Watershed’s Out of Arcadia season explores our relationship with the land

Paul Wright’s much-acclaimed montage film Arcadia returns to the screen shortly in a special event at St. George’s on November 11. To mark this occasion, the Watershed is launching a short season of other films that explore our shifting and often contradictory relationship with the land under the Out of Arcadia banner. It’s been curated by UWE MA Curating student Steph Read, who says the programme “offers a journey through the changing face of the British countryside – moving from images of idyllic pastures to pagan rituals, industrialised landscapes and raves in rural fields.”

The season kicks off on November 15 with John Akomfrah’s 2010 experimental film The Nine Muses, which combines archive imagery with wintry Alaskan landscapes to conjure up a portrait of the immigrant experience in the UK. Next up is Right of Way (Nov 16) – a selection of three recently commissioned artists’ short films (Black Strangers, Pastoral Malaise, Syncopated Green) exploring issues of access and inclusion in the UK countryside. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Dan Guthrie and Sam Sivapragasm from Land In Our Names.

SŌN pitch up on November 18 with Maen Mawr, which is billed as an “audiovisual journey down a strange and ancient road . . .The experimental duo will be debuting a collage of films inspired by neolithic stones, ancient folklore, mythology, superstition and tradition within the land. Deep, dark and twisted visuals will be scored live with their own unique blend of homemade percussion instruments and robust electronic rhythms.”

A young Tilda Swinton stars in Derek Jarman’s most personal film, The Last of England (Nov 19), a fusion of Super 8 material, riot footage and home movies which was a big hit at the Watershed on release back in 1987.

The season concludes with another outing for distinctive if acquired taste filmmaker Andrew Kötting’s eccentric road movie, Gallivant (Nov 20), in which he embarks on a journey with his severely disabled daughter and elderly grandmother. Gran Gladys will shortly pop her clogs, while seven-year-old Eden, who suffers from Joubert’s syndrome, is unlikely to survive into adulthood. So in 1995, they set off on a 14-week journey round the entire coastline of Britain, during which Kötting shot 20 hours of film.

“Our partnership with UWE Curation MA has delivered fantastic film seasons at Watershed,” says Watershed Cinema Curator Mark Cosgrove. “This year’s placement Steph Read continues the exceptional quality of film curation with a timely cinematic exploration on the theme of Arcadia and our relationship with the rural and pastoral. A great range of films and events await.”

Out of Arcadia runs from Nov 11-20. Go here for more information and ticket details.

Main image from Black Strangers supplied by Watershed