This unique event celebrates the natural environment

The connection between land, nature, people, and flooding will be the subject of a multimedia event combining film, poetry, art and live music at Stroud Film Festival.

`Flood Management With a Time Machine’ will take place on Saturday 9 March from 2 – 3.30pm at the Museum in the Park in Stroud. It brings together various art works commissioned by Stroud District Council to celebrate its innovative Natural Flood Management programme (NFM).

A 30-minute film made by film maker Antony Lyons will be accompanied by a live trio of musicians.

The film, jointly funded with the University of Gloucestershire countryside and Community Research Institute, celebrates the wet woodland and Tufa (porous limestone) habitats in the Stroud Valleys that are vital for slowing, storing and filtering water which helps to reduce flood risk and increases resilience to drought.

Two other short documentary style films will look at some of the people and organisations involved in the NFM work and examine the challenges of living on a floodplain and the adaptations carried out by a local resident Tim Davies.

Artist Joe Magee and SDC’s NFM officer Chris Uttley will present an exhibition of the original artwork from the graphic story ‘Sound of a River.’ It tells the story of a young Stroud resident’s journey of discovery after the flooding of her home and is available to download free-of-charge at www.stroud.gov.uk/soundofariver

And Stroud-based poet Adam Horovitz will read a newly commissioned poem relating to nature-based approaches to reducing flood risk.

The collection is inspired, and part funded by Stroud District Council’s Stroud Valleys Natural Flood Management project, which works collaboratively with community groups, landowners, and partner organisations to reduce flood risk, improve water quality, and restore nature in the Stroud Valleys.

Cllr Chloe Turner, Chair of SDC Environment Committee said: “Stroud District Council’s innovative natural flood management work regularly attracts national and even international attention. This event is an imaginative way of exploring and celebrating the successes achieved by the council and our valued partners through this ongoing project."

Cllr Robin Layfield, Vice Chair added: “Having been involved in the Stroud Film Festival for a number of years now, it’s been a real privilege to watch the festival expand and grow. We are seeing such a rich variety of subjects, with loads of additional discussions, music and food events, and there have already been a number of sold out shows. Grab your tickets while you can!

“It is a joy to see talented local film-makers showcasing their work on the big screen and it’s a point of pride for me to know that Rodborough will be represented in the delightful exhibition of local artist and illustrator Joe Magee’s artwork for Sound of a River.”

Tickets for the event cost from £4-8 and can be booked from the Stroud Film Festival website https://www.stroudfilmfestival.org/events-2024/2024/3/9/screenings