Art of Action Activity Across the Midlands

a cloudy background shows a woman karate kicking a skydiver and motorcycle mid air behind text reading Art of Action Celebrating the real action stars of cinema with film hub midlands logo, bfi fan logos and national lottery logos

A round up and deep dive into the events, programming and activities coming up in the Midlands hosted by Film Hub Midlands members as part of the BFI UK-Wide season Art of Action

Art of Action UK-Wide Season

BFI Art of Action is a new BFI season celebrating the artistry of real action choreography that has kept audiences on the edge of their seats since the early days of Cinema. 

Presented by the BFI Film Audience Network (BFI FAN) using funds from the National Lottery, Art of Action will take place at cinema’s across the UK from October - December 2024.

Art of Action will spotlight the genre and illuminate the work of stunt performers and their struggle for recognition. Championing the new wave of action stars and filmmakers who are building upon the legacy of those who have fallen, crashed, smashed and picked themselves up before them.

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Discover Art of Action activity across the Midlands

Film Hub Midlands shared the opportunity to apply for funding to present seasons, events and screenings with it's members and openly on its platforms to encourage new exhibitors to get involved.

Midlands exhibitors came up with some jaw-dropping, daring, and spine-tingling ideas to share behind-the-scenes insights into the world of action films and to present their selected screenings.

Support the community cinemas, venues, and festivals celebrating the artistry of real action choreography, as well as the historic roots and cross-cultural influences of action cinema, by attending local screenings, sharing the opportunities available, and engaging with their platforms.

We have included listings from our members who have received support from Film Hub Midlands in this blog however we would love to share as many screenings from across the Midlands and support independent cinemas hosting their own Art of Action seasons. If you have listings to share please send listings copy, a URL and image assets to Marketing and Communications Coordinator h.cook@broadway.org 

Be ready to get involved with the next UK-Wide programme and Become a member of Film Hub Midlands 

Find UK-WIDE events on the Art of Action website 

 

Derby Quad: Demolition Derby - The History Of Action Cinema

Supporting Demolition Derby - The History Of Action Cinema is Derby Quad's project to conduct a three-month deep dive into the history of action cinema. Through a series of screenings, introductions, AR, events and workshops, QUAD will cover many of the key action milestones.

QUAD Cinema Manager Adam Marsh says:

We’re kicking off our Art of Action season with The Warriors, a great film that deserves to be seen on the big screen with a crowd. Then we go full blast with 90s action stars! Point Break is a favourite here and I’m really excited to see Desperado on the big screen. The fun will continue in December with some more action classics as well as that Christmas tradition, Die Hard.”

The three strands in Derby Quad’s Art of Action series are:

Women In Action

This strand will explore the contributions of women in action cinema. Derby Quad are screening Rene Cardona's The Panther Woman and The Batwoman, as well as films like Run Lola Run, The Long Kiss Goodnight and Point Break.  

Cue Big Explosions

This strand presents action movie spectacles of the 1980s and 1990s punctuating the programme with an all day action film marathon. The marathon will include Under Siege, Con Air, Hard Target and Desperado, covering big names of 90s action cinema like Nicholas Cage, Steven Seagal, Jean Claude Van Damme and Antonio Banderas. 

Action For Familes

The third strand is a run of discounted screenings for families, screening classics from the archive including The Goonies, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Get immersed in Art of Action with a special workshop "Be Your Own Action Star" - where participants can show their moves in a bespoke action movie trailer.

Keep your eyes out on Derby Quad's website and socials to find more events coming soon!

Dates and Times

The Warriors

The Warriors

2 November | 8:30PM

When a gang leader is shot, a troupe from Coney Island called the Warriors get the blame and are forced to run 27 miles across the city + introduction Johann from Cult Film Club

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Point Break

22-28 November

Point Break stars Keanu Reeves as FBI agent Johnny Utah, who goes undercover with a gang of surfers, led by Patrick Swayze’s Bodhi, who are suspects in a series of bank robberies.

Book Here
Quad's Nineties Action All Dayer

QUAD'S Nineties Action All Dayer

30 November 1PM -

1PM Hard Target
3PM Desperado
6PM Con Air
8:30PM Under Siege

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Midlands Arts Centre & Reclaim the Frame

MAC joins forces with Reclaim The Frame for a season of films centring on women of colour working in the action genre from the 1990s to the present, both behind the camera and on screen. In a genre historically not used to tell these stories the season aims to reclaim action for diverse and intersectional audiences.

Reclaim the frame call to action November 2024 The Woman King, Set it Off, Polite Society and D.E.B.S

CALL TO ACTION: Women of Colour On and Behind The Camera is a curated programme by Reclaim The Frame, a charity championing marginalised perspectives in cinema, connecting with audiences through community building and conversation. This season centres women of colour working in the action genre from the 90s to the present - both behind the camera: as writers and directors - and on screen: as actors and stunt performers.

Dates and Times

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D.E.B.S

23 November | 2:30PM
Directed by Angela Robinson
A campy cult classic, D.E.B.S. puts a sapphic twist on the likes of Charlie’s Angels and crime-fighting friends we’ve come to know and love today.

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Ria Khan stands in a fighting pose

Polite Society + Q & A with Stunt Performer Ayesha Hussain and actor Nimra Bucha

30 November | 5:00PM
16 year-old Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) has two goals - to become a stuntwoman just like her shero, Eunice Huthart, and to stop her older sister Lena (Ritu Arya) from marrying an all too suspicious surgeon and mama’s boy, Salim.

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Viola Davis stands square-shouldered and looking prepared to fight in front of a larger group of black women (out of focus in the background) - she holds a weapon and wears a decorative necklace..

The Woman King

Inspired by true events. In 1832, the Kingdom of Dahomey is under threat and the all-female team of warriors, the Agojie, are determined to defeat their enemies.

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Fight Like a Girl is a season that travels from the 1970s, with the genre’s first female action star, all the way through to the 2020s. The gems in Broadway's line-up span the genre, from the spectacle of wuxia to the dazzle of the heist movie, always concentrating on the women we love in action and the staggering on-screen stunts they perform.

Alongside a whopping lineup of films the season incorporates a workshop led by Monstrous Flesh’s Clelia McElroy, which will explore the history and evolution of women in action films, with a particular focus on stunt work and 'real action' heroes.

Join Broadway as they delve into the history of exploitation cinema with Pam Grier’s iconic role in Foxy Brown all the way to the spectacle of the Hong Kong martial arts films Michelle Yeoh cut her teeth on  – this season is dedicated to the gals who give us an ass-kicking.

 Programmed by Broadway Cinema’s Kate Wood and Emma Duncan

Dates and Times

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Foxy Brown

13 November | 19:45PM

Often described as action’s first female star, Pam Grier stars in one of her most iconic – and notorious – roles in this Blaxploitation classic.

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The Heroic Trio

21 November | 8PM

The film follows its three heroines – the formidable Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung and Anita Mui as Invisible Girl, Thief Catcher and Wonder Woman – as they overcome their dark pasts and team up in order to defeat the evil monster

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Polite Society (2023)

28 November | 6PM

Director Nida Manzoor’s debut film draws its inspiration from a wide range of places: Jackie Chan movies, Bollywood, Jane Austen and spaghetti westerns.
Followed by a Q&A with star Priya Kansara, hosted by Broadway's Sanaa Masud

Book Here
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Screen Talk: Death Proof - Iconic Female Stunt Performers

24 November | 7:15PM

This workshop, led by Monstrous Flesh’s Clelia McElroy, will explore the history and evolution of women in action films, with a particular focus on stunt work and 'real action' heroes.

Book Here

 

Mockingbird Cinema - Women in Action

Mockingbird Cinema is hosting a season of women in action films, from indie to mainstream, and across sub-genres. Women in Action, will look to honour on-screen women and explore how they are represented in an otherwise male-dominated world. Looking at indie and mainstream titles, incorporating Blaxploitation and martial arts. The season will include:

  • Six screenings including a screening of Kill Bill vol.1 (past) with wrap-around activity 
  • A specially-commissioned zine featuring Midlands-based artists and writers re-contextualising the representation of women in action
  • An introduction to sword work workshop

Mockingbird Cinema are working with Flatpack Projects for a screening of Martial Law celebrating the work of acclaimed stunt artist Cynthia Rothrock, which will also shine a light on the influence of martial arts in American movies. 

Screening a broad spectrum of female talent in action cinema Mockingbird cinema will share titles such as Run Lola Run and Foxy Brown and intend to create an engaging, fun, but also thought-provoking experience for audiences.

Dates and Times

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Foxy Brown (1974)

14 November | 8PM

The Blaxploitation genre is flawed but it gave us a plethora of no-BS women, including Pam Grier here in the title role. When Foxy’s undercover cop boyfriend is killed by a drug gang, she decides to take sweet revenge by any means.

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Paprika (2006)

21 November | 8PM

Dr Atsuko Chiba/Paprika is a heroine like no other who will go as far as she needs to to save us all.

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Charlie's Angels (2000) + Barb Wire Double Bill (1996)

22 November | 6:30PM

"Don't call me babe!"
Whatever Pays the Rent invites you to look back at what "girl power" looked like 25 years ago with this double-bill.

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Run Lola Run (1998)

1 December | 6:10PM

When her criminal boyfriend loses a bag of money, Lola is given 20 minutes to retrieve what’s been lost.

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Martial Law (1991)

8 December

An undercover cop teams up with a martial-arts expert to stop a gang of drug smugglers and car thieves.

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Mitchell Arts Centre - Cinema's First Action Hero

To celebrate cinema’s first action hero, Mitchell Arts Centre will present three enhanced screenings of Buster Keaton’s greatest films. The screenings will feature live musical accompaniment from talented pianist Stephen Horne.

Dates and Times

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The General (1926)

26 November | 11AM
6 December | 11AM

Celebrating the original action hero, join us for The General, Buster Keaton's most lavish production, a brilliant comedy full of daredevil antics that will have you laughing and gasping at the same time.

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Sherlock JR (1924)

6 December | 11AM

Buster Keaton’s third feature is a virtuosic display of every silent comedy technique imaginable, from his own formidable physical skills to groundbreaking camera trickery

Accompanied on stage - live pianist Stephen Horne

Book Here

 

UK China Film Collab - Electric Shadows

UK China Film Collab in collaboration with De Montford University Leicester and Phoenix Cinema Leicester are screening Art of Action menu titles within their programme for Electric Shadows: Leicester Chinese Film Festival.

Including the iconic Police Story Trilogy directed by none other than Jackie Chan and screened in glorious 4K resolution.

Not to be missed is the critically acclaimed and highly awarded The Grandmaster directed by Wong Kar-wai whose artistic flare shines through.

"Boasting one of the most propulsive yet ethereal realizations of authentic martial arts onscreen, as well as a merging of physicality and philosophy not attained in Chinese cinema since King Hu's masterpieces, the hotly anticipated pic is sure to win new converts from the genre camp." - Variety

Dates and Times

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The Grandmaster

26 November | 6PM
Showcase Cinema

The annual Leicester Chinese Film Festival presents The Grandmaster as the second film of the programme.

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Police Story

Police Story Trilogy

Police Story 27 November | 8:30PM
Police Story II 28 November | 8:30PM
Police Story III: Supercop 29 November | 8:45PM

The iconic Police Story trilogy by Jackie Chan will be presented for the first time in stunning 4K restorations in Leicester

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Phoenix Cinema - Art of Action

Alongside partnering with Electric Shadows, Phoenix Cinema are screening a selection of films from the Art of Action menu titles.

Dates and Times

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Point Break

8 - 12 November
Various times

It’s finally happening! Stuck in theatrical rights purgatory for years so it couldn’t be screened in cinemas, Kathryn Bigelow’s sublime action film now explodes back onto the big screen.

Book Here
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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

22 November| 7:30PM

A legendary warrior's stolen magic sword becomes the centrepiece of epic, intertwining love stories.
Expect themed music, drink and food + before Ang Lee's masterful wuxia drama there will be a martial arts talk and demonstration

Book Here

 

Victoria Park Productions / FilmGage - Death Before Dishonour Season

Death Before Dishonour season explores the secret weapon of the VHS blockbuster and celebrates international female driven films.

This winter, take a trip to the heyday of international action films fully loaded with high adrenaline adventure and wall to wall action of the late 80s

Death Before Dishonour explores and celebrates international female stars within action cinema - front runners like Michelle Yeoh, Sigourney Weaver and modern trail blazers like Randa Rousey. 

Death Before Dishonour will highlight flashback classics and violent independent VHS essentials, where action was important to plot, motivation and featured jaw dropping stunts. Inviting you to explore the lost art of “VHS browsing”.

Enhancing select screenings Victoria Park Productions / Film Gage will partner with West Midlands stunt company - Samurai Sensei. 

Featuring a special documentary screening of The Last Action Heroes followed by a Q&A with Scott Atkins, West Midlands own international action film star. 

Keep your eyes on Film Gage website for updates

Mansfield Town Film Festival Presents: Art of Action (Past)

Mansfield Town Film Festival based at Mansfield Palace Theatre hosted an Art of Action season that delved into the evolution of stunt performance on screen, spanning silent era classics to contemporary epics. Through expert-led discussions and immersive screenings, audiences experienced iconic films that celebrated action cinema.

Scheduled across three Fridays in October (4th, 18th, and 25th) the Art of Action season provided an immersive journey through the evolution of stunt performance in film. Each screening session featured a curated selection of action films that highlighted significant milestones and innovations in the genre. The feature films were matched with short films carefully selected from Mansfield Town Film Festival.

At the heart of the "Art of Action" season at Mansfield Town Film Festival was John B Tannen, a respected figure in both stunt performance and local media in Mansfield. Hailing from Church Warsop, John has carved out a remarkable career spanning several decades as a member of the prestigious British Stunt Register. His filmography boasts an impressive array of credits, including roles in major productions such as "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," "The Batman," and "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil."

Think you can do better? Become a member and check out how to get involved in exhibition with Film Hub Midlands

Find UK-WIDE events on the Art of Action website 

Screening as part of Art of Action, a UK-wide film season supported by National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network.

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