The first screening of Mike Leigh’s Peterloo will take place at Home in Manchester.
The screening represents the first time the BFI London Film Festival has premiered a film outside of the capital, offering audiences in Manchester and nationwide the opportunity to preview a major release with Manchester’s history at its forefront.
Written and directed by Mike Leigh, Peterloo is the portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter’s Field in Manchester turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history.
The massacre saw British government forces charge into a crowd of more 60,000 people who had gathered to demand political reform and protest against rising levels of poverty. Many protestors were killed and hundreds more injured, sparking a nationwide outcry but also further government suppression. The Peterloo Massacre was a defining moment in British democracy.
Mike Leigh, director of Peterloo, said:
“It’s always an honour to be included in the glorious London Film Festival, but how inspired and generous of the Festival to screen Peterloo in Manchester, where it all happened! I’m truly delighted!”
Tricia Tuttle, BFI London Film Festival Artistic Director, said:
“In Peterloo, Mike Leigh and his talented cast and crew have delivered a rousing, powerful film of immense scale and ambition. The Festival is thrilled to partner with Entertainment One to host this from the beautiful cinemas at HOME in the heart of Manchester where the film is set, and to take the premiere out to audiences UK-wide through the simulcast.”
The screening will take place on October 17 and will be followed by a Q and A with director Mike Leigh and members of the cast, which will be simulcast to cinemas around the UK.
Peterloo will be released in cinemas across the UK on November 2.