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On Monday 2nd March at 18.50 at Birmingham Library Theatre:
The Clore Leadership Programme offers up a wealth of training and experience, but it also offers up the opportunity to meet a group of creative, like-minded individuals and the creative leaders of the future…one of whom is Amanda Boyle.
Amanda is a director of Film, Television, Music Videos and commercials, she previously worked for Working Title Films before focusing on directing, see her work and CV for yourself at amandaboylefilms.com
As you may know Helga is currently the NESTA Clore fellow for 2008/9 and our very own Mark Ball was a Clore fellow 2006/7. Therefore we were delighted to find out that 2009/10 will see the first West Midlands fellowship supported by Advantage West Midlands.
The Clore Leadership Programme provides each fellow with an individual programme of learning, research, training, mentoring and secondment to enhance the leadership skills.
Stef at Bore Place: Helga Henry taken from Stef's Clore Flickr Stream
This is what Helga had to say about the AWM funding:
‘The fantastic news that AWM are funding a Clore Fellowship for someone to develop their career as a cultural leader in the West Midlands is symbolic of the important contributions that individuals from the creative and cultural industries make.
As one of this year’s fellows, I feel particularly privileged to have access to the network, mentoring and training available. I feel my experience with Clore has made my leadership of Creative Republic more productive, allowing the organisation to thrive and represent its signatories from the cultural and creative industries more effectively.’
To find out more about applications visit the Clore Leadership website and if you think you are a contender contact us if you’d like any support.
By Helga Henry
Birmingham has a suburb called Hollywood but frankly, that’s where the similarity with Los Angeles ends, right?
Wrong.
The region has a great film offer – but not necessarily in the mainstream. We have “hidden gems” which are well worth finding out.
There’s nothing nicer in this weather than to lose yourself in a great film. Even nicer when tucked up on the sofa seats at the Electric Cinema where you can enjoy a big glass of wine served up at your own sofa, film-star style!
There are other places to catch a movie.
Take Screen Sundays at The Plough in Harborne – free films and popcorn from six.
Next month heralds the third Flatpack Festival by the mighty 7inch cinema.
7inch started life in 2003 as a monthly film night at The Rainbow in Digbeth and has grown to a five-day festival, kicking off in the Town Hall. They have some unusual venues – I saw a wonderful animated film with ethereal live soundtrack in St Paul’s, Hockley, last festival.
You can catch innovative approaches to film as well.
New arrival in the region, Kala Phool premiered Mother India 21st Century Re-mix (MI21) at the Drum last year.
A re-imagining of the Oscar-nominated 1957 film, it featured a re-cut of the movie and live soundtrack with DJ, cello, drums and keyboards.
It is typical of the high quality, diverse and powerful film experiences available to those who seek them out.
But while it’s nice to consume, it’s better to produce. And we make films here too.
The Brothers McLeod were nominated this year for a BAFTA for their animation film Codswallop.
I watched Clubbed and (violence aside) enjoyed seeing my city in general, and Edgbaston reservoir in particular, on the big screen.
Joy was filmed in Handsworth Park using a cast of local people and directed by Desperate Optimists.
It won the Prix UIP Rotterdam, Best Short Film at the Darklight Festival and is putting Handsworth on the map at festivals world-wide.
Finally, two films in production feature local women producers or directors.
Souled Out – filmed in Stoke and Brum, is produced by Natasha Carlish. Director Debbie Issit is following up the success of Confetti with Christmas-themed movie, Nativity.
It’s a truly exciting time for film here.
Now all we need is some LA-style sunshine…
‘Birmingham may not be LA, but it’s still a movie town’ is Helga’s new column for the Birmingham Post, it follows on from ‘Be creative this Christmas – it could be one to remember’
On Monday 2nd February Helga had been invited to talk about the Birmingham’s creative sector at the Birmingham Future event.
For those of you who haven’t heard of Birmingham Future is a membership organisation that ‘represents broad range of businesses within the city’s professional services sector, including legal, financial, property/construction, creative and recruitment. It is within these business disciplines that Birmingham Future is recognised as the voice of the young professionals.’
With this in mind Helga talked about all the exciting and alternative things that happen in Birmingham…Capsule, Flatpack Festival, Stans Café, Project X. She also mentioned those creative businesses trading on an international level, Fluid, Clusta and 3Form…to name a few. This was Helga’s ‘whistle-stop tour of brum’!
Matt Taylor from Birmingham Future has since talked about all the great things happening in Birmingham for his column in Wednesday’s Birmingham Post giving a special mention to our very own Helga Henry:
“I’ve always known that Birmingham isn’t s**t (as the well known website ‘Birmingham: it’s not s**t’ states), but on Monday I was convinced of this fact by one of the city’s biggest advocates – Helga Henry from Fierce Earth.
Helga, who is also chairman of creative industries lobbying group Creative Republic, was speaking at a Birmingham Future lunch, and listening to her wax lyrical about city’s creative and cultural offer really cemented my view that Birmingham is a city with plenty to shout about and be proud of.”
Full article is in pdf is below!
“Birmingham It’s Not S**t” by Matt Taylor for the Birmingham Post
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