Miwa Matreyek
FLATPACK FILM FESTIVAL
20 – 30 MARCH 2014, BIRMINGHAM
“An incredible mix of film and music for all ages.” The Times
“A treasure trove of a festival.” Sight and Sound
“Magnificently eclectic.” Time Out
The first glimmer of spring heralds the return of the acclaimed Flatpack Film Festival to
Birmingham, for its eighth annual edition. An eleven day event that has carved out a
unique place in the UK’s film scene, Flatpack Film Festival will stir together an eyepopping line-up of new features, shorts and special guests, as well as providing an
alternative route-map to Birmingham with walking tours, installations and pop-up
screenings across the city. The programme is known for using an all-encompassing
definition of ‘film’, and the 2014 festival will be no exception.
Headline events include: THE WORLD MADE ITSELF, an immersive piece of myth-making
from LA-based artist and performer Miwa Matreyek, who will imagine the origins of the
earth by interacting with her own animations; Bill Morrison (Decasia, The Miners' Hymns)
presents the UK premiere of THE GREAT FLOOD, a portrait of the devastation caused by
the Mississippi floods of 1927; PHONO-CINÉMA-THÉÂTRE, a recently-restored treasure trove
of 1900s film featuring theatre and variety stars of the day, notably Sarah Bernhardt as a
duelling Hamlet; BIRMINGHAM-ON-SEA, recounting the tale of one land-locked city’s
love affair with water; and an immersive, horizontal screening of cult 1972 sci-fi movie
SILENT RUNNING.
MARGARET_
Other programme highlights include:
CAFÉ NEURO, a weekend of talks, screenings and activities that will exploit recent
developments in brain-imaging and eye-tracking technology to explore what cinema
does to our brains.
A selection of HENRY HILLS’ mesmerising, rhythmical work presented by the experimental
filmmaker himself, who will discuss his collaborations with the likes of John Zorn and
Christian Marclay.
JAPANIMATION, a retrospective for Japan’s offbeat DVD label Calf including work by
Mirai Mizue, Tochka Collective and Atsushi Wada.
DVD BANG, a Korean-inspired viewing lounge, where you can book in to watch a movie
day or night.
SHOW ME NOW, a series of talks and discussions exploring the changing face of filmgoing.
COLOUR BOX, the popular family strand featuring a range of screenings and activities for
younger viewers and doers.
All this will be accompanied by a jam-packed screening programme of feature
previews, short films, archive discoveries and events for all tastes, from canal-side sound
walks and artist talks to expanded cinema performances and live soundtracks.
Tickets for the headline events will be on sale from 21 January, with the full programme
announced and on sale in mid-February at www.flatpackfestival.org.uk
For further press information, requests or images, please contact Hilary Cornwell at Margaret_
hilary@margaretlondon.com / 020 7923 2861
Notes to editors:
ABOUT FLATPACK:
After starting life as a monthly night in a Digbeth pub ten years ago, Flatpack’s mobile film empire
has grown to include cinema-tents, family film tours, DVD compilations and archive archaeology.
Not to mention an annual festival recognised as one of the most distinctive and downright fun in
the UK calendar, which has seen admissions grow annually since launching in 2006.
WHAT’S WITH THE EXTRA F?
New year, new identity. For seven years Flatpack have labelled themselves Flatpack Festival, but
as part of a design overhaul by new agency Dot Dash, they’ve decided to spell out what they do
a bit more clearly – so welcome to Flatpack Film Festival. This won’t change the programme one
jot and they’ll still be dabbling in other artforms as promiscuously as ever, but it helps to reaffirm
that film is at the core of everything they do.
MARGARET_