Last Wednesday BRWC was invited to experience a taste of what the Flatpack Film Festival would be covering over its’ 6 days. For anyone not familiar with Flatpack click here to read more. The festival started 10 years ago in Birmingham and is an eclectic mix of music, feature length films, shorts and talks. One of my recommended feature film highlights to be shown at then festival is Arabian Nights. It is a surreal and thought provoking look on how the European austerity measures affected Portugal told through tales loosely based on the Arabian Nights.

Anyway back to the launch and we were entertained by a collection of shorts that were eclectic, sometimes funny but always creative. My favourite was Mr Madila directed by Rory Waudby-Tolley an animated short about the director’s imagined conversations with a gifted African spiritual: Mr Madila. It was perfect marriage between animation, speech and story. I think Mr Madila should have his own weekly cartoon show.

The surreal is catered for at Flatpack Festival as well with Knuckles directed by Anon and only lasting 3 minutes. Anon needs to come forward and take credit for side splittingly funny 3 minute satire. Do you want to know how to stroke your cat properly? Even if you don’t watch this short, it will have you giggling long after its 3 minutes are up. Continuing the surrealist theme is Chigger Ale that manages to combine Hitler and Beyonce in the same short. It will be shown as part of the New Features strand of Flatpack Festival 2016 and in the vein of The Producers you catch yourself laughing at the most inappropriate things.

It may not be for everyone but the 5 minute short, Bach: The Well Tempered Clavier, as well as being one of my favourite pieces of music, it’s also aesthetically pleasing to watch. Director Alan Warburton infuses not only the imagery of the piano and lights but the tempo of the music in this short. The beauty of the music resonates throughout this 5 minute short.

The Flatpack Film Festival runs from 19 to 24 April 2016 in Birmingham: www.flatpackfestival.org.uk

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