family, duty and love; a completely absorbing slow cinema documentary that touches on universal questions through the minutiae of the New York Public Library, and a heartbreaking yet charming story of a mother and daughter who struggle to escape bullies.Plus Cinema Curator Mark Cosgrove and Cinema Producer Tara Judah round up their quick picks of the month – from Queer Vision to Cinema Rediscovered, with a side order of iconic martial artist and cultural innovator Bruce Lee.

Cinema Producer Tara Judah and Cinema Curator Mark Cosgrove discuss some of their June highlights in cinema at Watershed.Their picks include a film on the early life of a serial killer that they initially wondered why anyone would want to watch, a reissued classic that is still the only film by a female director to have won the Palme d'Or and a 200 year celebration of an archetypal monster.

Introducing some of the highlights in film coming up at Watershed this month – from the stylistic and outrageously bloody retribution of Revenge; the mesmeric and satirical post-colonial world of Zama; to our cinematic retrospective of revolutionary times fifty years ago.May's podcast introduces Watershed's new Cinema Producer Tara Judah in conversation with Cinema Curator Mark Cosgrove to bring you a round up of the month ahead in film at Watershed.

As part of Filmic, April's podcast offers a sonic guided tour to the soundtracks of this month's upcoming film season, The Sound of Sci-fi.Mark Cosgrove, Watershed Cinema Curator, and film journalist Sean Wilson discuss how science fiction films are fertile ground for film score composers to develop their own sonic language, responding to subjects beyond our day-to-day comprehension. They play snippets from the soundtracks and discuss what makes them so compelling, otherworldly and successful.

At the start of Filmic 2018 – Watershed's annual exploration of the creative connections between film and music – this months podcast looks at some of the films coming up and the central role that music plays in film.Mark Cosgrove, Watershed Cinema Curator, and film journalist Sean Wilson discuss the essence of a good film score and how, citing examples of classic collaborations between directors and composers, music can enhance the emotional truth of a film.They also look forward to this month's season of suspense themed Sunday brunches and two live orchestra and screening performances of masterful scores with Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark at Colston Hall.

This month's season of films on 35mm film, from director Paul Thomas Anderson, leads Watershed cinema curator Mark Cosgrove to reflect on his own personal experiences of the film industry.As a film studies graduate in the 1980s his passion for film was not matched by any knowledge of how a film actually gets in to the cinema. Mark discusses both this fundamental naivety and the huge impact digital has had in recent years on the industry and looks forward to celebrating the work of director, and celluloid champion, Paul Thomas Anderson on 35mm through the coming month.

This first podcast of the year looks ahead to some of the film highlights of 2018.Mark Cosgrove, Watershed Cinema Curator is joined by Bristol based writers, critics and bloggers Tara Judah and Sven De Hondt to discuss some of their highlights in film to look out for in 2018.

An extended end of year podcast looking back at 2017 in film.Mark Cosgrove, Watershed Cinema Curator is joined by Bristol based writers, critics and bloggers Tara Judah and Sven De Hondt. Amongst the forty or so films they discuss they also reflect on what a strong year for independent film 2017 was, a new wave of British filmmaking talent, asian cinema successes and offer sometimes polarised views on their highlights and favourites of the cinematic year.

A season of films, and a family event, based on Japanese Animé are the topics for discussion in this month's podcast.Mark Cosgrove, Watershed Cinema Curator, talks to MA Students Victoria Jones, Louise Milsom and Sebastian Peters about the University of West of England courses they are studying at Watershed; and the anime based programme they are curating and producing at Watershed as part of their studies.

October 2017's podcast focusses on the upcoming Festival of the Future City at Watershed.Mark Cosgrove, Watershed Cinema Curator, and Andrew Kelly, Director of Bristol Cultural Development Partnership, discuss some of the themes and ideas from the festival, where cities are going wrong and right and the ills that effect modern cities.They also share some of their highlights from the discussions, debates, talks, interviews, walks and film screenings from the festival – which takes place from 16-20 October.

September sees the arrival of the 23rd Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival at Watershed. Mark Cosgrove, Watershed Cinema Curator, talks to Festival Director Rich Warren and Marketing Manager Jacqui Barr to find out more about the festival.They discuss why the focus on short film and animation, new innovations in filmmaking, what makes the festival so unique and highlights to look out for.