Flatpack Film Festival 2016

We interrupt this Glasgow slurry of posts to give you an update about goings on in the middle of the country: Birmingham.

Flatpack is a film festival (and so much more) that is currently taking place in the city until 24th April. Many events are free and some are paid for. They have a variety of things programmed for this annual festival, all of which can be found here.

Today, I saw a free screening in Birmingham's Gas Hall in the west of the city. Aptly named 'Pic 'n' Mix' the screening played a range of international shorts that have been played across the film circuit.

Five shorts were shown in total. Each very different from the next. The first was perhaps my favourite. It was a small snippet of an exchange between three brothers trying to recreate a childhood photograph of them in the bathtub for their mother's birthday. Only they are full grown adults now and argue as siblings do. It was a very true, realistic and funny story of family. I loved the premise, the actors were brilliant and the writing completely natural. They cleverly kept it very simple and in doing so allowed the message to carry through. Perhaps because it was so relatable is why I was so drawn to it. Anyway, here are the details of the film: The Bathtub, Director: Tim Ellrich (Germany/Austria 2015 – 13 mins)

The others were all really enjoyable (bar the second one which was about farming which I didn't connect to - found it boring). One told the story of a widower wanting to buy the plot next to his wife's grave but things going array (eye). The other, an animation following one creature's obsession with a red coat. And a family's small talk captured at key points throughout a year.

If you want to catch the second half of this showing (focusing on home grown talent instead of abroad) you can do so on Friday (tomorrow) at: BM&AG - Gas Hall at 5.30pm until 6.30pm

Definitely check out what is going on and go go go to something if you can.