Manchester International Film Festival 2022: Preview

Manchester International Film Festival (MANIFF) is returning to the Odeon Great Northern this month for the largest edition ever. Between the 12th and the 20th March, over 130 films will be screened, all of them playing in Manchester for the first time.

The festival offers 27 world premieres and 74 UK premieres, with many filmmakers attending the festival for Q&A sessions.

“After being forced online last year we’re really excited to be back 100% in person and in cinema at the fantastic Odeon Great Northern. We have our most expansive and diverse line-up of films ever, with award winners, world premieres, and loads of local talent on display. Manchester Film Festival is back with its biggest edition ever!” – Neil Jeram-Croft, Festival Director.

The opening night film is the UK premiere of Wolf, directed by Nathalie Biancheri. It tells the story of Jacob, a man who believes he is a wolf trapped in a human body. His family sends him to a clinic to undergo an extreme therapy.

Included in the programme are award winners from film festivals in Cannes and London. Compartment Number 6, which took the second place at Cannes and was nominated for a Golden Globe, will screen on Sunday 13th March. The Finnish film tells the story of an unlikely connection formed between a Finnish woman and a Russian man on a train to Murmansk.

Australian psychological drama Nitram, for which Caleb Landry Jones won the prize for Best Actor at last year’s Cannes, revolves around the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, the worst mass shooting in modern Australia. The film will be screened on Monday 14th March.

Hit the Road, directed by Pahah Panahi, the son of the acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi, is the winner of the BFI London Film Festival. It’s a warm road trip comedy, showcasing family dynamics and emigrant experience in a fun and light way. It will be screened on Tuesday 15th March.

The festival’s documentary selection includes Bisping: The Michael Bisping Story about a former UFC champion, as well as Silver Spitfire: The Longest Flight following a British pilot’s attempt to circumnavigate the Earth in a vintage World War II fighter.

As in every other year, MANIFF will work towards promoting local talents. Two sessions of North West Shorts created by local filmmakers will be screened on Tuesday 15th March and Sunday 20th March.

The full MANIFF 2022 selection can be accessed on the festival’s website.

Tickets are priced at £5 individually, £20 for a five-ticket bundle, £35 for a ten-ticket bundle, and £65 for a full festival pass. They are available to buy on the festival’s website.