Manchester Film Festival at Odeon Great Northern

Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor

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Manchester Film Festival

Odeon Great Northern, Manchester
14-23 March 2025

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

The Penguin Lessons
Manchester Film Festival 2023
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Manchester Film Festival is back this March with a huge selection of UK and world premieres, Oscar contenders, and curated favourites scooped up from the likes of Cannes and Sundance film festivals. The nine-day event runs primarily at Manchester’s Odeon Great Northern from 14 – 23 March, with selected screenings at HOME and Factory International at Aviva Studios for the first time this year.

2025’s festival opens with a special presentation of Peter Cattaneo’s adaptation of the bestselling The Penguin Lessons starring Steve Coogan, which screens in the UK for the first time. The film follows an Englishman’s personal and political awakening as he adopts an orphaned penguin in 1970s Argentina and is billed as a poignant true story about an unlikely bond.

Joining Cattaneo’s film is Santosh, a dark crime drama about a widow who inherits her husband’s job as a police constable in Northern India. The Hindi-language film has been selected as the UK’s submission for the Best International Feature at this year’s Academy Awards.

A red carpet interview from Manchester Film Festival 2023
Manchester Film Festival

Amongst the rest of the 37 feature films, our hot tip is to seek out Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cloud — the director of Pulse and Cure has been one of the leading lights of Japanese cinema for a couple of decades now, and his latest mystery has been quietly gaining buzz from people in the know. 

Meanwhile, on Saturday 15 March, former Saturday Night Live cast member Kyle Mooney has directed apocalyptic sci-fi comedy horror Y2K. Produced by hip indie studio A24, and starring the likes of Jaeden Martell, Rachel Zegler and Fred Durst, the film imagines a 1999 New Year’s Eve Party where the machines really do rise up against humanity.

Other intriguing sounding titles include Danny Turkiewicz’ Stealing Pulp Fiction, which stars Matt Adams, Jason Alexander and Cazzie David as a group of film fans trying to steal Quentin Tarantino’s personal print of his 1994 masterpiece; and My Dead Friend Zoe, a drama featuring Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman about a U.S. military veteran taking care of her grandfather who is haunted by the presence of her deceased friend. 

As always there’s also a focus on local filmmaking, with premieres of films such as addiction drama Departures and music-world set Kid accompanied by a strand of short films from the North West. Filmmakers both working and aspiring will also want to look out for industry events and workshops to be announced nearer to the festival.

What's on at Odeon Great Northern

Where to go near Manchester Film Festival at Odeon Great Northern

Hern Food
Leeds
Restaurant
Hern

This produce-driven bistro in Chapel Allerton, Leeds, prides itself on cooking with the only finest ingredients and his headed up by Cordon Bleu-trained chef Rab Adams.

Indie Makers
Leeds
Shop
Indie Makers

Indie Makers, located in Leads’ corn exchange, trades in art and gifts from independent makers across the UK.

Plant Point
Leeds
Shop
Plant Point

Plant Point is designed to help you bring the jungle into your urban or suburban space. The home of beautiful plants in Leeds.

Leeds
Restaurant
Eat Your Greens

Eat Your Greens is a vibrant, organic restaurant bringing a hint of European flair to the city’s plant-based dining scene.

Sela opened in 2004 with an idea to provide quality imported beers from around the world, fun cocktails to compliment the beer selections and a stage for the region’s finest and most talented musicians to play on.Over ten years later, we’re still all about the beer, cocktails, live music and pizza!We carry over a selection of over thirty different beers spanning the globe from Pickering with The Great Yorkshire Brewery’s Yorkshire Blackout, to New York with a selection from Brooklyn Brewery, and Belgium with longtime Sela favourite, Vedett.Our cocktails change regularly too. Our best-sellers are joined by fun, new offerings and our pizza menu is regarded as one of the best the city of Leeds has to offer.As for the live music, Sela has had not only the great and the good from the region. Local funksters, The New Mastersounds are regular visitors and we stage the amazing Mojah Reggae Band for their weekly Wednesday residency.  Our other long running programming incl
Leeds
Restaurant
Sela Bar & Pizzeria

Sela Bar is a cosy Leeds basement spot with live music, great drinks, and a cool, laid-back, atmospheric vibe.

Leeds Beckett SU
Leeds
Restaurant
Leeds Beckett Student Union

Leeds Beckett Student Union hosts big-name artists and supports students through events, live music, and a vibrant campus venue.

Located on Cardigan Fields Leisure Park, Vue Leeds Kirkstall is a nine screen cinema with almost 2000 seats. There's ample parking and the cinema is surrounded by various restaurants and entertainment facilities, making for a great evening out!

Watch the latest film releases and enjoy the industry-leading Sony 4K Digital screens, boasting spectacular picture quality, along with enhanced audio quality courtesy of Dolby 'Profound Sound'. Stepped SuperVue seating means you will never miss a second of the action while VIP seating guarantees you an extra touch of luxury whenever you want to upgrade.

Three of the nine screens showcase the newest 3D releases while Vue Classical brings the latest stage sensations to the big screen, and parents can save as they go with Family Tickets and Kids AM screenings offering great value for money.
Leeds
Cinema
Vue Cinema – Leeds Kirkstall Road

Located on Cardigan Fields Leisure Park, Vue Leeds Kirkstall is a nine screen cinema with almost 2000 seats. There’s ample parking and the cinema is surrounded by various restaurants and

Restaurant 2
Leeds
Café or Coffee Shop
Empire Café

Empire Café is located in Leeds’ ‘home of day dining’- Fish street!

Restaurant
Leeds
Restaurant
Phranakhon

Phranakhon Thai Tapas is a revolutionised Thai dining restaurant with a combination of European indulgence and authentic Thai tastes.

Restaurant
Leeds
Restaurant
Wen’s

Wen’s is a family owned Chinese restaurant specialising in authentic, home cooked cuisine.

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