The industry’s gaze pivoted from London to Manchester in March for a distinctly northern-accented film festival celebrating filmmaking talent from this creative region and beyond.

If Old Trafford is the Theatre of Dreams, you don’t have to look far to find the Cinema of Dreams, if Manchester International Film Festival (MANIFF) is anything to go by. Hidden in the bowels of the Great Northern Warehouse, past the squeals of a neon roller disco and the alarming bangs coming from an axe-throwing centre, is one of the UK’s largest cinemas – and the perfect venue for the city’s premier celebration of all things screen-related.

This year’s festival, held from 10-19 March, saw a record-breaking attendance of 6,000 public admissions over a busy week of screenings and events. MANIFF hosted six feature film world premieres and 17 feature film UK premieres, along with over 140 short films (including 32 world premieres) and a selection of documentaries. The majority of the films are from the UK, including the festival’s vivacious opener, Rye Lane (in its UK festival premiere).

The ultimate palate cleanser to the Richard Curtis romcom era, Rye Lane is a creative, colourful ode to South London starring likeable leads David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah, from debut feature director Raine Allen-Miller and shot by Olan Collardy. In a fun post-screening Q&A, Allen-Miller, Oparah and screenwriters Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia fielded questions on bringing South London in all its glory to the big screen. The audience was also treated to a hilarious blooper from a certain toilet scene (you can use your imagination…).  

Other feature highlights included the Robbie Ryan BSC ISC-shot Medusa Deluxe, a murder mystery set at a competitive hairdressing competition; Chevalier, a biographical drama based on the fascinating true story of composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, lensed by Jess Hall BSC ASC; and the 19^th-century-set, Maria von Hausswolff-shot Scandi drama Godland.

MANIFF’s shorts programme is exemplary, with some 15 shorts sessions taking over the cinema over the festival run. As well as a plethora of narrative shorts, there are screenings dedicated to North-West England-made films, animated works, documentaries and student projects. Cinematographic highlights for your reporter included The Red Suitcase, directed by Cyrus Neshvad and shot by Nikos Welter. The film follows a veiled Iranian girl on a suspense-filled passage through Luxembourg Airport, told through carefully crafted visuals.

For the filmmakers who descended on the UK’s second city from around the world, the filmmakers summit on the Thursday and Friday of the festival offered both useful networking opportunities, a chance to boost their skillset and to hear about some of the issues facing the industry. The latter featured in the nuanced ‘Making Filmmaking Accessible’ panel, hosted by festival director Neil Jerram-Croft and featuring Sam Oldknow (producer – A Perfect Balance of Absolute Chaos) and Carl Woods (director-editor – A Perfect Balance of Absolute Chaos).

Oldknow, who is also a disability consultant and sits on the BFI Disability and Visible Difference Representation Panel, noted the importance of balanced on-screen representation of disabled people and avoiding “inspiration porn”. “If you have too many shots like that, it can feed straight into the ‘super-crip’ narrative,” he said. “But if you have shots that balance that out and show a different side to the character, […] you end up with a lot more of a dynamic, fulfilling storyline.” Oldknow recommended filmmakers engage with talent on DANC (the Disabled Artists Networking Community), a northern-based charity aimed at connecting “disabled artists working in the arts (across all career levels) to decision makers and gatekeepers). Other panels included ‘Marketing and Selling Your Film’, ‘Screenwriting’ and ‘From Short to Feature’.

The week was rounded off by the festival’s annual award ceremony. While Berlin has its ‘bears’, Manchester has its ‘bees’, and the festival’s best feature and short were rewarded with Golden Bees. The Golden Bee (Feature) went to A Kind of Kidnapping (dir. Dan Clark, cin. Ben Saffer), while Blood Rites (dir. Helena Coan, cin. Simona Susnea) won the equivalent short prize. The cinematography honours went to short Maggie (dir. James Kennedy, cin. James Oldham) and feature Snorkeling (dir. Emil Nava). Don’t miss the full list of winners below.

MANIFF has been fully based at the Great Northern Odeon since 2017 and in 2024, the BIFA-qualifying festival will mark its 10^th birthday. However, it’s likely the behemothic venue won’t be partaking in the festivities, as a £300m redevelopment of the Grade II-listed warehouse will see the cinema replaced with three enormous apartment blocks. It’s a blow to Manchester’s film heritage, but hopefully MANIFF will find a remarkable new venue to carry its cinematic torch. If this year’s festival’s popularity is anything to go by, it’s going to need a lot of space!

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FULL LIST OF WINNERS

The Golden Bee (Feature) – A Kind of Kidnapping

The Golden Bee (Short) – Blood Rites

Special Jury Prize (Feature) – Medusa Deluxe

Special Jury Prize (Short) – Burn it All

Best UK Feature – Love Without Walls

Best International Feature – Anacoreta

Best Documentary Feature – The Road of Excess

Best Director (Feature) – Keith Farrell (Wait for Me)

Best Director (Short) – Ethan Thomas Race (Bitter Taste)

Best UK Short – Hello, Muscles

Best International Short – Tidal

Best Documentary Short – Brotherness

Staff Pick – Monico Perseus

Audience Award (Feature) – Bolan’s Shoes

Audience Award Short – Hope You Fail

Best Actress (Feature) – Kelly Wenham (A Kind of Kidnapping)

Best Actress (Short) – Kelsey Cooke (Little Fantasies)

Best Actor (Feature) – Tom Pelphrey (Jill – Life Will Find You)

Best Actor (Short) – Ralph Ineson (Waving)

North West Short – Smoking Dolphins

Best Screenplay (Feature) – A Kind of Kidnapping

Best Screenplay (Short) – Rhyme of Die

Best Cinematography (Feature) – Snorkeling

Best Cinematography (Short) – Maggie

Best Animated Short – Laika & Nemo

Best Student Film – Subs

Best Experimental Short – Steeplechase

Best Music Video – Elo Kay – “Kevin’s Gold”