Manchester Film Festival

The ONLY film festival in the world to be nominated alongside Glastonbury, Altitude, Latitude, V, Download, Creamfields, Wireless, Isle of Wight, Reading and Leeds, at the UK FESTIVAL AWARDS 2017 and 2018.

Manchester Film Festival is a truly independent film festival, committed and dedicated to sharing great stories from both new and established international and domestic filmmakers from the world of independent cinema. The organisation is proud of its honest and transparent roots and will continue with the original ethos of selecting films purely from open submissions.

MANIFF 2017 Highlights video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWb41KX4lL8

The Manchester Film Festival 2018 took place from the 1st-4th March at Odeon Great Northern with an added preview screening at HOME on the 26th February 2018. After four successful editions the festival now finds itself with an identity of honesty, making friends, having fun and sharing stories. MANIFF’s belief is to be straight forward and break away from the generic film festival format of branding and stranding…

This year’s edition had over 100 films that featured UK and world premieres from a vast list of starry international names such as Sean Penn, Jodie Foster, Nicholas Cage, Shia Labeouf, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Faye Dunaway, Warren Beatty, Billy Bob Thornton, Danny Glover, Pierce Brosnan, Kate Bosworth, Dan Mirvish, Slash, Taylor Hackford, Henry Rollins, Tom Arnold, Adrian Lyne, Chad Smith, John Badham, William Shatner, Michael Anthony, Stef Dawson, Kevin Smith, Penn Jillette, Paul Stanley, Katherine Tate, Tituss Burgess, Alex Hassell, Vic Reeves, Conlith Hill, Joe Dempsie, Sean Astin, Lenny Henry, Jane Horrocks, and the last ever film from the late Sir John Hurt. To add to the eclectic nature of the festival local talent such as Nico Mirallegro, Denise Welch, Rob James Collier and John Thomson, to name just a few, were also included in the mix of unseen story driven indie films from both established and debutant directors.

Submit now to “the next Sundance” – ‘I LOVE Manchester’ and be a part of one of the most vibrant film festivals in the world.

For screenplay submissions please go to https://filmfreeway.com/festival/MANIFFScreenplays

"Simply and truly, this was the best festival I've attended in any capacity. The city, staff, vendors, students volunteers, fellow filmmakers, and everyone else I came across have made a lasting impression on my life. I couldn't recommend MANIFF more strongly to anyone who submits their work to a film festival." Sean Hartofilis, Director of Covadonga.

"Wow. What an unbelievably fun time it was at 2018 MANIFF. I watched great films, had inspiring conversations, got to ask questions to every guest, and felt the nonstop good, fun energy. The location, drinks, and food were on point too." Matthew Castellanos, Director of Yoshua.

“The Manchester Film Festival is an extraordinary experience — a gathering of filmmakers and fans with the pure intention of celebrating the creativity of film.” Bronwen Hughes, Director, The Journey is the Destination

"Really, I expect this festival be the next Slamdance, so it was a real honor to be selected!" Ryan Michael, Director, Josephine Doe

"MANIFF Rocks!" Stef Dawson, Actress, Creedmoria

"Undoubtably the best festival I’ve been to – and I’ve been to a lot over the last year. Some festivals get it spectacularly wrong with the screenings, the programming, the general atmosphere etc whereas you got everything spot on. The films I saw were excellent and the people I met were lovely." Paul Hendy, Director, The Last Laugh

“Thanks to the Manchester film festival for giving a voice to something that would not really be seen anywhere else.” James Raue, Director, Psychoanalysis

"This really was the best festival experience I've ever had!" Erin Derham, Director of 'Buskin' Blues'

"I had an absolute ball at ManIFF 2016!" Rachel Viollet, Director, Dennis Viollet - A united Man

“The most fun festival we’ve ever been to. And we’ve been to a lot!” Cornelia Moore, Director, West of Redemption

“Thanks to the Manchester Film Festival for taking a chance on our film, just to have us here and for us to be involved. We’ve had such a good time meeting all the other filmmakers and getting to watch and be inspired by their films.” Jonny Moore, Director, Made in Taiwan

"Tele-port me back to ManIFF, anytime! An amazing time with great memories and great friends made along the way" - Mary -Lyn Chambers, Director Debris

“I must congratulate you on your choice of strategy with the submitting procedure, since you had this independent feeling on many of your films. Coming to this festival had interesting perspectives. This will absolutely become a, in the best sense, “larger festival in the many years to come”. Leif Mohlin, Producer, There Should be Rules.

“I feel like this is going to be a bigger and important festival, as the years go on, an amazing early life to a festival with massive international potential.” Larry Estes, Producer, West of Redemption

"The most communicative and informative film festivals I have ever had the pleasure of attending" - Nicholas Gray, Director, The Paper Store

"The festival and all its staff are just as passionate about film as the filmmakers themselves, absolutely fantastic!" Nicholas Moss, Director, Break