MIDLANDS SPOTLIGHT

Film speaks in a universal language, yet they also reflect the times and places they were made in. Our regional coverage showcases the originality, diversity and richness of local films, and also spotlights the unique position of what makes the Midlands great.

Check out the latest local releases below which give a window into the Midlands, with its mix of contemporary and historical culture encapsulated across a variety of film genres.

NEW! Midlands Movies Awards 2024 - Full nominations

By midlandsmovies • 21 Apr, 2024

On Sunday 21st April Midlands Movies Editor Michael Sales & awards ceremony co-host Ed Stagg (BBC Radio) announced the nominations for the 2024 Midlands Movies Awards live from the Queen of Bradgate Vintage Cinema in Leicester.

Midlands Review of Ship of the Damned

By midlandsmovies • 05 Apr, 2024

Not every film needs to have a deep message or do something earth shatteringly original. In fact, I would argue that one of the biggest problems with modern filmmaking is the complete lack of 90-minute thrill rides.

Midlands Review of Creek Encounters

By midlandsmovies • 02 Apr, 2024

I’ll make no excuses for going into Creek Encounters with a high level of anticipation. I was lucky enough to review Jason Brown’s previous feature, Morris (now known as Ghost Track), which maximised its low budget with clever framing and subtle scares. With it’s far more ambitious plot, I was excited to see how Creek Encounters turned out.

Midlands Review of One Night Rental

By midlandsmovies • 26 Mar, 2024

The heyday of 80s movies and culture are the inspiration behind a new feature film set at Alfreton’s real-life 80s Video Shop – a business specialising in the glory days of the video rental era.

Folking good horror - Darkness in the Fields Fest review

By midlandsmovies • 26 Mar, 2024

Always a reliable venue for genre showcases, Derby’s Quad cinema held the first in-person Darkness in the Fields event on the 23rd of March, bringing together a host of modern examples from one of the oldest, and harder-to-define genre offshoots: folk horror.

Midlands Review of The Brutalist

By midlandsmovies • 25 Mar, 2024

1950s Brutalist architecture emerged in the UK amid reconstruction projects of the post-war era and showcase a minimalist style without fancy decoration. And whilst the exposed unpainted concrete and plain geometric shapes of the movement may not seem an obvious focus for a film, Northampton writer-director Joe Burden has used it as a jumping off point in his new short The Brutalist.

Midlands Review of All Roads Lead to Home

By midlandsmovies • 24 Mar, 2024

All Roads Lead to Home, the latest feature from writer and director Darren Scott, is a feel-good comedy/drama that follows two aspiring musicians – Amy (Imogen Archer) and Matt (Frederick Szkoda) – who meet when both are going through a calamitous period of their lives and embark on a road trip together to find themselves.

Interview with filmmaker Darren Scott

By midlandsmovies • 13 Mar, 2024

Midlands Movies spoke to local filmmaker Darren Scott about his new feature film All Roads Lead to Home, the production challenges of making a film over six years and how other budding creatives shouldn't limit themselves when tackling big projects.

Midlands film reviews: Terms & Conditions

Submission of material: You are welcome to submit film projects or material for review & Midlands Movies uses these geographical areas as a definition of the Midlands: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midlands As per our annual awards, we consider a film Midlands-made if OVER 75% of a finished film has been SHOT in the Midlands region. Filmmakers should ensure their film fulfils these requirements before submitting.

To submit a film please send an online video link (& password if required) via our Facebook or Twitter or email to midlandsmovies@yahoo.com

Sending
Sending additional press release material (biography, film poster, photos, cast & crew info etc) is encouraged to give context to your project. Reviews are undertaken by a diverse range of volunteer writers within one month of acknowledgement of your submission. And please ensure all films made by you adhere to copyright standards with respect to intellectual property. Films are scored out of 5 stars (in half star increments).

Conditions of review: Importantly Midlands Movies will only ever review a film once. If a secondary edit, director’s cut or a new version of a film is sent AFTER a review is published, the alternative version will not be reviewed. And owing to resources unfortunately no further feedback can be given.

In that context, we encourage all filmmakers to put their best foot forward in relation to the final film they consider submitting.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing your film!