Manchester Lift-Off Film Festival 2018

Coming back to Manchester for the second time, Lift-Off Film Festival will take place on the 28th and 29th of March, at Texture — an original event space and bar located in the Northern Quarter.

Lift-Off is a community which promotes high-quality independent film from around the globe, and Manchester is the second of their annual eleven-city-wide cycle of festivals. Their goal is to connect and promote independent artists around the world, giving them a platform to exhibit their work and interact with their audience.

Audiences will be treated to an incredibly broad range of films from equally diverse filmmakers, each presenting stories and perspectives unique to their own experiences. From carefully constructed features, perspective-shifting documentaries, and award-winning short films, there really is something for everyone.

The audience plays a large role in the festival, as their responses are collected via feedback cards which are then sent to the filmmakers. These tangible and genuine audience reactions to their films are invaluable in developing the filmmakers’ creative process.

The festival culminates with a Local Filmmakers Showcase and Networking Party on Thursday 29th March, where attendees and filmmakers can rub shoulders and maybe even find the perfect collaborators for their next project!

The Line-Up:

These eclectic stories explore many facets of human identity. Whether heart-warming, thought-provoking, action-packed, or introspective, these films all have one thing in common: the brilliance of the creatives whose hard work is being celebrated.

Here are some of the highlights: We are very excited to once more be screening the now Academy Award-winning short film The Silent Child — directed by Chris Overton. This film started its journey in the Lift-Off First Time Filmmakers Showcase in 2017, and now having won an Oscar, it’s back screening in Manchester.

Inspired by real-life events, “The Silent Child tells the story of a profoundly deaf child born into a hearing family. A caring social worker does everything she can to stop a deaf child from being treated like a stumbling block in a middle-class family’s idealistic life.”

Don’t miss the opportunity to attend a screening of this Oscar-winning film on Wednesday the 27th of March at 6:00 pm, as part of Shorts Programme 1.

The star of the Lift-Off Season Awards 2017 — 8-time nominated, and winner of Best Director and Best Actor — The Peculiar Abilities of Mr Mahler — directed by Paul Philipp — will screen as part of Shorts Programme 1 on Wednesday the 27th of March at 6:00 pm.

“East Germany, 1987: The special investigator Mahler is said to have paranormal abilities. The police assign him to solve the case of the 6-year-old Henry Kiefer, who is missing for weeks now, before this issue leads to political tensions with the West. But then he brings something to light that makes this family tragedy especially political…”

The festival includes three Shorts Programmes and two Features, culminating with a Local Filmmakers Showcase and Networking Party on March 29th.

Watch the full line-up and watch the trailers here.

For ticket sales please go here.