On Friday 3 July we introduced a brand new young peoples ticket - anyone aged 24 or under can see any film at Watershed, at any time, on any day, for just £4.50 – and we are delighted that the number of young people who came to see brilliant world cinema for less than a fiver over the weekend nearly doubled.

These young people came to see a diverse selection of films from right across our programme – from heartbreaking Amy Winehouse documentary Amy, to poetic Japanese film Still The Water and off-kilter Western Slow West, plus colourful films in the Queer Vision season and all-time classic Citizen Kane.

Bristol has a growing population of young people – and a more diverse one at that. But it is becoming harder for them to access opportunities: they are the age group who have been most disadvantaged during the recession, with rises in unemployment and university fees alongside a reduction in state support.

We believe that raising funds to invest in young people is investing in all of our futures: more diverse audiences and talent are both vital to the future health of Bristol, our community, and the creative industries.

Our £4.50 ticket and our fundraising priority comes at the start of a celebratory week here at Watershed for young people: on Tuesday night Rife Magazine, our online magazine for young people by young people, celebrated its first birthday with a night of music, talks, networking opportunities and (of course) cake.

We can’t believe Rife is in single digits – they have helped shape our work and ethos in such profound ways. With nearly 400 pieces of great content, over 50 contributors and page views in the hundreds of thousands, Rife has become the go-to hub for our city’s young people to voice their opinions – and in just twelve short months.

We look forward to welcoming more young people through our doors: watching films for £4.50, reading, watching and listening to the ace content at Rife Magazine, entering the just-launched Rife Awards, and enjoying our spaces, both physical and online.

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