Get Involved
The Somerset Big Swede
Inspired by the film Be Kind Rewind, starring Jack Black, we will also be facilitating and encouraging more “Swedes’ to be made through our community engagement work. In the film, Jack Black (as Jerry) and Mos Def (as Mike) accidentally wipe all the VHS tapes in their video store. This leads them to make low-budget, home-made remakes of classic film titles.
“You take what you like and mix it with some other things you like and make a new thing. Your thing. It’s putting you into the thing you like.” - Jack Black
In the past, we’ve sweded movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and The Wizard of Oz. It’s an incredibly joyous and creative activity.
To find out how you can get involved, visit the resource we’ve created and see examples of past ‘Swedes’ on our YouTube channel.
Send your ‘Swede’ to us by November 1st for inclusion in our special Christmas 2026 countdown by emailing info@somersetfilm.com your YouTube link, or use www.swisstransfer.com/en-gb to transfer the file.
Young Photographers’ Showcase
Are you a budding photographer aged 25 and under, who lives in Somerset? Do you enjoy capturing the world through images using your phone, tablet or DSLR? Do you have a photo you have taken that you would love to share with the general public?
We’re inviting young photographers to submit up to three images for consideration for a showcase at The Engine Room in August 2026. Between January and the end of June 2026 submit them by completing our Young Photographers’ Entry Form.
If you have any issues attaching your photos, send them via email to info@somersetfilm.com or tag them via Instagram with the hashtag #RobertRichardsAward. Please include the ‘copy link’ for the photo in the Young Photographers’ Entry Form.
Photos should not have been taken before 2023.
We’re particularly interested in photographs on the theme of the “natural world” or ‘climate change’.
You may crop and edit your photo, but please do not create images using generative AI. Images should be suitable for a family audience.
We aim to showcase as many images as possible during the exhibition.
The Robert Richards Award
The Robert Richards Award has been presented to young aspiring creatives in Somerset. It is in memory of Robert Richards, the charity’s former Chair of Trustees, who worked at Glastonbury Festival with Michael Eavis and was also a trustee for Glastonbury Abbey. Robert was passionate about supporting emerging talent, and this is the third year the award has been offered. Since the launch of the award, Somerset Film has awarded:
The Digital Art Commission Robert Richards Award to Ezra Metcalfe for a new environmental artwork, which was projected as part of the event ‘Twilight’ in 2024.
The Sound Commission Robert Richards Award to Jeremiah Pickard for a new sound piece, which was performed as part of ‘Twilight’ in 2025. Jeremiah composed, performed and produced a special musical experience, taking inspiration from Prog Rock. As well as featuring his vocal talents, musical instruments, intermingled with the sounds of nature.
The Young Photographer Robert Richards Award, to Kieron Lloyd, for the photograph, ‘Upside Down Wembdon’
Bridgwater Film Project
We’re delighted this year to be working with the Bridgwater Town Deal Board and the local community to create a short fictional film that celebrates Bridgwater and captures the spirit of the people who live and work in the town., written by Helen Tompson and directed by Archie Rowell.
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We’re looking for talent to embody these unforgettable characters.
COURTNEY (22)
Courtney is warm and outgoing. They are the outward-facing half of the film’s two main characters. Where Kai sees edges and angles, Courtney sees people. She’s ambitious about content creation, but her ambition is grounded in connection, she genuinely wants to entertain, maybe even inspire, though she hasn’t figured out how. Her humour leans observational, sometimes self-deprecating, and she enjoys being on-camera more than behind it. Courtney has never really left Bridgwater, which feeds her restlessness but also makes her instinctively protective of it, even when she joins Kai in mocking it.
KAI (22)
Kai is the duo’s technical brain: sharp, ambitious, and a little cynical. They’re obsessed with getting the shot, chasing trends, and “winning” at the algorithm. Bridgwater, to Kai, is raw material, useful for rage-bait because it’s easy to sneer at. Beneath that, though, is a need to prove themselves; their cynicism masks insecurity about whether they actually have anything original to say.
LEANNE (Late 50s)
Leanne is Bridgwater distilled: practical, witty, and quietly radical. She’s lived here all her life and wears that with pride, but she’s also worldly, she reads widely, knows how the national narrative paints towns like hers, and refuses to let Bridgwater be flattened into a stereotype. She’s a community champion in the truest sense: not a politician, but someone who makes things happen, whether it’s wrangling kids at the Hamp Centre or rallying the high street to fix a problem. Her philosophy is “perspective, that you can choose to look at scraps or see the whole. Leanne’s role in the story is catalytic.
MARY (70s)
Mary looks like the archetype of a Bridgwater granny, cardigan, knitting bag, small dog, but she is chaos incarnate. She has a sharp tongue and a mischievous streak. She and Margaret have been frenemies for decades, bickering like it’s an Olympic sport, yet they’re inseparable. Mary embodies the town’s rebellious undercurrent: she delights in upending expectations and relishes being underestimated. And while her humour sometimes skirts the edge of propriety, it’s never mean-spirited; she’s the trickster who loves her town fiercely, even as she laughs at it.
MARGARET (70s)
Margaret is Mary’s foil: grounded where Mary is chaotic, serious where Mary is cheeky. She’s deeply practical and takes pride in things being done “properly,” whether it’s measuring crochet murals by tape not dachshund length or keeping her tea cup exactly three-quarters full. She’s the straight woman in their double act, but her dry humour is lethal, delivered with the precision of someone who’s been sharpening it for decades. Margaret represents the quieter kind of Bridgwater pride, the one rooted in care, tradition, and understated resilience.
Wellington Film Festival…
…returns April 2027 with a great mix of films. The steering committee are busy putting a new programme together, which will include screenings at the Wellesley, St. John’s Church and Wellington Arts Centre. The film quiz, outdoor screening and music in the park will be back too!
Get involved by making a movie in a weekend! Are you a filmmaker aged under 21? Then this is the challenge for you! The 48 hour period will start on Friday 22nd August at 6pm and end on Sunday 24th August at 6pm.
Half Term Activity
Each half term at The Engine Room we aim to provide a drop in creative activity for all ages. We also work in partnership with other venues such as the brilliant ArtBank in Shepton Mallet to take these across the county. Subscribe to our ebulletin to find out dates and times. This year we are planning the following:
February 2026 - Glow and Tell: Use UV pens and paint to create a new piece of art by adding hidden layers.s to light up those grey February days. In partnership with the Bridgwater Cultural Partners and supported by Bridgwater Town Council.
Disability Advisory Panel
Are you a person with a disability or are you involved with an organisation which supports people with a disability? We would like hear your views on the programme of work Somerset Film delivers for people with a disability. We’re keen to hear your ideas and thoughts on our future direction and welcome your input. Our panel meets in person and online on 25 February 2025 at 2pm. If you would like to attend please contact us.
Youth Advisory Panel
Are you aged under 21 or are you involved with an organisation which supports children and young people? We would like hear your for views on the programme of work Somerset Film delivers for people and you can help us to test ideas for upcoming activities. Our panel next meets on 19th February 2025 at 2pm. If you would like to attend please contact us.
Seed
Seed is the first South West based Creative People and Places (CPP) – an Arts Council Funded initiative all about allowing more people to choose, create and take part in arts and cultural activity, and thus creates an exciting opportunity within Sedgemoor’s towns and parishes.
We believe that everybody has the right and ability to be creative, and we are here to help make that happen across Sedgemoor. Amongst their many issues you can help shape their work by volunteering as a ‘Sower and Grower’ or adding your voice through their. Creative Accelerator events.
Bridgwater Together
Bridgwater Together began life as a free one day event in October 2016. Each year it celebrates the vibrant diversity in the town through music and food, stories, dance and film from many cultures. If you would like to get involved in future events please contact us.
The next Bridgwater Together event will take place in November 2026. Follow the Bridgwater Together Facebook page to stay updated.
We also plan to bring a creative contribution to Chard Together on Saturday 21st March 2026.