Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Watershed CEO Clare Reddington on cinema, class and council cuts

As Bristol City Council slashes spending on venues including arthouse cinema Watershed, Neil asks its boss Clare why funding the arts matters, and whether the sector's reputation as catering mainly to the well-heeled is justified.

Darin J Sallam on what shaped her creative life, her film Farha and the controversy it sparked from the Middle East to Bristol

Sallam’s film has been praised for its bravery in choosing to tackle the events of the Nakba – one of very few films to do so – but was also heavily criticised by Israeli authorities and prompted a boycott campaign

‘Silence is complicity’: director of landmark Palestinian film slams Arnolfini for cancelling screening

In a move that sparked outrage and protest, the Bristol gallery claimed hosting the showing of Farha would risk breaking charity rules on political activity.

Comedian Jody Kamali on his homecoming show about identity, family dynamics and growing up in Southmead

Best known for his Bristolian caricature Terry the Odd Job Man, the comic from Southmead is bringing his new one-man show home after a hit run at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Meet the Bristol artist casting nipples to celebrate bodies 

Ellen Downes’ pioneering bodycasting project aims to help women, trans and non-binary people 'connect to' their bodies, while challenging hypersexualisation and sexual harassment.

Racial justice charity handed lease to create ‘new kind of community space’ in St Paul’s

Black South West Network successfully secured the long-term management of the Coach House, near Brunswick Square, via a community asset transfer. Now it can raise funds for an ambitious plan to turn it into a ‘centre for Black enterprise and culture’. 

Bristol’s Imperial Tobacco is profiting from farmers trapped working for suppliers, film reveals

A new film by the Tobacco Control Research Group exposes how the company, with its HQ in Bedminster, is benefiting from a modern form of exploitation.

‘We want to give people their space back’: clock ticks on crowdfunder to save Barton Hill’s last pub

Thanks to a crowdfunding campaign, the Rhubarb Tavern could be saved from redevelopment after three years closed. In a changing city, and with pints becoming a luxury for many, what will be needed to make it a success?

How starting an arts festival helped me find community in Bristol

Grassroots groups have birthed a movement that celebrates and represents people from East and South East Asian communities. It has unleashed a ‘warm, communitarian energy’, writes the co-founder of MOON FEST, which takes place this weekend at the Trinity Centre.

‘The sector won’t survive much longer’: can Bristol’s indie cinemas regain their pre-Covid highs?

Independent cinema in Bristol has been severely impacted by the pandemic and the cost of living crisis. Does it have what it takes to keep going?

When words fail: Meet the Bristol group nurturing male musicians’ mental health

The Seed Sessions project combines counselling and music mentoring to help young men express themselves. We heard from its founder, one of the participants and a counsellor working with the group about the power of music as a therapeutic tool.

Listen: The Sound Of Saffron by Charlie West

As part of this series of podcasts about under-represented parts of Bristol’s history, Charlie West investigates gender inequality in the music industry and what Saffron are doing to overturn it.