As part of Saturday’s PROGRESS programme, we’re thrilled to bring you afrofuturist fantasia Neptune Frost. A wondrous, thrilling sci-fi punk musical from multidisciplinary artists Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman.
It is a sci-fi-punk musical that’s a visually wondrous amalgamation of themes, ideas, and songs that they have been exploring in their work, including on Williams’ 2016 album MartyrLoserKing.
Neptune Frost takes place in the hilltops of Burundi, where a group of escaped coltan miners camp in an otherworldly e-waste dump, they attempt a takeover of the authoritarian regime exploiting the region’s natural resources –and its people. When an intersex runaway and an escaped miner find each other through cosmic forces, their connection sparks glitches within the greater divine circuitry.
Set between states of being – past and present, dream and waking life, colonised and free, male and female, memory and prescience – Neptune Frost is an invigorating and empowering direct download to the cerebral cortex and a call to reclaim technology for progressive political ends.
“I found this utterly captivating and I’ve never seen anything quite like it. The music and poetry are beautiful and powerful, and while this feels totally of now and contemporary it speaks to the culture of storytelling and oral histories across African countries. This is one that needs to be seen in the cinema.” Thea Berry
For lovers of:
● Sci-Fi punk
● LGBTQIA+ cinema
● New music
● Costume
Do you remember Charlie the Magnetic Man?
Join Showtown as we tell the story of one of Blackpool’s best loved sideshows, the Great Magna. Discover the letters, predictions and the man who turned Charlie into a touring sensation that wowed families across the UK.
We’re pleased to share with you two short films inspired by our Lancashire heritage. Join us after the screening for a Q&A with director Gillian Wood and writer Michelle Crane to find out how they use film to explore and celebrate local history.
The 16th Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival brought a huge variety of LGBT+ short films to their in-person and online festival. This diverse selection of outstanding short films showcases unique stories from around the world with a strong British representation.
Since 2014, the Blackpool Film Festival has provided a platform for cinema programmed and co-produced with the artists and creative communities of the Fylde Coast.
