Flatpack Festival returns to Birmingham from 21-31 March 2013, spreading across two weekends for the very first time. Firmly established as one of the most atypical and inventive events in the UK's cultural and film calendar, Flatpack 2013 looks set to provide the stimulating array of experiential cinematic treats that its growing legion of fans has come to expect.
Mixing brand new talent with forgotten classics and the usual dose of eccentricity, Flatpack festivalgoers can expect live scores, late night parties and cycle-powered screenings all while exploring some of Birmingham’s more unusual venues and locales. Screenings and events are just as likely to be found in warehouses and churches as more traditional venues like the century-old Electric Cinema. This year will also see an extension of the popular Film Bug programme, with free screenings, events and installations in Birmingham city centre kicking off the festival from 21-23 March.
Once again the Flatpack Palais will provide the festival’s beating heart; a place to meet people, eat cake, pick up a brochure and sample the programme. In the past it has taken over a warehouse, a gallery space, and a disused dance studio. In 2013 it will be found in a Victorian building which started life as the Deritend Free Library. Flatpack will be collaborating with students from Birmingham School of Architecture to transform it into a screening space and social hub. A Kickstarter campaign is underway to help make this ambitious project happen.
FLATPACK FESTIVAL 2013 FEATURE FILMS & DOCUMENTARIES INCLUDE:
ONE MILE AWAY - After shooting a hip-hop musical in north Birmingham, director Penny Woolcock stayed around to make a documentary about some of the young non-professional actors who appeared in her film. The result is One Mile Away, a candid portrait of two gang-members and their attempt to forge an unlikely truce.
THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC – Featuring an unforgettable performance by Maria Falconetti, Carl Theodor Dreyer’s startling 1928 silent film has recently been restored and will be screened at Birmingham Cathedral with a new live score by pianist Paul Shallcross.
THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED - Lotte Reiniger’s beguiling 1926 cut-out fairy-tale is refreshed for Flatpack 2013 by a new live score from Dutch ensemble the Sonja Van Hamel Trio.
