Birmingham Heritage Week - Birmingham on the silver screen: A selection of short local films + 'Felicia's Journey' (12)

Joseph Hilditch is an eccentric chef who lives in a large country manor. He befriends a young woman named Felicia, who has come to town searching for her boyfriend. Felicia is attached to the seemingly harmless and extremely helpful Hilditch, trusting him, entering his home - and his life - only to discover, too late, that she is not the first woman this man has taken in - although she may be the last.

Filmed in 1999, and capturing a modern Birmingham on Film, this is a special screening with Birmingham Heritage week. Spot how the town centre has changed. 

Pre-feature we will screen some short films featuring our city: 

- City of Cars (made by Sarah Chaundler) 

City of Cars, written and directed by Sarah Chaundler is an award-winning documentary which highlights the human cost of dangerous driving and a car-dominant culture. 
In Summer 2023, a series of horrific collisions shocked the city. Four people were killed including two children and a young boy was seriously injured on his way to school. These tragic events sparked a wave of protests where people called for an end to dangerous driving in the city.
The film is introduced by Olympic Gold medalist and cyclist Chris Boardman whose mother was killed by a distracted driver in 2016. We also meet communities who are blighted by reckless driving, as well as those who have lost loved one.
Under the headline "Why every motorist in Birmingham must see heart-breaking film City of Cars”, Jane Haynes, the Political Editor of the Birmingham Mail and Birmingham Live writes: “In her powerful short film City of Cars, film-maker Sarah Chaundler provides and intimate telling of the story of 18 months of harm on the roads of Birmingham, and the battling activists seeking to bring about change”. She goes on to say: “I left this film certain it must be seen and shared widely, used to start conversations about the future city we want, and inspire us all to do better as we move and drive around”.Through tragedy comes hope in the form of a sustained campaign by Better Streets for Birmingham. They seek to bring calm to the city’s roads not just through police enforcement, but also redesigning streets to prioritise people rather than traffic; reversing the post-war road building legacy which cemented Birmingham's reputation as a city where the "Car is King”.

-  'Rushed' (directed by local filmmaker Nadine O'Mahony) is the story of a chance encounter between a black woman and a South Asian man in Birmingham forces them to confront life changing events they are desperately trying to escape. Nadine is a writer/director of Irish and Jamaican heritage who creates character-based stories with striking visuals. Her BFI funded short Rushed premiered at the BAFTA qualifying Flatpack Film Festival and won Best Breakout film at the Windrush Caribbean Film Festival. In her spare time, she is head programmer for Screen B14 a non-profit, community cinema and film collective and co-hosts The Brum Picture Show a digital radio show and podcast with an irreverent take on film news and reviews on Brum Radio.

'Future Stirchley' - created by Geoff Broadway, Kate Jackson, Sirina Monique and spoken word artist Auden Allen, as a part of the living memory project,

'Future Stirchley' was commissioned as part of the series 'Future of the High Street', in which ten films created by contemporary filmmakers, in collaboration with young creatives, explore what the future of the high street could be. Future of the High Street' is part of the High Streets Heritage Action Zone Cultural Programme, led by Historic England in partnership with the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Arts Council England as part of the High Streets Heritage Action Zones initiative funded by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

FRIDAY 19th SEPTEMBER

STIRCHLEY BATHS

DOORS 7pm

FILMS 7:15pm

Bring your own snacks, drinks (including alcohol), takeaways, popcorn, etc