This year marked the first BFI FAN CON, a gathering of community cinemas, festivals, film archives and multi-arts venues in Belfast.

Flatpack's Amy and Juwariyyah reflect on 3 days of insightful conversations, new connections and big love for indie cinema flatpackfestival.org.uk/news/bfi-fan-c…

Where we're going, we don't need roads...

We're teaming up with Bruntwood to turn the Innovation Campus at Aston into an al fresco cinema for one night only.

Pull up a deckchair and enjoy joyous 80s classic Back to the Future under the stars ✨

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/outdoor-…

Landing in your inbox today: Filmwire - our monthly round up of Midlands film happenings.

Includes an interview with Alistair Clark and Anna Griffin on everything from short films to funding woes to the East Midlands’ film industry.

flatpackfestival.org.uk/news/filmwire-…

Applications for @cinemaforall's Glow coaching programme are open now!

Explore new ways to develop your community cinema and work towards next steps with a £200 bursary and coaching support.

Find out more and apply: bit.ly/4aS4b8B

The reviews are in!

Head over to the blog to relive the #Flatpack2024 magic.

Includes a handy round up of articles, interviews and conversations that delve deeper into work shared at this year's festival.

Time to get cracking on Flatpack 2025 👀

flatpackfestival.org.uk/news/flatpack-…

The last day of Flatpack Festival was full to the brim with audiovisual treats, from one of a kind cinematic inventions to meditative live scores and joyous performances.

A superb finale to the last ten days 👏

📸 Katja Ogrin

Time flies when you're having fun. Come and join us for the last day of the fest! Featuring:

📽️ Audiovisual treats courtesy Jan Kulka, Rubbish Music and Kinna Whitehead
💀 Carrie 2 with @EvolutionPod
🎞️ A new film about the Waldorf Cinema

Full line-up: flatpackfestival.org.uk/flatpack-2024/…

Today's line-up is pretty jam-packed! Join us for:

👁️Audiovisual treats for the eyes and ears, including the long-awaited return of @_usaginingen
📽️Film & conversation with special guests
🕺🏽Shorts galore, including our annual Screendance programme

flatpackfestival.org.uk/flatpack-2024/…

It's Friday! Kick off your weekend, Flatpack style. Today's line-up includes:

😱 Cult horror classic Carrie at @BhamBotanicalGd
🎼Live scores from Ukrainian experimental band Potreba Group
📽️Surreal features Daaaaaali! & Dr Caligari at @mockbirdcinema

🎟️ flatpackfestival.org.uk/?group=17-May

Today's line-up includes:

🎞️ Film Camp
🐓 Award-winning animation Chicken for Linda!
🎤 Film and spoken word with @homeofpolar
📽️ Our first mid-length programme
🤖 Exploring all things AI & creativity with @unibirmingham

🎟️flatpackfestival.org.uk/?group=16-May

Unlike any short film/live score programme we've seen or shown before, Ukrainian experimental band Potreba Group will accompany 4 short Ukrainian classic animations with a mixture of improvisational nu-jazz and electronics.

Expect a few surprises 👀

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/resonanc…

“Do good storytellers have a better chance of gaining asylum?”

Lisa Gerig’s confronting film immerses itself in the immigration process by pointing the interview questions back at those with the power to grant asylum.

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/the-hear…

On the menu today:

📽️Short films and conversations exploring everything from South Asian Solarpunk to intersectionality in the art world
🩷 Mean Girls anniversary screening with Whatever Pays the Rent
🎶 Swedish experimental films with new live scores

🎟️ flatpackfestival.org.uk/flatpack-2024/…

Tomorrow we kick off our programme of audiovisual delights at Printmakers Arms.

Treat your eyes and ears to all seven events with our Printmakers Pass. Live scores, mind-expanding inventions and more, all for a bargain £40/20.

🎟️flatpackfestival.org.uk/tags/printmake…

📍74 Fazeley St, B5 5RD

Four brilliant spoken word artists have been digging through shorts, animation and archive material in the Flatpack vaults and will present new work in response to chosen films this Thursday!

🎟️ flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/speaking…

A young guard on the Soviet-Chinese border is attacked by kung fu warriors.

Fascinated by the long-haired aces flying around blasting Black Sabbath from their portable radio he gets struck by a revelation; he too will become a kung fu warrior.

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/the-invi…

What's on today:

📽️Third instalment of our BAFTA-qualifying shorts comp
🎶Ahfiwe Cinema presents Praise Train, two rarely seen films by pioneering Black filmmakers from decades past with a live composition
😱 Deliciously gruesome horror Stopmotion

🎟️flatpackfestival.org.uk/?group=14-May

We were blown away by @grahamreynolds' performance last night. We're all still smiling.

Thanks to everyone who came along, and a big thank you to Scott Johnston who kicked off the evening with his gorgeous, otherworldly live score to THE ARRIVAL. 🛸

📸 Katja Ogrin

Tonight:

📽️More brilliant Birmingham shorts courtesy @ReelBrum, including an awards do this eve at @TheOldCrownPub.

📸Swedish directing duo Axel Danielson & Maximilien Van Aertryck's film about the camera's image, from the beginnings of cinema to now.

🎟️flatpackfestival.org.uk/?group=13-May

Today's line-up:

A healthy dose of Richard Linklater (plus his go to composer Graham Reynolds performing live at @hareandhounds), family shorts at @mac_birmingham, and plenty more brilliant shorts programmes of all kinds.

🎟️ flatpackfestival.org.uk/flatpack-2024/…

Thank you to everyone who came along to our AV double bill last night.

Huge thanks to @do_or_diy, @Lightsurgeons for their incredible performances and @samredmore for soundtracking the evening.

What a wonderful start to #Flatpack 2024 🎞️

📸 Katja Ogrin

“Cities are organisms which are driven by human energy and community, not by finance”

Kevin McCloud presenting the Birmingham Jane Jacobs Award for Outstanding Contribution to saving Birmingham’s Built Environment to Mary Keating and Jenny Marris at our #SaveSmallbrook screening

The menu today includes powerful docs with sound artist accompaniment, premieres, the first instalment of our short film competition, and a new film all about Saving Smallbrook.

🎟️ Book now: flatpackfestival.org.uk/?group=11-May

Aaaand action 🎬

#Flatpack2024 is upon us, lighting up the screens and streets of Birmingham for the next TEN days.

Join us for cinematic adventures in spaces around the city from now till 19 May.

See you soon.

🎟️ flatpackfestival.org.uk #100daysofcreativity #NationalLottery

"I don’t know a woman who doesn’t hate a part of her body. What does that mean for us as women?"

Bridgett M Davis' landmark in Black independent cinema follows an actress whose mom was a blaxploitation icon.

See the new 4K restoration of Naked Acts: flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/naked-ac…

Excited to bring Sri Lankan British artist/filmmaker Chloe Abrahams’ debut film The Taste of Mango to @mockbirdcinema for Flatpack.

Plus - Beverley Bennett will present the first single-channel UK screening of her moving image piece Simon Says/Dadda.

🎟️ flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/the-tast…

Writer, curator and artist Yifan He explores Chinese diasporic lesbian identity through film and shared resources at this year's Flatpack.

📽️ On screen: Alice Wu's 2005 rom-com Saving Face + interdisciplinary artist April Lin's Reality Fragment 160921

🎟️flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/chinese-…

Jason Yu’s intense horror feature debut follows two expectant parents as they navigate a bout of sleep-talking that develops into truly nightmarish behaviour.

Scary, funny, and very smart.

Thursday 16 May at @mockbirdcinema

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/sleep?pe…

On 14 May Ahfiwe Cinema presents two rarely seen films by pioneering Black filmmakers from decades past.

📽️Julie Dash's acclaimed short Diary of An African Nun 🎶1930s silent Hellbound Train by Eloyce Gist, accompanied by a live composition by swaampcat.

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/ahfiwe-c…

Flatpack fave Quentin Dupieux returns with the wonderfully silly Daaaaaali! (spelt with 6 a’s because Salvador Dali is portrayed by 6 different actors).

The film follows a French journalist who meets the famed Surrealist for a documentary film project.

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/daaaaaal…

Catch Stopmotion on Tuesday 14th May at @mockbirdcinema - a deliciously horrifying debut feature from Robert Morgan.

The terrifying concoction brings together stop-motion, body, and psychological horror.

This isn’t for those with a fear of puppets!

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/stopmoti…

The UK premiere of While the Green Grass Grows is coming to @mockbirdcinema on Sunday 19 May!

An intimate exploration of our finite existence on earth and our relationship with nature, don’t miss this powerful and poetic documentary from Peter Mettler.

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/while-th…

Canals, camels and clubnights 🐫

@digbethfirstfri turns 10 tomorrow, and our director Ian has been reflecting on the changing face of Digbeth over on the blog:

flatpackfestival.org.uk/news/canals-ca…

Based in part on his own experiences and those of friends and fellow students back in the day, Liu Jian’s latest feature follows Kurt Cobain-enthusiast Xiaojun and his trustee sidekick Rabbit as they ponder art, philosophy, life and love.

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/art-coll…

From the beginnings of cinema to today, Swedish directing duo Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck expose humanity’s unique obsession with the camera’s image and the social consequences that lay ahead in Fantastic Machine.

See it at @mockbirdcinema: flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/and-the-…

Audiovisual performances with dreamy soundscapes, Ukrainian nu-jazz, communal singing and live scores alongside archival treasures. 🎶

Check out our #Flatpack2024 live music round up on the blog: flatpackfestival.org.uk/news/live-musi…

On Saturday 18 May, join Louis Moir at @mac_birmingham for a screening of his debut film, A Brush with Comedy.

A thoughtful documentary reflecting on the links between art and comedy, followed by a Q&A with Louis Moir + artist and comedian Spencer Jones.

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/a-brush-…

There's plenty of really great animation in the festival line-up this year.

If animation's your bag you can read our round-up of all things animated at #Flatpack2024 on the blog.

flatpackfestival.org.uk/news/animation…

Two weeks to go!

This time in two weeks we'll be running around getting ready for the launch of our eighteenth festival.

We can't wait to see you 👀

Tickets: flatpackfestival.org.uk/flatpack-2024

Exploring how sound - and its absence - affects our relationship with cities, The Tuba Thieves is a roaming, poetic film that seamlessly integrates sign language and closed captions.

Don’t miss the film’s UK Premiere on Saturday 18th May!

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/the-tuba…

A simple dinner of chicken and peppers quickly unravels into an outrageous series of events in the award-winning Chicken for Linda!

A beautiful, tender and very funny exploration of the mother-daughter bond.

What better way to spend a Thursday evening?

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/chicken-…

Exciting delivery at Flatpack HQ…👀

4 weeks to go ⌛️

Flatpack Festival will be here before you know it!

Check out our ‘what not to miss’ list over on the blog:

flatpackfestival.org.uk/news/flatpack-…

6 weeks to go!

Flatpack Festival hits the streets and screens of Birmingham 10-19 May 👀

Get your tickets: flatpackfestival.org.uk/flatpack-2024

There is an element of ‘Trigger’s broom’ about this place, but that’s part of its magic – it has continually evolved in the face of changing tastes and external threats. Talkies. TV. Home video. Streaming. Covid. Will redevelopment be the thing that finally kills it off? 20/21

Electric Theatre… Select… Tatler… Jacey… Classic… Tivoli… and Electric again. Still with us?! We said *arguably* the oldest cinema in the UK, and it does cause arguments. That’s because it has been modified so much during its long life, particularly in the 1930s. 19/21

This arthouse incarnation lasted just over 10 years, Kill Bill the final film in late 2003. A sign left on the door read ‘Closed due to market forces.’ The following year yet another era began. After renovation and sofa installation Tom Lawes reopened the Electric. 15/21

Many people running the cinema had been involved in the recently-closed Triangle at Gosta Green, including David Hutchinson. Regulars remember Dave selling tickets, serving coffee and cake, and then running upstairs to project the film. (He now lives in London.) 14/21

Heine commissioned the same artist to create 12 sculptures for the windows of the cinema. The work, called Thatcher’s Children, led some to believe that the Electric was still a porn venue. In fact the programming was a mix of arthouse releases and repertory double-bills. 13/21

In April 1993 the venue became the Electric again, for the first time in over 70 years. The lease was taken on by the late DJ and entrepreneur Bill Heine, best known for installing a 25-foot fibreglass shark by the artist John Buckley in the roof of his Oxford house. 12/21

When the Classic closed in 1984, porn producer Barry Jacobs took it on and renamed it the Tivoli with a similar programme mix. After being closed down by bailiffs, Jacobs left a 35mm archive in the basement including the likes of Wifeswappers, Eskimo Nell and Groupie Girl. 11/21

In 1980 the cinema became part of Lew Grade’s Classic circuit, who split the cinema into two screens. Screen 2 (the former balcony) continued to show X-rated titles while screen 1 offered more mainstream fare. Pictured are UB40 outside the venue in 1981. 📸 Janette Beckman 10/21

The venue also catered to families with cartoon matinees at the weekend, and John Taylor of Duran Duran remembers being taken there by his mum in the 60s. In 1962 it was renamed the Jacey, and as news audiences declined with the rise of TV its focus shifted to sex films. 9/21

“Occupying the site of one of Birmingham’s earliest kinemas, the Tatler has a capacity of 400, including a miniature balcony, and was built to the designs of Cecil E.M. Fillmore.” - Kinematograph Weekly, 25 March 1937. 8/21 youtube.com/watch?v=q-1WdA…

The Tatler News Theatre opened with much hoopla on 20 March 1937, boasting a new streamlined frontage and neon lighting. As well as showing news from around the world it had its own newsreel unit - led by Cohen’s son George - which filmed events of local interest. 7/21

By 1931 it had closed down, after a brief period as a repertory cinema showing international classics. It was ill-equipped to survive in the new era of talkies and super cinemas, until Jacey signed the new lease in 1936 and embarked on significant reconstruction of the site. 6/21

The building was already a cinema – the city’s very first full-time film venue. On 27 December 1909, just before the new Cinematograph Licence came into force, the Electric Theatre opened in a converted taxi garage, with a billiard hall and boys school on the upper floors. 3/21

The agreement was signed in March 1936 between freeholder General Sir Richard Vyse-Howard and solicitor Joseph Cohen. Cohen was beginning to build his Jacey circuit of newsreel theatres, and the Station Street site was ideally located to attract people waiting for a train. 2/21

Today an 88-year lease on 47 Station Street, Birmingham comes to an end. It’s a chance to reflect on the remarkable life of this resilient little picture house behind New St Station, arguably the oldest cinema in the UK. What might its next chapter might look like? 1/21

Our second On Demand programme is now live!

This one includes last year's Best Short winner Green Space. Judges called it a "surprising and immersive film that we thought was clever, inventive and cinematic."

Watch now for free: flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/flatpack…

Currently playing loud in the Flatpack office... youtube.com/watch?v=TBS6gA…

Tickets for the 18th Flatpack Festival are now on sale! 🎉

We’re so excited to share this programme with you.

Ten whole days of incredible films and performances from all over the world.

Explore the full line-up: flatpackfestival.org.uk/flatpack-2024

Announcing our 2024 Open Call projects!

This year's events shine a light on films and themes that have been overlooked, combining cinema with music, art and community.

Read all about them over on the blog: flatpackfestival.org.uk/news/announcin…

Flatpack Festival will be here before we know it, but if you’re in need of some filmy goodness to keep you warm till then, we’ve got just the thing.

Throughout March we’ll be sharing 3 short film programmes, all watchable for free via our website.

Info: flatpackfestival.org.uk/tags/flatpack-…

Dyad, a multimedia exhibition by Kinna Whitehead, is coming to Birmingham’s T Street Gallery.

Kinna uses film to get us thinking about the natural world and how we relate to it.

Private view 14 March at 6pm. Runs till 5 April (booking required).

sevvenkucuk.com/tstreetgallery…

Calling all UK-based filmmakers aged 16-25!

We're launching a new short film competition for this year's Flatpack Festival, welcoming films of all genres, mediums and budgets.

Films must be under 10mins long and completed after Jan 2022.

Submit: filmfreeway.com/ShortandSuite

Save the date 👀

#Flatpack2024 | 10-19 May | Birmingham

📢 #Flatpack2024 Volunteer Call Out 📢

We'll be taking over venues across Birmingham this May for our eighteenth Flatpack Festival!

Fancy getting involved, picking up new skills and meeting brilliant people?

Find out more over on the blog: flatpackfestival.org.uk/news/call-for-…

Join the Flatpack team!

We're looking for a Front of House Manager and a Guest Liaison to help make our eighteenth festival extra special.

You'll find all the details on our website. Feel free to message us if you have any questions.

flatpackfestival.org.uk/news/now-hirin…

Last chance to catch Aki Kaurismaki's Fallen Leaves at @mac_birmingham this evening - an excellent way to start the year. macbirmingham.co.uk/event/fallen-l…

Deadline approaching! Submit your film event proposal for the next Flatpack Festival by 7 January.

Proposals can include things like films, performances, talks or workshops.

The callout is open to curators/programmers from underrepresented groups.

flatpackfestival.org.uk/news/flatpack-…

"Drag is not just political, Drag is freedom" - @FilmInquiry

🎟️Fancy winning a pair of tickets to see Queendom at @mockbirdcinema this Sunday?

Like or comment and we'll pick a winner at random ⬇️

Competition ends 5pm Thursday 30 Nov.

Event details: mockingbirdcinema.com/production/que…

📢Deadline approaching 📢

Submit your expression of interest for a new Collaborative Doctoral Award exploring Birmingham's suburban cinema stories by 17 November.

More info: flatpackfestival.org.uk/news/wonderlan… @bcumedia @daveharte

📢#Flatpack2024 Open Call 📢

We are inviting proposals for film events for the next Flatpack Festival.

Open to anyone from a background underrepresented in the film/cultural sector, we particularly welcome applications from Black curators/exhibitors.

flatpackfestival.org.uk/news/flatpack-…

This Sunday our Ian will be hosting a Q&A to follow Deep Listening, a film about the remarkable musician and composer Pauline Oliveros. Director Daniel Weintraub will be in person, with Oliveros' partner Ione speaking via zoom. 5pm at @Centrala_space fizzlebirmingham.com/gigs-1/screeni…

Flatpack Festival returns 10-19 May 2024.

Our 18th fest will run for 10 days, showcasing brilliant films of all shapes and sizes alongside unique and unexpected performances for all the senses.

Want an idea of what to expect? Here's a snapshot of Flatpack 2023...

We'll be over at Pan-Pan & @mockbirdcinema this October for film events exploring consumerism through the prism of abandoned shopping malls, curated by Joseph Wallace.

Feat. 'so-bad-it's-good' 80s horror Chopping Mall & 70s cult drama Zabriskie Point.

flatpackfestival.org.uk/tags/over-the-…

We're kicking off the Birmingham leg of our #PowellAndPressburger season with a special screening of A Matter of Life and Death at St Lazar's Hall in Bournville.

Includes a chance to explore Lazarica - a beautiful Serbian Orthodox church in Bournville.

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/a-matter…

We’re teaming up with @mac_birmingham to celebrate the legendary filmmaking partnership of #PowellAndPressburger

On 28 Oct we kick off a season of screenings, discussions & special events with Gone to Earth, returning to where the film was shot in 1949.

flatpackfestival.org.uk/tags/powell-an…

Featuring spoken word both live and on screen, A Cinema of Poetry brings together poets and filmmakers from Birmingham and beyond!

Plus, this'll be one of your last chances to explore Balsall Heath’s Living Room at @MoseleyRdBaths.

More info: flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/a-cinema…

🌊 Don't miss ‘immersion’: a celebration of community and belonging at Moseley Road Baths.

Explore the rich tapestry of the baths' past, and their role as healing sanctuaries, relationship hubs, and sites of community building.

23 Sept, 7pm, FREE

eventbrite.com/e/immersion-a-…

Plenty of good stuff happening on Moseley Road this Saturday eve:

🎶 6-9pm Opening of Oriental Star Express exhibition at the @OldPrintWorks - bit.ly/3sgSac5

🎞️ 7-9.30pm Music & archive film at Moseley Road Baths - flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/the-impe…

A weekend of words and film in Hay-on-Wye ✨

Thanks everyone who came to our first ever screenings at @haycastle at the weekend.

#WritingWithLight

This Saturday: outdoor screening of Armando Iannucci's The Personal History of David Copperfield in book-lovers paradise Hay-on-Wye📽️

One of the most entertaining Dickens adaptations you'll find on film, screening under the stars at @haycastle.

🎟️flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/writing-…

Huge thanks to everyone who came along to Predator or My Neighbour Totoro at the weekend ✨

Totoro fans - check out the rest of the Birmingham Anime Film Festival over at @baff_uk.

📢 Submit your short film to Flatpack Festival 2024! 📢

We're now accepting all types and genres of short films to be considered for Flatpack no.18 (10-19 May).

For all the details and to submit head to flatpackfestival.org.uk/submissions/

Families! Get yourselves to Calthorpe Park on 10 Sept for Hidden River Fest.

Line-up includes:
🎤Live music & poetry
🧶Arts & crafts stalls
🎨Creative games & workshops
🎞️Finding Nemo on the big screen

No booking required, just turn up from 12-5.

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/hidden-r…

Join us for an evening of music and film in Balsall Heath's Living Room at @MoseleyRdBaths as we take a trip back to the golden age of Hindi cinema 🎶📽️

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/the-impe…

It's Predator vs Totoro at @BhamBotanicalGd this summer - which gets your vote?

flatpackfestival.org.uk/tags/birmingha…

Another great weekend at @dudleyzoo for our #BewareTheMoon double bill of Jaws & The Wicker Man.

Huge thanks to Dave Checkley & Michael Lightborne who transported us from Amity Island to Summerisle with lighting and projections!

More outdoor screenings: flatpackfestival.org.uk/category/outdo…

Fancy a lovely late summer jaunt to the Welsh Marshes?

Join us in book-lovers paradise Hay-on-Wye this September for Writing with Light, a weekend of words and film at @haycastle 📷

Lovely visuals by @pickleillo ❤️

flatpackfestival.org.uk/tags/writing-w…

Almost time for your appointment with the Wicker Man...

📅 5 August
📍 @dudleyzoo

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/beware-t…

We'll be at the @BarberInstitute 3 August for a whole day of family fun inspired by the natural world.

📽 Watch lovely family shorts.
☀️ Make art with sunshine.
🎞 Start your filmmaking career early with Martin
McNally's animation workshop

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/colour-b…

We're serving a double helping of outdoor horror this summer at @dudleyzoo, kicking off with Jaws on 4 August.

There'll be food and a bar but do feel free to bring a picnic. Make sure you bring a blanket/chair. And maybe steer clear of the water...🦈

flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/beware-t…

We're very excited to bring The Wicker Man to Dudley Castle this summer, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the film in style 🌾

Book your tickets: flatpackfestival.org.uk/event/beware-t…