For too long, big movies have been confined to the small screen.
COVID restrictions pulled theatre curtains shut in winter and they’ve remained untouched ever since – leaving audiences deprived of a true cinematic experience and digesting blockbusters on Netflix instead.
But now, almost halfway through 2021 – projectors are finally whirring back into life.
Hundreds of cinemas across the UK have announced triumphant comebacks this month – including several independent theatres in Greater Manchester.
To celebrate long-awaited reopening of these venues, British gourmet popcorn specialists at Popcorn Shed have published an interactive map of returning cinemas – which you can view online here.
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We’ve listed them below…
HOME, First Street
HOME
From May 17, HOME returns to action.
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Based at First Street near Deansgate, this multipurpose culture venue has been operating as Manchester’s hub for contemporary theatre, art and cinema since 2015.
With restrictions due to ease further, HOME has announced a reopening programme – pulling back the curtains to reveal a bumper schedule of cinema screenings.
From next week, film fanatics can take their pick from gritty dramas, foreign cinema flicks and new indie releases all being beamed to the big screen.
From the classic red seats to the intimate lighting, EVERYMAN venues are focused on guaranteeing a luxurious viewing experience for audiences.
Two of these plush cinemas are reopening right here in Greater Manchester – including one in Altrincham and antoehr in Manchester city centre (just over the road from the bustling restaurant and bar scene of Spinningfields).
Big screen releases such as Godzilla vs. Kong and Peter Rabbit 2 are scheduled for next week – along with Academy Award Best Picture winner Nomadland.
A full food and drinks menu is also available – with waiter service delivering snacks to your seats.
Established in 2019 and known as “the home of cult films, video games and cool nerd stuff”, The Chapeltown Picture House is the perfect venue for any true cinephile.
Based in Red Bank in Cheetham Hill, this eccentric venue has form for screening classic and cult movies of yesteryear.
And there are some corkers on the list for next week.
The lineup for May 17 onwards includes screenings of Inglourious Basterds, Singin’ In The Rain and all three of The Lord of the Rings films.
After a full year of closure, The Savoy in Heaton Moor will finally be reopening its doors to the public from July 2.
The venue has used lockdown to embark on a major restoration project – transforming the historic building into a swanky independent cinema with 4K digital projection, luxury seats, and a fully stocked bar.
A new programme will be announced during June – with a mixture of new and classic movies expected to appear on the bill.
Manchester’s historic Portico Library secures £6.4m funding grant towards its transformation
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s Portico Library has secured a whopping £6.4 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
In case you missed it, ambitious plans to transform the historic Grade II-listed building on Mosely Street were already unveiled last October… but now, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced it is committing £6.4 million of funding towards the project, hoping that the building thrives as the UK’s most sustainable historic library for generations to come.
The grant is being described as a ‘major milestone’ in the approximately £12 million Portico Reunited project.
The Portico Reunited project will look to ‘reunite’ the historic building’s three floors for the first time in over a century, creating a fully-accessible and sustainable cultural library.
Founded all the way back in 1806, The Portico Library played a central role in Manchester’s rise as the world’s first modern city, and since then has been serving as a window into the past and a providing a place of inspiration for anyone who needs it.
The Portico Library has secured a £6.4m funding grant towards its transformation / Credit: Purcell Architecture (Supplied)
Crucially, plans will see a step-free entrance and lift installed to make the library accessible to all.
There’ll also be new exhibition and event spaces introduced as part of the scheme to explore the stories of Manchester’s communities and the city’s heritage. There will a Northern Bookshop, showcasing regional and emerging writers, and independent publishers, as well as a creative Portico Kitchen, which will celebrate the city’s food culture, writing, and history.
A place for school groups, families, and all people to explore Portico’s collection and experiment creatively also forms part of the plans.
Dr Thom Keep, Librarian and CEO of The Portico Library, called the funding grant a ‘landmark moment’ in the Portico’s ‘rich and complex history’, and a ‘huge achievement’ for its staff, trustees, volunteers, and partners.
“Thanks to National Lottery players, we can reunite this extraordinary building and make room for people to discover, learn and create together,” he added.
“We have listened to thousands of people about what the Portico could become, and their ideas and experiences have helped shape these plans.
“Our ambition is a library that belongs to the whole city – a place to discover remarkable collections, question the stories we have inherited, and create new possibilities together.”
Manchester City Council has granted planning permission and listed building consent for the project, and the building is expected to close for construction in late spring 2028 and reopen once again in early March 2030.
Following reopening, the transformed library is expected to welcome around 95,000 visitors each year.
Featured Image – Purcell Architecture (Supplied)
Art & Culture
Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
The Manc -
13th May 2021 
