A Flatpacker’s Guide

Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, Flatpack: can you spot the odd one out? Although not covered in the glitz and glamour of these other film festivals, Flatpack in Birmingham is building up a fierce reputation as one of the most exciting independent film festivals around. The 5th Flatpack Festival offered up a pick ‘n’ mix selection of filmic delights that catered to anyone and everyone. Hidden amongst the beauty of the former industrial area of Digbeth, a fantastic array of films were shown, ranging from features, documentaries, animation, shorts and archive classics.

The festival’s opener was the spookily titled ‘Shadow Shows’, a mixture of recorded film and live performance by local experimental band Pram. On the screen was projected a black and white film, often a three-part split-screen, conjuring up images of gothic delight, haunted houses and fairytale forests galore. This visual treat was then enhanced through the band playing music behind the screen, as well as casting silhouettes onto the film image, thus creating this playful sense of shadows. The ingenious concept of combining the filmed image with live performance created a unique visual experience, engaging with the audience on a wholly different level. Towards the end, a mist descended upon the audience as smoke machines were unleashed down the aisles. This smoke, combined with the projected image, caused shafts of ethereal light to appear to be reaching out from the screen to the audience members, removing any detachment held before between film image and film viewer.

A whole range of exciting new films were shown. Two documentaries that stood out for me were ‘Kinshasha Symphony Orechstra’ and ‘Marwencol’. ‘Kinshahsa’ dealt with central Africa’s only symphony orchestra. This fascinating documentary not only provided an in-depth examination of the lives of people in the world’s most impoverished region, but also offered an exploration into the lengths people will go to do what they love and give their passion a voice. ‘Marwencol’ was a documentary that Errol Morris or Werner Herzog would be proud to have made. After photographer Mark Hogancamp was attacked outside a bar and beaten within an inch of his life, he recovered from the traumatising horrific experience by building a model recreation of a small Belgian town called Marwencol. Setting his model town in the Second World War, he proceeds to populate it with dolls representing his friends and family, but also his attackers.

This morbid look at the effects of violence and trauma was deeply disturbing; the miniature town that he created a physical representation of his damaged mind. But along with moments of though-provoking sombreness within the festival, were moments of great laughter and fun. Kino 10, a selection of comedic shorts provided much needed bathos to the proceedings. My favourite was ‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes On’, a stop-motion animation in which a shell by the name of Marcel is interviewed for five minutes. Life may be hard for a tiny shell in a man’s world (‘I’m afraid to drink soda,’ he reflects sadly, ‘because I’m afraid the bubbles will make me float up onto the ceiling’) and yet Marcel’s insights are both hilarious and adorable, captured in moments such as when he explains that he, “hand-glides on a Dorito,” for adventure and uses toe nails as skis.

The festival embraced all that is fresh and new, but also delved into the past. Each festival has a local patron, this year Iris Barry. Born in Birmingham in 1895, she became one of the founders of the London Film Society before moving to New York and starting up the Museum of Modern Art’s film archive. In tribute to her a number of preserved silent films were shown, the highlight the screening of Buster Keaton’s classic ‘Sherlock Jr.’ at Birmingham Town Hall with live organ accompaniment. A little bit of slapstick comedy trivia; this is the film in which Buster Keaton broke his neck after falling from a water tower and yet he did not find out until several years later! For a film that is now 87 years old, the enthusiastic response it received was hugely encouraging, with people crying with laughter (myself included) as Keaton gallivanted about as “the world’s second greatest detective!” The imposing neo-classical monument that housed the feature is one of this country’s finest buildings, and with the live organ accompaniment as well, made the screening feel like a religious experience, a mass congregation in awe of this holy film image.

For me, the experience of seeing Sherlock Jr. highlighted why Flatpack is so great, in that it places the importance of film exhibition just as highly as the films themselves. Its presence is welcome in a multimedia age where the majority of films are seen on DVD and online, or are trumped up into overblown, extortionate and ultimately vapid 3D extravaganzas. The Flatpack Festival is one of the leading movements to encourage people to engage in films in a unique way without having to blow away all their savings. A great deal of films were free, with the average price £6.00 for adults and £4.50 for students; imagine seeing a film for that cheap on the Cannes Croisette!

Flatpack truly is a festival made by people for the people, you won’t find any snooty industry types around. In the current economic climate, when devastating cuts are being applied to all facets of this country’s life, (but most notably the arts) it is vital that festivals such as these are supported so that this country maintains its cultural community. I look forward to seeing you at Flatpack 2012!