People from across Birmingham are being asked to vote for their favourite films to be shown during the second annual Brindleyplace Outdoor Film Festival.
Ailsa Raine and Kate Fittall
Boasting the theme of Momentous Movies, the free film festival will take place for one week between 8 and 14 July in Central Square and Brindleyplace is now on the hunt for Birmingham’s favourite films.
Kate Fittall, destination marketing manager at Brindleyplace said: “We want to make sure that our Outdoor Film Festival is a real ‘must-visit’ event for the summer, so we’ve decided to put the power in your hands and give the general public the choice of what films we should show.
“To help people make their decisions we’ve drawn up a shortlist of films, including Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Lion King, Wizard of Oz, Muppets, Mamma Mia, ET and many more, but if there’s a film that you want us to add into the mix then just let us know! Those films that receive the most votes will be the ones that make it onto the timetable so, if you want to be able to watch your favourite film in the open air, now is the chance to have your say.”
Open to everyone, the free event will showcase a total of nine films, all with a certificate rating of PG or below, with the evening films screened at 6pm and two films shown on both Saturday and Sunday, the first at 11am and the second at 2pm.
Visitors to the film festival will be treated to free popcorn courtesy of Brindleyplace. Takeaway options will also be available from local restaurants including Piccolino, Bank, wagamama and Thai Edge during the festival.
Kate said: “We’re incredibly proud to be able to offer a whole variety of free events at Brindleyplace this summer including our local produce market, a charity Dragonboat race along the canal, Birmingham Chilli Festival, live music and, of course, our Outdoor Film Festival – not to forget that we will also be showing Wimbledon on our outdoor screen in Central Square as well. All these events are our way of giving something back to Birmingham and helping local people have a brilliant summer, come rain or shine!”
Brindleyplace will be hosting live screening of Wimbledon between 24 June and 7 July. Strawberries and cream will also be served to coincide with the local produce market on Friday 28 June in preparation for the film festival.
Open air cinema dates back to the 1900s when it was used as a method to introduce cinematography to new communities. Since then, watching films outdoors has grown in popularity, reporting a boom in the 1950s and 1980s. Today, is has an almost vintage appeal, with many people attracted to the more unusual outdoor setting.
People are invited to vote for their favourite film at www.brindleyplace.com Voting closes on 31 May. Once the shortlist has been finalised, Brindleyplace will display the timetable both on the website and around the estate.
