The weekend of festivities will include screenings of films produced by UK and International Deaf filmmakers; Young Deaffest, which showcases work produced by young Deaf filmmakers; and a conference on Opportunities for Deaf Filmmakers, with panel discussions on how to pitch for funding for a short or feature film, a new Deaf TV channel and content for new online and mobile platforms

The programme looks quite impressively stuffed.  Tickets are free, save for the Saturday night’s gala event (£12.50 and available from www.theticketsellers.co.uk).

Friday is funny light show and parade day

Saturday is fireworks day

Sunday is Kerrangfest day with the Levellers

Which is pretty good but, although the official programme’s not out yet, I’ve been having a bit of a rummage about to see what’s on.

Friday

I’ve already mentioned Light Night.  One of the buildings to be illuminated is the Town Hall which will be hosting a free event from 8pm on the Friday featuring Manga, Soweto Kinch, The Sub Ensemble and Maylight.

Also on Friday there’s the free Reggae Rockz Festival 2008 from 8pm to 11pm in Centenary Square.  Unfortunately on the Facebook event page the organisers spend all their time bleating about a lack of promotion from Artsfest and don’t get round to telling us much about what they’l be doing.  The Beat are playing, that much is sure.  The Reggae Rockz website manages to be even less informative.  Ah well.

Saturday

It looks like Dholfest 2008 is the biggie here – an attempt to break the world record for the most dhol players in one place (currently 314 players in Sandwell in 1999).  They’re aiming for 500 this time.  This one will be held in Victoria and Centenary Squares.

Meanwhile, the Custard Factory will be hosting a day of hip hop with Mylz from Heducation and Madman the Greatest down to perform.

Sunday

Sunday is Kerrangfest day with This Beautiful Thief and The Levellers the only bands I’ve spotted so far.

Across the weekend

Spaghetti Gazetti has info about the weekend’s poetry performances.

This year the ShortCuts film programme will be extended slightly, with “a more relaxed, experimental programme of films made by local and international film makers” on the Sunday and a set of fims programmed in conjunction with Deaffest across the weekend.  There’s more about those in this post from the Artsfest blog.

There’s much more to come and I’ll let you know when I see a full programme lying around the internet somewhere.

Some great news from the peeps at 7 Inch Cinema landed on the virtual doormat today.  The Flatpack Festival is the worthy recipient of funding for the next three years, securing it’s future and allowing the organisers to maybe think a little bigger.

Peter Buckingham from the UK Film Council (who are providing the funding) said of Flatpack:

Their innovative approach to screening films in churches, warehouses and shopping centres as well as cinemas and gallery spaces is a brilliant idea because it helps to attract new audiences to some great short films, animation and live film events

Flatpack 3 will take place in Feb 2009 and will launch “with a tribute to Birmingham’s pioneering film showman Waller Jeffs“.

DeafFest at Wolverhampton Light House have also received funding so well done to them too.

Last word goes to the understandably chuffed Flatpack producers:

without going all Oscar-night about it, it wouldn’t have been possible without all the filmmakers, volunteers, artists, promoters, technicians, funders, venues and enthusiastic punters who have chipped in to help us get this far. So thanks a lot, and here’s to Flatpack III in February 2009 and beyond…