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Five of the Best Movies From BFI London Film Festival at Broadway

The BFI London Film Festival came to Nottingham this month, as special screenings from the event were beamed onto screens at Broadway Cinema. We pick five of the LFF films you should keep your eye on...

8 Rebels From Around the World Who Channelled Their Inner Robin Hood

Whether he was a real man or not, the figure of Robin Hood inspired countless acts of rebellion against injustice all over the world. So much so, in fact, that the name Robin Hood became a moniker for those who mirrored many of the legend’s tropes: robbing from the rich to give to the poor, standing up against tyranny or being a talismanic hero in the face of adversity. While the list of latter day Hoods is endless, we’ve rounded eight of the best stories of Robin Hoods from around the world…

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves at 30: Editor Peter Boyle On Clashes, Costner and Walking Away from the Project

A $50 million budget, Hollywood’s biggest star, England’s most famous legend, an Oscar nomination, a BAFTA win, a song that became one of the best-selling singles of all time, that performance from Alan Rickman and a box office take of almost $400 million. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves left a huge impact on the legacy of Nottingham’s folk hero and, to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of its release, we caught up with some of the people responsible for bringing it to life, including editor Peter Boyle...

Nottingham Poetry Festival's Creative Director Anne Holloway on Her Career Highlights and What You Can Expect from This Year's Festival

As Creative Director for Nottingham Poetry Festival, founding editor of Big White Shed and a former member of Mouthy Poets, Anne Holloway has just about seen and done it all on the Notts poetry scene. She talked to Bridie Squires about her work, career and what to expect from the upcoming festival...

#LetsGoNottingham: New Campaign from It’s In Nottingham Aims to get People Back Spending in the City

#LetsGoNottingham, the new campaign from It’s In Nottingham, sets out a digital campaign to get the people back spending in shops, restaurants, bars, and independent businesses after COVID...

Young Creative Awards 2021: Writer Andrew Tucker on Creativity and Why You Should Enter This Years' Competition

Writer and 2019 winner Andrew Tucker talks to previous winners of Nottingham’s Young Creative Awards about their creative process and how your life can change by entering this year’s competition… 

LeftLion Receives Vital Funding From Government Culture Recovery Fund

We have received a grant from the second round of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help our organisation recover and continue.

Metronome Have Expanded Their Virtual Line Up with Three Events from Nottingham Poetry Festival featuring Henry Normal

Following the success of the virtual festival and a string of gigs at the latter end of 2020, the venue announced further big names for their Metronome Sessions… 

Deep Fakes From Nottingham History

Ever wondered what it would be like to see video of historical figures who existed before video cameras? We've deep faked some figures from Nottingham history so you need wonder no more...

Nottingham-Born Actor Tom Blyth on His Journey from the TV Workshop to HBO’s The Gilded Age

We talk to Nottingham-born, New York-based actor Tom Blyth about his journey from the TV Workshop to The Juilliard School, working with Terence Davies on Benediction, and his upcoming HBO series The Gilded Age...

(Not) Driving Home for Christmas: Nottingham's Expats On Their First Christmas Away from Loved Ones

The never-ending merry-go-round of Government lockdowns, tiers and regulation changes mean that, for many of us, it’s beginning to look like Christmas 2020 will be very different. Continuing travel restrictions and limits on the numbers of people who can gather have ensured that, for some Notts residents, Christmas will be spent away from their loved ones for the very first time…

Shop Local This Christmas: 24 Gifts You Can Buy From Nottingham Independents

Christmas is going to be an odd one this year – you may not be able to see friends or family, and going around the shops won't be quite like normal. Our local sellers have had an odd time this year too, and need us to help them now more than ever...

Enter the Nottingham Poetry Hunt and Win Goodies from Rough Trade, Five Leaves Bookshop, Metronome and More...

Like a beacon of light in a seemingly endless sea of darkness, Nottingham Poetry Festival is back with (at time of printing) a nine-day programme of online events, performances and workshops. As part of this year’s festival, you can bag yourself some goodies by taking part in a poetry hunt around the city. 

Simply use the clues to work out these Nottingham venues – there’s treasure in poetic form waiting to be dug up in their windows, websites and social media pages.

Street Art or Graffiti? Why Banksy's Notts Visit Shouldn't Distract from the City's Own Artists

Alex Kuster looks at the recent media circus surrounding Banksy's visit to Notts, and why local street artists aren't treated with the same level of respect...

Nottingham BID Secure New 5-Year Term

The Nottingham Business Improvement District (BID) has been successful in securing the votes required for a new five year term from 2021 to 2025, having received the overwhelming backing of businesses in Nottingham.

Comedian Sara Pascoe on Her Move From Actress to Comedy and Singing For Robbie William's Dad

Stand-up comedian, actor, presenter, author, podcast host. There aren’t many things in the world of entertainment that Sara Pascoe can’t do. Ahead of her return to Nottingham to play Just the Tonic this month, we caught up with the popular comic to talk lockdown, her two new TV projects and being a backing singer for Robbie Williams’ dad…

I'm Not From London Are Celebrating Their Fifteenth Birthday

Whether lockdown is coming to an end, or there’s still some way to go, time continues unrelenting. So as the legendary Nottingham record label, promoter and publisher I’m Not From London reaches its impressive 15th birthday, it continues to look ahead with a series of exciting projects, including the current Be Scene and Heard, a Youth Music project aimed at helping partial to fully deaf 18-25 year-olds get experience in the music industry. With one eye looking back over fifteen years of shaping Nottingham’s musical landscape, and one firmly placed on the future, we caught up with Managing Director Will Robinson to discuss the importance of I’m Not From London...

Notes From a Mental Health Nurse: The New Normal

Our resident mental health nurse returns with advice on how to cope with life post-lockdown...

Nottingham's Rock Cemetery is Filled with Mass Graves From the Spanish Flu

If you didn’t catch her article in our June issue, (Little Miss Lockdown, #126) Jagoda Brown-Polanowska explained what lockdown life was like through the eyes of an eleven-year-old girl in Nottingham. Having recently turned twelve, Jagoda has continued to explore her local surroundings, making some interesting and timely discoveries at Rock Cemetery in the process…

From Sneinton to Xingu: Notts Musician Nathaniel Mann and his experiences with Brazil's Wauja Indigenous Community

When Sneinton-based musician and radio broadcaster Nathaniel Mann responded to a 2018 British Council + PRSF opportunity for a musical residency with the Wauja Indigenous Community in Xingu, Mato Grosso, Brazil, he had no idea how much his life was about to change. Two years later, he collaborated with the Wauja’s principal Akari Waura, assisted with the recording and preservation of his traditional songs and produced a BBC Radio 4 documentary about their work together. Now, as the community faces the threat of COVID-19, he’s working with the Wauja to help raise awareness and funds to ensure the long-term protection of a people whose descendants have lived in the Xingu territory for over a thousand years…

Leading From the Back: The Backlit Artists Creating Exciting Projects

From its three-story base in the heart of Sneinton, BACKLIT is home to more than eighty studio artists, spanning a diverse range of practices, including fine art, contemporary craft and creative businesses. The independent, artist-led gallery has provided affordable studio spaces for artists, graduates and emerging local talent for almost twelve years. With the studio currently still closed to the public, we took a look around to find out more about some of their exciting artists, including what they’ve been up to during lockdown...

How Are Nottingham's Independents Bouncing Back from Lockdown?

It’s impossible to underestimate the devastating impact COVID-19 and the ensuing lockdown has had on independent businesses. The boutiques, breweries and bars that form the lifeblood of our community were forced to shut their doors four months ago, with many never to open again. But with some semblance of normality returning to the high street, we decided it was time for a catch up with some of Notts’ independents to find out how they’ve coped during lockdown, and the steps they’ve taken to re-open safely…

Streaming from a Distance: George Gretton Interview

The local musician has been busy in his bedroom studio finishing his latest EP, soon to be released to the world. When Alanah Kholsa caught up with George, ‘streaming’ was the order of the day, as she learned about his virtual gigs and his latest single, Slipstream.

From Slums to Skate Parks to Shopping: The History of the Broadmarsh

From slums and skate parks, to shopping centres and abandoned residential plans, the intu Broadmarsh Centre has long proved to be a problematic piece of architecture in Nottingham’s cityscape. Plans have come and gone, ownership has changed hands, and promises have been made. As work on the latest development plans by current owners intu grind to a halt, Dan O’Neill explores the turbulent history of the Lister Gate location...

5 Nottinghamshire Artists You Can Support from Home

Back in mid-March, before our lives took an unexpected turn, Nottingham Contemporary hosted a fair celebrating all things print. It was my last cultural day out, and with a variety of workshops and some thirty stalls to browse, it did not disappoint. The fair introduced me to many talented makers based here in Nottingham, and now, without galleries to visit, it’s a great time to bring art into the home, while supporting Nottingham’s creative community.

Here are a few of the featured artists, whose works are available for purchase…