Portsmouth Recovery Festival 2025
Portsmouth Film Society in collaboration with major partners Portsmouth City Council and Society St. James, celebrate recovery, raise awareness of addiction-related issues, and highlight the power of creativity in healing. The festival included the fourth edition of the I Am Only Human free filmmaking course film premiere and a dynamic 3 day programme of events at Southsea Cinema & Arts Centre
Friday 21st November
‘I Am Only Human’ Filmmaking Course Premiere 5pm
Students Short Films
- Behind Scenes
- Dog’s Life
- Lost & Found
- 3 Steps
- Diamonds Aren’t Forever
Festival Reception 6pm
TREADING WATER (2024) (18) Film Screening 7pm (122min)
Following his release from prison, Danny tries to take control of the mental health issues that have shaped his life. However, an encounter with a old flame evolves into tragic obsession.
Set against a backdrop of everyday life in Manchester, Treading Water is a portrait of its central character and contemporary British society told with compassion and bracing realism.
Gino Evans’ debut feature marks the arrival of an exciting new voice in Northern cinema.
Saturday 22nd November
Healing with Meditation 1pm FREE
Allow 30min guided meditation and 20min reflections
“IMAGINE THIS ‘Art exhibition Private Review 3-5pm
“Imagine This” examines the collaborative essence of the mind, providing audiences with an opportunity to contemplate the inner workings of their own mental landscapes. Visitors are encouraged to consider how individual mental frameworks interact and shape our reality, as the exhibition encourages one to create a space where possibilities are endless.
JOSEP Animation Film screening (2020) Cert 15 7pm (71min)
February 1939. Overwhelmed by the flood of Republicans fleeing Franco’s dictatorship, the French government’s solution consists in confining the Spanish refugees in concentration camps where they have no other choice than to build their own shelters, feed off the horses which have carried them out of their country, and die by the hundred for lack of hygiene and water… In one of these camps, two men, separated by barbwire, will become friends.
Sunday 23rd November
Recovery Non-Substance SKA- Reggae Live Band – celebrating healing in a sober with the band International Jet Set, 4pm-6pm
A 6 piece Portsmouth based, ska /reggae band covering tunes across the genre in their own unique style
Its a punky reggae party !
THE OUTRUN (2023) (12A) Film screening 7pm (118min)
This gritty, intense and often harrowing UK drama concerning a woman’s return from rehab to her dysfunctional family deals with addiction and mental health issues in realistic fashion. There is also a scene of sexual threat.
Acknowledgements: Special thanks to Portsmouth City Council Public Health and Society of St. James for their generous grant and all our partners, volunteers, and participants. Together, we’ve contributed to a lasting legacy of recovery, resilience, and creative empowerment in Portsmouth.
The Portsmouth Recovery Festival is an annual event organised by the Portsmouth Film Society (PFS) that celebrates the strength and resilience of individuals on their recovery journeys. Now in its seventh year, the festival features a diverse program of events, including film screenings, workshops, and community gatherings, all aimed at promoting healing through creativity and storytelling. A highlight of the festival is the “I Am Only Human” filmmaking course, which empowers participants to share their personal experiences through film, culminating in a public premiere of their work. The festival also collaborates with local organisations to raise awareness of recovery support services in Portsmouth.
Main link: https://www.portsmouthfilmsociety.org.uk/recoveryfestival/