Before then, we’re hosting the UK premiere of daft sci-fi dance-battle movie The FP (trailer below) and this Sunday a compendium of shorts at mac including Mark Leckey’s Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore.

hello,

During a rare breathing space we have found time
to compile a list of interesting things happening
around Birmingham over the next 31 days or so.
As you’ll see there is an embarrassment of festivals
(seven at least) and plenty more besides. As usual,
we’re not responsible for any of these events, and
apologies in advance if we’ve missed something out.
Happy heatwave!

Friday 30 Sept, 7.30pm at Akamba in Shirley

GOGO CHATINKHA AFRICAN PARTY NIGHT
A night of music and food raising funds for a maternity
unit in Malawi.
[Facebook link, sorry]

Sat 1 October, all day at the Public in West Brom
BOXSTOCK
The third UK festival of cigar-box guitars. Looks like fun.

Sat 1 October, 12-5 at the Custard Factory in Digbeth
VINTAGE FAIR

Sat 1 October, 9pm at 22 Green St in Digbeth
SEELAND + HEALTH & EFFICIENCY
Free gig.

1/2 Oct at Mary Arden’s Farm in Stratford
APPLE DAYS
Tudor music, falconry, sheepdogs and apples.

Sunday 2 Oct, 1-5pm at St Columba’s in Moseley
MOSELEY RECORD & BOOK FAIR
Celebrating its first birthday.

Sunday 2 October, 6pm at the Drum in Newtown
USTAD NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN TRIBUTE
Annual concert devoted to the Qawwali master.

Tues 4 Oct, 7.30pm at the Light House in Wolverhampton
IN TRANSITION
New film about the Transition movement, a response to
peak oil and climate change. Followed by a discussion.
> http://light-house.co.uk
[Light House are also showing Kill List next week. Strong
meat, but well worth a trip if you've not seen it.]

Tuesday 4 Oct, 8pm at the Library Theatre in Bham
OUR GENERATION
WM Human Rights Filmfest draws to a close with a film
about the Yolngu tribe in Australia’s Northern Territories.
Followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.

Weds 5 Oct at the Custard Factory in Digbeth
SOCIAL CINEMA
Launch of a new weekly community-run filmnight.

Thursday 6 Oct at the Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath
SOUND KITCHEN: COPPE’
Japanese electronica luminary with Casio support from
Modified Toy Orchestra.

6-16 Oct in Birmingham
BIRMINGHAM BOOK FESTIVAL
With literary guests like Tony Harrison, Will Self and Stuart
Maconie, plus special events including a ‘Dice Slam’ at
Fazeley Studios on 13 Oct.

Friday 7 Oct, 7pm at Thinktank, Millennium Point
TRIPNOTIC
“A mind-expanding trip to the far reaches of your
imagination.” First of a series of night-time shows in the
Thinktank Planetarium.

7-16 Oct in Birmingham
BIRMINGHAM COMEDY FESTIVAL
Featuring an array of standups plus various film bits:
comedy screening at the Jekyll and Hyde; Van Damme
stinker Streetfighter presented by Bad Film Club; and
a special Laurel and Hardy event in Erdington.
(Birthplace of L&H henchman Charlie Hall.)

Sat 8 Oct, 11am at Warwick Arts Centre near Coventry
FILM TALK: ELIZABETH TAYLOR
Lecture followed by a showing of BUtterfield 8.

Weds 12 Oct, 7.30pm at the Drum in Newtown
THE COLONY
Philip Donnellan’s bracing BBC film on Birmingham’s
first generation of Caribbean migrants, later recycled
by John Akomfrah for Handsworth Songs.

Weds 12 Oct, 7.30pm at the Victoria in Birmingham
HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN CULT
The latest Birmingham Skeptics event is a guide to
cults from seasoned Scientology-watcher Martin Poulter.

Thurs 13 Oct at the Light House in Wolves
SHORTS ON WALLS
Regional animation gathering, and a taster for Flip.

14-23 Oct in Birmingham city centre
BIRMINGHAM FOOD FESTIVAL
Including Guerilla Gastronomy from Companis, a Sideways
wine tasting at the Electric and a chili festival in Brindleyplace.
(Beware of jalapeno hallucinations.)
> http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/64972/detail/

Friday 14 Oct, 8pm at the Red Lion in Kings Heath
UNLIKELY POP QUIZ
Raucous musical trivia gathering.

Sat 15 Oct in Birmingham
OXJAM BRUM
All sorts of bands at the Flapper, Yardbird, Sunflower Lounge etc.

Tuesday 18 October, 6pm at the Barber Institute, Bham Uni
KINO 10
A programme of shorts responding to the Barber collection.

Thursday 20 Oct, 8pm at the Lamp Tavern in Digbeth
THE WOBBLIES
Documentary on the radical labour movement.

Thurs 20 October at the Robin 2 in Bilston
JOHN COOPER CLARKE
Cadaverous Salfordian motormouth.

21-23 Oct at the Custard Factory in Digbeth
SUPERSONIC
Approaching its tenth birthday, one of the UK’s most
respected experimental music festivals this year features
Silver Apples, Electric Wizard and Mike Watt of Minutemen
fame. Plus a beefed-up programme of screenings and
installations including late-night horror, Imperfect Cinema
and music docs aplenty.

21-23 Oct at the Ikon Gallery in BrindleyPlace
ANDREW CROSS: ENSEMBLE
New filmed portrait of prog legends The Enid, following
their performance at Symphony Hall on Oct 15th.

21-30 October in Digbeth
THE EVENT
Visual arts gathering featuring a two-day ‘Symposion’, a
lover’s library, an empty orchestra and an exhibition of
Heath Robinson-type machines at Curzon St station.
There’s a programme of films at Lombard Method throughout.

Sat 22 Oct at Warwick Arts Centre near Coventry
THE TINDERSTICKS
Playing a selection from their Claire Denis scores.

Sat 22 Oct, 8pm at Birmingham Town Hall
MICHAEL MOORE: HERE COMES TROUBLE
The tireless self-publicist hits the Midlands.
Pauline Kael was very shrewd on Mr Moore back in ‘89:
> http://eddriscoll.com/archives/000181.php

24-30 Oct in Birmingham
BLACK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Marking its fifth birthday with a programme of screenings
at mac and an awards do. Details on the website still
pretty vague.

Weds 26 Oct, 7pm at VIVID in Digbeth
THE NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
Open submission filmnight. They will literally show
anything. (Subject to a few rules – see online.)

Thursday 27 Oct, 8.15pm at Birmingham Library Theatre
A BOY AND HIS DOG
One-of-a-kind dystopian B-movie, with Don Johnson comprehensively
outacted by his mutt Blood. Showing at Bham Film Society in
response to VIVID’s Ballard-themed exhibition Crash, which is on
until 29 Oct.

Thurs 27 Oct, 8.45 at mac in Edgbaston
LITTLE DREAMS
Departure Lounge screening of the debut feature by
Birmingham-based Egyptian director Khaled El-Hagar.

27-29 Oct at the Light House in Wolves
FLIP ANIMATION FESTIVAL
Three day of screenings and workshops. Programme
will be announced shortly.

Friday 28 October from 6pm in Warstone Graveyard, JQ
HALLOWEEN ALLEYCAT
Spooky cyclists gathering.

Friday 28 Oct, 8.30pm at the Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath
SUGARFOOT STOMP
Celebrating seven years of unbridled vintage hedonism.

Friday 28 Oct at the Public in West Brom
DEAD BY DAWN HORROR MARATHON
All-nighter featuring The Mist, Evil Dead 2 and Zombies of
Sugar Hill. We’ve also nominated some shorts including
Canadian chiller There Are Monsters.

Saturday 29 Oct, 9 till late at The Edge, Cheapside
OUTER SIGHT
The return of this renegade psych filmnight, presenting a
Halloween special with an emphasis on mystic Americana.
Includes a once-lost 70s horror, Lynch shorts and photo show.

Sunday 30 Oct, 2-5pm at AE Harris in the Jewellery Quarter
DISCO BABY YEAH!
Family-friendly dance-off.

Sunday 30 Oct, 7.30pm at the Wagon & Horses in Digbeth
THE NIGHTINGALES
Resilient post-punkers conclude UK tour in their hometown
with support from anti-comedian Ted Chippington plus Betty
and the Id and Micronormous.

Monday 31 Oct, 7.30pm at Birmingham Town Hall
DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE
1920 John Barrymore chiller with live organ from Nigel Ogden.
Preceded by Stan Laurel’s Dr Pyckle and Mr Pryde.

3-30 November in Birmingham
SHOUT FESTIVAL
Month-long celebration of queer culture, with a substantial film
programme which actually kicks off in October at mac.

Until 5 November at Eastside Projects in Digbeth
WILLIAM POPE.L
New three-screen video commission made in Birmingham by a
man from Chicago who describes himself as “the Friendliest
Black Artist in America.”

Until 10 December at International Project Space in Bournville
THE WANDERER (BETTY DRUNK)
New film installation by London-based French artist Laure Prouvost,
recently shortlisted for the Jarman Award.

BITS AND BOBS

THE MECHANICAL MUSICAL MARVEL
An animated short about the inner workings of Symphony
Hall’s organ is showing at Chicago Childrens Film Festival
this month. It was made at Digbeth’s Second Home
Productions, and you can see it along with the back-story
at their blog:
> http://www.secondhomestudios.com/blog/

SOUND IT OUT
Screened as part of the Home of Metal film programme a
few weeks back, Jeanie Finlay’s record shop documentary
is now set for a proper UK release. They’re looking for
supporters to help get the film out there in exchange for
exclusive perks.
> http://www.indiegogo.com/sounditoutdoc
Those in the North-east can also see the film on Oct 14th
at a taster for November’s Press Play Festival:
> http://www.pressplayfestival.org/programme/2011/sound-it-out

THE STORY OF FILM
This humungous More4 series rolls on towards WWII tomorrow
night. If you can get past Mark Cousins’ upward intonation?
at the end of every bloody sentence? and sometimes in the
middle? there’s some good stuff in there.

GOODBYE SCREENWM & BRIGHTSPACE
Both these organisations are closing their doors for the last
time today. Thanks to all the hard-working people at both
organisations, and good luck with whatever you get up to next.

Happy birthday to Michael Powell and Deborah Kerr.

>>>>>

>>>What on earth is 7 Inch Cinema?
A Birmingham-based outfit which produces all manner of
film events and projects, including the Flatpack Festival
(13-18 March 2012).
> http://www.flatpackfestival.org.uk
> http://www.7inch.org.uk

>>>Do you take open submissions?
Currently we’re seeking shorts up to 20 mins long for next
year’s festival. See the blog for details.

>>>What if I have a burning desire to engage via social media?
> http://www.twitter.com/flatpack
> http://www.facebook.com/flatpackfestival

The movie which gave the band their name, a lurid omnibus chiller with Boris Karloff nearing the end of his career…

…And Shane Embury from Napalm Death has hand-picked one of his favourite video nasties, Lucio Fulci’s The Beyond. Expect shonky dubbing and spectacular gore.

If you haven’t been visiting the events section of this site you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s nothing going on in 7inchland. Far from it. Tomorrow we hit the road for the Green Man festival once again, supplying kids matinees to the bleary-eyed masses and teaming up with Ghost Box on the Friday night. (See Julian House’s splendid flyer, above).

The following Saturday night we’re showing films for the opulent Lost Picture Show at Shambala, and then it’s full steam ahead for the Black Country. From 1-4 September we’ll be helping to bring Home of Metal’s summer to a close with the Metal on Film weekender. Tickets are now on sale at the Light House, and there’s a taster of some of the shorts on the Flatpack blog. In the meantime we’ll also be overhauling both our websites, laying some foundations for Flatpack 6, and planning for a special event on freelancing at the end of September – drop us a line if you’re interested in taking part.

It’s showing at a London International Animation Fest event on July 4th, followed by a Q&A with Morgan himself.

At the top is pianist Paul Shallcross, who drove all the way from Brecon to accompany the inspired vandalism and acrobatics of Laurel and Hardy and Buster Keaton. Below is his appreciative audience. Watching all these rapt young faces taking so much pleasure from something nearly a century old, I wondered if we could get Michael Gove to make silent comedy compulsory for all five year-olds. I was also reminded of a 1954 book called Children and Films: A Study of Boys and Girls in the Cinema, by Mary Field. The effect of cinema on young audiences was a hot topic at the time, and Field travelled around the country using infra-red photography to capture children’s reactions to particular sequences of film. The two images below are of matinee audiences in Barnstaple and Chippenham, both enjoying a moment of ‘Anticipated fun’.

With thanks to Pete James, and Janet Brisland.

…From back in the day when shooting a music video meant daft dancing, graffiti and lots of crash zooms. Tonight I’m showing a little selection of early 90s videos as part of an Eastside knees-up at VIVID called Cakeology, also featuring such Birmingham luminaries as DJ Gershwin and Jock Lee. And if you’re sauntering through the rag market in search of an adapter or some sari fabric this weekend, bear in mind that twenty years ago the place looked like this.