Tues 11 November 2025
19:30 – 21:45 | CCA Glasgow
N/C 16+ I Descriptive Subtitles and BSL for the intro and discussion
A programme of short documentaries – bicycle-powered – relating to bikes, exploring resilience, activism, ingenuity and the joy of two wheels, from Cuba to Germany to Scotland!
We start with Cuba Bicycles: A Rolling History – a selection of four short documentaries curated by Professor Jennifer Hosek, Queens University Ontario which chart Havana’s cycling culture from the 1990s to today.
We then explore how delivery cyclists in Berlin and Edinburgh are standing up to exploitative practices.
Followed by a panel discussion with Jennifer Hosek, Queens University Ontario, Emily Morris, Research Fellow UCL Institute of the Americas, Xabier Villares, Secretary of the Workers´ Observatory and Camille Warrington from the Shawlands Bike Bus.
Content Advisories: This program is suitable for all ages and contains no significant distressing content. The films are observational, focusing on culture, history, and community. General audiences should find them uplifting and informative.
Supported by Film Hub Scotland, part of the BFI’s Film Audience Network, awarding funding on behalf of Screen Scotland and the BFI National Lottery.
MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE FILMS
Cuba Bicycles: A Rolling History – A curated programme of 4 short documentaries
Bicycles have always been more than transport in Havana—they are a story of survival, creativity, and community. Cuba Bicycles: A Rolling History, brings together four remarkable documentaries that trace Cuba’s relationship with the bicycle across three decades, from the fuel shortages of the 1990s to the vibrant cycling networks of today. We begin with the streets of mid-90s Havana, where bicycles became a lifeline after the collapse of Soviet trade, as seen in Velorution: One City’s Solution to the Automobile and the poetic short Forever. Then, Rodando en La Habana: Bicycle Stories captures the human connections, environmental benefits, and social identity that cycling fosters. Finally, Bicycle Island offers a fresh, contemporary look at how bikes remain central to mobility and culture in Cuba.
Velorution: One City’s Solution to the Automobile
Bruce Petschek and Phred Churchill I USA 1996 I 28m I English I Documentary I 15+
A short documentary (1996) that chronicles how Cuba adapted to a severe oil shortage following the collapse of the Soviet Union by transforming into a “bicycle-based economy”. The film showcases the mass import of bicycles, the adaptation of bus factories to bicycle manufacturing, and public campaigns to promote cycling as a solution for urban transportation.
Forever
Luis Orlando Deulofeu I Cuba 1994 I 20m I Spanish with English subtitles I 15+ I N/C U
This documentary offers a surprisingly tongue-in-cheek look at the trials and benefits of the bicycle during the most difficult part of the Special Period when, left without Soviet petrol, the country imported over one million Chinese bicycles. Its aesthetics recall the madcap comedy The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin and Espinosa’s manifesto for imperfect cinema that belie its production under the auspices of FAR, the Cuban military.
Rodando en La Habana: Bicycle Stories
Jaime Santos and Jennifer Ruth Hosek I 2016 Cuba / Canada I 30m I Spanish with English subtitles I Documentary I N/C U
Rodando en La Habana: Bicycle Stories captures Havana’s vibrant cycling culture through intimate portraits of everyday riders. From inventive bike builders and performers to ordinary citizens relying on two wheels for mobility and friendship, the film highlights how bicycles remain central to daily life. Set against the backdrop of Cuba’s “Special Period,” when bikes became a lifeline after the Soviet collapse, the documentary explores resilience, creativity, and the enduring spirit of community on Havana’s streets.
Bicycle Island
Mitra Ghaffari I USA 2023 I 15m I Spanish with English subtitles I Documentary I N/C U
Set against the streets of Havana, this vibrant documentary celebrates bicycles as more than just transport – they are symbols of freedom, resilience, and creativity. Through the voices of a diverse cast – from a Paralympic cyclist to a deaf animal protector and a local marionettist – the film reveals how bikes sustain independence and community in the face of economic challenges. Accompanied by a dynamic soundtrack performed on bicycle parts, Bicycle Island captures the rhythm of a city constantly reinventing itself.
Dabbawala Berlin: Bicycle Stories
Robin Csodó I Germany 2025 I 5m18 I English I Documentary I N/C U
Welcome to the adrenaline-charged world of delivery workers. Dabbawala Berlin: Bicycle Stories follows young international student riders as they navigate work, life, and their hopes for transforming the German capital. With irrepressible smiles, they confront social ills, climate change, and precarious working conditions. The film weaves together two layers: intimate portraits of riders who came to Berlin – often from India – in search of a better life, and interviews with experts and employers that shed light on labor migration and intersectional inequality.
Riders in Edinburgh create ROOM (Riders Observatory and Organising Movement)
The Workers Observatory I Scotland 2025 I 3m I English I Documentary I N/C U
While food delivery platforms post rising profits, Edinburgh’s ROOM collective, supported by The Workers Observatory, is fighting back against six-year-low pay rates, AI-driven pricing, and tip theft.
ROOM is a collective of delivery riders born in Edinburgh in 2024, founded to create an effective workers´ voice in the city.
The Worker’s Observatory’s activity involves monitoring new kinds of work in the city of Edinburgh and exploring how to support gig workers to organise, with a strong focus on the platform economy and a particular interest in on-demand delivery work, as well as care, ride-hailing, and other app-based work”. Find out more about them in this article.
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