Telling Tales International Film and Audio Documentary Festival at Number 70 Oxford Street

Emerging documentary festival Telling Tales arrives in Manchester this June for a second edition following a successful 2017 launch. Held at Number 70, Oxford Street (the old Cornerhouse building, now run by MMU), the festival is aiming to carve out a niche in a crowded UK market by focusing on both audio and film non-fiction documentaries. In addition to the documentaries themselves, attendees can expect a dynamic three-day programme featuring discussions and panels, all presented by the Centre for Historical and Contemporary Documentary Practice and supported by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Highlights of this year’s festival include David Pavlosky’s Stand Up, Stand Out, a documentary focusing on the history of San Francisco’s Valencia Rose Cabaret, Café, and Restaurant, which is believed to be the first and only gay-owned and operated comedy club in the USA; Sergio Luis Garcia Locatelli’s That’s How it is and What?, a film which uncovers the story of pioneering Bolivian hip-hop hero Abraham Bojórquez and the reasons behind his violent death; and Adam Waugh’s A Swedish Love Story, a work exploring Parkinson’s disease, art, and long-distance love.

Last year’s festival line-up saw representatives from over 20 countries and this year’s should be no different, as organisers work to make Telling Tales an international affair that will draw documentary professionals, students and connoisseurs to Manchester. This is a festival that aims to advance documentary as a meaningful artform and provide invaluable educational and cultural experiences to its audience — we’re looking forward to seeing how it progresses with this second annual summer outing.