Film round up: The best film events in Manchester this September

Looking to chase away the Monday blues, Indie Flicks screens the first Monday of every month in Manchester with an array of impressively high quality short films that feature an eclectic mix of genres, themes, tastes and languages from all over the world. During the evening you will also get to vote for your favourite film, watch a longer Director’s Choice feature short, often get to see Q&A sessions with programmed filmmaker guests and finish your night networking with the filmmaking community with a full bar (pizza available). 

Broadcaster and film critic Anna Smith is back with another instalment of her live series of female-led podcasts at HOME as part of their year-long Celebrating Women In Global Cinema (CWIGC) season. Smith launched Girls on Film in an attempt to address the imbalance of female voices in all areas of the industry, filmmakers and critics alike. The events focus on women in film and spirited debate along with industry guests, fun Q&As and involvement from the audience. This month’s guests include BBC Asian Network’s Ashanti Omkar, pop culture expert Dr Kirsty Fairclough of the University of Salford and Waad al-Kateab, director of For Sama. They will be reviewing new releases, discussing the career of Juliette Binoche and examining films from a feminist angle. 

If you love all things marine and subaqueous and are captivated by the sublimeness of our oceans then this unique festival may be for you. The Ocean Film Festival World Tour brings you a selection of short films that explore the mysteries of the deep blue, its eclectic marine life and films that celebrate biologists, divers, aquatic photographers and filmmakers and the work they do in bringing mesmerising underwater images and powerful stories of the ocean to audiences. 

Chapeltown Picture House is a pop-up cinema that screens classic films. Their programme includes a huge variety of nostalgic films from across all genres for different audiences. On Sep 15 there will be a kid-friendly screening of 80’s nostalgia-fest, The Princess Bride, a comedy adventure-fantasy following a man on a quest to save his true love. And on Sep 14 they will host a dog-friendly anniversary screening of Best in Show, a mockumentary comedy focused around the zany-antics of people competing at a dog contest. It also hosts Squawk Brewing Co’s tap room which serve a selection of craft beer, wine, ciders, soft and hot drinks as well as the venue making fresh popcorn.

This day course explores all aspects of the Female Gothic, from its origins in Gothic novels in the 1700s to the Victorian era, to its adaptation to the screen as expressions of feminist rebellion and the oppression of women. During the day the course will examine the evolution of women’s roles in films and as audience members from the early 1900s to 1940s and will also look at contemporary film as well and women’s roles in films in terms of progression, the female monstrous, feminist heroines and even witches. The day will be led by lecturers in English Literature, American and Film Studies from Manchester Metropolitan University and the ticket includes a screening of Thorold Dickinson’s Gaslight. 

RAD Screenings present explosive, nostalgic, cult cinema experiences and feature Q&As, double bills and all-dayers. Their next screening is family adventure classic Spy Kids, Robert Rodriguez’ 2001 runaway hit. Carmen and Juni enter the thrilling world of espionage, high-tech gadgets and big SFX escapades to save their parents (who are ex-spies). A fun, adventure-packed romp to bring the kids to or to relive the nostalgia yourself. 

Specifically exhibiting the best filmmaking talent in the North West, Filmed Up offers a diverse, quarterly programme of short films. It programmes a tremendous range of genres, budgets, scales and themes, offering a glimpse into the talented local filmmaking community with a chance to vote for your favourite short film of the night, write feedback to the filmmakers and network over a pint. This month, as part of HOME’s Celebrating Women in Global Cinema season, September’s Filmed Up will showcase a Women In Local Cinema special programme celebrating the best of our region’s female filmmaking talent. 

Reel Girl Film Club celebrates women in the film industry and will be screening this queer, cult classic at Yes. The satirical rom-com was Jamie Babbit’s debut feature in 1999 and follows highschool cheerleader Megan (Natasha Lyonne) whose family suspect she is a lesbian and so perform an intervention forcing her to attend a gay conversion camp. She then meets and falls for camp attendee Graham (Clea DuVall) and both in turn rebel against the camp’s prejudiced beliefs and management. The film has reached cult status over the years for its astute and perceptive look at sexuality and gender roles and its examination of identity, whilst at the same time remaining quirky and playful. 

Aperture is a film festival that was established to showcase the cinema from Asia and the Pacific to UK audiences in all its glory. Its programme encourages dialogue on cultural identity, diversity and representation and is devoted to screening some of the most outstanding, thought-provoking and audacious films with a strong focus on independent cinema, new and established filmmakers, classics and much more.

Founded by students from Manchester School of Art, this two-day festival will showcase and premiere international short films and independent cinema alongside a mix of Q&As with filmmakers and discussions with academics that have an emphasis on discourses from national and worldwide identities. With an array of films from Japan, Nigeria, India, UK, US, France, Germany, Denmark and beyond, the programme’s films range in themes and genres from socio-politics, immigration, refugees and global identity to animation, non-fiction and drama. On Sep 23 they are also hosting a double bill of cult classic films; Lost in Translation and True Romance.

Shola Amoo’s second feature, The Last Tree, is a poignant coming of age story and exploration of black identity in modern day Britain. Based on the director’s real life experiences, the film centres around Femi, a British boy who is happily raised by his foster mother in rural Lincolnshire and then uprooted and sent to live with his birth mother on a housing estate in inner-city London. Culture clashes come into play when he falls into difficulties and has no connection to his Nigerian heritage. Femi is faced with many challenges as he struggles to find his place in this new environment which challenges his ideas of manhood and black masculinity. This preview screening will be followed by a Q&A with Director Shola Amoo.