10 things to see at Encounters

1. Don Letts in conversation, Friday Sept 23, 8.30pm
Is there a more influential man in the world of music films? Probably not. Ever since he created the sound known as “punky-reggae” he’s been influencing UK culture. His films about the likes of The Clash broke new ground and the Grammy winner will make a rare personal appearance in Bristol to talk about his work. Happening on the same night as the Bristol Sound on Screen event and with free DJ sessions in the Watershed Bar thrown in, this will be a Friday night like no other.

2. Festival shorts – opening night highlights. Tuesday Sept 20th, 6pm
A taste of the rich, diverse programme at this year’s festival will be shown on opening night to whet peoples’ appetites ahead of the full programme getting underway. If you’ve never experienced Encounter before, this will be a great way to get a flavour of what’s coming.

3. Family friendly shorts, Saturday Sept 24th, 9.30am and 11am
If you’re stuck for something to do with the kids this weekend, Encounters has two sessions aimed at younger cinema-goers on Saturday. At 9.30am there will be no fewer than 11 films for those aged seven and over, and from 11am an hour will be given over to five films for teenagers (14+).

4. Build your own Shaun the Sheep  -Saturday Sept 24th, 3pm
Encounters is paying its own tribute to Bristol’s own Aardman Animations and why not, they are celebrating 40 years of entertaining the world. This family-friendly session will see one of the Aardman team supervise while kids can make their own version of woolly favourite Shaun to take home.

5. Funny Girls Thursday Sept 22nd, 2.30pm
Ever dated a girl who made you beg or drink from a bowl? An afternoon of the best work from funny female directors will feature the hilarious Here Boy, a film about dating a girl whose obsession with dogs extends to how her boyfriend is expected to behave.

6. Midnight of My Life, Friday Sept 23, 4pm
We’re used to seeing Martin with giant Hobbit ears or as the sensible one in Sherlock but this short film about Steve Marriott, one of the greatest ever British vocalists, shows him in a wonderfully-scripted short film.

7. Desert Island Flicks with Paul Mason, Wednesday Sept 21, 8.30pm
Donald Trump in with a chance of ruling the USA, terror attacks, post-Brexit racism and all the rest. You need a cool head like Paul Mason’s to make sense of the world these days. The former Channel 4 news journalist and writer, broadcaster and economics whizz will be making a personal visit to Encounters to talk about his film favourites in conversation with Andrew Kelly, director of the Festival of Ideas.

8. Myroslav Slaboshpytski Restospective Wednesday Sept 21st, 11.30am
Encounters 2016 has a real Ukranian focus and will be showing several short films by this acclaimed director best known for his debut film The Tribe. Alongside this the Ukraine Female Filmmaker Focus session will be made up of short films by up and coming female filmmakers.

9. The Aardman 40th Anniversary Special, Tuesday Sept 20, 8.30pm
It’s hard to explain to generations used to amazing music video just how groundbreaking the film that came with Peter Gabriel’s 1986 hit Sledgehammer was. Way, way ahead of its time, the video owed much to the input of Aardman. To mark 40 years of excellent work,  co-founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton will make personal appearances to look back at their key milestones, and will show for the first time a remastered version of the Gabriel classic.

10. 9 Days – From my Window in Aleppo, Friday Sept 23rd, 10am
The bloody conflict in Syria has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displace millions. It’s easy to forget it began as a popular uprising and, as part of the ‘Islands’ feature evening, this film reminds us of how the conflict unfolded in Aleppo. Shot from a window in what is now a city under siege, this story is told through the photographs of renowned Syrian photographer Issa Touma.

Read more: Free People’s Wildscreen screenings revealed