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‘The Great Staycation’ is a brand new BBC documentary film narrated by Adrian Chiles. It follows three family businesses in Stourport and explores how the town has evolved into a thriving holiday destination.

The documentary is the brainchild of Kidderminster’s Paul Barnett, of GOSH! TV, who has produced and directed several well-known shows for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. These include Come Dine With Me, Coast and Embarrassing Bodies.

Paul told The Shuttle: “I’ve visited Stourport for many, many years as both a child and a parent. So it was the first place I thought of when I pitched the idea to the BBC. What amazed me most was the history of the resort – there’s been a fairground in the town for over 100 years. And the families that run many of the attractions in Stourport go back for generations.”

Filming Locations

Paul and his team have spent most of the summer filming with Stourport’s tourist attractions, including riverboat steamer The River King. The steamer was recently taken over and refurbished by cousins Tom Moore and Jamie Dyde.

“Years ago, people used to flock to Stourport from miles around to take a trip on one of the many steamers that were based here,” said Paul. “Today the only one left is Tom and Jamie’s boat, which they’ve done a brilliant job of renovating.”

‘The Great Staycation’ also spends time at the Treasure Island fairground, which was taken over in 2007 by Henry Danter. Away from the main town, the film also spends time at Lickhill Manor Caravan Park, including a unique interview with the park owner Dennis Lloyd-Jones, whose father started the business in 1956. The film concludes on August Bank Holiday weekend, when the town was flooded with holidaymakers.

Aerial Filming

Specialist drone filming was used to show off the Stourport landscape. Producer Paul says he is keen to show Stourport from a new perspective.

“I was really surprised how different Stourport looks from the air,” said Paul. “The picturesque canal basins are surrounded by beautiful green countryside. I think people will be amazed how beautiful the town looks. It’s a warm, charming and beautiful film, full of amazing local characters. I hope this shows Stourport at its best – It’s certainly a summer I will never forget.”

Watch ‘The Great Staycation’

The Great Staycation: Stourport-On-Severn airs Monday, November 11 on BBC1 West Midlands at 7.30pm.

Source: www.kidderminstershuttle.co.uk

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Film Hub Midlands are looking for a dynamic project manager for the Coventry Film Pilot. They will plan and deliver a series of screenings and events in the run-up to Coventry’s year as City of Culture in 2021. The successful applicant will help with developing local partnerships, deliver pilot activity and with laying the groundwork for a film strategy for 2021 and beyond.

Coventry Film Pilot – Role Brief

Role: Project Manager – Coventry Film Pilot
Freelance – approximately 80 Days
Salary: £200 per day (based in Coventry)
Project timescale: November 2019 – September 2020
Application deadline: Friday 29 November (interviews to be held Wednesday 11 December)

See the full Job Description here.

About Coventry Film Pilot

In the run-up to Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture in 2021, Film Hub Midlands are working with partners across the city to produce an exciting calendar of screenings and events designed to roadtest a range of spaces and develop new audiences for film. The main objectives of the project will be:
– to give people across Coventry the opportunity to enjoy a rich variety of film;
– to lay the foundations for an eye-catching and unique programme of film as part of the
City of Culture celebrations;
– to ensure that the ingredients are in p

To Apply

To apply send a CV containing relevant information and a covering letter that addresses the key deliverables of the role and shows how you fit the candidate profile to eleanor@filmhubmidlands.org

Source: www.broadway.org.uk

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Join RTS Midlands for this unique opportunity to learn from TV Producer, Writer and Show Runner, Mal Young.

About Mal Young

Mal’s credits include Channel 4’s Brookside,  where he was responsible for the first Lesbian kiss on British Television and the infamous ‘Body under the Patio’ storylines, leading to the show to record ratings and critical acclaim. Mal also saw the re-launch of ITV’s The Bill to an hour long format.

He joined BBC as Controller of Drama Series where he was responsible for numerous successful series including the launch of Holby City and Doctors and the hugely successful re-launch of Dr. Who.   He also oversaw a diverse slate of productions including EastEnders, Casualty, Judge John Deed, Waking the Dead, Being April, Murder in Mind.

Now based in the U.S. Mal has been Show Runner/ Executive Producer/Head Writer on the #1-rated daytime drama The Young and the Restless for CBS/Sony winning several EMMYs for his work.   He is now once again creating a number of new scripted projects with traditional broadcasters as well as streaming platforms.

Mal will share his experience and knowledge of working both in Britain and the US as well as giving insights into what makes a successful television drama.

This event is for professionals and those studying drama production or script writing.   It is free to attend but places are limited and booking is required. Book your spot here.

Event Details

Friday, 29 November, 2019
2pm – 4pm
IET Birmingham
Austin Court, 80 Cambridge Street
Birmingham, B1 2NP

Book your spot here.

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Queens of Amathus, a powerful Birmingham documentary, is set to tell incredible journeys made by Cypriots to Birmingham. It will premiere on  Sunday 3rd November at Cineworld, Broad Street, Birmingham.

Women highlighted in the film headed to Birmingham for various reasons, united by their stories of personal sacrifice, poverty and war. BirminghamLive journalist Christina Savvas helps to tell their stories for the first time.

Former Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College student turned Hollywood filmmaker, Tayyib Mahmood returned to his roots this week, visiting his former stomping ground to promote the British Film Institute Academy.The programme, run in partnership with the Midland Arts Centre, gives young people the opportunity to make a short film under guidance from industry practitioners.

Last week saw ex-student Tayyib Mahmood return to Joseph Chamberlain College to showcase the thriving British film industry. A British Film Institute Academy alumni and now mentor, Tayyib now works at Pinewood studios. As a Studio Unit Trainee on the front line of production, his repertoire spans films including Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One – famously filmed in Birmingham – as well as brand new James Bond film, No Time To Die.

Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College is the only OFSTED Grade 1 college in Birmingham and Solihul. It’s already received high praise for its arts, performance and media department and Tayyib Mahmood’s story is testament to the college’s reputation of excellence. Tayyib’s passion for film was discovered whilst he attended the college. He then honed his skills at Birmingham City University.

Tayyib Mahmood on the College

Talking about his time at the college, Tayyib said: “Joseph Chamberlain College helped me discover my passion and love for film which I knew I had but didn’t know how to access. The facilities were amazing as well as the teachers for both Media and Film. They helped me achieve filmmaking at the highest level during my time at the college”.

Joseph Chamberlain College has been rolling out the red carpet for its alumni with former students achieving huge success across the Arts and Film industry.

Other famous faces amongst the JCC alumni include: British social commentary artist, Mahtab Hussain. He uses photography to explore the important relationship between identity, heritage and displacement. Successful actor, Adrian Lester OBE, is also a former student of the college. He’s now gone on to star in many box-office films, plays and TV series.

Source: www.iambirmingham.co.uk

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 Submissions are now open for Film Birmingham’s next ShortFuse event on Tuesday 26th November 2019! West Midlands filmmakers have the chance to screen their short films at the Mockingbird Cinema and Kitchen to an audience of their peers and film enthusiasts.

ShortFuse is a bi-monthly event, aiming to engage with regional audiences and provide a platform for the work of emerging filmmakers. We are also proud to have premiered a number of regional films at our film night, and opened the floor to a number of award-winning filmmakers. We are accepting films of any genre from emerging or established filmmakers for this regional event.

Past ShortFuse Events

Past events at the Mockingbird Cinema showcased regional films, including the BAFTA-winning short 73 Cows, directed by Alex Lockwood and ‘Sylvia’, winner of the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker award at Cannes. Audience members are invited to participate in a Q&A with filmmakers following the screening and to network at a post-event mingle.

Filmmaker Adam Palmer, whose short film Answer was featured on ShortFuse’s opening night, said: “It’s great that ShortFuse offers a platform to showcase the work of filmmakers who sometimes get overlooked in the Midlands; it’s often London and elsewhere. There are some really great films screened as well. “If you have a short film, submit it. You get to watch it with an audience so you can gauge how your film is. A lot of the time you sit there one-on-one with your film. You don’t know how it’s going to be received so it’s good to be part of a community of filmmakers and film lovers.”

Attendee Lee Davis said: “When I saw the regional films, it made me feel like filmmaking is something I could do. I thought the range of the films was very varied, and it was good to hear from BAFTA-winners.”

To Submit

Deadline for ShortFuse submissions is midnight, October 31st, 2019.

Please email shortfuse@filmbirmingham.co.uk with the following info:

• a completed ShortFuse – Film Submission Form
• a viewing link for your short film
• your film trailer and poster as a link or attachment

All films must be under 30 minutes. If selected, you will then be asked to provide a hi-res version of your film.

Please email shortfuse@filmbirmingham.co.uk for any further information.

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Some of the UK’s most creative individuals including Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight this month launched a powerful new body to turbo charge the region’s screen industry.

Knight, together with Nativity film franchise founder Debbie Isitt and other leading minds from the region’s TV, film and games industries joined Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street to officially launch Create Central – Home of Original Story Telling.

Create Central has been developed with national bodies including the BFI, ScreenSkills, UKie, Creative England, the Creative Industries Federation and PACT to build on the region’s existing creative and cultural talent and take it to the next level, helping to drive investment, growth and thousands of new jobs.

Unveiling the name, branding and website (www.createcentraluk.com) during an event at The Bond Company in Digbeth, Mr Street said:

“There has never been a better time to invest and support our creative sector in the West Midlands. This is a boom time for production in the industry with the likes of Amazon, Apple, Disney, and Netflix all investing hundreds of millions of pounds in original UK content. As the home of original story telling, our region has the tradition and talent to capitalise on this in a big way. The tales of Shakespeare and Tolkien still generate enormous value and interest to this day, and our modern-day storytellers are continuing this success with hits like Peaky Blinders, the Nativity franchise, and Citizen Khan. Create Central will harness the talent of the brightest and best people within the industry so we can turbo charge our creative sector and lead the way once again.”

The Mayor said the WMCA, which he chairs, would work with Create Central to deliver an innovative scheme to train more people for jobs in the film, TV and games sectors.

The WMCA will make up to £500,000 available to launch a series of pilot Create Central Bootcamps in collaboration with ScreenSkills, Ukie and local colleges and providers by the end of the year.

The Mayor added: “We know we cannot grow our screen sector without the right talent and skills in place here in the West Midlands, which is why the WMCA in partnership with Create Central will be piloting new ways to help the industry source great local talent.”

He said the WMCA was looking to see 29,000 new, high skilled jobs in the digital and creative industries by 2030.

Create Central, which also includes Citizen Khan creator Adil Ray and will be chaired by international industry heavyweight Ed Shedd, will dovetail with the region’s wider cultural and tourism sector including the Royal Shakespeare Company and the forthcoming Coventry City of Culture in 2021.

Steven Knight said: “The West Midlands will be the big new everything in European film and television production. It will be bigger and better and the people who make the region what it is will be nurtured and inspired to make great moving image content. Watch this creative space.”

Create Central also aims to capitalise on the region’s status as the UK’s only city-wide 5G testbed – a technology it believes will be invaluable to digital and creative innovators including Leamington Spa’s internationally recognised games companies.

The area around the town has been dubbed Silicon Spa due to the concentration of games companies producing console blockbusters like, F1,Forza Horizon and Tom Clancy’s The Division.

The launch of the new body follows the 18-month long West Midlands Screen Bureau Project which was funded by the BFI through National Lottery funding from the Creative Clusters Growth Fund.

The project ended with the publication this week of the Clusters Development Plan which sets out a number of recommendations including the setting up of:

• A screen industry body such as Create Central
• A strategic approach to new infrastructure such as studios, hubs and flexible spaces
• Screen skills training and development
• Networks to help the industry work together on joint projects and other initiatives

Ed Shedd, chair of Create Central, added: “I am so excited about Create Central and the impact we will have on the West Midlands creative sector. We are perfectly positioned to respond to and benefit from the fundamental transformation the screen industries are undergoing, driven by the advent of near ubiquitous, high speed connectivity. I look forward to working with the industry, the WMCA and partners to help attract and stimulate our next generation of storytelling, be they telling that story on TV, film, social media, or games formats. And I also look forward to that next generation of storytellers enrapturing audiences, both locally and globally.”

Source: www.birminghamupdates.com

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