We proudly open the Festival this year with this brilliantly sassy and poignant documentary about an international queer network of skaters and allies. It centres on Crystal, a 10-year-old transgender girl growing up in rural Canada who is relentlessly bullied by teachers and peers alike. Denied the right to join the local athletics team due to her gender, Crystal and her mum serendipitously discover the Vagine Regime, an international queer collective of people of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds and identities who all play roller derby, one of the only organised sports with a trans-inclusive policy that prevents discrimination.

The Vagine Regime not only accepts Crystal, but also actively supports her journey, showing her the way from exlusion to empowerment. In The Turn weaves Crystal's story into the broader narrative of the evolution of roller derby from a niche sport into a social movement with strong roots in the LGBTQ community and profiles many other queer skaters across the United States. An immensely affirming film that celebrates the inclusion of queer people in roller derby, and sport in general. Picking up multiple awards, In The Turn shows the mosaic of a wonderful community that is truly inspirational - this is one not to miss.

Before the screening enjoy a short film commissioned by Queer Vision featuring our very own Bristol Roller Derby teams with players from the women's and men's league, who will join us via a live stream.

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