Borderlines Film Festival 2021

Tom Grieve, Contributing Writer

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Borderlines Film Festival

26 March-11 April 2021

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Borderlines Film Festival
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Borderlines 2021 is a virtual festival featuring 32 feature film previews, along with director and talent Q&As for you to watch from home. The stacked programme features some of the biggest and most anticipated titles from the world of independent film, from Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan in Francis Lee’s bracing period romance Ammonite to Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman in Florian Zeller’s adaptation of his own stage play, The Father.

Our picks of the fest include Kelly Reichardt’s quietly astounding frontier fable First Cow and Minari, a gentle depiction of childhood and the immigrant struggle as a Korean-American family stakes its claim on the American Dream in 1980s rural Arkansas. Away from the big names, The Salt in Our Waters is a startling, well-observed tale of culture-clash which sees a worldly, modern artist journey to a small fishing village on a mangrove isle on the Bangladeshi Delta.

You’ll want to book passes or individual tickets quickly for this one, as there is a limited allocation of virtual seats for each title.

Where to go near Borderlines Film Festival 2021

The Abbey
Manchester
Restaurant
The Abbey

Historic Hulme pub with a very good live gig space, brought to you by the very capable team behind YES, Gorilla, Now Wave and Manchester Psych Fest.

Manchester
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Pigeon Beer Wanderer

Pigeon Beer Wanderer brings wine-level ceremony to Manchester’s new “Beermuda Triangle”, courtesy of Joshua Lightfoot and his crack team of booze experts.

Image courtesy of Unitom.
Castlefield
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UNITOM Projects

The exhibition arm of Manchester indie bookshop UNITOM is a dedicated space for contemporary visual culture in the St John’s neighbourhood.

City Centre
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Portfolio

Portfolio is a Champagne boutique on Manchester’s Bridge Street, offering a set menu of fine-dining small bites.

Manchester
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Bridge 5 Mill

Bridge 5 Mill is a sustainable event space and community hub on Beswick Street in Ancoats, hosting independent cultural projects and ethical supper clubs.

1853 gallery 1
Manchester
Gallery
1853 Studios

1853 Studios and Gallery is a Creative Studios and community of creative professionals occupying the 3rd floors of Osborne Mill, Oldham.

Deansgate
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Podium

Podium delivers high-end, seasonal dishes, largely geared around produce and ideas from the British Isles, but with a few deft twists and turns.

Tai Wu
Manchester
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Tai Wu

Long-standing, trend-swerving Chinese restaurant on Manchester’s Upper Brook Street, with a reputation for authentic dim sum and traditional Cantonese cuisine.

Manchester
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BAB Korean Food

A highlight of Manchester’s K-Food space, Bab Korean Food serves up authentic, well-made dishes at the Kargo MKT food hall in MediaCity.

Dimitri's
Castlefield
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Dimitri’s

Longstanding Greek taverna Dimtri’s delivers traditional, fuss-free Greek food, aimed at everyone from courting couples to multi-generational families in Manchester.

Kong's NQ
Manchester
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Kong’s NQ

Kong’s isn’t like other chicken shops. This much-loved Northern Quarter restaurant is all about high-grade ingredients and expert preparation.

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