Manchester Film Festival has announced its 2026 lineup, which promises to be the festival’s biggest and best yet since it started in 2015. Running across ten days from 19th to 29th March, this year features 52 feature films and a plethora of short films from internationally renowned directors to debuts from local filmmakers.
Amongst the festival’s 2026 roster are new films from international auteurs like Claire Denis and Jim Jarmusch, some of the modern greats of British cinema such as Mark Jenkin (whose new film Rose of Nevada is one of my most hotly anticipated of the year), as well as an abundance of rising talent, including Erupja (featuring a breakthrough performance from one Charli XCX).
Following the lineup announcement, I spoke to Neil Jeram-Croft, the founder and Festival Director for Manchester Film Festival about what this year’s instalment has in store.
I started by asking what makes the Manchester Film Festival what it is. “I started the Manchester Film Festival back in 2015. And one of the questions we asked was - why did we think it would last when other festivals in Manchester hadn't?”
“I think we had a very clear ethos from the start that we wanted it to serve filmmakers predominantly. We very much came from a filmmaking background and had been to festivals and saw how a lot of the big festivals took money for submissions, for instance, but then none of those films ever seemed to actually get into the festival. So we wanted to be really supportive of the filmmakers who were just starting out in the industry and we wanted to make sure we were showing those films. So in the early days, we were very, very focused on having a really good experience for the filmmakers attending the festival.”
To make that experience for the filmmakers, Jeram-Croft tells us that one of the most important things is having full cinemas. “We always had a focus on quality of films. And I think because of that, the audience has learned to trust us,” as well as giving the audience, “that little bit extra because we have so many filmmakers attending the festival, taking part in Q&As and really getting involved.”
Since it started, the festival has grown from 3 days to 10, and has attracted more and more international films that have raised the profile of the festival. “Since COVID, we've noticed a massive increase in our audience and our audience has also shifted a lot younger as well, which is really interesting.”
“We had a record number of passes selling the early bird phase this year. I mean, we sold two-thirds of the total number of passes we sold last year before we'd even announced our line-up. So that tells us that people trust that we're going to be putting on films that they want to come and see, which is amazing.”
I asked him about how the selection process is done for the festival - “Ultimately, we're looking for great stories [...] There has to be a minimum level of craft, of filmmaking craft associated with that. So, you know, the acting, the score, the cinematography all needs to be of a certain level -” but that as soon as those are his, “it’s all about telling a compelling story, and is it something we think is going to resonate with our audience.”
Other than that, there is no overarching theme or connection they are looking for: the lineup can be as expansive as the 10 days allow. When I ask if there are any specific films that he looks forward to screening at the festival, Jeram-Croft tells me “it’s always difficult to single out specific films” and gives a wide array of titles he is excited about.
The first he singles out is Our Hero Balthazar. “It's not got UK distribution yet, as far as I'm aware, but I really hope it picks it up because I think it's a really sort of cool film. It's very Safdie Brother-esque. The director was a producer on Uncut Gems, so it's got that kind of vibe to it.”
Other films include two horror titles, The Cure, starring David Dastmalchian, and The Curse, one of the latest from Japanese Cult star Kenichi Ugana (who I interviewed a few months ago for another one of his films playing in Manchester).
“We've got the new Claire Denis film, The Fence, which is a great film with Tom Blythe and Mia McKenna Bruce and Matt Dillon. It's an English language one from Claire Denis again, which is really exciting to have at the festival.”
“We have an animated film this year as well from Sylvain Chomet (the French animator who directed Oscar nominee The Triplets of Belleview) on the final night, which is in collaboration with Manchester Animation Film Festival, which is really exciting. It's nice to be collaborating with another festival in the city and it’ll have an intro from one of the directors of the Animation Festival.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqJLVd2DxBo
The final two mentioned are Misper, the debut film from young Manchester born director Harry Sherriff, and Lady, a mockumentary starring Fleabag’s Sian Clifford. Both of which are playing at HOME with their directors coming for Q&As alongside the screenings.
We then talk more about the festival’s shift in recent years to popularity with a younger audience, and why this might be. “I think because we keep the price of tickets and passes relatively low, it lowers the barrier to entry for young people,” Jeram-Croft says. “I think people in that younger demographic still want shared experiences and they still want to try something new.”
This year’s edition of the festival also boasts the widest array of venues the festival has ever had. “Aviva Studios will host the opening and closing night gala’s which will be announced very soon, Odeon Great Northern, as always, HOME, which we had last year. But then we’ve added Flix at the Treehouse Hotel and Northern Light Cinema in Sale - an expansion which takes the festival out of the city centre for the first time."
Tickets for the festival are on sale on Manchester Film Festival’s website, and takes place from 19th to 28th March.
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