7inch October listings
In a break with protocol, I'm pasting below our listings email for this month. If you'd like to receive these in your inbox, sign up for the email list on the lefthand side.
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