MUBI, the global distributor, streaming service and production company, has announced a brand new international film festival, which will take place in Manchester this summer. Created for avid cinephiles and the culturally curious, MUBI FEST Manchester will be a celebration of every aspect of great cinema and film culture.
After successful festivals in São Paulo, Istanbul, Santiago, Bogota, Buenos Aires, and Mexico City, MUBI FEST will take place for the very first time in the UK at Manchester’s Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 July 2024. The festival features a hand-picked selection of feature films and shorts to watch in innovative screening spaces, alongside stage talks, Q&As, workshops, installations and DJs throughout Aviva Studios.
MUBI FEST Manchester is the first in the 2024 worldwide programme, with MUBI FEST events to follow in Mexico City (July 12-14), São Paulo (July 26-28), Chicago (August 17-18), Bogotá (September 6-8), Buenos Aires (September 12-15), Santiago (October 3-6), Istanbul (November 7-10) and Milan (December 13-15).
Tsari Paxton, MUBI Director of Marketing for UK & Ireland, said: “MUBI has always been about building community around our shared love of cinema and MUBI FEST is our way of celebrating the creativity and culture that comes with filmmaking. We’re excited to bring MUBI FEST to the UK for the first time alongside eight other cities around the world this year.”
The full programme for MUBI FEST Manchester has been announced with highlights including Crossing, Levan Akin’s follow-up to his 2020 coming-out drama And Then We Danced, roadtrip drama Gasoline Rainbow from Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets co-directors Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross, and an exclusive advance preview of Manchester-born filmmaker Naqqash Khalid’s British drama In Camera. All of which are followed by Q&As with the writers and directors of the films.
Free access activities at MUBI FEST Manchester
In addition to the headline screenings, there will be plenty of free activities and experiences taking place throughout Aviva Studios.
Films
- Drop in to the MUBI Screen – a purpose-built cinema nestled under the belly of Aviva Studios where you can immerse yourself in a series of exceptional short and feature length films all weekend.
- In the MUBI Screen, they’ll be showing shorts from visionary directors, such as Sofia Coppola, Yorgos Lanthimos and Hayao Miyazaki, up-and-coming British director Luna Carmoon (Hoard), as well as Yann Demange’s Dammi starring Riz Ahmed.
- The festival will also host screenings of renowned musical artist Skepta’s directorial debut, the short film Tribal Mark. Co-directed by Skepta and Dwight Okechukwu, the short follows Mark (Jude Carmichael), a teenage Nigerian immigrant who is adapting to life in London and how he is introduced to the world of the undercover Black Secret Service.
- After a full day of exceptional short films, the MUBI Screen programme will close out with a 10pm showing of Sean Baker’s critically acclaimed comedy-drama from 2015 Tangerine.
Music
- Setting the festival soundtrack, expect music from some of the most exciting DJs from the UK’s music capital Manchester, and beyond.
- On Friday’s opening night, local queer-run music collective High Hoops present an evening of iconic DJs, featuring Istanbul-born Toby Kind and High Hoops co-founder Fastlove will see out the night with signature high-octane house and synth.
- On Saturday, look forward to energising performances from rising talent Chandé, expert party starter Bollibubbles, and an unmissable closing set of electronic soul, by one of the UK’s most exciting talents, Tarzsa.
Talks
- Expect the much-loved Dazed x MUBI Cinema Club at MUBI FEST Manchester
- Join MUBI FEST from 11am on Saturday for a packed line up of unmissable talks including Life in the Creative Industries, a Director Roundtable on Casting, and a Behind the Scenes with Film Industry Professionals, with exclusive access to some of the most in-demand creatives working today.
Art
- Once your creative juices are flowing, stop by the Art Table and make some fun and creative pieces of art with film at its core. There’s something for everyone with origami and press printing drop-in workshops running across the weekend.
- Visit the special MUBI Poster Installation that takes you through MUBI’s history and eye for design, with posters from previous releases, retrospectives and specials on display.
Additionally, the festival will have plenty of delicious food and drink on offer, including Most Wanted for drinks, Manchester’s Pasta Factory for fresh Italian fare, and the Aviva Studios offering by Super Serve, which includes tacos, pizzas, breakfast burritos, small plates, as well as a bar truck and £6.50 MUBI FEST cocktails all weekend; with more food and drinks partners to be announced.
Entrance to MUBI FEST at Aviva Studios is free, including all talks, workshops, and DJ sets. Tickets for film screenings in the Hall at Aviva Studios are available to book in advance for £8 per person and will go on sale from 12pm on June 6 here.