Manchester Film Festival is a truly independent film festival, one that champions cinema from around the globe and doesn’t put barriers on the films it screens. The organisation is proud of its honest and transparent roots and is committed to screening the best stories from around the world, right in the heart of one of the UK’s most vibrant cities.

All films will be screened in a cinema with full surround sound and crystal-clear visuals and all attending filmmakers are invited to take part in post-screening Q&A’s, red carpet interviews and nightly after parties. Meeting and networking with other film creatives and industry professionals in a relaxed atmosphere is a key aspect of the festival but so is connecting with audiences and film enthusiasts.

MANIFF has developed a reputation amongst the independent film community as an exciting place to showcase their work, an event that brings filmmakers together for a weeklong celebration of independent cinema.

The sixth edition of MANIFF took place at the Odeon Cinema, Great Northern Warehouse from the 7-15th March 2020 and screened over 170 films across the week. 2020 was the second year in a row that the festival ran for over a week, testament the growth and development of the event over the previous years.

With industry representation from Altitude, Curzon and One Bright Dot, the festival continued to develop its ties with key industry professionals and the 2021 event will see this grow even further.

Alongside the films MANIFF2020 hosted a selection of industry panels at Manchester’s newest cultural hub, Cultureplex, these panels were designed to offer advice to independent filmmakers about a range of subjects and included: From Dream to Funding, Screenwriting, Creating Original Content with Brand Partners, Sales and Marketing for Independent Film and Planning for Post. MANIFF2021 will once again deliver panels that filmmakers will find insightful and useful to their careers.

MANIFF2021 will again be a weeklong and see industry panels, nightly after parties, daily film screenings in a multiplex cinema, red carpet interviews, Q&A’s and overall good times.

MANIFF understands the current situation is scary and uncertain but we hope that by March 2021 some normalcy will have resumed and we plan on putting on an event that everyone involved will remember - one that is a real celebration of cinema and filmmakers.

Film of the festival
Best Feature
Best UK Short
Best Director
Best Screenplay
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Cinematography
Best Edit
Best Documentary Short
Best Documentary Feature
Best Music Video
Best Student Film
Best Score
Staff Pick
Best Animation
Un-commissioned Screenplay Competition

Films must have been completed after January 1st 2022
Films must be a Greater Manchester Premiere
Films must not be available online