While we beaver away overhauling the website and plotting for Flatpack 6, as ever there’s plenty of film action afoot over at the 7inch website.
After a couple of jaunts to Green Man and Shambala festivals this month, on September 1st we kick off a jampacked weekend of Metal on Film. This is part of the ongoing Home of Metal juggernaut, celebrating the Midlands’ heavy rock heritage with all manner of exhibitions and events, and our contribution will include a host of screenings at Light House as well as one-offs across the Black Country. If you missed the legendary Chris Needham at Flatpack in March you’ll be glad to know he’s making a return visit, as are Ollie and Emma with their marvellous Vintage Mobile Cinema. We’ve also got a shorts programme showing on Sunday 4th Sept called Metal Till I Die, which among other things includes the following…
A few people have been in touch enquiring about submissions for Flatpack 6 in March 2012. We’ll do a proper shout in September and the deadline will be early December as usual, but in the meantime here are some other people you might like to send your film to…
The Cut 2011
A series of screenings at the Prince of Wales in Moseley as part of this year’s Moseley Festival. The organisers are seeking films under 30 minutes made in the last couple of years, and they’ve just extended their deadline until Thursday 9th June. www.thecut2011.blogspot.com Submissions form
The Neighbourhood Watch
A new series of monthly ‘open mic’ filmnights, beginning on 29th June at VIVID. Films must be under 5 minutes, and fairly recent. All eligible submissions will be screened. Submit via email by 22 June. www.theneighbourhooduk.wordpress.com
Artsfest 2011
Once again KINO 10 are putting together the film programme for this year’s Artsfest, and they’re inviting West Mids-related submissions of any length. Deadline is 26th June, and playable DVDs should be sent to:
KINO 10 (ArtsFest), 129 Northfield Rd, Kings Norton, Birmingham B30 1EA Facebook group
Other imminent deadlines beyond Birmingham include:
If you want to be kept abreast of this sort of thing we recommend you sign up to the Lux Newswire, or keep an eye on the Flicker calendar for experimental film deadlines.
During the research for his Invisible Cinema walking tour Ben Waddington did some delving in various disused picture palaces around Birmingham city centre, including the Odeon Queensway (on the pagoda roundabout) and the ABC New Street (hidden away behind Chez Jules/Sun Valley Amusements). Here’s the evidence:
Thursday 12th May 2011The Edge, 20:00-23:00Entry: Free
Those five days of film, music and delicious cakes have flown by for another year but for those of you who need more Flatpack Festivity in your life we have a Post-Apocalyptic Walk-In Movie; a night of training for the imminently unprepared on how to survive in a world laid bare. For one night only The Edge will be home to a Post-Apocalyptic Cinema screening the very best in wasteland punks and undisclosed global annihilations. And its all free! All you’ll need to get in is a Diesel Passport which you can pick up at any Diesel Store.
Tom Baker, of LOAF fame, will also be doing a workshop on foraging in the city (useful if you want to avoid Zombie crowded supermarkets) and the night will be played out to a dystopian soundtrack from a line up of resident DJ’s. You can bring along your own food, drinks and mercenary gangs - though we do ask that all weaponry be left outside the compound.
If your interest was piqued by our Iris Barry focus, you might be interested to know that Sight and Sound are running a competition for women film critics. Freely admitting that their own roster of writers is pretty bloke-heavy, this is one way for the magazine to try and even things out a bit. 300-word submissions need to be in by 3rd May, and there’s more information on their website. Flatpack guest Hannah McGill has also set the scene with a piece called The ladies vanished.
While I’m here, I should encourage you to visit our super-streamlined Flatpack 2011 Survey. If you came to anything at this year’s festival it would be really useful to hear your thoughts.
© Flatpack Festival 2010