Adam Murray has written this reflection of his experience on Beyond Boundaries 360 as we open the call for participants in 2021. Considering applying? Read below to learn how Adam developed his practice in line with the course and collaborated with other participants and film organisations in Bristol.

I’ve always been interested in the moving image and cinema. Discovering Beyond Boundaries in 2019 could not have happened at a more appropriate time. 

It came at a moment in my personal creative and professional journey where I needed a pause to engage with a developmental, as well as an educative, program that would help me to focus my capabilities. Beyond Boundaries was the place where I could reflect on the mélange of practical, cerebral and life experiences I had ‘sponged-up’. I found it to be a rare chance to reassess and explore ways to bolster my appreciation of where I had been and re-imagine where I was going as a programmer/curator, in a collaborative process through which I could future-focus – with others.

All of which felt daunting at the outset, and yet became both a challenging and accessible adventure. Beyond Boundaries provided a place of reassurance, supporting my understanding that I was on the right path.

Flash forward to August 2021, and I’ve kick started a very personal curatorial venture, Bristol Black Horror Club.

One of the most satisfying, revelatory aspects of Beyond Boundaries were the programmed sessions allowing breathing space for everyday life, and those daily trials and tribulations we have to ‘get on with’. Beyond Boundaries went beyond its organisational name. A boundary enhancing place where I could breathe differently and share with others; brainstorming and listening to fellow creatives, questioning time and again, researching insights between sessions while nurturing working relationships.

Diving into working with new people and their lived experiences proved to galvanize me. Nothing in Beyond Boundaries journey felt overwhelming. Early nerves gave way to a shared community, embracing our differences and diversity. The sessions were oases providing appropriate structure, and outstanding expert delivery in different disciplines relating to film programming and event production: an educative, creative and relational journey second to none. 

Adam Murray is a regular contributor and programmer with Film Collectives and Festivals: Come The Revolution, Cinema Rediscovered, Cables & Cameras, Commonhand and Bristol Black Horror Club – and is a member of Universal Magnetic Radio Show. Adam has previously collaborated with Bristol’s Watershed on multiple seasons including Afrofuturism as part of BFI Sci-Fi: Days of Fear And Wonder, BFI Blackstar, and a screening of Ava Duvernay’s first feature This Is The Life. His programming interests focus on Blackness and African diaspora on screen. With a particular passion for exploring Mixed-Race identity, Global Hip Hop Culture, Science Fiction: Utopia/Dystopia as well as exploring Black Horror with Bristol Black Horror Club.

Interested taking part in Beyond Boundaries 360 to access funding and workshops to curate cinema in the South West? Apply before Wednesday 29th September