The latest news, updates and events in Birmingham
The Birmingham Indian Film Festival (BIFF) is back in town for it’s fifth consecutive year and it will show films across a number of Birmingham locations over the next ten days. The festival opened with a red-carpet event at Cineworld Broad Street for the Birmingham premiere of the compelling ‘Article 15’ and an appearance of the film’s director…
Controversial social commentator Katie Hopkins has joined forces with leaders of the Birmingham school protests against LGBT education equality, in a move which has angered many of their supporters. In a tweet posted earlier today, anti-Islam activist Hopkins shared a photo of her in the home of Shakeel Afsar and alongside Amir Ahmed, who have both voraciously led…
Brothers Rizwan and Muazzam, nephews of the internationally acclaimed Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, exhibited a masterful qawwali performance at Birmingham’s Town Hall. Following on from their UK tour in 2017, the duo were back by popular demand and returned with new interpretations of qawwali – a form of Sufi Islamic devotional music.
The UK’s biggest photo and video event of the year, The Photography Show, at Birmingham’s NEC was a must visit for any level of photographer looking for inspiration. With over 250 exhibitors, photographers were treated to the latest and finest tech from the camera industry.
Zakir Hussain and the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) captivated thousands of classical music enthusiasts on the opening concert of their UK tour at Birmingham Symphony Hall. India’s first and only western orchestra was conducted by British-born Zane Dalal and features the internationally-renowned tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain.
A peculiar and surreal Black Mirror themed shop has unexpectedly appeared in Grand Central in Birmingham, replicating themes from the recent Bandersnatch episode. The creation of the shop is shrouded in mystery but first sightings appeared on social media today, as excited passers-by identified sets and props from the hit interactive episode, which premiered on Netflix…
A bronze 10-foot high statue of Sikh soldier has been unveiled in Smethwick, to honour over a million Indian soldiers who contributed to the Allied war effort during WWI. Hundreds of members of the public, as well as army and local government personnel, gathered to witness the grand unveiling of the prestigious monument.
Love Sonia is a hard-hitting, harrowing film that succinctly highlights the untold story of young girls who are sexually trafficked internationally and their journey from innocence to desolation. The film follows the story of Sonia (Mrunal Thakur) and Preeti (Riya Sisodiya) as two sisters who are daughters of a desperately poor farmer in the desert-like outskirts…
It’s been a strong year for Hollywood and independent cinema alike. 2017 has not failed to disappoint and you’ll find there’s a substantial amount of variety included in this list. This year, the top spot is taken by a movie which, although very well known in film-buff circles, is still unfortunately relatively unknown to the masses, despite the…
The Magical Lantern Festival returns once again to Birmingham over the Christmas period to help spread the festive cheer, with a gorgeous display of larger-than-life Chinese lanterns. Moving to its new venue of Kings Heath park, the festival does not disappoint in its intricacy and the splendour of the vibrantly-coloured silk lanterns against the dark winter…