Arcadia

Scouring 100 years of footage from the BFI National Archive, BAFTA®-winner Paul Wright constructs an exhilarating study of Britain’s shifting - and contradictory - relationship to the land.

Through an intoxicating array of material, we follow an unnamed protagonist as she travels through the metaphorical ‘seasons’, taking in folk carnivals and fetes, masked parades, water divining, and harvesting. Set to a grand, expressive new score from Adrian Utley (Portishead) and Will Gregory (Goldfrapp) alongside folk music from the likes of Anne Briggs, Wright’s captivating film essay captures the beauty, brutality, magic and madness of rural Britain.

Our Cinema Curator Mark Cosgrove says:

"Music as we know has always been an important part of the film experience even back to the silent era which of course was never silent. The great composer Bernard Herrmann described music as 50% of the cinema experience (and he knew a thing about creating meaning through music.) Over the years we have explored this relationship at Watershed through seasons and events so it was creatively satisfying to be involved in Arcadia by bringing together musician Adrian Utley with director Paul Wright. The film is an exhilarating visual and sonic journey exploring our relationship with nature."

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