
Arts

Creative course launched for budding comic artists in Birmingham
Kicking off right here in the Midlands is an exciting new course aimed at would-be comic book artists in the area, tutored by the artists behind Spider-Man and Watchmen. With the tutorial skills of comic book professionals including John McCrea (Hitman, Judge Dredd, Spider-Man), Laura Howell (The Beano, The Regular Show) and Dave Gibbons who drew a little comic you may have…

VIDEO: Daniel Alexander preparing stunning film for Birmingham 2022 ceremony
Birmingham filmmaker Daniel Alexander is working with fellow performers, actors and musicians to create a short film about the city, to be screened during the official Commonwealth Games handover ceremony at the Gold Coast in Australia on Sunday. The presentation of ‘We Are From Birmingham’ will be part of an official handover from the Gold Coast to Birmingham, and will be set…

Birmingham stars to celebrate loved ones at unique art installation
Thoughtful Birmingham celebrities – including Line of Duty’s Claudia Jessie – will be celebrating the lives of their loved ones at an unusual art installation created by a local hospice. The Birmingham-born star will be joined by broadcaster Llewela Bailey – as well as presenters from BBC WM – in dedicating a flower during Birmingham…

REVIEW: The Valley (2017 film)
The Valley looks at the uncomfortable social topic of suicide and the continued ripples that spread out in the aftermath. Saira Kariat’s directorial debut provides not only an introspective look into the grief of the Kumar family at the loss of their youngest daughter Maya (Agneeta Thacker) but also shines a much-needed light on how different sections of society approach suicide, and how aspects like race, religion and modern…

10 photos from the Birmingham premiere screening of The Valley
The Birmingham premiere for a film tackling suicide and mental health issues was held at the Electric Cinema yesterday. The Valley, a story following a distraught father as he searches for answers after his daughter’s suicide, was screened at the city centre venue as part of select international presentations.

6 female creatives from Birmingham on why Channel 4 would be good for the city
There’s been much talk of broadcast giant Channel 4 relocating to Birmingham from its current home in London, and much of it from the Brum’s creative community. With all the discourse about the media giant potentially moving to the Midlands city (who wouldn’t want to? We are lovely here!) and with it being International Women’s Month, we decided to…

Birmingham date set for premiere of international mental health movie
The Birmingham premiere for a film tackling suicide and mental health issues is to be held at the Electric Cinema next week. Released this week, The Valley will be screened at the city centre venue on Monday 12 March, ahead of a dedicated Q&A session on mental health struggles with prominent local guests.

OPINION: Should Channel 4 really move to Birmingham?
There’s a lot of drums being beaten in the West Midlands right now, and none louder than in Birmingham, where hashtagged calls for Channel 4 to make the city its new home have become almost deafening. Between the Government pretty much forcing the iconic state-backed broadcaster to move out of the capital, and West Midlands…

Midlands artist launches crowdfunding campaign to send her show to Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Following successful performances in London, Birmingham and Bristol; Wednesbury actor Danica Corns is calling on the local community to help her raise funds to take her debut show about abortion to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Developed by Wonderbox, a theatre company co-founded by Danica and run by women who produce, write and perform their own original work,…

Students create life-size paper tribute to Suffragette icons marking 100 years of women’s voting rights
Birmingham City University students have created a life-size paper tribute to Suffragette icons, celebrating 100 years of women’s right to vote. Trailblazing women who successfully fought for the right to vote have been honoured in a life-size paper tribute handcrafted to mark 100 years of women’s suffrage.