Cinema in Manchester and the North

Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor

Two of the year’s first film festival’s have announced their line ups and we couldn’t be more excited. First up Manchester Film Festival marks it’s tenth anniversary with a selection of top films from around the world. Opening with Guy Pearce in The Convert and closing with Kristen Stewart in Love Lies Bleeding, there’s plenty to enjoy in between.

You might also want to grab your passes for GASP! Horror Film Festival which returns to CULTPLEX later this year with a diverse, inclusive selection of genre movies from underrepresented voices.

While on a smaller scale long-time Creative Tourist favourites Make A Scene are back with their first interactive film screening of the year — get ready for dancing, drag queens and three of the world’s finest divas as they present camp cult classic The First Wives Club.

At HOME, there’s still time to catch The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme. Or at The Stoller Hall, contemporary orchestra Mystery Ensemble return with their live take on Howard Shore’s award-winning scores for The Lord of the Rings.

Our top picks

Dune: Part Two at HOME

Dune: Part Two at HOME Manchester, Manchester, Until 22 March 2024, from £7.95 - Book now

One of the most-anticipated movies of the year. Timothy Chalamet, Zendaya and Rebecca Ferguson are joined by Austin Butler and Florence Pugh as Denis Villeneuve returns to the deadly desert planet of Arrakis.

Dune Part two
Warner Bros.

The Music of The Lord of the Rings by Mystery Ensemble at The Stoller Hall

The Music of The Lord of the Rings by Mystery Ensemble at The Stoller Hall, Manchester, 28 March 2024, from £27.00 - Book now

Mystery Ensemble perform Howard Shore’s score to Peter Jackson’s epic. Goosebumps guaranteed at The Stoller Hall this March.

An illustration of a dragon. Text reads; The Music of The Lord of the Rings
Red Events UK

Manchester Film Festival 2024 at Odeon Great Northern

Manchester Film Festival 2024 at Odeon Great Northern, Manchester, Until 24 March 2024, from £8.00 - Book now

The tenth edition of Manchester Film Festival is a cracker. Featuring top Hollywood stars and world class directors, we pick out some highlights.

Love Lies Bleeding - Manchester Film Festival
Love Lies Bleeding - Manchester Film Festival

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus – Hyde Park Picture House x Brudenell Piano Sessions

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus - Hyde Park Picture House x Brudenell Piano Sessions at Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds, 28 March 2024, from £7.50 - Book now

In late 2022 the great pianist and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto gave the world one final performance, captured by his son in this moving concert film.

Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto sits at his grand piano whilst performing in the new concert film 'Opus'
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

Make A Scene’s Interactive The First Wives Club at Feel Good Club

Make A Scene's Interactive The First Wives Club film screening at Feel Good Club, Manchester, 19 April 2024, from £14.00 - Book now

Experience a cult classic as you have never seen it before with Make A Scene’s interactive screening.

Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Doane Keaton dance, dressed in white in a classy white party, as they do at the end of The First Wives Club
The First Wives Club

30th ¡Viva! Spanish & Latin American Festival at HOME

30th ¡Viva! Spanish & Latin American Festival at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 5–25 April 2024, from £5.95 - Book now

¡Viva! turns thirty! This perennial highlight in Manchester’s cinematic calendar returns with a huge array of Spanish and Latin American film premieres, Q&As and archive treats.

¡Viva! 2024
HOME

GASP! Horror Film Festival 2024 at CULTPLEX

GASP! Horror Film Festival 2024 at Cultplex, Manchester, 21–23 June 2024, from £5.00 - Book now

GASP! Horror Film Festival returns to Manchester’s CULTPLEX bigger and better, with a full weekend of scary movies from underrepresented voices.

My Mother's Eyes - GASP! Film Festival
My Mother's Eyes - GASP! Film Festival

More cinema events

Dune Part two
Until
CinemaManchester
Dune: Part Two at HOME

Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.

from £7.95
Easter Holidays in Manchester and the North
Spotlight on

Things to do over the Easter Holidays

Looking for some ideas to keep little and big kids as busy as the Easter bunny? Check out our guide.

Take me there

Cinema in Manchester and the North

Manchester
Park
Platt Fields Park

Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield is steeped in history, the land having been acquired by the Platt family in 1225.

HOME Manchester
Manchester
Theatre
HOME Manchester

Now back open with a packed schedule of events and things to do, HOME Manchester is one of the city’s leading hubs for arts and culture.

Cumbria
Event venue
Penrith Old Fire Station

Main venue for Eden Arts, an artist-led organisation based in Eden in Cumbria creating projects around mass participation, local distinctiveness and digital engagement, from Picnic Cinema to The Winter Droving.

The MerseyMade building in Liverpool
Liverpool
Shop
MerseyMade

In the MerseyMade shop you’ll find bottled gin from the likes of Turncoat Gin, Anfield Gin, Albert Dock Gin and Three Graces Gin. Yep, Liverpool REALLY likes its gin.

The Hepworth Wakefield
Wakefield
Gallery
The Hepworth Wakefield

Winner of the 2017 Art Fund Museum of the Year Award, The Hepworth in Wakefield is easily one of the leading cultural highlights of the North.

Culture Guides

Teenage Dads
Music in Manchester and the North

Fresh concert seasons, forward-thinking festivals and a revolving door of amazing gigs. Things are looking bright as spring comes into view.