Events & Festivals | Blueprint: Film Foundation

Flix in the Stix

Flix in the Stix is a touring cinema that hosts a monthly screening in seven villages across Lincolnshire, providing a varied and interesting selection of films including recent releases, award-winners and classic titles. Films are screened by a technician on brand-new state-of-the-art equipment, transforming local halls into cinemas for one evening a month.

Food and drink is made available at the screenings, with proceeds going to support the local communities. Tickets are priced at only £4, with £2 of all proceeds being donated to the village hall committees for use within the hall and local community.

Through Flix In The Stix, Blueprint: Film Foundation aims to provide a low-cost activity for communities in and around Lincolnshire without the hassle of traveling further afield into surrounding towns and cities and to provide this exciting event for people unable to travel.

The first year of this project was funded in part by the British Film Institute’s ‘Neighbourhood Cinema’ initiative, and the ‘Awards For All’ Big Lottery Fund.

To find out more, head over to the Flix in the Stix website.

Japan Festival

Over the last 5 years we have run an annual festival celebrating the rich and varied culture of Japan. By collaborating with a variety of talented people from across the globe, we've hosted a wide range of low-cost cultural events in the city.

Since expanding the festival in 2015, we've been engaging up to 1,000 people in activities and performances in Lincoln. The festival introduced the beautiful culture of Japan as well as encouraging the celebration and acceptance of different cultures. Throughout the festival week we had a wide variety of events that allowed for everyone to find something they would enjoy, including film screenings with expert talks, Japanese craft workshops, martial arts classes, free live music, art exhibitions and lots more.

Our workshops almost always sell out, well before the start of the festival, including sessions in origami craft, calligraphy and sushi making as well as our traditional tea ceremony. There were also a variety of other highly popular free events, including the city’s third PechaKucha and a Nintendo Gaming Event, which attracted over 200 people.

Through the High Sheriff's Fund Blueprint: Film Foundation were also able to train and utilise a small selection of volunteers for a variety of roles during Japan Festival 2015. During the festival, volunteers gained vital experience within their chosen roles, which included hosting at an arts exhibition, managing tournaments at a video game event, front of house staffing at various events and documenting the festival.

In the future we hope to continue the growth of Japan Festival in Lincoln, allowing it to expand and reach its full potential over the coming years.

Head over to the Japan Festival website to find out more.

Below is a short video summary of the 2017 festival:

Goole Bonfire

Every year Blueprint: Film work alongside Shooting Fish theatre company to devise a unique arts show to accompany Goole's extravagant fireworks display, attendance for the event is upwards of 10,000 people. For 2015, we created a radio play to be accompanied by shadow puppet theatre and performances from young people local to the area. Our play takes the audience back in time to 1926, when Goole celebrated its centenary and allows the audience to experience the sounds of West Park's famous Pageant.

The Goole Bonfire project is one that allows us to work with some fantastic people and unleash our creativity. In previous years we have used our skills to create not only audio dramas, but short films and animation. Each year we work to a new creative brief that carries a different theme, so far we have created exciting work around The Three Little Pigs, The Tempest, WW1 and The BFG.

Magna Carta – Radiating Signals

2015 marks the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta. The founding document of our modern day democratic society.

There are only 4 remaining original documents, one of which is housed in Lincoln Castle. Lincoln has therefore been thrust into the limelight as part of the celebrations throughout 2015, and as such we’ve become heavily involved with the production of some exciting digital and creative content to help celebrate and educate the importance of the Magna Carta within Lincolnshire.

Blueprint: Film Foundation have been facilitating the ‘Radiating Signals’ project funded by Lincolnshire County Council and Lincolnshire Co-op.

The project involves 2 artists working with 10 communities across Lincolnshire on the creation of 20 flags that will be displayed on the walls of Lincoln castle throughout the official celebration event in June.

As part of the process, Blueprint: Film Foundation’s Chris Searson travelled to 5 communities in Lincolnshire to deliver creative workshops to Lincolnshire ‘Community Champions’. The workshops gave some background to the Magna Carta itself and then a facilitated discussion surrounding the themes of democracy, human rights, freedom and justice. Following this discussion the group started to talk about what made places, people and items represented their community and linked with some of the themes of Magna Carta.

With the help of Chris the groups created 2-4 rough designs for a banner, which will then be interpreted into the final designs for the flags.

At the end of the Magna Carta celebrations, the banners will return to the communities they were conceived in to stand as a lasting legacy of the project.

Edith’s War

November 5, 2014 marked Blueprint’s 4th collaboration with Shooting Fish Theatre Company for Goole’s Bonfire Night. The theme of the year’s performance marked the First World War Centenary.

For the first time, Goole Town Council implemented a ticketing system for the event with no-on-the-door sales; worried this may deter some, we were ecstatic that 7,000 bonfire-enthusiasts were present.

For the event, we produced Edith’s War, an 11 minute film which chronicles a young couple’s hardship throughout the conflict, we fused filmed shadow performances with beautiful black and white illustrations from Laura Barrett, which were then partly animated.

In addition, we created an audio drama that incorporated vocal performances from children from local schools telling the story of two present day youngsters transported back in time to the destruction of Goole by zeppelins during the war.