Manchester Film Festival
| Location | Manchester, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 |
| Website | manchesterfilmfestival |
The Manchester Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Manchester, United Kingdom.[1] Established in 2015, the festival celebrates independent cinema by showcasing both established and emerging filmmakers from around the world.[2]
The festival is BAFTA-qualifying for British short films.[3]
History
The festival was founded in 2015 by Neil Jeram-Croft, who also serves as festival director.[4]
Notable guests have included Simon Pegg,[5] Jonathan Rhys Meyers,[6] Shia LaBeouf,[7] Richard Armitage,[8] Katharine O'Brien,[9] Penn Badgley,[10] and Mark Gatiss,[11] among others.
In 2024, Screen International included the festival on its list of the "UK film festivals you need to know".[12]
Awards
Films in the official selection compete for awards in the following categories:[13]
- Golden Bee - Feature
- Golden Bee - Short
- Special Jury Prize - Feature
- Special Jury Prize - Short
- Best UK Feature
- Best Documentary Feature
- Best International Feature
- Best UK Short
- Best International Short
- Best North West Short
- Best Student Film
- Best Documentary Short
- Best Animation
- Best Experimental
- Best Music Video
- Best Director - Feature
- Best Director - Short
- Best Actor - Feature
- Best Actor - Short
- Best Actress - Feature
- Best Actress - Short
- Best Cinematography - Feature
- Best Cinematography - Short
- Audience Award - Feature
- Audience Award - Short
Winners
Golden Bee for Best Feature Film
| Year | Film | Director | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Aontas | Damian McCann | [14] |
| 2024 | La Chimera | Alice Rohrwacher | [8] |
| 2023 | A Kind of Kidnapping | Dan Clark | [15] |
| 2022 | The Road Dance | Richie Adams | [16] |
References
- ^ "British Council Film: Manchester Film Festival". British Council. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
- ^ Horsburgh, Lynette (2025-03-14). "Manchester Film Festival: Everything you need to know". BBC News. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
- ^ "BAFTA Qualifying Festivals List – British Short Film" (PDF). BAFTA.
- ^ "Manchester Film Festival expands industry offering for 10th edition". Screen. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
- ^ Pellant, Georgina (2020-03-06). "Simon Pegg is coming to Manchester International Film Festival this weekend". I Love Manchester. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
- ^ "Jonathan Rhys Meyers Q&A, Shia LaBeouf workshop and ten must see films at Manchester Film Festival in March". VIVA Lifestyle Magazine. 2018-02-15. Archived from the original on 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
- ^ Pankhurst, Steven (2018-01-25). "LaBeouf, Rönkkö & Turner are confirmed as special guests at the Manchester Film Festival". Manchester’s Finest. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
- ^ a b Williams, Tom (2024-03-26). "Manchester Film Festival 2024 award winners announced". British Cinematographer. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
- ^ "New Simon Pegg Film at MANIFF 2020". The Journalix. 2020-03-04. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
- ^ "Penn Badgley to attend Manchester Film Festival". Live Manchester. 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
- ^ Fedeczko, Sofia (2022-03-11). "Manchester Film Festival to "champion" region's talent". Mancunian Matters. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
- ^ Calnan, Ellie. "The UK film festivals you need to know: 2024 dates, submission and contact details". Screen. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
- ^ "Manchester Film Festival". FilmFreeway. 2025-01-13. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
- ^ Williams, Tom (2025-03-24). "Manchester Film Festival announces award winners". British Cinematographer. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
- ^ "Check out the winners from the 2023 Manchester Film Festival". Live For Film. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
- ^ Edgar, Thomas Taylor (2024-06-20). "' Road Dance' movie set for US release". We Love Stornoway. Retrieved 2025-04-11.