Rave On For The Avon

• Directed by Charlotte Sawyer
• Starring Rebecca Blease, Lindsey Cole, Kim Kaos
• 86mins | 2024 |

Includes post-screening Q&A with the filmmakers and View From The River.

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 marriage to the river, 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.

“A fantastic, inspiring, and uplifting film that makes you glad to be alive, thankful for all that is wonderful in this world, and determined to do more to appreciate and protect everything we love.” - Outdoor Swimmer Magazine

"A brilliant and important film that demonstrates the power of community action... an inspiring rallying cry for change." - Kirsty Davies, Surfers Against Sewage 

Sometimes an indie film like this comes along that just makes you want to cry, laugh, scream and jump headfirst into the open water like a mermaid! - Mel Rodrigues, CEO of Creative Access

“The film is an absolute delight and I am totally converted. I had quite a few little cries during the screening, variously with joy, empathy and fury! ” - Esta Porter, Managing Director of EVOLUTIONS.TV