For one night only, join Cine-Sister for a film screening of The Gleaners and I by Agnès Varda at Chauffeurs Cottage, as part of our What’s Possible When Things Go Wrong programme. A series of celebrations, sharings, and dinners to mark our final moments in the building and to explore what is possible when the sh*t hits the fan.

The Gleaners and I (2000) is a poetic and deeply personal documentary that explores themes of waste, resourcefulness, and the overlooked lives of those who make use of society’s excess. Directed by French filmmaker Agnès Varda, the film blends observational footage with intimate, reflective narration as Varda sets out to document the practice of “gleaning” — the age-old act of collecting leftover crops from fields after harvest — and expands this concept to urban settings, where people salvage food, objects, and materials discarded by others. The gleaners’ resourcefulness and resilience highlight how circumstances, especially scarcity or social need, drive creativity and new approaches to survival. The Gleaners and I is a portrait of people and a filmmaker embracing necessity as a catalyst for invention and creativity.

Book your free tickets here.

About Cine-Sister
Founded in 2016 by Emily Steele, Cine-Sister launched with its first screening in March 2017. Cine-Sister has since 2017 run 50+ successful events, reaching 6000+ audiences. Cine-Sister was initially founded to showcase the work of women filmmakers and has taken a pop-up approach across Peterborough focusing on working in partnership with local organisations and community groups.

What’s Possible When Things Go Wrong
Metal and the other organisations based at Chauffeurs Cottage will be leaving in December. It wasn’t our decision and it’s one we’re still trying to get our heads around, but we’re working hard to find a new space in the city that will be just as wonderful, whilst celebrating all the magical moments we’ve spent here.

Being thrown into this situation has made us reflect on ‘necessity as a mother of invention’ – being faced with a challenging situation and being inspired to create a new imaginative solution. It’s made us dream about inspiring futures and what a queer, accessible, anti-racist space would look like from scratch.