Two South Bristol communities have come together to commission the film
An image from the 2026 documentary film Postcodes, exploring postcode rivalry in Hartcliffe and Knowle West(Image: Maggs Smart Media)
A stark new film which sees young people talk about the ‘postcode divides’ in Bristol is to be screened across Bristol in the coming weeks and months, after it was funded by community organisations on both sides.
Knowle West Alliance and the Knowle West Health Park came together with the Hartcliffe and Withywood Community Partnership to fund the hard-hitting film which examines the long-standing rivalry between Hartcliffe and Knowle West, and the BS13 and BS4 postcodes.
The documentary, called simply Postcodes, is made by Bristol film-maker Neil Maggs, and is presented by Serena Wiebe, the young boxing mentor and knife crime campaigner from Easton who is part of the Government’s task force on young people.
She has chaired meetings involving the Prime Minister, the King, senior ministers and the likes of actor Idris Elba, and was recently awarded the British Empire Medal for her work. The film sees her venturing from east Bristol to the south to talk to young people in those communities.
“Bristol is one of the most expensive cities to live in outside of London, in the UK. But there is a huge wealth disparity,” she said. “And depending on which part of the city you live in, a 16-year life expectancy gap.
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“In recent times Bristol has been hitting the national headlines for all the wrong reasons. And like across other cities across the UK, a lot of this is down to postcode wars. Two areas notorious for this lie in the south of the city, in Hartcliffe and Knowle West. In this documentary I wanted to hear from young people living in these communities, and find out what’s really going on, and what are the challenges and the potential solutions to postcode wars,” she added.
Documentary-maker Neil Maggs said it was important that the film be focussed entirely on what young people say about the situation.
An image from the 2026 documentary film Postcodes, exploring postcode rivalry in Hartcliffe and Knowle West(Image: Maggs Smart Media)
“Too many times we have had adults telling young people what the problem is, but this is going to be different,” he said. “This is a film where the young people at the heart of the issue are having the conversations.
“It was also really important that someone like Serena is presenting it. She’s a young person too, from outside South Bristol, but she’s experienced the same issues in her community and also through her work with Empire Fighting Chance and the Government’s task force,” he added.
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“It’s really good that the film has been commissioned by the community organisations at the heart of both communities – HWCP and the Knowle West Alliance. This shows it’s about bringing communities together and working on solutions as well,” he added.
The film will be released in the coming weeks, with screenings being organised all around Bristol and beyond.
“There will be a variety of community screenings, and a central launch at the Watershed in March,” he added.