Project Detail

Rave On for the Avon

Synopsis

When the water company and local authorities fail the community, the wild swimmers of Bristol fight back through activism, swimming like a mermaid and getting married.
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 wedding, drum’n’bass, an inflatable turd, and a whole lot of cheesecake in this poignant reflection on people’s innovative battles for the natural world they cherish.

Details

Year
2024
Type of film
Features
Running time
86 min
Director
Charlotte Sawyer 1st Feature
Producer
Sonia Wargacka
Executive Producer
Mel Rodrigues
Director of Photography
Charlotte Sawyer

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

Spacewoman Spacewoman

Director: Hannah Berryman

Year: 2024

A landmark feature documentary about astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command the Space Shuttle. Eileen’s incredible journey starts with her smalltown beginnings, sees her smash through many glass ceilings, and culminates in four dramatic space shuttle missions, the last being possibly the most dangerous and most important of them all. At its heart the film is the moving human drama of one family, where a mother’s extraordinary career takes us straight to the big philosophical question of what is the level of acceptable risk in human endeavour? This film celebrates Commander Collins’ trailblazing NASA career which opened the way for women to become spacecraft pilots and commanders, and proved a perfect riposte to a previous generation of male astronauts who thought there was no place for women to lead the way in space. Official Selection DOC NYC 2024 - World premiere Official Selection CPH:DOX 2025 - European premiere

You Can Call Me Lou You Can Call Me Lou

Director: Georgia Zeta Gkoka

Year: 2025

A personal and transformative story of Louise, an ex-dancer who transitioned in the 1980s. A former member of a dance group called Pyramid Dancers, Louise was part of the legendary London club scene during its most iconic era of the 80s and 90s. Through rare archival footage and Super8mm film, the documentary transports us back to those electric nights, offering an intimate look at how those years shaped Louise's identity and how her love for dance fuelled her journey towards self-acceptance and authenticity. Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025

A manuscript with blue flowers Daria’s Night Flowers

Director: Maryam Tafakory

Year: 2025

Daria has written her first manuscript about falling in love with a mysterious girl called ‘abi’ [blue]. The night flowers in her garden hide the secrets of a country that has turned love stories into routine crime scenes. Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2025 Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025