![Bristol’s biggest genre festival is back in just a month](/userfiles/news/n_16628-1.jpg)
Bristol’s biggest genre festival is back in just a month
Posted on: 16 Apr 2024It’s just a month to go until the start of Forbidden Worlds Film Festival, Bristol’s biggest genre film festival – and the first film festival to be hosted at Bristol’s massive IMAX screen.
Forbidden Worlds is the brainchild of the team behind truly legendary Bristol video shop 20th Century Flix – a veteran of Bristol’s film community that has miraculously survived the harrowing of video shops through ingenuity, adaptation, and the love of the community.
Since 2022, Forbidden Worlds has been dedicated to screening fantasy, action, science-fiction and horror films from around the world, and celebrating the people who made them. With real eagle-eyed, open-minded film buffs behind the festival, you can be sure you’ll find a glittering mix of cult classics, retro blockbusters – and off-the-wall hidden gems.
“You’ve got to keep the culture alive and keep passing it down.”
— Forbidden Worlds Film Festival (@FWFilmFestival) April 15, 2024
Festival co-director @pipsjukebox talks to the @guardianculture about why @20thCFlicks is still invaluable in a world of streaming.https://t.co/CMbBpoBsep
cc @guardianfilm @guardian
This year’s festival features 15 classic genre films, within themed strands like Forbidden Worlds Legend – celebrating the films of Peter Hyams, such as Capricorn One, Outland and Timecop – Killer Queens – showcasing the leading ladies of genre cinema from Attack of the 50 Foot Woman to Nikita – and Inner Worlds & Outer Spaces, which will see some seriously classic & cult sci-fi gems hit the big screen.
Indeed, it’s a very big screen – Forbidden Worlds screens all its films at the restored IMAX screen within Bristol Aquarium, which was left abandoned until the team painstakingly rigged it back up to work once more. It’s the best possible screen in Bristol to experience these films on – 18m x 15m large! The festival will also feature, for the first time ever, two short film showcases from filmmakers in Bristol & beyond – a great chance to see the next generation of filmmaking as it coalesces.
It wouldn't be Forbidden Worlds if we didn't screen some awesome Asian cinematic madness - and they don't get more wilder than Indonesia's The Devil's Sword!
— Forbidden Worlds Film Festival (@FWFilmFestival) April 15, 2024
PLUS: we proud to host the UK premiere of a brand new 2K restoration courtesy of @terror_vision.https://t.co/9AgElZCaXV pic.twitter.com/15qDohGPVD
During the festival, Forbidden Worlds will also host vendors like hidden gem video and DVD collectors Film Treasures, and MS Painter Jim’ll Paint It – and drinks will be on offer from local craft vendors like New Bristol Brewery and Espensen Spirit.
Forbidden Worlds starts next month, Thursday 16 May, and lasts until Sunday 19 May. For tickets, head to the Forbidden Worlds website.
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Article by:
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Patrick is a filmmaker with so much Bristol in his blood the white blood cells are graffiti'd. Educated at the Northern Film School in Leeds, he’s returned home to be a Videographer and Reviewer for 365Bristol and BARBI. When he’s not messing about with cameras, he enjoys playing guitar, spending far too much time on tabletop RPGs, and being an awful snob about cider. Have a look at his work here, or get in touch at patrickb@365bristol.com.