Rave On for the Avon

12A

Do humans have the right to nature? In this tender film, Director Charlotte Sawyer tells a story of a community of wild swimmers in Bristol (UK) affected by raw sewage pollution of the river Avon. England is one of the only two countries in the world to have a fully privatised water and sewage disposal system, and with only 14% of English rivers in good ecological health, the mission to keep the rivers clean is not going well.

In a series of moving, exciting and thought-provoking scenes, the swimmers create a stunning, light-hearted yet fascinating tapestry, probing how activism starts from the grassroots, and carries a profound universal lesson for all of us. There’s a marriage to the river, drum’n’bass, a mermaid who tows an inflatable turd, and a whole lot of cheesecake in this poignant reflection on people’s innovative battles for the natural world they cherish.

The film will be followed by a Q&A with the film's director, Charlotte Sawyer, alongside Wendy Robinson from the Aire Rivers Trust, Sarah Evans, Co-Host of Mental Health Swims Ilkley and Les Wild, Founder of the Dales Dippers. 

Before Rave on for the Avon, we will show Milk Teeth Productions' short film about local wild swimmers, The Colder the Water, The Deeper the Bonds.