Cinema Rediscovered is celebrating its 10th anniversary. is itself testament to audiences’ renewed appetite for rediscovering film’s rich history. When we started, there were limited theatrical re-releases of restorations which was part of the motivation to launch the festival. The landscape has changed so much in the last decade and Cinema Rediscovered and Reframing Film Sessions have helped nurture engagement from distributors and exhibitors in re-releasing restorations theatrically and audiences for rep films at the festival, the tour and beyond have seen real growth.
BFI FAN members are invited to the Reframing Films Sessions to hear from some of the most inspiring voices in the worlds of exhibition, distribution and restoration to reflect on the rise of rep cinema over the past decade; and what that might mean for the future of cinema.
Cinema Rediscovered Tour:
A UK and Ireland wide touring programme is available available Aug 2026 – Jan 2027 supported by BFI awarding funds from National Lottery.
More information on all the films touring and those being released by partner distributors.
Reframing Film Sessions: Schedule
11:00 – 11:05 Welcome – From the Festival Team
11:05 – 11:15 A short case study about the rise of rep in Bristol
A short case study about the rise of rep in Bristol (Dr Kathrina Glitre, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, The School of Arts UWE, Bristol)
Kathrina’s current research focuses on the rise of ‘rep’ film as part of contemporary film culture, inspired by the vibrant film scene in Bristol. She has extensive teaching and research experience, specialising in genre, film style and classical Hollywood cinema. Her academic publications include Hollywood Romantic Comedy (2006) and multiple articles on Cary Grant and screen acting. She is also on the Advisory Board for the Cary Comes Home for the Weekend Festival, and one of the editors of Movie: A Journal of Film Criticism.
11:15 – 12:05 From Bleak Weak to Wiseman: How far can we take audiences?
Get some fresh inspiration from some of the UK’s leading cinemas active in the world of repertory film programming and marketing to explore how far we can take audiences in their journey with rep cinema through distinctive collective and local approaches. Guests including Paul Vickery (The Prince Charles Cinema); Paul Gallagher (Glasgow Film Theatre) and Joan Parsons (Queens Film Theatre) will share how they go about creating a buzz around “riskier” titles and how this sits within their broader audience development strategy for rep cinema.
Hosted by Steph Read (Watershed Cinema Programmer).
12:05 – 12:10 5 mins Comfort Break
12:10 – 13:00 How can cinemas and festivals invite curatorial voices in?
Passion, knowledge and connection to the material are key to making your programming stand out for audiences. Bringing in curators beyond your core team means you can expand your lens and invite new communities in authentically. But the exchange between your organisation needs to be right. We’ll hear from three practitioners, on both sides of the dynamic to understand how we can embed fair practice into the relationship.
13:00 – 14:00 Networking Lunch
A FREE (vegan/vegetarian) Networking lunch sponsored by StudioCanal and Park Circus.
14:00 – 14:05 A few words from Christie on the latest in cinema technology
14:05 – 15:25 Slate Presentation
A look at some of the forthcoming restorations and re-releases coming up in the months ahead. Join in our Restored & Rediscovered slate presentation hosted by film critic Neil Ramjee to hear more from leading distribution and sales companies about campaign plans, the context of re-issues and connecting with audiences.
Speakers: Kate Coventry (Sales Manager, Park Circus), Jack Chase (Senior Marketing Manager, Park Circus), Gareth Haworth (Theatrical Sales Manager at STUDIOCANAL, UK), John Rodden (Head of UK Home Entertainment & Library, STUDIOCANAL), Rod Rhule (BFI Releasing Manager), Jade Turner (BFI Film Distribution Officer), Charlotte Saluard (Head of Film Sales, Curzon Film), Bruno Savill De Jong (Operations and Marketing Executive, Radiance Films), Maddy Probst (Cinema Rediscovered Festival/Tour Producer) and partner Rehana Esmail – Film Curator (Cinelogue).
15:25 – 15:30 Short Comfort Break
15:30 – 16:30 The Rise of Theatrical Rep – from studios to audiences
Representatives from major studios Disney and Paramount join European production and distribution powerhouse StudioCanal and leading repertory distributor Park Circus to discuss the evolution and future of theatrical rep cinema. The panel will explore some of the catalysts for new film restorations, dig into the practicalities of getting films restored and rediscovered including studio’s evolving distribution strategies in cinemas, non-theatrical venues and beyond. This will also be an opportunity to reflect on key factors that have driven the last decade’s rep boom in cinemas from their perspectives.
Speakers: Charlotte Barker, Director, Film Preservation & Restoration, with the Paramount Archives (remote contribution), Kevin Schaeffer, Director of the Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and Library Management Department (remote contribution), Jack Reid Bell, Director of Marketing & Programming Strategy, Candy Vincent-Smith, Director of Catalogue Content and Editorial at Studiocanal UK. Hosted by Mark Cosgrove (Watershed Cinema Curator & Cinema Rediscovered Founder)
16:30 – 18:00 W1 & 2 & 3 Meeting Spaces & Drop-in Activity
You are welcome to use our Waterside spaces to book in one-to-one meetings with distributors and other guests involved in our Slate presentation. Please free to book these independently in advance and there will be a sign-up sheet on the day too and/or use the space to network with exhibition colleagues. Tea & Coffee will be provided.
Other activity:
ICO Know Your Rights – Drop-in
Want to show a specific film but don’t know who to contact to book it? Or perhaps you want to share a film rights story that could benefit others? Drop by the Independent Cinema Office’s FREE surgery table to talk rights. Long-standing Cinema Rediscovered partner the Independent Cinema Office offers a programming and booking service for film exhibitors, professional training and consultancy to help start, save and grow cinemas and free advice and information to make sure that everyone can show films and take part in our sector.
Aardman Clay Station
Have a go at making your very own Aardman character plus pick up ideas to create your own wraparound activity to celebrate the studio’s 50th anniversary year and beyond.
Chat & Craft Drop-in workshop – led by Cressida Williams (Cinema Rediscovered Project Coordinator.)
Inspired by the films showing at Cinema Rediscovered, we will be providing a clay modelling station, badge stamping, friendship bracelet making and much more. You’re also welcome to bring your own creative activity or project to share with the group.
16:30 – 18:00, C1: Meet Christie and Omnex: laser projection in practice
A chance to meet the teams from Christie and Omnex and experience the latest Christie Hybrid projector cinema projection technology in situ at Watershed. Christie will introduce the projector technology and its capabilities, while Omnex will be on hand to discuss the practical side of bringing new cinema technology into a working venue, including installation, integration, commissioning and long-term technical support. Delegates will also have the opportunity to visit the projection box, see the system in place and discuss what this type of technology could mean for their own cinemas.
16:30 – 17:30, C2: State of Emergence: The Films of Black and Asian Workshops, 1982
BFI invites colleagues from across exhibition, curation and audience development to join a conversation on State of Emergence – a major initiative to remaster, preserve and reintroduce films from the Black and Asian Workshops.
These pioneering, community-led collectives reshaped Britain’s cultural landscape in the 1980s and early ’90s, addressing race, migration, identity and working-class life through bold, urgent and innovative work that remains strikingly relevant today. As we look to share this season more widely, we’re keen to discuss how it might reach audiences across the UK in thoughtful and locally responsive ways. This session will introduce the programme and open up conversation around exhibition, partnerships and audience engagement. Hosted by Will Fowler (Season Curator; Curator, BFI National Archive), Miranda Gower-Qian (Cultural Partnerships Manager, BFI), Selma Kerlow (Head of Cultural Partnerships, BFI) and Xavier Pillai (Season Curator; BFI Southbank TV Programmer)
Join them to help shape how this vital body of work can connect with audiences today.
18:00 – 19:00 6 O’Clock Drinks Opening Drinks
Join us for drinks and canapés to celebrate our 10th birthday.
19:00 – 20:00 Opening Conversation with Ehsan Khoshbakht
Cinema Rediscovered launched its first edition in July 2016, taking inspiration from the pioneering Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in Bologna, Italy, and giving our approach a Bristol twist. Both festivals celebrate big birthdays this year, with Il Cinema Ritrovato turning forty and Cinema Rediscovered turning ten.
To celebrate, we are delighted to welcome Il Cinema Ritrovato’s Co-director Ehsan Khoshbakht, also an author, filmmaker and one of the world’s leading rep curators, for a conversation with our founder Mark Cosgrove hosted by film critic, historian and long-standing collaborator Pamela Hutchinson.
It will be an opportunity to get insights into Ehsan’s illustrious career as a film curator for key international festivals such as Il Cinema Ritrovato and Locarno and institutions the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Cinémathèque française and BFI Southbank; as well as his wider creative practice. Mark and Ehsan will also reflect on how our respective festivals and the wider repertory film exhibition scene have evolved over the past decade.
Ehsan Khoshbakht co-directs Il Cinema Ritrovato, the festival of film history and film restoration in Bologna. Since 2024, he has curated the retrospective section of the Locarno Film Festival. His programmes have been presented at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Harvard Film Archive, the Academy Museum, BFI Southbank, the Cinémathèque française, the Danish Film Institute, Filmoteca Española, and Cinemateca Portuguesa, among many other venues and festivals around the world. He is the author or editor of a dozen books on cinema, including Red and Black: Hollywood Left and the Blacklist (forthcoming, 2026), Great Expectations: British Postwar Cinema 1945–1960 (2025), Lady with the Torch: Columbia Pictures 1929–1959 (2024), and In the Cities of Cinema: Conversations with Jonathan Rosenbaum (2025). Ehsan is also a filmmaker and his last work, Celluloid Underground, was premiered in 2023.
What can I expect?
Lots of practical insight into questions such as:
- What does it take to create enough buzz to get audiences to engage with lesser-known titles?
- Just how far can we take audiences in their journey with rep cinema – for example reflecting on recent UK wide exhibitor led initiatives such as Bleak Weak: Cinema of Despair and Cinema Expanded: The Films of Frederick Wiseman as well as more localised initiatives.
- How might you go about inviting curatorial voices into your cinema or festival?
- How do distribution companies and studios approach restorations and re-releases?
PLUS a whole host of opportunities to connect:
- Get a sneak preview of upcoming releases from some of the leading rep distributors including Park Circus, BFI, StudioCanal and Curzon Film.
- Participate in 1:1 meetings with distributors, your peers and other industry practitioners.
- Access FREE networking opportunities such as a complimentary networking lunch thanks to our principal event sponsors Park Circus and StudioCanal.
- Make the case for a rep title you would love to see back on the big screen c/o Park Circus’s Submission Box
- Join in the Craft & Chat station and have a go at making your very own Aardman character (subject to capacity) plus pick up ideas to create your own wraparound activity to celebrate the studio’s 50th anniversary year and beyond.
- Meet the teams from Christie and Omnex and experience the latest Christie hybrid laser cinema projection technology in situ in Watershed’s projection box. See the system in place and discuss what this type of technology could mean for your own cinema(s).
Why not stay on for a few days or for the whole festival?
Reframing Film Sessions attendees get:
- Access to FREE early morning exhibitor previews of upcoming new 4K restorations on 23 & 24 July. See the full programme here!
- Get over 10% discount on Early Bird Festival Passes: £85 (£65 concessions, £50 aged 24 and under) until 27 May, then Full Price: £115 (£85 concessions, £65 aged 24 and under)
- Receive an invitation to the Opening Night Drinks 18:00 – 19:00 sponsored by 6 O’clock Gin and Opening Conversation with Ehsan Khoshbakht 19:00 – 20:00.
Also look out for Lunchtime Talks at 1pm Curzon Film & Artificial Eye at 50 on Thu 23 and Other Ways of Seeing on Fri 24 a chance to meet the co-curators involved in putting the edition of Cinema Rediscovered together plus our Cinema Walks 9am on Thu, Sat and Sun.
Practical information
Where and when is this happening?
- The event takes place at Watershed. Find out more about how to get there and access provision.
- You’re welcome to join us for tea and coffee from 10.30am.
- The first session then kick off at 11am and the panel sessions ends at 18:00 but you are welcome to stay on for our Opening Night Drinks 18:00 – 19:00 sponsored by 6 O’clock Gin.
Who can attend?
This event is primarily aimed at BFI FAN Members and associated freelancers. If you are a UK based film exhibitor and are not yet a member, find out how to join BFI FAN (FREE) - contact your regional hub. Archive practitioners, distributors, sales agents and international exhibitors are also welcome to apply and we will do our best to accommodate.
Where should I stay?
There are lots of great places to stay near the festival, from the cheap and quirky to the grand and luxurious. Participants can access an 18% discount off the standard flexible room rate with breakfast courtesy our hospitality partners ibis Bristol Centre Hotel and Novotel Bristol Centre. If you would like to access discount codes, please get in touch with the Cinema Rediscovered team using subject header “CR2026 Hotel & Pass Discount”. We can also make more personalised recommendations.
Get over 10% off your festival pass
Reframing Film attendees get over 10% discount on Festival passes now on sale and FREE access early morning exhibitor previews on Thu 23 – Fri 24 July.
Industry sponsors, partners and funders:
Thanks to our principal event and festival sponsors Park Circus and StudioCanal; and the festival’s Associate Sponsor Wiper & True. Find out more.
We are also grateful to Curzon Film and Radiance for supporting the afternoon networking event; and Omnex and Christie for providing us with the finest and latest Laser technology.
This is a Film Hub South West led initiative co-presented with the Independent Cinema Office and BFI Film Audience Network (FAN) partners funded through National Lottery. This event is primarily aimed at BFI FAN Members and associated freelancers.
Image: Dory Valentine © Fish Outta Water Media