Screening: Ergo Phizmiz ‘The Madonna of Bedminster’

“The Madonna of Bedminster”
A Film by Ergo Phizmiz and Friends

Bedminster, in the South of Bristol. Two Estate Agents search for a property they will never find. A woman encounters God at Garden Centre. There’s a little girl there, and there’s just something off about her. Amid the decline and decay of post-Brexit Britain, after 14 years of Conservatism, there are peculiar events beginning to occur. Did you see it?

Taking inspiration from the medieval “Mystery Play”, The Madonna of Bedminster is a plea for re-enchantment in this most disenchanted world. Yes, there is rubbish all over the streets, but did you see that funny light that just zipped past your head?

The first feature film from underground artist Ergo Phizmiz, who has been creating work across music, opera, theatre, visual art and radio for the past 23 years, The Madonna of Bedminster is set against the backdrop of the genocide in Gaza, and is narrated by the Palestinian poet and composer Shadi Zaqtan.

The original music in the film is by Samih Madhoun, recorded in the Gaza strip between October–May 2024. Samih’s music is complemented by an impeccable collection of 1920s rhumba and waltz, mechanical music, and music performed on an instrument called The Large Hadron Calliope.

The Madonna of Bedminster, created through highly unconventional processes with actors, improvisation, and the fine line between documentary and fiction, promises to be a unique cinematic experience that speaks directly of our deeply troubled times, but also of our dreams and our possibilities.

The Madonna of Bedminster * Starring Anne Jamieson, Ariadne Robertson, Elvis Herod, Mark Anthony Pearce, Joe Eaton, Laurence Tuck, Lottie Bowater, Goodiepal * Narrated by Shadi Zaqtan * Devised by Ergo Phizmiz with Elvis Herod & Lottie Bowater * Original music by Samih Madhoun * Photographed by Lottie Bowater & Elvis Herod * Macrophotography by Ergo Phizmiz * Additional voices by Autumn Robertson * Writing, MIse-En-Scene, Editing, Directing by Ergo Phizmiz * An AVANTHARDCOLLECTIVE production 2024.

Ergo Phizmiz