by Isabelle Cocozza
Cinema Rediscovered returns to UNESCO City of Film, Bristol inside Watershed cinema, 20th Century Flicks, Clevedon’s Curzon Cinema & Arts, The Cube Microplex and Bristol Megascreen this July 22-26. In anticipation of the unparalleled programme of repertory delights and premieres of beautiful 4K restorations, (amongst projection tours, archive tours, cinema walks and craft events!) I (Isabelle Cocozza, Culture founder) have taken a look to see what cult and genre picks I would implore our readers not to miss!
Danger: Diabolik (1968), is the only major Hollywood studio-backed production directed by Mario Bava of Black Sunday (1960) and Blood and Black Lace (1964) fame, based on the Italian comic series Diabolik by Angela and Luciana Giussani as part of the festival’s Comics Come Alive! selection. Produced by Dino De Laurentiis, The film revolves around a criminal who plans grand heists for his girlfriend, before an inspector blackmails a gangster to hunt down Diabolik. The film is steeped in comic book-espque mise-en-scene and pop art influence, which led to countercultural reception at the time to be negative as the emerging New Hollywood’s stripped back style began to take hold. Containing palpable sexual chemistry due to it’s contextual zeitgeist of the sexual revolution, the film can be reevaluated in a world post-MCU, which critic Kat Ellinger called “masculine and asexual”. Featuring a score by Ennio Morricone, the film kicks off Cinema Rediscovered 2026 with a blast on Wednesday night.
Nadja (1994) is an arthouse vampire film set in New York City, centered around Count Dracula’s daughter after his death from a stake to the heart. Van Helsing has been bailed out of jail by his nephew, who also happens to be the husband of Lucy, Nadja’s lover. Executive produced by David Lynch, its a stylish, deadpan approach to the Dracula story, feeling fresh and interesting, furthered also by it’s trip-hop, shoegazey soundtrack. Elina Löwensohn gives a magnetic performance as Nadja, making for a cool, underseen delight, that would most splendidly align with our readers’ interests for artsy, queer genre filmmaking…
If you’re not super into the gothic stuff yet fancy a culty cinema gem living on the fringes, trade East Coast for West. You can opt for the slot of Paul Schader’s Hardcore (1979), a classic of American cult film, showing as part of the festival’s Rogue Hollywood selection. The film follows George C. Scott as a conservative father searching for his missing teenage daughter, leading into a spiralling odyssey throughout the Californian pornography production underworld. Besides from having one of the coolest and most effective film advertising posters ever, (featuring a black square with the text ‘Oh my God. That’s my daughter.’ with a small photo of the lead’s anguished face in the corner) the film is a sprawling journey for the audience member, best gone into blind. The lesser known little sister script of Schrader’s Taxi Driver (1976), it’s a fascinating 70’s thriller bound to entertain, and maybe also leave you thinking.
Oldboy (2003) is by far one of the most famous films to come out of South Korea, from one of the countries most successful directors within the international mainstream, Park Chan-wook. Playing in the Comic Come Alive selection, Oldboy follows Oh Dae-su, after he abruptly awakes within a suitcase in the city after having been imprisoned for 15 years for no apparent reason by an unknown captor. The bloody search for answers and revenge makes for a gritty and harrowing watch. Notorious for the film’s plot twist that is uncomfortable to say the least, Oldboy has continued to start conversations and stun new audiences over 20 years since its release. Screening on the Bristol Megascreen (Bristol Aquarium’s IMAX) on Saturday Night, this is truly a punchy highlight of the programme.
William Friedkin’s Cruising (1980) remains an infamous cult classic, essential to anyone’s knowledge of Western cult movies. Boycotted by many and picketed upon its release due to accusations of conflating violence with gay and kink spaces, Cruising stars Al Pacino as an undercover cop investigating murders within the gay leather bar scene of New York – until he begins to question his own identity. Now being reevaluated by movie goers and critics alike, the film is a great pick for fans of challenging films – something that Culture‘s readers would likely appreciate. Fancy a (slightly?) less frantic idea than having the rather traumatising experience of Oldboy seared into your eyeballs on a large scale? Fancy staying at Watershed, the festival’s heart, around the corner? Well, if so-bad-it’s-good horror Exorcist II: The Heretic doesn’t take your fancy, book this sleazy 80’s thriller gem for your Saturday night slot. I’m sure our readers would be split between these three, but I personally am siding with Cruising, as Oldboy has enough attention. Or, have I just seen Oldboy too many times…?
While my taste (and I’d assume the majority of Culture’s readers taste, too) leans towards the darker and bizarre, Elaine May’s Mikey and Nicky (1976) is screening in it’s new 4K restoration. The film stars John Cassavetes as a small time mobster with mood swings and Peter Falk as his childhood friend he calls on, hoping to aid Nick’s escape from a hitman – all while their friendship is put to the test. The film is a rather beautiful, and unexpectedly affecting, examination of male friendship led by stunning performances. After bombing upon it’s release and May’s loss of final cut privilege after going over budget and time-scale (shooting 1.4 million feet of film, the average for a two hour feature being 11,000), the film was restored with May’s directors cut by The Criterion Collection in 2019. Though not without slow pacing, this gem is certainly one to keep in mind when organising your itinerary for Cinema Rediscovered.
Joe Dante’s comedy Matinee (1993) stars John Goodman as an independent creature feature filmmaker trying to promote his latest film in a William Castle-esque manner, while the Cuban Missile Crisis begins to brew. His film Mant! echoes the 50’s and 60’s B-movie pictures loved by many and the legacy they led – that is until real life political events knocked down the charm for audiences of being frightened of films like Mant!, in which a man turns into an ant-like creature. The events of the film’s release are intercut with what’s going on in the world outside, and makes for an interesting watch. Joe Dante, director of Gremlins (1984) and Pirahna (1978) seems a good man for this job, and genre film lovers may find joy in this pocket of time he has created. The film is screening as part of the festival’s Vive Le Cinema! selection, featuring films highlighting where the magic happens.
Joe Dante’s The Movie Orgy (1968) is also screening at 20th Century Flicks on Bristol’s iconic Christmas Steps. The 4 hour film supercut of film trailers, commercials and more video ephemera was at over 7 hours at its longest form, and includes B-movie clips, bloopers, and A-bomb test newsreels. While now sold out, there will also be a drop in screening.
Obsession (1949) is a British crime thriller noir film directed by Edward Dmytryk. The film is showing in the main programme to celebrate Powerhouse Films’ 10 year anniversary alongside Pastor Hall (1940) , introduced by PF Head of Production, Anthony Nield. Obsession, also known as The Hidden Room, is based on the novel A Man About a Dog by Alec Coppel, who also wrote the film’s screenplay. A wealthy psychiatrist discovers his wife to be having an affair with an American, and plans the perfect murder of her lover. He kidnaps him and keeps him alive, while filling a bath slowly with acid to dissolve his corpse. A genre film with style, this is one our readers won’t want to miss from the beloved physical media purveyors, Powerhouse Films.
Cinema Rediscovered features a vast programme, so I would also stress to see the films that you’ve never heard of – and especially for regular Culture readers, to stray from dark picks and genre films – you may find something extraordinary. I will be wandering the festival (and its fantastic additional activities) so do not hesitate to reach out or say hello! Thank you to Cinema Rediscovered and Watershed, it’s going to be a fabulous time. You can buy a full festival pass with access to over 70 screenings and events, or individual tickets here.
Isabelle Cocozza (Instagram: issycharliedennis) is the Founder & Editor in Chief of Culture Film Publication, a film production student and photographer. She is based in Bristol and Bedford, with areas of interest in horror, cult/genre, and psychosexual filmmaking.
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