A filmmaker’s guide to Birmingham

Birmingham, known for its industrial heritage and rich cultural history, is quickly becoming one of the UK’s most in-demand cities for filmmakers. It is also home to MetFilm School Birmingham, based in Rea Studios in Digbeth, placing emerging filmmakers at the heart of the city’s creative industry.

With a mix of historic architecture, modern spaces, and a diverse community, Birmingham offers a unique backdrop for any production. This guide explores why Birmingham is an excellent choice for filmmakers, covering filming locations, festivals, and industry opportunities.

Film history and industry influence

Birmingham has a longstanding connection to the UK’s media industry, particularly through productions such as Peaky Blinders, which draws heavily on the city’s history and character. The series has helped bring international attention to Birmingham’s cinematic potential.

The city has also attracted major international filmmakers, with Steven Spielberg using areas such as the Jewellery Quarter and Digbeth as dystopian backdrops for Ready Player One, showcasing Birmingham’s versatility as a modern filming location.

The city is also home to BBC Birmingham and ITV News Central, reinforcing its role as a regional hub for broadcast media. Birmingham’s cultural diversity and industrial heritage provide filmmakers with a wide range of narrative possibilities, including period pieces, urban dramas, and contemporary stories.

Key filming locations

Birmingham offers a wide variety of striking locations, including historic buildings, green spaces, and modern cityscapes, providing filmmakers with versatile settings.

• The Jewellery Quarter
  Known for its historic charm, the Jewellery Quarter features Victorian architecture, narrow streets, and period detail, making it ideal for historical settings.
• The Custard Factory
  Located in Digbeth, the Custard Factory is a major creative hub known for its industrial character, street art, and independent venues. It is widely used for contemporary urban filming.
• Aston Hall
  A Jacobean mansion set within landscaped gardens, Aston Hall provides a strong period backdrop and has been used for historical filming and photography.
• The Canals
  Birmingham’s canal network is one of the most extensive in the UK. Areas such as Gas Street Basin offer atmospheric waterside locations suited to both contemporary and period scenes.
• Victoria Square and the city centre
  The city centre blends historic and modern architecture, with Victoria Square and the Library of Birmingham offering flexible urban filming locations.

Vibrant city life 

Living in Birmingham offers filmmakers a strong balance of creative inspiration, a vibrant cultural scene, and access to growing industry opportunities. It also provides a practical base for developing projects while remaining well connected to major UK production hubs, including London. 

As the UK’s second-largest city, Birmingham is a major multicultural hub, reflected in its diverse communities, food scene, and cultural events. The city also offers a wide range of places to shop, eat, and experience nightlife, with everything from independent venues in Digbeth to major retail destinations in the city centre. Nearby in Dudley, history and film lovers can enjoy a day out at the Black Country Living Museum, home to the popular Peaky Blinders experience.

Film festivals and networking opportunities

Birmingham hosts a range of film festivals and programmes that support emerging and established filmmakers.

• Birmingham Film Festival – Showcasing international and local work across features, shorts, and documentaries.
• Flatpack Festival – A festival known for experimental work, animation, and innovative storytelling formats.
• SHOUT Festival – A LGBTQ+ programme highlighting diverse voices and underrepresented stories.
• Birmingham Indian Film Festival – a showcase of independent South Asian and British Asian cinema.

These festivals provide opportunities to connect with Birmingham’s creative community and showcase work to new audiences.

MetFilm School Birmingham

MetFilm School Birmingham is based in Rea Studios in Digbeth. As the first specialist film school in Birmingham, Rea Studios provides professional-standard facilities designed for hands-on filmmaking. The campus is shared with Performers College, encouraging collaboration between filmmakers and performers.

Student success & journey spotlight

Students from MetFilm School Birmingham recently celebrated success at the RTS Midlands Student Awards for The Goldman. Haydn Lloyd won the Craft Camera category, while Reuel McFee received the Craft Sound award.

Michael Mitchel, Head of School, commented:

“Haydn’s Craft Award for Camera and Reuel’s Craft Award for Sound are a brilliant recognition of their talent, skill and hard work. Their success also reflects the creative culture at MetFilm School Birmingham, where teaching, technical support, collaboration and belief help students to do their best work.”

These wins highlight the strength of student work from our Birmingham campus and reflect a supportive, practice-led learning environment where emerging filmmakers can develop their craft.

Read more of our Birmingham student success stories, featuring BA (Hons) Filmmaking graduate Anna Piggot-Reeves.

Interested in a film career?

Check out our courses or join us for an Open Day to take your next step.