Created in Birmingham

A perfect storm of Birmingham creative scene interestingness is happening on Monday 26 May with Capsule producing an event for the Fierce Festival at the really-rather-good Town Hall (who seem to be widening the scope of the events they’re putting on).

Julian Cope will be presenting his lecture entitled ‘Ancient Worship Of The Gods Beyond Rome’, followed by a screening of ‘Haxan; Witchcraft through the Ages’ with a live soundtrack provided by Bronnt Industries Kapital.

More details and ticket buying info are on the Capsule page.

Julian Cope will be returning with Capsule for the Supersonic Festival, 11 to 13 July. Weekend tickets are available for a bargainous £65 and (limited) day tickets are now on sale too. Check their website for details but don’t dally if you want a ticket.

The Birmingham International Film Society launches today with a season of films at the Birmingham Library Theatre in conjunction with Cuba Solidarity.

The films to be shown are:

• 12 Chairs (8 May, 8pm)
• Beloved (20 May, 6pm and 8.15pm)
• Death Of A Bureaucrat (5 June, 7.30pm with a talk)
• The Adventures Of Juan Quin Quin (17 June, 6pm and 8.15pm)
• A Successful Man (10 July, 7.30pm with talk)

with more details of each film on the Cuba Solidarity website. Tickets are £3.50 (conc £2.50) and are available in person at the library, by telephone on 0121 303 2323 or at www.birminghamboxoffice.com.

Before tonight’s film there’s a gala reception at 7pm, although I have no idea what that might entail. If you go you’d best assume it’s black tie and arrive in a limo, just in case.

Unfortunately BIFS itself doesn’t seem to have any sort of web-presence but I’m sure that’ll be rectified soon (hint! - just as Pete was, I’m free for tea and a chat about this kind of thing). According to comments on The Stirrer, they’re looking to show the international films that the multiplexes and The Electric can’t/won’t.

Animation Forum West Midlands are running an after-work (6.30pm to 8.30pm) event at The Rainbow in Digbeth on Monday 28 April 2008. It’s called Shorts on Walls and in their own words:

Whether or not you actually make short films, Shorts on Walls is a great chance for animators to meet and network after work with other freelancers, animation companies and professionals over a mid-week beverage.

It’s free to attend but please let them know if you’ll be going down. There are contact details and more info on the Animation Forum West Midlands website.

Incidentally, props to AFWM for showing how this web promotion lark should be done - the news page of their site has an RSS feed and features a map of the venue. There’s also a Facebook group (with a list of participating animators/studios) to join as well as a newly-minted YouTube group.

Last Wednesday I went to the imaginatively titled Local shorts Film Club, which I previously talked about here. I was pleasantly surprised to find a large turnout (a quick head count of around 80) maybe its because of by passion for social media and indoctrination into the cult of blogging that made me presume that a poor web presence, and equally poor advertising automatically means low attendance.

The night is ran by Nigel and Sabine of It’s About Time Productions and chatting to them before hand I was interested to find out that updates, the forthcoming programme, submission requests and basically all the functionality of a blog is actually carried out by a mailing list, of which over three hundred people are signed up too. They explained this lo-fi attitude is partly intentional as not to appear to exclusive. Unfortunately this attitude also means that the LSFC is one of the best kept secrets of the film community in Birmingham. Speaking to a local video artist we both remarked how frustrating it was that this event was happening 200 yards away from where we were doing our degree with other student film makers, yet we never heard about it.

The event itself was very informal and friendly with the quality of the films varying widely. Standing out from the pack was the short film written and directed by Lewis Arnold called <i>Long Standing</i>. An engaging, warm, and very funny but ultimately melancholy study of old age and a mans emotional redemption through human contact. Lewis seems to be very talented capable of producing slickly finished pieces on almost no budget that are both humorous and visually interesting. I can’t help but see big things for him.

As for the night, the relaxed setting, friendly atmosphere and question and answer session after each film are much to the organisers credit, although the community itself does seem kind of small. The event has recently secured funding from Screen West Midlands so will using the money to develop a wider film making audience and the next night is scheduled for late July.

to get on the mailing list e-mail your address, theirs can be found here.

7inch Cinema have a new website! And it’s very bloggy by the looks of things with RSS and everything. Worth checking out the other sections too as they’ve crammed it full of some really good writings.

The first of Harry Palmer’s £1 art commissions is this video work by Simon Raven: “Edited sound and footage of a performance in which a Tibetan singing bowl is played on the ‘The Universe’ big wheel ride in Nottingham.”

“We are in awe and jubilation!” says Harry, and I’d concur. Wow!

More about the scheme at Eccentric City

A recent graduate from BIAD Rachael is working on a film for New Generation Arts. Still of her work are on her site.

Missed this at the Ikon Eastside party last year but it’s in the running for Fierce. Here’s a sample video:

via aboutmyarea B13

Local Shorts Film club is a free semi-regular showcase of locally made short films, which include a Q and A session with the film makers. The closest thing to a web-site I have found is here, but contains all the relevant information, with details how to submit a short film here.

The lack of web-site, ropey flyers and naff names aside, The next night is on April 9th with the title “Super Eclectic Mix Night” and is at the Library Theatre near Central Library.

A programme of events around the theme Endurance starts on the 24th of April and runs until the 26th at Vivid.

Endurance is a three-day programme of screenings, performances and exhibition exploring the physical and mental limits of human endurance

There really are a lot of events to investigate, even if you can find the performative and body-art aspect of this sort of work a bit challenging (which, if you ask me, is even more of a reason to go), there should still be something of interest. a timetable for the events can be downloaded here.

I think I will at least try and make it to the William Hunt (pictured) piece on the Thursday night.

The première of the short film ‘Birmingham: The Creative City’ will be held at the Electric Cinema tomorrow afternoon.

From the Press Release:

Birmingham City Council Creative Development Team and Audiences Central are premiering a short film directed by BAFTA Award Winning Director Natasha Carlish on Tuesday 11 March at The Electric Cinema, Birmingham. Birmingham: The Creative City celebrates some of the personal stories and amazing work delivered as part of the Equal II: The Last Mile programme in Birmingham over the last two years.

The Equal II: The Last Mile programme was established to develop the Creative Industries as a route to employment in Birmingham. This creative business support project was established in 2005 to develop the creative industries as a route to employment for creative talent and arts professionals in Birmingham.

Co-ordinated by Birmingham City Council’s Creative Development Team and funded by the European Social Fund, the Equal II: The Last Mile programme has engaged over 400 individual artists and creative businesses and 18 partner organisations across Birmingham. The programme, and the creative industries, have made a significant contribution to Birmingham’s economy through employment and improved quality of life.

The film, Birmingham: The Creative City is testimony itself to the wealth of creative talent within the region directed by one of the region’s BAFTA award winning directors, Natasha Carlish and Dreamfinder Productions and created with partners including John Mostyn who worked with music for film debutant Bass Flo, Quench Design who titled the films DVD menu and cover artwork and Supercool Design who worked on brand and design elements.

Director Natasha Carlish said: “Nurturing and developing new creative talent in our city is something I feel extremely passionate about. So to be asked to create a film to illustrate just one area of work that is focusing on this very important issue was a real privilege. I was really inspired by the contributors to the film, their determination to success and their stories and I was really lucky to work with some great collaborators such as Endboad, Quench, John Mostyn and Bassflo’, the Audiosuite, Aquila Film and Television and Shefali Oza.”

Talking about the impact of the Equal II: The Last mile programme overall, Paul Cantrill, Head of Creative Development at Birmingham City Council said: “The creative industries are one of the key sectors of growth and expansion in the region. In partnership with 18 organisations across Birmingham, the Equal II: The Last Mile programme has created many opportunities to enrich and support the wide diversity of talent located in this unique city.”

To find out more about the amazing journeys that the beneficiaries and partners have undertaken as part of Equal II: The Last Mile visit www.creativecompass.co.uk.

Unfortunately invitations for the event are now closed. However you can watch the film online.

If you were at the Creative Republic launch / Created in Birmingham birthday party the other week you might well be in this. It also has my “speech”, which is handy as I had no idea what I was saying.

If you can’t see the video click here

John Akomfrah, whose 1986 directorial debut was Handsworth Songs about the fallout from the riots in Birmingham, collected his OBE last week for services to film. From the press release sent in by Pogus Caesar (who owns the photo above):

A founding member of the Black Audio Film Collective (1982-98), the legendary Black British film group, Akomfrah work has proved immensely influential on the evolution of black filmmaking in Britain and the USA, opening the way for many young black and Asian film makers to enter the film and television industries.

In 1987, Akomfrah won the coveted Grierson Award with his first film, the independently produced Handsworth Songs. Hailed as one of the most influential documentaries ever made and it garnered a range of International Awards. Handsworth Songs was also one of the first documentaries to be successfully released in British cinemas.

John is also a multi-award winning director with over twenty international film awards for his wide range of feature films, factual, programmes, documentaries and shorts covering a variety of musical icons such as Louis Armstrong, Goldie, Stan Tracey, Lauryn Hill. His films have also looked at inspirational black figures such as Martin Luther King , Kwame Nkrumah and Malcolm X.

John Akomfrah recently finished serving a six year term on the Governing Board of the British Film Institute; he is currently on the of Boards of both Film London and the London International Film School. He is also a Visiting Professor of Film at the University Of Westminster.

John saw a full retrospective of his work with the Black Audio Film Collective open at Foundation for Creative Technologies in Liverpool in February 2007. Designed by acclaimed architect and designer David Adjaye - architect of the new Nobel Prize Centre in Oslo - the Retrospective encompassed all the feature films and documentaries made by the collective screened in a specially designed gallery setting. The show received rave reviews in The Guardian and Frieze Magazine.

Police Bastard on their recent European tour:

More videos here

Some Insectoid videos have been brought to my attention after the recent post.

Here’s a nice piece of recently uploaded glitch entitled Class: Insecta:

And here’s a recording of them on the green at 2006’s Artsfest:

More on the Insectoid Hive Mind channel.

A film by Scott Johnston and Pram.

Filmed around Highbury Hall and Moseley Private Park, according to About My Area. via Jez

No, it’s not the after gig drinks of a Culture Club Tribute Band.

It’s the post premiere toasting of the film Handsworth Songs, now universally acclaimed as a documentary classic, after its world premiering in the Birmingham Film Festival in 1986 at The Triangle Media Centre (R.I.P.).

Yes, that’s the director, John Akomfrah, grinning madly, centre shot, goaded by Pogus Ceasar, of OOM Gallery fame with a skinny me, Festival Director, to the right of Pogus.

Thanks Roger!

Grabbed from the VIVID site because they don’t have a linkable archive for this stuff yet.

Singlescreen: Performance

On 27 February 2008 VIVID opens Singlescreen: Performance, the pilot programme towards a new strand which focuses on presenting contemporary moving image work for screen.

Performance is a changing programme of single screen installations which features seminal works from the 1970’s rarely seen in the UK alongside the best recent work from artists based in the West Midlands.

The marriage of performance and film creates a very particular dynamic and the programme will investigate the ways in which performance engages with the mechanics of filmmaking to create a new form. Performance ranges from classic performance documentation to subtle and multiple explorations of movement and choreography.

Programme:

Wed 27 Feb - Sat 01 Mar 2008, 12pm - 5:30pm
Pure Cinema (Deepres & Clifford, 2007)
Moment (Stephen Dwoskin, 1968)
Admission free

Fri 29 Feb 2008, screening 7pm
Moving Images/Moving Bodies, introduced by Portland Green, Interim Director of Capture and Director of Portland Green Cultural Projects.
Cost: £3/ £2 concessions
Booking recommended, email info@vivid.org.uk

Wed 05 Mar - Sat 08 Mar 2008, 12pm - 5:30pm
No Memory (Teresa Severova, 2005)
Admission free

One of the criteria for an event to make it onto this blog (as opposed to my personal hopelessly prejudiced gig guide) is that it looks to be rather strange and unique. This, sent in by Nic Bullen of Monium, just about fits that bill.

Experimental image meets live sound in an exploration of representation and abstraction as the Black Galaxy ensemble perform live improvised sound responses to poet Ira Cohen’s maximalist ritual hallucination ‘The Invasion of Thunderbolt Pagoda’ (USA 1968, clip here) and the alchemical animations of artist Harry Smith’s ‘Early Abstractions: 1 - 5, 7, 10′ (USA 1939/1956).

The musicians (joined by sound artist Helena Gough) combine composed and improvised approaches, and analogue and electronic sounds from a range of instrumentation (including laptops, electronics, guitar, sound generators, percussion and amplified objects) in order to create dialogues with the images onscreen.

The live performances are complemented by screenings of Carolee Schneemann’s multi-layered diary ‘Plumb Line’ (USA 1968/1972), Stan Brakhage’s sexualized psychodrama ‘Reflections on Black’ (USA 1955), and the Brothers Quay’s dark exploration of a collection of medical artifacts in ‘The Phantom Museum’ (UK 2003).

This Sunday at The MAC, 8pm, £5.25

Last year Screen West Midlands got a £4m Media Production Fund. Rather that throw the money around at naked champaign parties they’re meeting with local film and media companies to see how it might benefit them in a series of roadshows this month. Here’s the schedule:

* Tuesday 19 February, 3pm - Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry CV 4 7AL
* Wednesday 20 February, 10.30am - Old Market Hall, The Square, Shrewsbury SY1 1LH
* Thursday 21 February, 3pm - Birmingham Midland Institute, Margaret St, Birmingham B3 3BS
* Monday 25 February, 2pm - MET Studio, Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, Eastgate St, Stafford ST16 2LT
* Tuesday 26 February, 2pm - The Courtyard, Edgar St, Hereford HR4 9JR

“The roadshows are designed to provide information on the Fund, and offer advice on the application procedure and eligibility criteria. They will also highlight the far-reaching benefits that the Media Production Fund brings to the West Midlands.” More info and contact details.