Cyclescreen festival at Bristol's Watershed from this Thursday through Sunday

This Thursday sees the start of Cyclescreen 2011: Bristol's Bike Film Festival at The Watershed, with some cracking films and other events on offer from then through to Sunday, including talks by some of Britain’s top cycling writers.

The four-day event kicks off on Thursday with a lecture by Graham Fife titled Le Tour de France: A Cultural History. Fife’s output on cycling includes two books on the sport’s biggest race, including the 2001 work, Inside the Peloton: Riding, Winning and Losing the Tour de France.

That talk is followed by a triple bill of films about the race itself, Pour un Maillot Jaune (1969), Vive Le Tour (1962) and Shay Elliot: Cycle of Betrayal (2010).
Friday sees Rob Penn give a talk about his book, also the subject of a BBC documentary, It's All About The Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels, followed by a screening of the new mountain bike film, Life Cycles. The Rollapaluza crew will also be there with their static rigs, with prizes on offer for the best performances.

The following lunchtime, in the children’s Saturday matinee tradition, sees a Cinékids: Pedal Powered Cinema showing of the 1969 short, Les Bicyclettes de Belsize, with the audience providing the power.

That’s followed by The Cyclocross Meeting, a film focusing on the cyclocross scene in the US and Japan, and Macaframa, which pays tribute to San Francisco and its fixed-gear scene.

Proceedings on Saturday come to a close with a screening of the much anticipated BÖIKZMÖIND, another film concentrating on a city’s fixie scene, but this time it’s Bristol itself that is the centre of attention. This screening is free, and takes place outdoors at Millennium Square. Fingers crossed for the weather.

Sunday sees another talk by a celebrated cycling author, this time William Fotheringham, whose books include Roule Britannia and Cyclopedia.

The final film in the festival should prove to be one of its highlights, a rare screening of Jorgen Leth’s 1976 work A Sunday In Hell, widely considered as one of the best cycling films ever made, about that year’s edition of Paris-Roubaix, and it will be followed by a Q&A session with the Danish director himself.

Full details of all events, including timings and ticket details – there are various discounts on offer for attending all events on specific days – can be found on the Watershed website.