Before Stonewall (dir: Greta Schiller, 1984, cert 15) + discussion
The riots at The Stonewall Inn in New York, that erupted in the summer of 1969 after years of police and institutionalised abuse have become synonymous with the gay liberation movement they triggered. Gays were rarely welcomed anywhere but had found a home at the Mafia owned bar in Greenwich Village, but with one NYPD raid too many a movement was energised into collective protest. Schiller’s award winning documentary explores the intransigent attitudes of a suspicious society and a brutal authority that sought to alienate a whole community. This Yellow Wednesday screening will be followed by a panel discussion. Part of LGBT History Month. Check out our guide to LGBT history month events here.
Wed 21 Feb 6.30pm at Impact Hub, 58 Oxford Street Birmingham B5 5NR £5 www.eventbrite.co.uk

Even Solomon (dir: Roger Bamford, 1979, cert n/a) + discussion
With the amount of trite instantly forgettable garbage broadcast into our homes it’s sometimes easy to forget that there was a time when less was most certainly more. For 14 years (from 1970-1984) the BBC’s Play for Today was a powerful showcase for emerging talent and ideas, Alan Clarke’s Scum and Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party first appeared there. Bamford’s Even Solomon, written by Andrew Taylor, was the first time a Trans character had been sympathetically portrayed on British screens, no Carry On smut or puerile sniggering at difference here. Stephen Piper, played with a quiet eloquence by Paul Henley, has a secret and his perceived anomie is too much for some to bear. Empowering, moving and important. Part of LGBT History Month. The screening will be followed by a discussion. Check out our guide to LGBT history month events here.
Thu 22 Feb 7.30pm at the mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH £3 macbirmingham.co.uk

Loveless (dir: Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2017, cert 15)
Winner of the 2017 Jury Prize at Cannes, Zvyagintsev’s epically morose masterpiece recalls other great European directors such as Ingmar Bergman and Bela Tarr in its forensically unflinching trawl through human misery. Ostensibly a police procedural at its core, Loveless is an existential trudge through the moral quagmire of what it means to be human. Beautifully filmed in Moscow, one can feel the very essence of that great city seeping from the screen as Zhenya (Maryana Spivak) and Boris (Aleksey Rozin), warring spouses, search for their missing son.
Fri 23 Feb to Thu 1 Mar at the mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH £9 macbirmingham.co.uk

Westworld (dir: Michael Crichton, 1973, cert 15) + introduction
The master of the scientific meltdown genre; see Jurassic Park, Coma and The Andromeda Strain, Michael Crichton never topped the Disneyland for adults thriller Westworld. Spoiled tourist’s John Blane (James Brolin) and Peter Martin (Richard Benjamin) visit the high tech theme park of Delos to indulge their every fantasy until the system malfunctions and Yul Brynner’s implacable robot gunslinger begins to hunt them down. A startlingly prescient and terrifying fable against corporate greed. The film will be introduced by Den of Geek’s Ryan Lambie.
Sun 25 Feb 2.30pm at The Electric, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY £10.50 www.theelectric.co.uk

Beautiful Thing (dir: Hettie Macdonald, 1996, cert 15) + Q&A
Adapted from Jonathan Harvey’s critically acclaimed play of the same name, Hettie MacDonald’s only directorial work is an engaging slice of life drama exploring the lives of two boys growing up on a London council estate and becoming aware of their sexuality and mutual attraction. The post Thatcher nineties landscape of social neglect, intolerance and hysteria is poignantly realised, with the film’s depiction of the experience of ‘coming out’ as pertinent as ever. The screening is in collaboration with Shout Festival and will be followed by a Q&A with Jonathan Harvey. Part of LGBT History Month. Check out our guide to LGBT history month events here.
Sun 25 Feb 4pm at The Electric, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY £10.50 www.theelectric.co.uk

Grave of the Fireflies (dir: Isao Takahata, 1988, cert 12A)
One of the best entries in the formidable canon of Studio Ghibli, Grave of the Fireflies is so heartbreaking as to make us weep even after several viewings. The autobiographical tale, from Akiyuki Nosaka’s short story, of two children trying to survive in a devastated Japan as the the Second World War nears its end, is told with an emotional depth rarely encountered in live action films, let alone animation. Amidst the tragedy there are still comic flourishes to be enjoyed and the wide eyed innocence of youth is beautifully realised. Not only a stunning animated work but surely one of the greatest movies ever made, period.
Sun 25 Feb 8.30pm at The Mockingbird, Custard Factory, Gibb St, Birmingham B9 4AA £5 veezi.com