Manchester Film Festival returns with Steve Coogan, Damon Hill and Tilda Swinton movies

From a F1 documentary to an apocalyptic musical from Tilda Swinton, there’s more than 50 films on the line-up

The Penguin Lessons, starring Steve Coogan, will get its first public screening in the UK at the Manchester Film Festival(Image: Lionsgate)

We have only just had the winners of the Oscars announced, but the movie industry never stands still and a top film festival will be coming to Manchester later this month.

Manchester Film Festival will be taking place from March 14 to 23 at five venues across the city with a host of local and international films starring the likes of Steve Coogan, Tilda Swinton, Limp Bizkit star Fred Durst and F1 champion Damon Hill.

The festival will be held at Aviva Studios, Met Film School, the Odeon Great Northern, Arch 19 and HOME. It will feature 45 feature films, including many premieres, alongside a strand of short films.

Starting off the festival on March 14 will be a screening of Peter Cattaneo’s The Penguin Lessons, starring Steve Coogan. Marking the first public screening of the film in the UK, it tells the story of an Englishman’s personal and political awakening during a cataclysmic period in Argentine history, brought about by his unlikely adoption of a penguin.

The festival will also include the UK premiere of A24’s latest horror film Y2K on March 15, which stars Fred Durst, The Kid Laroi, and Alicia Silverstone, and has been directed by former Saturday Night Live cast member Kyle Mooney. Produced by Jonah Hill, the film follows a group of high school students who attempt to survive when the year 2000 problem causes all technology worldwide to come to life.

Tilda Swinton in apocalyptic musical The End, which will screen in Manchester on March 23(Image: Scandinavian Film Distribution/Mubi)

Hill, a documentary on F1 World Champion Damon Hill, will be screened on March 19 followed by a special Q&A session with Hill and producer Simon Lazenby alongside host Steve Berry.

On March 23, Odeon Great Northern will screen the UK premiere of I Love You Forever, which marks the directorial debut from scriptwriter and actress Cazzie David in the form of a ‘subversive romantic comedy gone wrong’.

The festival will also continue its tradition of supporting filmmakers within the North West, with three films showcasing the incredible talent emerging from the region. This includes the world premiere of Departures (March 16) which has been described as ‘Shirley Valentine meets LGBTQ+ Trainspotting’. Filmed in Greater Manchester, the movie follows love, loss and addiction, and co-stars BAFTA nominee Kerry Howard and EastEnders star Lorraine Stanley.

British former racing driver Damon Hill will take part in a special Q&A session in Manchester following the screening of his documentary Hill(Image: Getty Images)

Kid, which tells the story of an ambitious music producer who races to finish his debut album, will also receive its world premiere on March 19. Treading Water, about a man released from prison into supported housing, will receive its Manchester premiere on March 21.

Other highlights include a screening of powerful documentary Breaking Barriers: The Paula Dunn Story (March 15), the world premiere of India’s single character, no dialogue film Meta: The Dazzling Girl (March 17) and the Manchester Premiere of Joshua Oppenheimer’s new apocalyptic musical The End, starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon, on March 23.

The full line-up can be found via the Manchester Film Festival website, where passes can also be bought. Passes are available for five (£30) or ten (£50) films, or as a full pass to see as many films as you like (£89).

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}