‘Rugby – A Midlands Story’ is a short documentary film charting the heritage of the sport in the region that invented it. The film premiered at the official Rugby World Cup Fan Zone in Birmingham on the 26th September 2015, click here to see. rugby midlands
The film celebrates the history and sport of rugby and will also act as a legacy document for rugby in the Midlands region both in the present day and looking ahead at the future – post RWC 2015.
The 15 minute film features Rugby School, Moseley Rugby Club, Webb Ellis Rugby Football Museum and official Rugby World Cup host venue Aston Villa FC. It features rarely seen moving image archive of several England internationals from yesteryear, courtesy of ITV Sport and Media Archive for Central England (MACE).
The film is screened at:
- Exhibition at Rugby Art Gallery & Museum
- RWC 2015 Fan Zone in the ‘Rugby Village’
- RWC 2015 Fan Zone in Birmingham City Centre
- Aston Villa TV (AVTV) – Saturday 10th October
- Moseley Rugby Club – Friday 16th October
During the premiere weekend the film was shown 5 times on a 100 sq/ft big screen viewed by over 7000 Rugby fans from around the world. A shorter version of the film ‘Rugby – The Origins’ screened during the opening ceremony of the World Cup at the birthplace of the game. It was screened 4 times a day to visiting school children at the ‘Rugby Village’. The feature documentary was installed as a part of the ‘Rugby Football in Rugby Borough’ exhibition in the Rugby Art Gallery and Museum which received over 11,000 visitors.
If you would like to arrange a screening at your event please contact us!
Endorsements
“It is great that Iconic Productions have been able to capture rugby’s connections to Birmingham and the Midlands so well. There is a lot of rugby heritage to be proud of in this region and this film helps to pass on that message and keep the rugby spirit alive after the region’s involvement in the Rugby World Cup 2015.”
Katie Bentley, Visitor Economy Marketing Manager – Visit Birmingham
“We were particularly pleased in how Iconic Productions managed to capture the ethos and spirit of the club and the people who are part of it. It was a pleasure to work with the team on the project as they were clearly as passionate about it as we are about rugby in Birmingham.”
Glyn Barlow, Moseley Rugby Club
“You have superbly captured the essence of the game and weaved into it an excellent overview of the places involved. I’d like to show aspects to visitors to the Museum once we get a screen in place.”
Paul Jackson, Curator – The Webb Ellis Rugby Football Museum
‘The film has been so popular it has been used during other events at the Fanzone including the opening ceremony, press days, talks and half term activities. I would like to thank Iconic Productions for their professional approach and producing a significant part of our programme which has been exceptionally successful.’
Jessica Hartshorn, Learning and Outreach Officer – Rugby Art Gallery and Museum
Other Comments
‘It’s lovely, very heart warming!’
“What went down particularity well is the explanation of where the term ‘try’ comes from!’
‘It’s great, really inspiring.’
Our Partners
UPDATE:
Director Sam Lockyer talks about his film ‘Rugby: A Midlands Story’ with Bob Hall on Big Centre TV. Short clips from the film are also featured. This interview coincided with the Rugby 7’s tournament taking place at the Rio Olympics. It aired on Freeview Channel 7 / Virgin 159 / bigcentre.tv on 11th August 2016.
UPDATE:
We have some exciting news…! Our film ‘Rugby: A Midlands Story’ has been nominated in the Best Factual Programme category for the 2016 Royal Television Society Midlands Awards. The winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony on 3rd November at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull.
The film will be judged alongside some household names at the awards night including programmes commissioned for the BBC and Channel 4. However just to be nominated for such a prestigious award is brilliant news for us! 🙂 Its also further great exposure for Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club, Aston Villa FC and the fascinating heritage of their respective clubs – not to mention the wider contribution of the Midlands region to rugby and the origins of the sport which is of course treasured across the world.
We are very proud of the film and have been absolutely delighted with the positive reception that it has received.
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