Words by Heather Kincaid
As the holidays draw to a close, Factory Cinema Co. invites audiences to see out the summer with a series of cinematic classics over the Bank Holiday Weekend. Making the most of the last of the August weather, five outdoor screenings will transform the Custard Factory courtyard into one of Birmingham’s biggest cinema spaces.
Films scheduled for outdoor screenings are: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (25th), The Lion King (26th), Grease (26th), Back to the Future (27th), Batman (27th). The Mockingbird Cinema will also be hosting its regular progamme of films, but on the indoor screen. For full details of all screenings at the Custard Factory this Bank Holiday Weekend, indoor and outdoor, click here.
Street food, snacks and a fully licensed bar will all be available to attendees, with a promise of prices more reasonable than the average multiplex. To add to the laid-back summer party atmosphere the area will also undergo something of a makeover, with artificial turf laid down and audiences invited to ‘BYOPCB’ (bring your own pillows, cushions and blankets). Fancy dress, as well as singing and dancing along to musical numbers are all encouraged – there’ll even be spot prizes for the best costumes.
But perhaps best of all there’s something to appeal to all ages, with family-friendly showings of The Lion King and Back to the Future taking place on Saturday and Sunday afternoon respectively, while The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Grease and Tim Burton’s Batman provide more grown-up evening entertainment, followed by late-night after parties.
Working in partnership with The Mockingbird Cinema and Supersonic Events, Factory Cinema Co. has been establishing itself as a key component of the Custard Factory’s creative community. A string of successful events held at The Mockingbird have ranged from brand new releases for just £4, to music tributes, movie quizzes and sing-along specials. Themed nights, marathons and anniversary screenings have proved particularly popular, with fans of everything from Moulin Rouge to Phoenix Nights getting the chance to show their appreciation with fellow enthusiasts.
Since the project to redevelop the complex first got underway in 1993, Digbeth’s Custard Factory has undergone several permutations, evolving and changing as businesses have come and gone with varying degrees of success. But the former Bird’s Factory was recently sold on to private investment and asset management company, Oval Real Estate, together with the nearby Fazeley Studios.
This change is a much larger conversation with a multitude of voices, but the programme of events at The Mockingbird – and those being put forward by Factory Cinema Co. – could play a significant part in securing a future for Digbeth-based creative complex. It is hard to imagine a Custard Factory today without the previous programme of events from The Medicine Bar and Factory Club. So watch this space… no pun.
For full details of the Bank Holiday Weekend outdoor screenings, click here.
For more on Factory Cinema Co. and its events, visit www.facebook.com/factorycinemaco
For more from The Mockingbird Cinema, including full event listings and online ticket sales, visit www.mockingbirdcinema.com
For more on Supersonic, visit www.supersonicfestival.com
For more on the Custard Factory, visit www.custardfactory.co.uk