The idea for a bicycle film festival (in Edinburgh) was first raised in 2005 as another way of promoting cycling. Spokes (the Lothian Cycle Campaign) has been doing this for over 30 years and is a partner in TryCycling in Edinburgh – the initial organiser of Edinburgh’s Bicycle Film Festival.
Words below from initial proposal.
WHY? Why not! Because it’s a good idea that was started in New York by Brendt Barbur and is slowly spreading around the world – see – bicyclefilmfestival.com. He started one in London and Leicester has its own version bikefilmfestival.org – and now so does Edinburgh (well it is the Festival City)!
WHAT? An eclectic mix of commercial films and films/videos by people excited about cycling. Some will already have been released, others currently in production.
2008 is the third year of Edinburgh’s bicycle Film Festival. Previously it was held over two weekends, but now that the International Film Festival has realised that June is the best month for film festivals, BWFF08 has it goodness concentrated into four days.
It’s sponsored by Cycling Scotland and organised by ChangingPace,
This year’s films celebrate talent, passion and the art of filmmaking. The remarkable thing about all the films is that you don’t need to be a cycling enthusiast to be thoroughly entertained and inspired. Certainly, if you don’t already possess a bike, you’ll soon wish you had – if only for the fun of it! There’s no doubt cycling, both as a spectator sport and an everyday activity, has reached a new high.
The shorts screening with Klunkerz, 24-Solo and Hardihood are provided by New York based StreetFilms, and offer a thought provoking insight into how we might reimagine our public spaces to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
CONTACT (Offers of help, support or healthy curiosity) – maggie (AT) bicyclefilmfestival.info
