‘Inception’ at the Balti Cottage, 22nd May 2012, 7:30pm

Last year saw our first curry/film combo, when we screened Indiana Jones at the Balti Cottage. Since then we’ve always been planning to get back to the Cottage with another film, and we’re sticking with the Balti/Blockbuster combo to bring you ‘Inception’ on Tuesday 22nd May, at 7:30pm.

‘Inception’ was a massive hit in the multiplexes a couple of years ago, and we wanted to bring it to Stirchley in all it’s Paris-bending, mind-melting, Leo-confusing, dream-invading glory. So if you haven’t seen it already it’s a great chance to check out a fantastic new film on our new HD equipment, which was funded by a generous grant from the Midland Co-op,  and if you have seen it, it’s a chance to iron out some of the dreamy confusion from the first time. And either way, you get to eat a great curry, so you really can’t lose!

Tickets are available from Stirchley Community Market on 1st May from 4pm-8pm, at Stirchley United Working Men’s Club, and from the Balti Cottage after that, and include the price of poppadoms, a main meal, and rice or a naan, and cost just £14. Also included is a 10% off voucher for Stirchley Wines, which is valid on the day of the screening, so you can pop over the road for some drinks to bring to the restaurant (a Bring Your Own Bottle establishment). One point to note is that you have to choose from a set menu for your meal, which is available to peruse at the Market and from the Cottage, or you could give them a ring on 0121 459 6867 to check availability.

Tickets sold out within a couple of days last time, so if you want to come along, do get in there quickly!

 

‘A Night to Remember’ at the British Oak, Sunday 15th April, 7.30pm

Stirchley Happenings’ Travelling Bug House brings you the definitive version of the Titanic story, 100 years to the day after the largest ship in the world sank, causing the loss of 1514 lives.

We’re really excited to be having our first screening in the British Oak, a really great pub with tonnes of period character and right on our doorstep. We’ll be in the restaurant room at the back, on Sunday 15th April, starting at 7.30pm. Doors should open at 7pm to take your seats, although feel free to come along earlier and enjoy the beer garden or a spot of Sunday Lunch.Tickets cost £4/£3 concessions, and are available from the Oak, and from Stirchley Community Market from 4-7:30pm on Tuesday 3rd April.

‘A Night to Remember’ was the biggest British film production of the 1950s, and the most expensive film made by Rank. Kenneth More stars as Charles Lightoller, the 2nd Officer and highest-ranking crew member to escape with his life. Lightoller and many of the 709 other survivors from the disaster were interviewed for both the book from which the screenplay was adapted, and for the film itself, with the 4th Officer, Joseph Boxhall, acting as technical advisor to the production. This means the events over the course of the night, and the frequently courageous and touching behaviour of the passengers and crew, are re-enacted with an accuracy unsurpassed in cinema. You can see more about the film on IMDB here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051994/ The film has just been digitally restored for Blu-Ray and looks fantastic, so we’ll have the chance to showcase our new cinema equipment, funded by a generous grant from the Midland Co-op.

The film will be preceded by a short feature, ‘Titanic Love’, a new rom-com made and shot in Birmingham especially for the centenary of the Titanic, which also explores the different links that the Midlands has with the ship.  For more on this film check out www.titaniclove.com and the trailer here.

We hope to see you there!

Art Soak – Saturday 24 March

Us chaps at Stirchley Happenings have been helping Arts Forum Selly Oak this year, and their activities culminate this Saturday, 24 March, with a day-long programme of excellent art occurrences coming under the banner of “Art Soak”. There’ll be loads going on including film showings in unusual places, poetry in a launderette, the CBSO’s Community Choir singing their hearts out in Cotteridge Park and, back by popular demand, a re-run of the now locally famous B30 walk. All the events are free, so there’s no excuse not to participate in at least one of them, and there’ll be a jazz jamboree plus buffet plus showing of Geoff Broadway’s Stirchley-based film To Be Home at TASCOS from 6pm. Come along and see what some of the arty people in the area have been up to.

Art Soak Programme

Art Soak Programme – Issuu

Stirchley Baths – Public Consultation

On Tuesday 13 March the council unveiled their plans for the conversion of Stirchley Baths into a community centre, to replace the building which will be demolished by the impending Tesco development on Hazelwell Lane. There is an opportunity for people to provide feedback on the proposals via a questionnaire, but the completed forms must be received by Monday 19 March, so time is running short.

Currently, the plans involve the creation of two flexible-use community rooms, one of which will house a screen and projector, enough office space to permit the relocation of the constituency office, a small cafe, and a car park positioned on the old bowling green at the back of the site.

If you’d like to view the plans then we’ve uploaded them here: Plans For Stirchley Baths.

If you’d like to fill out a questionnaire then you can print off a copy here: Stirchley Baths Questionnaire.

Let our local councillors know what you think, so that we can establish a centre that is truly representative of our community!

The Lavender Hill Mob at the Flatpack Festival

Stirchley Happenings’ Travelling Bug House will be going to town for the Flatpack Film Festival, as part of a showcase of different film groups from around Brum, with a FREE screening of the Lavender Hill Mob on Thursday 15th March at 7pm.

The folks at Flatpack/7inch Cinema have always been massively supportive to Stirchley Happenings in our film endeavours, lending us equipment and giving us advice on films and screenings, and now they will be giving us the chance to be part of this, the sixth annual Flatpack Festival.

We’ll be screening upstairs in a lovely old boozer, the Old Royal on Church Street, part of the Colmore Row Business District. This classic Ealing Comedy stars Alec Guiness and Stanley Holloway, and was produced by Birmingham’s own Michael Balcon, and tells the story of a meek bank clerk’s dream of stealing gold bullion from his employer.

The link to the event on the Flatpack website is below: do make sure to have a look around at the other screenings and events happening around town from the 14th-18th March, there are, as ever, some weird and wonderful things happening over the course of the festival. We hope to see you there!

http://www.flatpackfestival.org/event/the-lavender-hill-mob

Stirchley Happenings at Stirchley Community Market

This week sees the return of Stirchley Community Market, mainly inside Stirchley United Working Men’s Club, but with some brave souls outside: including the Ikon gallery on Birmingham City Council’s Mobile Arts Unit, showcasing artist Gillian Wearing’s search for ‘A Real Birmingham Family.’ This is the last month for nominations, and a family can be whoever you think it is – traditional families, foster families, a group of friends or a single person. The winning family will be cast as a bronze statue and unveiled in situ at the opening of the new Library of Birmingham. Well worth a go!

We’ll be there talking about our next film night, where we’re venturing into town to promote Stirchley at the Flatpack Festival, as part of a showcase of different film screening groups from around Birmingham: so come along and pick up a Flatpack brochure from us, or watch this space for more details next week.

Talking of films, here at Stirchley Happenings HQ we’ve been watching a fair few recently, and we were wondering of a way of sharing some great cinema with you. So at the market we’ll have a few select DVD’s as part of ‘Travelling Bug House Recommends’, come along and have a look at our offerings, and take home a fantastic film: we hope to see you there!

Walk The B30, 11:00am, Sunday 26 February

Do you fancy a ramble? If so, we invite you to join us for what is, quite possibly, Stirchley’s first conceptual art walk. The idea is pretty simple: scouring our maps we noticed that our dear old postcode (B30) was staring us right in the face, eagerly awaiting discovery on the streets of Stirchville, then we thought, what better way to celebrate this fact than by taking a saunter along its length? So, some call it psychogeography, some call it madness, but we’re calling it a chance to get out of the house and meet some other like-minded people, who are interested in taking a stroll for no other reason than to say “I walked the B30″. There is a map below showing our proposed route, starting at the corner of Maryvale Road and Pershore Road, before continuing on to Charlotte Road and taking in Elm Tree Road on the way back to completing the “B”, moving on to Hunts Road and Twynings Road via Hazelwell Lane, to make the “3″, and then progressing up Cartland Road and on to Pineapple Road before entering Brent Road, in an effort to mark the “0″ by finishing at the end of Greenoak Crescent. In total, the walk will take about 60 minutes and we’ll be starting at 11:00am on Sunday 26 February. After the exertions, we’ll probably go the British Oak for a Sunday Lunch or two.

Disclaimer 1: This is not a guided walk, as such, rather we will be walking and you are cordially invited to join us.

Disclaimer 2: We know that other areas are covered by the postcode, but we think Stirchley is the best of B30 (sorry Bournville!).

Disclaimer 3: The walk is open to all, whether you live in B30, wish you lived in B30, or have a particular liking for the letter and numbers “B30″.

We hope to see you there!

Stirchley Happenings

Walk The B30