The annual festival is back at the end of this week, featuring a host of screenings and masterclasses, all topped off with a star-studded Awards Ceremony.
Birmingham’s premier film festival is happening at Millennium Point from 1 November, offering a sought-after platform for new filmmakers to reach a wider audience and progress their careers.
The fest will feature short films, features, documentaries and music videos, with the aim of putting Birmingham on the international map, adding to he second city’s rising popularity.
Trevor Beattie films is the 2019 headline sponsor this year. Considered one of the leading figures in advertising in Britain, Beattie has since moved into the film industry.
The Brummie-born entrepreneur says “Birmingham is more than my home, it’s who I AM and film is most definitely my future.”
“I am really looking forward to the festival week and seeing some of the extraordinary film-making talents on display.”
The festival is always an international affair, where legendary artists and celebs come to get a piece of the action! Last year Duran Duran‘s Nick Rhodes, himself a Brummie, won an award for his soundtrack for the horror film, In2truders.
This year Brooklyn Beckham, son of the England football legend, David Beckham has been nominated at the awards ceremony for Best Music Video. He made his directing debut in the summer, on the shoot for ‘End of the World’, a track by Brummie indie band, Jaws.
“It’s a perfect fit for me. The Birmingham Film Festival is yet another example of how Birmingham is becoming the cultural heartbeat of the nation. Birmingham never rests. And now we’re punching our weight in film.”
Trevor Beattie
Birmingham has recently become the film set of choice popular among top Hollywood filmmakers, like Steven Spielberg who shot the 2018 sci-fi blockbuster Ready Player One here.
Many of the screenings and seminars will be free, allowing filmmakers to showcase their work to a wide audience.
President of Birmingham Film Festival, Kevin McDonagh, said that their aim has always been “to grow the event and reach larger audiences for the amazing work that we get to show and we’ve achieved that this year.
Steven Knight, the Birmingham writer, director and creator of global TV sensation, Peaky Blinders, is a patron of the festival. He’s planning to build a state-of-the-art film and TV studio in the city.
He said, “If you’re going to make it, make it in Birmingham.”
The film festival kick off this Friday 1 November and runs until Sunday 10. Learn more about Birmingham Film Festival here.
