Celluloid City

The film experience has long been a preoccupation and a recurring theme at Flatpack, and in 2015 we're embarking on a mission to map out Birmingham's cinema-going stories. From canvas booths on fairgrounds to boutique sofa service, a century's worth of sitting in the dark will unfold through events, screenings and talks.

We kick off in the autumn, focussing on two neighbourhoods with a particularly rich film-going heritage: Kingstanding and Balsall Heath. We're not just looking at ghost cinemas, however - in November the mac will host a weekend of Celluloid City events to complement the arrival of Steenbeckett, Atom Egoyan's astonishing 35mm installation. And to kick things off we screen The Purple Rose of Cairo - Woody Allen's love-letter to 30s movie fantasies - at the UK's oldest working cinema.