‘Joyous’ River Avon documentary goes international

The Conham Bathing group’s call to clean up a small section of the River Avon to enable safe freshwater swimming grabbed widespread attention with its creative campaign actions that included a poet marrying the river and a mermaid towing an inflatable poo across the Bristol Channel.

Now the campaign will meet a wider audience as Rave on for the Avon, a documentary that follows the story of the campaign and the individuals at its heart, embarks on a national tour of cinemas.

The film will be screened at more than 30 cinemas nationwide and has been selected, from around 2,300 global submissions, to compete in the Impact Documentary category at the FIPADOC festival in Biarritz, France.

It is a moving account of a community’s deeply felt connection with the river and the natural world, and received a four star review in the Guardian which said ‘‘campaigning never looked so fun and friendly as it does in this joyous documentary’.

The campaign served to highlight the toxic pollution which affects England’s rivers, with only 14 per cent in good ecological health and none in good chemical health. According to 2023 Environment Agency data the River Avon is the third most polluted in England.

The Conham Bathing Group began their campaign for Designated Bathing Water Status for their swimming spot in Conham River Park in 2021. The film’s representation of the group’s unwavering determination and the power the water has to instil wellbeing forges understanding, hope and action in audiences.

According to the filmmakers, it is a documentary about protecting rivers ‘the Bristol way’. Producer Sonia Wargacka told Bristol24/7 what made the campaign so uniquely ‘Bristol’ in their eyes.

“This film is the most Bristolian thing I have ever seen,” she said. “What do I mean by that? To me, Bristol is always the first place to resist the status quo, the systems that are in place, especially if they no longer serve us.

“Having lived in the city for ten years now, I’ve seen it with bringing down the statue of Edward Colston, I’ve seen it with the way the community stood up to the nationalist marches last summer, I see it every time I pass by College Green and there is a protest.”

The film, like the campaign, has been female led; the team (left to right) comprises producer Sonia Wargacka, director Charlotte Sawyer and co-producer Aggie Nyagari-Salt – photo: EightySita

The film, Wargacka said, provided the perfect opportunity to share the campaigners’ responses which represent the city’s positive, creative approach to injustice so well.

“With Rave On For The Avon we have captured it on camera. We have the loveliest, quirkiest, most friendly people just doing their thing, finding their own ways to protect the river and say no to river pollution.

“Campaigning and activism are very hard, gruelling tasks. Yet in Bristol, we have people who found light in it all – whether it’s marrying the river and hosting a wedding, swimming through Bristol Channel wearing a mermaid’s tail, or walking around with a giant puppet – think Little Amal but for a river goddess instead.

“It’s so quirky, weird and absolutely wonderful – and most importantly, it brings us all hope in times when hope feels like a luxury item.”

As well as campaign actions, the film documents the people using the river for health, leisure and wellbeing, like Wafa and Mehbooba. Some say river swimming makes all the difference to their mental health – film still by Charlotte Sawyer

It’s not only Bristol campaigners that are illuminated in the film: the majority of the soundtrack features Bristol musicians, including soul-tinged alt-indie trio Elder Island and DJ/producer and Booty Bass founder NGAIO who will both be performing at the Bristol screening at the Grain Barge on February 6.

Director Charlotte Sawyer said the makeup of the soundtrack was an opportunity to reflect the diversity of the city and affirm river swimming as a right for all rather than a white middle class hobby, as the prevailing narrative suggests.

But while the film’s focus is on Bristol, with this national tour the production team are keen to encourage communities to connect with their own local clean water campaigns and ways of making things happen.

 

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“It is important to us to inspire people in the UK and beyond with this very Bristol story, but what’s even more important is that our audiences constantly ask us, ‘what can we do locally?’, said Wargacka.

“For that reason, we try to bring local swimfluencers, activists and water-related charities for each of our screenings, for this energy generated by the film to find an outlet in community building and contributing to local causes.

“When I embarked on this adventure, I thought river pollution was an issue in Bristol. I had no idea back then this is a national problem, with most rivers being very polluted, and with people around the country standing up for our rivers.”

There are currently only three Designated Bathing Water Status spots in the UK. The Avon campaigners have launched a Thriving Avon Charter and are collaborating with Surfers Against Sewage and the Rivers Trust to support a growing movement which seeks to attain 200 designated bathing waters by 2030. Find out more at protectingwildwaters.org.uk

Rave On For The Avon is being screened in 20+ cinemas around the country including, but not limited to, London, Manchester, Bristol, Exeter, Lewes, Nottingham, Swanage, Newquay and Southampton. For more information about the film and the screenings, visit www.eightysita.com/raveonfortheavondocumentary

Main image: film still by Felicity Flashman

Read next:

• River Avon has some of the most sewage spills in England
• Bid to save River Avon from pollution and neglect
• The eco-artists using creativity to fuel their activism
• Deborah Tomkins: ‘I’m trying to make sense of how we got into this mess’