Culture Guides
Destination Guides
As many cinemas work to prepare to reopen safely, a variety of outdoor screening events have sprung up to cater to film fans looking for the big screen experience. Our pick is definitely the The Village Screen’s drive in events in Salford, which features a more eclectic selection of cult and classic titles than most.
Meanwhile in the virtual world, smaller and independent films continue to make their way straight to streaming. We highlight some of the recent and upcoming releases we have enjoyed below. From New York comes Kitty Green’s The Assistant — a potent depiction of abuse within the film industry. While Claire Oakley takes us to Cornwall for her psychodrama-cum-queer-awaking Make Up.
We are so grateful to National Lottery players, The National Lottery, DCMS and Arts Council England for supporting our freelance writers during this crisis. This means that, although venues remain shut and campaigns cancelled, our writers can be reengaged to help arts organisations and artists across the North of England share their online content with our culture-hungry readers.
Here are our picks
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1. Pilot Light TV Festival Season 5
Pilot Light TV Festival Season 5, 15–16 August 2020, free entry - Find Out More
Manchester’s TV festival goes digital with a pay-what-you-can edition dedicated to brand new television and web series from around the world.
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2. Make Up – Streaming on Curzon Home Cinema
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3. The Assistant – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
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4. Clemency – Streaming on Bohemia Media
HOME Clemency at HOME Manchester, Manchester, Until 30 August 2020, from £9.99 - Book now
Support your local independent cinema by streaming Clemency, the new film from Chinonye Chukwu. This acclaimed new drama stars Alfre Woodard as a warden overseeing death row executions in a maximum security prison.
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5. Picnic Cinema/ Withnail & I at Sleddale Hall
Picnic Cinema/ Withnail & I at Sleddale Hall, Cumbria, 4–12 September 2020, from £50.88 - Book now
Picnic Cinema is back this September with a series of extravagant screenings of Withnail & I at Sleddale Hall aka Crow Crag — the cottage from the cult classic film.
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6. The Girl With a Bracelet – Streaming on Curzon Home Cinema
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7. Showroom Summer Season
Showroom Summer Season at Showroom Workstation, City Centre and online, Until 12 August 2020, free entry - Visit now
From Spanish melodrama, to the Japanese studio system, to French coming-of-age cinema, Sheffield’s Showroom presents a series of free weekly film talks from esteemed academics.
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8. Wasp Network – Streaming on Netflix
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9. You Don’t Nomi – Streaming on BFI Player
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10. MIF 19: Revisit David Lynch’s HOME Takeover
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11. Days of the Bagnold Summer – Streaming on BFI Player
Days of Bagnold Summer, online, Until 31 August 2020, from £9.99 - Book now
Simon Bird’s directorial debut is an affecting take on mother-son relations in British suburbia. Earl Cave and Monica Dolan make for delightful leads, while a supporting cast of Rob Brydon, Tasmin Grieg and Alice Lowe almost steal the show.
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12. Sheffield Doc/Fest
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13. Guest of Honour – Streaming on Curzon Home Cinema
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14. Grimmfest TV
Grimmfest TV -
15. Infinite Football – Streaming on Curzon Home Cinema
Anti-Worlds Infinite Football, online, Until 31 August 2020, from £9.99 - Book now
While football authorities debate the changes necessary to bring the game back, nobody is thinking as radically as wannabe revolutionary Laurentiu Ginghina. Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu’s documentary raises questions above and beyond the beautiful game.
More in Cinema
Bacurau – Streaming on Mubi
The follow-up to Aquarius from director Kleber Mendonça Filho, this time co-directing and co-writing with long term producer Juliano Dornelles merges sci-fi, the western, Brazilian bandit movies (cangaço) and horror for a highly original and ultra-violent look at a town under siege from a mysterious threat.
Dogs Don’t Wear Pants – Streaming on Curzon Home Cinema
Heart surgeon Juha has lived life at an unengaged distance since his wife’s passing. And although it is often debilitating, his grief also throws up some rather surprising sexual urges.
System Crasher – Streaming on Curzon Home Cinema
Controversial from the moment it premiered in Competition at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival, documentarian Nora Fingscheidt’s fiction feature debut portrays the life of a chaotic and troubled young girl.
But I’m a Cheerleader – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Natasha Lyonne and RuPaul Charles star in Jamie Babbit’s cult 1999 romantic satire.
Marriage Story – Streaming on Netflix
Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson excel as a couple whose once enviable union crumbles under the weight of mounting resentments and divergent needs.
Knives Out – Streaming on Google Play
Rian Johnson (Brick) assembles an all-star cast in this characteristically intelligent whodunit about a famed southern detective who joins forces with local police to investigate a group of eccentric suspects following the murder of a wealthy crime novelist.
Beau Travail – Streaming on Talk Talk TV
Claire Denis’ masterful reworking of Herman Melville is sensual and dangerous.
Zodiac – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
A relentless serial killer is stalking the streets of San Francisco, leaving citizens in a state of panic and baffling the authorities with the ciphers and menacing letters he leaves at the murder scenes.
Ash is Purest White – Streaming on Google Play
Set in China’s underworld, Jia Zhangke’s tale of love and betrayal follows a self-sacrificial gangster’s moll as she comes out of prison and sets about tracking down her former lover.
Culture Guides
Exhibitions
Art and women’s wrestling, Ancient Akkadian gravesites and invented artefacts – check out this month’s pick of exhibitions from across the north.
Families Online
Need some inspiration for online activities and creative family fun? Look no further than our top picks online for families across Manchester and the North.
Literature
From book launches to poetry and prose readings and from open mics to creative writing workshops and masterclasses, Live Literature Land has online activities and events nailed.
Classical Music in Manchester and the North
We preview the standout classical music events and venues in Manchester.
Food and Drink in Manchester and the North
For the August guide, we’ve dug out the best Food and Drink in Manchester and the North to explore now that lockdown has thankfully eased.
Online events
Discover the best things to do online from the organisations we love in Manchester and the North.
Tours and Activities
Socially distant walks and virtual tours are among the offerings in this month’s guide of Tours and Activities.
Related Guides
Online events
Discover the best things to do online from the organisations we love in Manchester and the North.
Jazz in Manchester
Some tops picks of weekly live jazz gigs and jam nights from across the city. Whether you’re a jazz player or appreciator, there’s something for everyone.
Nightclubs in Manchester
Manchester today offers such a variety of venues at which to feel young and alive, you’d be a fool not to check out the city’s solid-gold after hours scene.
August Bank Holiday
Looking for things to do over the August Bank Holiday? Near fear, we’ve put together a handpicked list of things to do in Manchester and the North this August Bank Holiday weekend.
Father’s Day
This year’s Father’s Day is Sunday 16th June. Get out and about and spend some quality time with the old man in Manchester.
Music Venues in Cumbria
When the sun goes down and you’ve had your fair share of Cumbria’s great outdoors, head to the area’s music venues to catch folk and jazz sessions, as well as regular performances by touring musicians. We recommend some of our favourites.
Things to do right now
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