News Archives - Page 16 of 25

Organisations within the West Midlands Combined Authority can now apply for a grant from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust to support their science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education projects. Not-for-profits, schools and colleges can apply for funding from £1,000 up to £20,000 from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust to fund their STEM projects starting in September 2021. Projects can be activity focussed or for the purchasing of resources and materials which enables STEM-related education to children or communities.

How do you apply?
Applicants will need to download and complete the application form on the Millennium Point website. The completed application should be submitted to [email protected] before 5 pm on Monday 30th November 2020.

Since 2018, Millennium Point Charitable Trust has donated over £969,000 through its annual grants process to a diverse range of projects across education, STEM-focused charities, sporting charities and museums. This year Millennium Point awarded £560,000 to fund over 60 projects across the region. Projects funded include ‘STEM stars’ from Aston Villa Foundation, a programme which engages young people in coding using football; and ‘Sensory STEM’ from Longwill School for the Deaf, Northfield, which will make science more visual and accessible to their pupils through science-based equipment and an enhanced curriculum.

Where does the money come from?
The Millennium Point Charitable Trust owns the 46,450 sqm landmark Millennium Point building on Curzon street in the eastside of Birmingham City Centre (opposite the future Curzon Railway). Millennium Point is “COVID Secure” and has 17 versatile event spaces capable of holding a variety of events from meetings to formal dinners. Profits from our commercial activity as a landmark public building and multi-award-winning conference and events venue feedback into the charitable trust, enabling it to donate and invest in STEM-related organisations, projects and initiatives. The grants scheme is our flagship initiative alongside the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship which funds at least one young person’s undergraduate degree each year at Birmingham City University.

Head over to our grants page and start your application. Applications close at 5 pm on Monday 30th November 2020.

Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands. Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint.

Young people aged 18-25 in the West Midlands can benefit from a six-month environmental leadership programme which is completely free. The programme is being offered by UpRising, an outstanding youth support organisation that offers a range of leadership, mentoring and employability programmes that help young people become leaders and better reflect and represent the communities they serve.

Uprising is an outstanding Youth Organisation offering a range of opportunities for young people to level up

What’s the programme?
The Environmental Leadership Programme is a free 6-month online green leadership programme for 18-25-year olds. It includes a series of virtual workshops and sessions designed to help participants develop the knowledge, skills and networks they need to become green leaders. Participants will also receive personal and professional development support during their time on the programme. All sessions will be held every Tuesday at 6-8 pm on Zoom.

Take part in expert-led, online workshops on topics like the green economy, creating a theory of change and media training
Learn how environmental change is made on a local, national and global level, directly from the people who are living and breathing it
Design and run an online environmental social action campaign
Be matched with a professional mentor

Who is eligible?
The programme is open to 18-25-year-olds who are living, working or studying in the West Midlands.

How to apply
Applications for the programme are now open and you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible in order to avoid disappointment. The application form takes 10 minutes to complete and can be completed here. Alternatively, you can find out more about UpRising and their range of exciting programmes on their website here.

This is a fantastic opportunity for young people to learn new STEM skills relating to the environment as well as shape themselves as future leaders within the West Midlands. For further news relating to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) in the West Midlands keep following our blogs at www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/news

The shortlist for the CHS Awards 2020 has been announced with Millennium Point included alongside more than 30 shortlisted entries across 10 award categories. Now celebrating its sixth year, the CHS Awards provide UK hotels and venues with a fantastic opportunity to showcase their facilities. We’re delighted to announce that Millennium Point has been shortlisted for “Best Independent Venue” alongside the British Motor Museum and Horizon Leeds.

Millennium Point has 17 versatile event spaces, including a 354-seat auditorium that was formerly one of the first IMAX cinemas in Birmingham. Our venue has a team with more than 40 years combined experience in the industry and we are accredited by Venue of Excellence, HBAA and AIM from the Meetings Industry Association. Since the pandemic, our venue was one of the first to release a COVID response in our Client Protection Plan, which outlines our safety and hygiene measures. Recently, we have been accredited with ‘Safe, Clean and Legal’ for our outstanding work to make our venue COVID secure.

Related page: Venue Hire

West Midlands Venues dominate shortlist
Several hospitality and events venues from the West Midlands join alongside Millennium Point in the shortlist including Unique Venues Birmingham (UVB), Park Regis Birmingham, Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre and the British Motor Museum. This representation reinforces the important role the region plays in hospitality and events, tourism and trade – all at risk due to the current pandemic.

Virtual Awards
The Awards were due to take place at the LIVE Show, CHS Birmingham which had naturally been postponed to Spring 2021. The Awards will continue to go ahead as planned on the original date of 27 October, presented virtually with co-hosts and headline sponsors Delegate Wranglers and Preferred Hotels & Resorts.

“Rally together”
Emma Cartmell, Founder of CHS Group said, “Now more than ever we should recognise and celebrate UK hotels, venues and event spaces; particularly individuals who are consistently putting customer service and hospitality at the forefront of their businesses. We’re facing one of the most challenging years and winters, after a perplexing summer. We need to rally together and find comfort in our wins and achievements within our sector and look forward to a bright future that we will have again soon.”

Millennium Point took part in the global #WeMakeEvents demonstration last month alongside thousands of fellow venues to raise awareness for the issues currently facing hospitality and events industry worldwide during the pandemic.

The virtual CHS Awards will take place on 27 October at 6:30 pm on Zoom with audience participation, live performances and cocktail making. To book your free ticket to attend, please visit chsawards.co.uk.

Gather your team and join us as we bring speed quizzing to our spacious Platform bar at Millennium Point.

On Wednesday 4th November from 6:30 pm, join our team at Millennium Point for a safe and socially distanced speedquiz. A speedquiz is a popular spin on the traditional pub quiz. To play you will need a smartphone or tablet as your teams answer pad where questions will be sent straight to your device. It’s fun, fast and no cheating! The top team will win a £50 bar tab for their party. After the quiz, the bar will remain open for you to relax and enjoy. Doors will open at 6 pm if you want to come early and get settled before the quiz starts at 6:30 pm.

We’ve enlisted the help of local speedquizzing legend Stoo Pittaway, who hosts numerous quizzes online and off in venues around Birmingham. Teams are 2-6 people with tickets priced at £5 per person (plus Eventbrite’s booking fee) and can only be purchased through Eventbrite.

Is this event allowed under current guidelines?
Yes, current UK guidelines on Coronavirus state that up to 6 people from different households can meet in this kind of setting. We have limited teams to a maximum of 5 and recommend that this comprise of as few households as possible.

Is Millennium Point safe?
Absolutely. Our team have worked hard to ensure that our award-winning-venue is COVID-secure. We have taken steps to ensure that our events are safe, clean and compliant with the latest government guidelines. Our measures include:

Limited and assigned seating
Table service
Clear signage
Packaged and bottled refreshments
Temperature checks on arrival
Deep cleaning before and after each event
Contactless/cashless bar
Sanitisations stations readily available for your use throughout the venue
PPE & training for all staff

We have run several socially distanced public events since reopening in July, and have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from guests. Millennium Point has recently been accredited with ‘Safe, Clean & Legal’ from Quality in Tourism for our outstanding measures to minimise the risk of the virus. For further information please see our website here.

Do I need to wear a facemask?
You will need to wear a facemask in public areas of the building (i.e. the Atrium on Level 0, on escalators, lifts and stairs) however, under the current guidelines, you do not need to wear a facemask during the event.

What is SpeedQuizzing?
SpeedQuizing is a fun and popular twist on traditional quizzing where teams use a SmartPhone or Tablet to answer questions. Each team gets their own buzzer and additional points are awarded for things like fastest team to answer.

Where is Millennium Point?
Millennium Point is the landmark public building on Curzon street in the Eastside of Birmingham city centre. We’re opposite the future Curzon Street Station, just a 15-minute walk from Birmingham New Street and Digbeth. Additional details on how to get here can be found on our website.

Our landmark building is easy to spot and easy to get to in Birmingham City Centre

Where is Platform?
Platform is our awesome level 1 space equipped with a fully licenced bar. It’s also available for private hire for meetings and corporate gatherings. For further information email [email protected] or call 0121 202 2200.

Two new unique and immersive film screenings are coming to our incredible big screen this autumn at Millennium Point.
Our Auditorium (formerly the IMAX cinema), in our Birmingham city centre-based venue, Millennium Point, will show two iconic movies, offering film buffs the perfect night out, with fan-favourites Ghostbusters and Back to the Future coming to the big screen. Both screenings will include a host of drinks served throughout and movie trivia, in partnership with The Wine Events Company.

Ghostbusters (1984) and Cocktails
Visitors can celebrate Halloween in style on Friday 30^th October with classic 80’s movie Ghostbusters, with The Wine Events Company offering several themed cocktails while guests enjoy the film. The team will be on hand to serve four delicious cocktails throughout the evening and there will also be live cocktail-making demos and fun movie trivia, creating a one-of-a-kind, immersive experience. Doors open from 6.30 pm, for a 7:30 pm start. Tickets are £34.95 (plus booking fee) per person and include four themed cocktails served throughout the event.

Back to the Future (1985) with Wine
The Wine Events Company then returns to Millennium Point in November with a screening of the iconic movie, Back to the Future, celebrating its 35^th birthday. Tickets include five glasses of wine which will be served during the film, with wine buff Tony Elvin carefully selecting five tipples for guests to enjoy. Doors open from 6.30 pm, for a 7:30 pm start. Tickets are £29.95 (plus booking fee) per person and include five glasses of themed wine served throughout the event.

Is it safe (and legal)?
Yes, the current rules for Birmingham state you can still attend this kind of event up to 6 people providing you adhere to social distancing measures. The Millennium Point team have worked tirelessly to implement a number of measures to ensure that the socially distanced screenings are safe for all to enjoy. These include reduced capacity in the auditorium from 354 to 181, wearing facemasks in public areas of the building, temperature checks, sanitisation stations and contactless/cashless experience. Similarly, tickets are only available to purchase in bundles with all seats allocated beforehand to ensure households are not mixing.

Above: Images from Millennium Point’s well-received screening of Sex & the City: The Movie in early August.

“Something normal”
This will be the 6th and 7th socially distanced screening our award-winning Birmingham-based team have organised since lockdown restrictions began to ease in July. Following our socially distanced family screening of Trolls: World Tour in July, one satisfied film-goer commented:

“I just wanted to say how great mine and family’s experience was watching trolls today. I was very anxious but was immediately put at ease from all things you had implemented to make it COVID safe. It was lovely to do something normal again with my child without a worry. So, thank you very much!”

To book tickets for one of Millennium Point’s cinema screening, please visit:

Is Millennium Point a Cinema again?
No, Millennium Point’s Auditorium is neither an IMAX or a regular cinema and has not been since the closure of the Giant Screen Cinema in 2015. Instead, the space has been renovated as an impressive 354-seat auditorium available for private hire, which includes films screenings. These socially distanced screenings are one-off events organised by Millennium Point as part of our ongoing commitment to providing fun and affordable activities for the general public.

For enquires contact [email protected] or call 0121 202 2200.

Our multi-award-winning venue, Millennium Point, will be turning red at 8 pm on Wednesday 30th September to join events professionals from thousands of cities in more than 20 countries in solidarity for #WeMakeEvents.

What is it?
COVID-19 impacts all of us, and while we fully support the need to implement measures which protect people; we also need to underline the severity of the impact it is having on the events and hospitality industry. Despite us being six months further along in the pandemic, there is still little clarity on what the future holds for events and hospitality with no clear roadmap and little in the way of meaningful support for events venues and professionals in the UK.

This is a global movement of empowerment by event professionals to make the public and government aware of what the impact of COVID-19 is having on the events industry and how this will affect all of us. At 8 pm, we will light our building red alongside fellow Birmingham venues. Additionally, the movement across the UK will include, but not be limited to:

60 strategically placed shafts of white light beamed up into the night sky each one signifying 10,000 potential job losses.
Unique projections of what would be taking place inside venues, onto the outside of empty venues to demonstrate what is missing (and may never recover) without the industry.
A series of creative and art installations illustrating the numbers of event professionals either already out of work or at risk.

What does the events industry bring to the UK?
Events and Hospitality are woefully underestimated in its impact on the UK economy. Events facilitate trade; attract inward investment, drive exports; science and medical events disseminate knowledge and share research; events drive visitor economy, drive politics, arts, culture, community, provide safe spaces for marginalised groups and much, much more.

Putting this into local perspective the WMCA is the export capital of the UK, and in 2018 had 131 million visitors – an increase of 2.6% (+3.4m) over the past year. The number of day visitors increased by 2.7% (3.1m) and overnight visitors increased by 2.1% (0.3m). Visits to parks and gardens have increased by 3.8% and museums and galleries increased by 1.4% compared to 2017. The visitor and trade economy is driven by events and hospitality venues and attractions, without which many other industries and infrastructures will fail.

This year alone we have granted more than £360,000 to over 60 STEM projects and initiatives across the region, made possible by our venue.

What about our venue?
Millennium Point is a multi-award-winning conference and events venue and landmark public building, with commercial profits going to our Charitable Trust which invests over £5m back into the West Midlands to support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands. We are reliant on our events and conference venue and our building to ensure the livelihood of our charity through which we make a positive impact on communities locally. The lack of any clear guidance for venues and events or the provision of a roadmap by the UK Government, leaves us, like many, stranded without tools to protect our business or workers.

Despite our highly accredited work making our venue COVID-secure, or our successful series of socially distanced events we’ve hosted to provide entertainment for a nervous public; the exclusion of venues like ours from the Chancellor’s new job retention scheme not only undermines our work to protect our business, our staff and the impact of our charitable trust; but contributes to the series of false starts and ongoing suffocation of the events and hospitality industry during this pandemic.

#WeMakeEvents
Join us at 8 pm on social media as we light up our building in solidarity with our peers and say proudly #WeMakeEvents. You can follow, tag and chat to us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with hashtag #MillenniumPoint. For further information on the movement or to get involved please see here: https://www.wemakeevents.com/uk/

Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands. Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint.

We’re delighted to announce the latest recipients of the Millennium Point Charitable Trust grants initiative.

Building on the continued success of the programme, The Millennium Point Charitable Trust received 170 eligible applications from not-for-profit organisations, schools and colleges from across the West Midlands region – a 55% increase from the last round of funding in 2019. This year we have granted more than £560,000 to STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) projects and initiatives across the region. Projects funded include ‘STEM stars’ from Aston Villa Foundation, a programme which engages young people in coding using football; and ‘Sensory STEM’ from Longwill School for the Deaf, Northfield, which will make science more visual and accessible to their pupils through science-based equipment and an enhanced curriculum.

What’s the Millennium Point Trust’s Grants initiative?
The Millennium Point Charitable Trust’s Grants initiative provides funding annually to not-for-profits, schools and colleges across the West Midlands. Applicants can apply for up to £20,000 to fund their STEM-related project providing they meet the criteria and can demonstrate a measurable impact in STEM education. Since its launch in 2018, Millennium Point Charitable Trust has donated over £969,000 to successful recipients funding a diverse range of projects across education, STEM-focused charities, sporting charities and museums.

Where does the money come from?
The Millennium Point Charitable Trust owns the 46,450 sqm landmark Millennium Point building on Curzon street in the eastside of Birmingham City Centre (opposite the future Curzon Railway). Profits from our commercial activity as a landmark public building and multi-award-winning conference and events venue feedback into the charitable trust, enabling it to donate and invest in STEM-related organisations, projects and initiatives. The grants scheme is our flagship initiative alongside the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship which funds at least one young person’s undergraduate degree each year at Birmingham City University.

To learn more about our events and conference venue or how booking with us can widen your company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR), please get in touch.

When is the next round of funding available?
Information on the next round of applications will be made available soon, you can register your interest by emailing [email protected] or by keeping a watch on our dedicated grants & funding page. As the Millennium Point Charitable Trust, we are constantly reflecting and improving our projects to ensure they stay relevant, accessible to those who benefit from them and impactful to STEM in the region, for further information on the wider charitable operations, opportunities available or to get involved, please get in touch.

Millennium Point is a multi-award-winning events and conference venue with a range of meeting and conference spaces ideal for hosting your next Lecture.

Larger Lectures & Talks
The Auditorium at Millennium Point is a spacious 354-tiered seated (115 with social distancing) theatre. Our giant screen measures 24m x 12m in size, with a 6.2m x 2.3m stage underneath, perfect for presenting lectures and showcasing presentation slides and video content to engage an audience. This remarkable space is connected via a striking twin curved staircase to our open-plan Platform space on level 1. Formerly one of Birmingham’s first IMAX cinemas, this space has previously been used as a premium lecture theatre for Birmingham City University and other educators for its impressive size. The Auditorium is currently available to hire from £2,500+VAT.

Platform is a 200sqm open plan space on level 1 of Millennium Point. It features integrated wireless presentation facilities, 4 x digital displays and PA system. Additionally, it has a fully licenced bar, restrooms and flexible sound dampening walls. Platform can hold up to 70 theatre style with social distancing making it an attractive setting for a larger sized lecture. Platform is available from £850+VAT

Both Platform and Auditorium can be combined for £3,000+VAT

Smaller Lectures & Seminars
For smaller lectures, we recommend the Connect meeting and events suite on level 2 of Millennium Point. This suite has four inter-connected rooms with collapsible walls, which can accommodate up to 35 theatre style in the main event space or 15 in the smaller combined space with social distancing. Connect is the preferred choice for smaller Lectures or seminars. Connect features integrated wireless presentation facilities in all rooms including multiple digital display screens and 2 x projector screens. This space also includes an integrated PA system, adjustable RGB lighting and temperature controls, hot drinks machines and restrooms. Connect is available from £275+VAT.

Lastly, our Level 4 suite offers a simple alternative for smaller lectures with the main space, Engine capable of holding up to 20 theatre style with social distancing. Like our other spaces, Engine features projection facilities and optional PA equipment. Engine is available from £520+VAT.

Additional benefits at no extra cost
To ensure the very best for your event, all costs include a dedicated event manager who will work with you from initial enquiry through to on the day delivery and an AV technician to manage technical aspects of your lecture on the day.

Convenient location regardless of how you travel
Our award-winning venue is located on Curzon Street in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Millennium Point is a 15-minute walk from Birmingham New Street Station and major inter-city transport links. Millennium Point has an onsite 900 space multi-story car park owned by Birmingham City Council, which is easily accessible from the M6, M5 and M42.

Make a big impression with Live Video Streaming
Take your event online with our live video streaming packages, perfect for larger events without the stress of social distancing. Hosted on a dedicated page on our website for up to 100 delegates, our professional videography team will work with you to make it look slick and seamless with HD video and audio. Hybridising your event with one of our live streaming packages means more convenience for your delegates and a wider reach for your event without the concerns of capacity, social distancing or cancellation due to COVID-19.

For more information please see Live Video Streaming at Millennium Point

Social Distancing & Safety Measures.
Our highly accredited team have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that our venue is safe, clean and compliant with the latest government guidelines on coronavirus. Our measures include increased hygiene and cleanliness, social distancing and enhanced technology to minimise the risks to your event with compromising its scope and your vision. Our work has awarded us with “Safe, Clean and Legal” accreditation from Quality in Tourism alongside our certification from Venues of Excellence, HBAA and MIA.

We understand the risk of hosting an event during these uncertain times, which is why our new temporary flexible booking policy allows you to move or cancel your event at no additional cost should it be affected by the impact of COVID-19. To read a full breakdown of measures we have taken please read our Client Protection Plan

Book your free guided tour now
Enquire now for your free no-strings guided tour. A member of our friendly events team will provide a contact-free guided tour of the space, or you can choose a guided virtual tour over the video communication platform of your choice.

Get in touch by calling 0121 202 2200, emailing [email protected] or by using our quick enquiry form.

The Caped Crusader returns for one night only to Millennium Point’s giant screen auditorium in the eastside of Birmingham city centre. On Thursday 24th September 2020 from 7:30 pm we will be hosting a one-off screening of Christopher Nolan’s genre-defining superhero movie, ‘The Dark Knight’ as part of our ‘Millennium Point Presents…’ series of socially distanced film screenings in our large Auditorium. This will be the first time in over a decade since The Dark Knight has been at Millennium Point, originally screening in the former IMAX back in 2008. Tickets cost £15 per person and include two drinks within the price of bottled beer, a glass of house wine or soft drink. Doors open at 6:30 pm for film lovers to relax in our level 1 space with the fully licenced bar before the start of the film at 7:30 pm. Additional drinks and snacks can be purchased from our cashless and contactless bar throughout the screening.

Win two tickets to The Dark Knight by heading over to our Facebook page and taking part in our competition.

The Dark Knight is the second instalment of the Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy and a sequel to 2005’s Batman Begins. The film centres around the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice and save Gotham from the Clown Prince of Crime and from itself. It features an all-star cast including Christian Bale and supported by Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman. The film received eight award nominations at the 81st Academy Awards and won two for Best Sound Editing and Ledger was posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor. The film is considered one of the best superhero films of all time and marks Ledger’s final film, with his iconic performance as the Joker redefining the superhero movie villain.

(Video Credit: HD Retro Trailers)

Tickets and what’s included
The film will be screened in Millennium Point’s spacious Auditorium with a giant 24m x 12m screen, the former home of the IMAX cinema which closed in 2013. Tickets cost an equivalent of £15 per person and include two drinks of bottle beer, a glass of house wine or soft drinks, with additional snacks and beverages available to purchase at our fully licenced bar throughout the screening. Tickets are available in bundles of 2-4 with assigned seating as part of Millennium Point’s highly praised measures for social distancing in line with the latest government guidelines on COVID-19.

Read more about our social distancing measures: Millennium Point is Reopening for Events

Keeping you safe in uncertain times
The award-winning events team at Millennium Point has been working hard to implement new hygiene and safety measures, to ensure all government guidelines are met. We are certified “Safe, Clean and Legal” by Quality in Tourism. The Auditorium, which at full capacity can host 354 people, has been reduced to 181 seats to allow for physical distancing between cinemagoers, and all seats will be allocated in advance to pre-paid ticket holders. A deep clean will be carried out between performances and all screenings will be contactless and cash-free. Our staff have been fully trained and will be wearing protective PPE. Specific details for measures we have taken can be found on the booking page.

“Something normal”
This will be the 5th social distanced screening our award-winning Birmingham-based team have organised since lockdown restrictions began to ease in July. Following our socially distanced family screening of Trolls: World Tour in July, one satisfied cinemagoer commented:

Tickets are on sale until Thursday 24th September at 11am. Get your ticket now and enjoy a little slice of normal with one of cinemas greatest superhero films.

Is Millennium Point a Cinema again?
No, Millennium Point’s Auditorium is neither an IMAX or a regular cinema and has not been since the closure of the Giant Screen Cinema in 2015. Instead, space has been renovated as an impressive 354-seat auditorium available for private hire, which includes films screenings. These socially distanced screenings are one-off events organised by Millennium Point as part of our ongoing commitment to providing fun and affordable activities for the general public. For more information on hiring our giant screen auditorium see here.

Millennium Point’s Giant Screen Auditorium will play host to two acclaimed indie films this month brought to Birmingham for the first time in a safe and socially distanced double feature by Birmingham Indian Film Festival. On Sunday 20th September from 5 pm, Birmingham Indian Film Festival will be screening an indie double-bill of Natkhat (The Brat) and Roam Rome Mein (Every Inch Of My Being), two acclaimed independent Indian films, in Millennium Point’s Giant Screen Auditorium (formerly one of the region’s first IMAX). Tickets are on sale now at £10 per person through ticket booking platform Eventbrite.

About the organisers
Birmingham Indian Film Festival is the Birmingham strand of the Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival, and together form the UK and Europe’s largest South Asian film festival with an entertaining and thought-provoking line-up of independent films that offer a rare window into a billion South Asian lives in the sub-continent right now.

About the films
Natkhat (The Brat) is Shaan Vyas’ debut short film and stars Vidya Balan as a doting mother trying to stop her seven-year-old son, Sonu, from taking on the same machismo ideals and beliefs of the male role models in his life. Balan is known for pioneering a change in the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema. The film premiered on YouTube as part of the We Are One: A Global Film Festival and the majority of the cast members had no prior acting experience.

Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express labelled Natkhat a “valuable addition to the films which call out patriarchy, and how utterly damaging it can be.” Jyoti Sharma Bawa of Hindustan Times credited Vyas for effectively portraying a world in which “women are shorn of agency and men get their power from displaying naked machismo”; she praised Vidya for bringing “simplicity and nuance” to her role and Patel for matching her vulnerability. The film’s runtime is 33 minutes and is spoken in Hindi with English Subtitles.

Roam Rome Mein (Every Inch of my Being) is the directorial debut from Brick Lane and Parched actress, Tannishtha Chatterjee. This psychological drama follows Raj (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), who goes to Rome, in search of his sister Reena (Tannishtha Chatterjee), who has left her home in search of freedom to escape their strongly traditional conservative father. In the process, he deconstructs the deep-rooted patriarchy of the society he had lived in, and suddenly finds himself questioning all the values that he’s held sacred, and also taken for granted. The film which has a strong Italian and Indian ensemble cast, had its world premiere at Busan International Film Festival, European premiere at International Rome Film Festival and Indian premiere at Mumbai Film Festival MAMI and is now arriving in Birmingham for a special one-off screening. The film’s run time is 107 minutes and is spoken in Hindi, English & Italian with English subtitles.

(Left) Vidya Balan as a doting mother trying to stop her seven-year-old son in “Natkhat”. (Right) Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Rajin search for his sister in Rome in “Roam Rome Mein”.

About the event
The event is organised by Birmingham Indian Film Festival in partnership with Millennium Point’s award-winning venue. The event will take place from 5 pm on Sunday 20th September in the auditorium at Millennium Point, Curzon Street in the eastside of Birmingham City centre. Tickets cost £10 per person which include entry to both films. Doors open 30 minutes before the first film “Natkhat” at 5 pm. Following the screening, there will be a comfort break for guests to stretch their legs and get refreshments before the second screening “Roam Rome Mein” at 5:30 pm with the event closing by 7:30 pm. Snacks and refreshments will be available to purchase throughout from the fully licenced bar connected to the Auditorium on level 1.

Social distancing and safety
The award-winning events team at Millennium Point have implemented new hygiene and safety measures, to ensure all government guidelines are met and staff and guests are protected. The Auditorium, which at full capacity can host 354 people, has been reduced to 181 seats to allow for physical distancing between guests, and tickets are purchased in bundles with assigned seating in advance to ensure groups remain separate from each other. A deep clean is carried out between events and registration and purchases are contactless and cash-free with staff wearing facemasks and appropriate PPE. Specific details for measures we have taken can be found on the booking page.

Related article: Client Protection Plan

Safety measures include assigned seating and social distancing at Millennium Point

Hire the Auditorium
Millennium Point’s 354-seat auditorium is available for private hire from as little as £500+VAT. Formerly one of the first IMAX’s in the region, this unique space features a 6.2m x 2.3m stage underneath a giant 24m x 12m sized screen, ideal for screenings, lectures, AGMs, esports tournaments, performances and much, much more! Get in touch with our team now for your no strings quote and take advantage of this unique event space in Birmingham City centre. Call 0121 202 2200 or enquire here.