Flatpack Festival
Film for all the senses

Cassette: A Documentary Mixtape

Friday 7th April, 2017

Birmingham and Midland Institute | 20:15 - 22:00

A strong case for the enduring power of the humble cassette tape.

The humble cassette tape, a favourite among youngsters and dreamers and steoreophonic weavers of a bygone age. It was introduced to the world in 1962 and enjoyed around thirty years of mass production and popularity until being ousted by the prominence of digital media. Yet like vinyl it has made a comeback, and in tracing the journey from trend to obsolescence and back again filmmaker Zach Taylor makes a strong case for the enduring power of these rattly rectangles of joy. Populated by a host of distinguished tape-heads including Henry Rollins, Thurston Moore and Ian Mackaye, the real star of Cassette is a sprightly Dutchman in his late 80s - Lou Ottens, the original inventor of the format.

Prior to the screening, DJ Royale (not a person, but a vintage slide-tape, twin lens projector) will be dusted off and brought to life producing sounds and visuals in the BMI, Gallery space from 18:30 - 20:15. The automated mixtape DJ/VJ will be mixing with a mind of its own and a little help from you. Tapes will be on hand and instructions included. And we encourage you to dust off your own mix cassette tapes and bring them along too.

Dir: Zack Taylor, Georg Petzold, Seth Smoot US

Germany / Netherlands / UK 2016, 91 mins

Cert: 12*

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