A brand new week-long film festival celebrating anime in cinema is launching in Birmingham this October. Birmingham Anime Film Festival will run from Friday 29th September to Thursday 5th October 2023 with screenings at The Mockingbird Cinema, in Digbeth and the Midlands Art Centre (MAC) in Edgbaston.

The festival is organised by The Mockingbird Cinema and Café in partnership with Geeky Brummie, Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) and Flatpack Festival, sponsored by AllTheAnime.

Film fans will be able to immerse themselves in a collection of over twenty of the greatest and most influential films in anime cinematic history - with content for all ages. Highlights include Studio Ghibli’s heartfelt 2004 visual treat ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ to Satoshi Kon’s iconic 1997 psychological thriller ‘Perfect Blue’; and Makoto Shinkai 2016 modern classic ‘Your Name’.

The festival also teases several surprises alongside its bumper programme of cult classics for a wide variety of films from family-friendly to the darker side of anime. As part of the festival there are special advance screenings of:

Macross Plus Movie Edition, from visionary creator Shoji Kawamori and co-director Shinichiro Watanabe, and featuring renowned composer Yoko Kanno, an action-packed animated masterpiece made for the big screen. Evangelion 3.0+1.01: Thrice Upon a Time. The final film in the Japanese epic Rebuild of Evangelion series, co-directed, written and produced by anime legend Hideaki Anno.

Birmingham Anime Festival will take place in two of the city's most iconic venues. The Mockingbird Cinema provides film fans with a unique cinematic experience, nestled within the creative hub of Digbeth’s Custard Factory and surrounded by a host of independent food and drink places, all close to Digbeth coach station and Birmingham’s BullRing.

Saturday 30th September features the first of two family-friendly magical movie marathons, with the next day, Sunday 1st October, will be all things Studio Ghibli. The Darker Side of Anime will be on display at the MAC with screenings of the masterful ‘Perfect Blue’, on Friday 29th September, from late anime auteur Satoshi Kon. Wednesday 4th October, brings ‘Belladonna of Sadness’ to the MAC, in its 50th anniversary.

At The Mockingbird on Wednesday 4th October, in partnership with Grain and Glass is a drinks-paired screening of 'The Night is Short, Walk on Girl' A surreal comedy about a girls' long night out on the town, with encounters with increasingly eccentric characters. Thursday brings a secret screening in partnership with Worlds Apart, who will have a pop-up Manga Shop at The Mockingbird Cinema throughout the festival week.

Lee Nabbs, Owner, The Mockingbird Cinema says: The Mockingbird is renowned for its mix of new releases, cult, and eclectic films. Regular Anime screenings have always been part of our scheduling mix and we're proud to launch Birmingham Anime Film Festival to show our love for the genre and bring together fans from far and wide, to show the breadth and depth of this special part of cinema.

The full schedule, including films such as Millennium Actress, One Piece: RED, Mirai, The First Slam Dunk & The Deer King, is available on the BAFF website. Tickets are priced per film and can be purchased on the venue’s website.

Birmingham Anime Film Festival runs from 29th September to 5th October. Find out more at www.baff.uk