Portsmouth Film Society (PFS) has announced the welcome return of the Recovery Festival for it’s 6th year. The festival takes place from Wednesday, November 13th through to Sunday, November 16th, 2024, and will be at various locations throughout the city of Portsmouth. Building on the success of past years, this year’s festival will feature an expanded program of events, including film screenings, workshops, Recovery party, and the premiere of short films created by participants in the “I Am Only Human” filmmaking course. Portsmouth Film Society is a non-profit organisation, dedicated to promoting film culture and education in the Portsmouth area. Through its diverse programming, PFS aims to entertain, inspire, and foster community engagement.

One highlight of this year’s festival lineup is the “I Am Only Human” course, which returns again after pst success. The project enables individuals in recovery to learn the art of filmmaking and to empower them to share their stories together. The course includes a trip to the renowned Pinewood Studios in London, offering project participants a unique opportunity to connect with the wider film industry.

The Recovery Festival is made possible through the generous support of Southern Co-op and the Portsmouth City Public Health Department. This year, PFS is also partnering with other community groups to raise awareness of recovery support services in the city, including B.More and Intuitive Thinking Skills, who are working to establish Portsmouth as an Inclusive Recovery City.

“The ‘I am Only Human’ community film project run by Portsmouth Film Society provides a unique opportunity for a number of Portsmouth citizens to tell their own personal stories of their lived experiences in dealing with diverse issues such as substance abuse and recovery, multiculturism and homelessness.

The whole film making process they will experience through this project, will provide them with the opportunity to review and reflect on their personal journeys and, through the medium of film, they will present us with the unique opportunity of sharing in their story.

I have seen for myself the positive pride and emotion experienced by those that have taken part in this project. Film more than any other art form has the power to tell a story and to move the individual on a personal level. The Southern Co-op is proud to help sponsor this project and in doing so, we wish those taking part the very best of wishes on their film making journey.”

– Main festival supporter Gareth J Lewis​​​​, Loss Prevention & Security Manager from Southern Coop.

“We are really pleased to support the annual Recovery Film Festival and the fourth ‘I Am Only Human’ recovery film making course. I saw last year how the participants on the course developed their skills and also developed a strong bond of support and friendship with each other. Activities like this help people sustain long-term recovery from drug and alcohol misuse. We are grateful to the Portsmouth Film Society and Southern Co-op for working together to fund and run this important work.”

– Cllr Matthew Winnington, Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing, Health & Care.

“We are excited to partner again this year with the Portsmouth Film Society on this impactful filmmaking course and recovery film festival. This programme offers a unique opportunity for our service users in recovery from substance misuse to develop new skills, express themselves creatively, and find their voices through filmmaking. We believe this programme fosters empowerment and connection, and we’re proud to support it.”

– Mike Taylor, Operations Director, Society of St. James.

“We are currently working in collaboration The Recovery Film Festival to bring even more opportunities to engage with the local community. Please look out for further information on our “light” Introduction to Inclusive Recovery Cities event being held in September and also our “Full” introduction coming in November. B.More is a group of service users who have come together to support Portsmouth with being an Inclusive Recovery City. As part of the IRC agreement, Portsmouth agree to hold 4 community facing events each year and our group will take the lead on planning, organising and holding these events.”

– David Bremmer, Ambassador Lead Portsmouth, Intuitive Thinking Skills.

“We are profoundly grateful for Southern Coop’s generous grant, which will significantly enhance our festival and filmmaking course. We are committed to enriching our Recovery Festival and contributing to the cultural and artistic development of our city. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to PCC Public Health for their unwavering support and assistance with our venue, Southsea Cinema and Arts Centre. We eagerly look forward to collaborating with individuals in recovery to create impactful short film projects that resonate within our community.”

– Aysegul Epengin, PFS Director and Festival Coordinator.

The much-anticipated ‘I am Only Human Film Making Course 4’ is set to begin on 27th August at 10:30 AM at Southsea Cinema. This free course will span 10 weeks, culminating in a public premiere of the participants’ short films on 13th November at The Lens Studio, Portsmouth Guildhall. The full festival programme will be announced in September.

You can also get involved by exploring volunteer opportunities with the festival and Portsmouth Film Society, for more information, please email to info@portsmouthfilmsociety.org.uk.

For more information on the festival please visit: www.portsmouthfilmsociety.org.uk/recoveryfestival