Dockyards, Demos & New Directions is an archive film and audio tour along England’s waterways, starting in Bristol, stopping in Gloucester, Nottingham, Sheffield and ending in Leeds. For this project, Compass worked with local people to explore pivotal moments of social and political change in their cities as seen in their city’s film archives, and in their own lived experiences.

Throughout November, December 2021 and into January 2022, Dockyards, Demos and New Directions screened before selected feature films at local independent cinemas in the chosen cities. Accompanying these screenings was an audio tour, including stories from local people speaking about their own personal memories of the city and its history. Listen to them here. 

Compass Presents established strong links with community groups and cultural institutions across our five key cities for this project. We are open to new commissions for community arts projects, and are eager to work with more archives to expand their reach. 

If you are an institution looking to better represent a diverse range of people in your archive film offer, or would like to bring more local people into your work and expand its reach, get in touch: [email protected]

This project is supported by Film Hub North with National Lottery funding on behalf of the BFI Film Audience Network. Presented in partnership with the Canal and River Trust.