Top Picks
Guides
What’s on
Where to go
See all

We Are One: A Global Film Festival

Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor

29 May — 7 June 2020 Entrance is free — Visit now

Faced with global lockdowns and restricted travel, film festivals the world over have been forced back to the drawing board. While we’re forced to stay apart physically, We Are One: A Global Film Festival aims to bring together film fans the world over, with a 10-day programme of features, shorts and special event screenings — all showing for free, on YouTube in aid of COVID-19 relief efforts. The endeavour is a collaboration between 21 major international film festivals, including industry heavy-hitters such as Cannes, BFI London Film Festival, New York, Toronto, Sundance, Venice, Locarno and Rotterdam.

Each participating fest brought its own sensibility to the curation of the mammoth programme. BFI London Film Festival have contributed British shorts as well as silent films The Epic of Everest and Shiraz. Berlin International Film Festival presents a conversation between directors Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) and Kor-eda Hirokazu (Shoplifters). New York Film Festival has shorts by acclaimed female filmmakers such as Eliza Hittman, Alice Rohrwacher and Mati Diop. Meanwhile, directors Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Soderbergh discuss the restoration of Apocalypse Now Final Cut courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.

Wrath of Silence
Wrath of Silence

From further afield, Wrath of Silence is a brutal thriller set in rural China, courtesy of International Film Festival & Awards – Macau. Sydney Film Festival present Ivan Sen’s outback western, following a Indiginous cowboy detective. Cannes — arguably the highest profile film fest to cancel so far — has three selections of short films as well as rendez-vous with global superstars Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Grandmaster) and Alain Delon (The Leopard, Purple Noon.) Families are also catered for: our tip is DreamWorks Animation Studios’ Bilby, screening thanks to Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

All in all, viewers can expect 100 films, including 13 world premieres and 31 online premieres. There is a schedule available on the website, and while some films will only be available for a limited time, others will remain available to view for the duration of the festival. Audiences will be able to donate to COVID-19 relief efforts through a donate button or link on every film page.

29 May — 7 June 2020 Entrance is free Visit now

Where to go near We Are One: A Global Film Festival

Church congregation at St George's Church in Leeds
Leeds
Place of worship
St George’s Church

St George’s is a lively city centre church in Leeds with three services every Sunday and a midweek programme that includes groups, courses and events. We’re here to help people

Picante
Liverpool
Restaurant
Picante

Picante is a sun-soaked Mexican restaurant at the trailblazing Cains Brewery Village in Liverpool.

Miru Mill
Manchester
Event venue
Miru Mill

Miru Mill is an event space and micro-factory based at Churchgate Mill in Stockport.

Spa
iglu sauna

An authentic and affordable sauna and cold plunge experience in Hebden Bridge, in a beautiful outdoor setting amongst the trees. Book a regular session for £12 per person, or find…

Salford
Restaurant
Kallos Cafe & Wine Bar

Kallos is a Greek restaurant and wine bar in Salford, serving up exquisite dishes throughout the day and evening.

Symmetry Room
City Centre
Museum
Museum of Illusions

Museum of Illusions Manchester is part of the global Museum of Illusions Group, the largest and fastest-growing chain of private museums in the world.

Tropical World logo
Leeds
Tourist Attraction
Tropical World

At Tropical World, families can enjoy a fun-filled and educational day out. Start your epic journey in the Butterfly House, where exotic butterflies fly freely through our swampy mangrove, fluttering

Manchester
Restaurant
Soap Street Pizza

Based at Nordie in Levenshulme, Soap Street Pizza put out the perfect pie: crispy base and inspired toppings.

See all places

What's on: Cinema

Three men sit next to each other. One's head is bandaged, one holds a torch and one wears a sleepmask.
–
CinemaManchester
Wes World at HOME

Take a trip back into the world of Wes Anderson this May as HOME present a series of the acclaimed auteur’s most beloved films alongside The Phoenician Scheme.

from £7.95

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Eclectic as ever. You'll find inventive reworkings, world-class contemporary dance and Greater Manchester's inaugural Improv Festival in our guide.

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Tours and Activities in the North

We've got many a good time in store this month as we round up the best walking tours, cultural classes and makers markets in the land.

portrait of Lorsung in a dark shirt with dark hair and dark round glasses
Literature Events in the North

We've got laughs and we've got leftfield on the live literature radar this month. Something for everyone, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.

Sextile
Music in the North

Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring. 

Classical Music in the North

Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.

Laura Ellen Bacon, Into Being, 2025. Photo © India Hobson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Exhibitions in the North

Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month

Three men sit next to each other. One's head is bandaged, one holds a torch and one wears a sleepmask.
Cinema in the North

Live scores, midnight movies and the latest from Wes Anderson are just some of our upcoming film highlights.

See all guides