The sound archive from 1930 is about to be auctioned to mysterious bidders. The sounds are linked to extraordinary film pioneers and an unrealised film that would have changed the world — but today they may be lost again. The Rio Cinema will be forced to give up the archive. Can Adam pitch this to the BBC for a podcast series?

Adam assembles So Mayer, Anton Blake Horowitz and members of the Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest collective to build a community of support for the Rio. But not everything is what it seems. As documentary transforms into imagination, queer artists take over and reveal that truth is more powerful than fact. With daring soundscapes and surprise audio experimentation — challenging everything that a podcast about an unseeable film can be — the series reaches its shocking climax.

Credits

Written, produced and edited by Adam Zmith

With story by So Mayer and Adam Zmith

Starring Anton Blake Horowitz

Music by Courtney Pine

Solo fiddle by Eduardo Lees

Assistant Producers – Tash Walker and Shivani Dave

Researcher — So Mayer

Audio consultant – David Pye

Artwork by Danny Crossley

Production Mentors – Caroline Steel and Andy King

Executive Producers – Khaliq Meer and Leanne Alie

Commissioned for BBC Sounds Audio Lab by Khaliq Meer

Thanks to

Aleks Kolkowski

Andrew Woodyatt and everyone at the Rio Cinema

Peninsula Press

The BFI and the BFI National Archive

Axel Kacoutié

Nikki Meadows

Joseph Herscher

Josefeen Foxter

Orrow Bell

Jose Castejoon

Burley Fisher Books

The Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest collective

This episode contains audio from:

Sound effects from Freesound and BBC

Clip from Monitor interview with Paul Robeson courtesy of BBC Show less