People / My Bristol Favourites
My Bristol favourites: Michael Jenkins
Michael Jenkins is an award-winning filmmaker who will be premiering his new short film Grade at next month’s Afrika Eye festival. The urban drama is set in St Paul’s, filmed entirely in Bristol and features an entirely Bristol cast and crew.
Here are Michael’s top-five Bristol favourites:
is needed now More than ever
St Paul’s Carnival
“St Paul’s Carnival is one of the highlights of my year. Even though it wasn’t on this year, I’m really hopeful and excited we will have a great carnival next year. The beautiful people and the vibe, the music, the food, is a really good showcase of elements of African-Caribbean culture. Watching the procession with my children and then coming back in the evening to hear the the best sound systems in the country is what I love the most about Carnival.”
M Shed
“As a filmmaker I love history; studying people and different characters. Going to the many museums around Bristol like M Shed is something I really enjoy doing. I love discovering the history of Bristol with my family and love to learn new things about this city every day. I do feel that Bristol as a whole need to do more to recognise the lives given by African Caribbean people during the slave trade, which was largely responsible for Bristol’s wealth and standing in the world. There are many hidden gems in Bristol and I can’t wait to explore more.”
The Malcolm X Community Centre
“The Malcolm X Community Centre is a really important building within St Paul’s. I recently led a filmmaking workshop there and we used various rooms and resources during the shoot. The building is used by various community groups and organisations including the the Malcolm X Elders group. It is a vital resource that is waiting to see its full potential.”
The Watershed
“I love coming to watch new independent films and the Watershed is a really good place to do just that. I have been coming here for a few years and they offer a lot of schemes for young people interested in the creative industries. One of the highlights of the Watershed for me is the annual Afrika Eye film festival. I love watching films from all over Africa and I have also won a development prize at the festival for one of my film ideas. Grade, Bristol’s first urban drama which I produced with young people at the Malcolm X Centre, will be screened at this year’s festival on November 14 at 12.30pm.”
Mama Cleo’s (inside the Three Blackbirds)
“This has got to be my favourite pub for food. I love to go here after a long day’s shooting a scene, for a curry goat with rice and peas. It’s very reasonably priced and the food tastes delicious on every visit. I would highly recommend this pub, but if you want to cook yourself, you can visit the many shops with foods from around the world on Stapleton Road, the most diverse street in Bristol.”
Read Bristol’s best film listings here
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