Superheroes. Detectives. Gangsters. The Royal Family. Manchester has played host to every kind of character that has projected up onto the big or small screen.
Between Captain America, Sherlock Holmes, Peaky Blinders, and The Crown, the glorious range of architectural styles comprising the Rainy City has rendered Mancunia the perfect host for accommodating a rich tapestry of fictional and factual personalities alike.
The landscape has seamlessly doubled for regions ranging from New York City to a post-WWI Midlands, all whilst producing many of its own stories like Hell is a City (a 60s crime thriller which features a thrilling chase on the rooftops of the Palace Hotel) and 24 Hour Party People (where Manchester’s most enthusiastic flag-waver Tony Wilson is recreated by Steve Coogan).
Manchester is making media right round the clock, right around the year. And a new generation of filmmakers have been raised in the unblinking eye of the camera lens. The result is firms like Mancunian Way Productions rising to the fore – independent companies possessing the kind of chest-puffing civic pride that so many of the artists inside the M60 all seem to share.
Mancunian Way is on a self-described mission to make movies that capture difficult subjects in an authentic way – with scripts ranging from romantic dramas to survival epics.
Their first project was a serial killer short titled Out of Focus – a crime drama covering a murderer on the loose in Manchester. Shot in 12 locations in and around Manchester city centre over the space of the year, Out of Focus fittingly enjoying its premiere in hometown territory at The Printworks before scooping the Best International Film at the Underground Cinema Awards.
Since then, Mancunian Way has grown via word of mouth and enjoyed immense local support from film lovers and regional media alike – with Granada Reports Presenter Lucy Meacock even going on to make a cameo in Out of Focus.
Reflecting on the journey so far, Mancunian Way Productions founder Sean Gonet said: “People thought me and my business partner Kyle Roughneen were far too ambitious [with Out of Focus] and we were constantly being told that we would have to be more realistic with our plans, but this only made us even more determined.
“It was definitely throwing ourselves in at the deep end but it was an incredible learning curve that paid off for us massively.
“We’re hoping to turn Out of Focus into a TV series, soon, too. When you make a short film you don’t get the opportunity to really develop your characters and the plot, so it’ll be nice to stretch it out and tell the full story.”
Mancunian Way is also currently developing two scripts that Sean scribbled during lockdown into far-flung, full-length cinematic features.
One is Solitude: a survival drama that follows a British soldier suffering from PTSD who finds himself stranded in the harsh Icelandic wilderness. And the other is A Lost Memory: a romantic drama that follows an Englishman with amnesia whose forgotten past returns to haunt him in the Highlands.
Both have been a long time in the making.
Mancunian Way founder Sean Gonet / Image: Louie Lee-Horton
“I completed Solitude a couple of years ago and we were about to go into pre-production, but then came Covid,” Sean explains.
“I managed to get over to Iceland to see the incredible scenery for myself and meet our local production team, but the logistics of shooting a multi-international location independent film during the pandemic became virtually impossible. We would just start to make some progress with things moving in the right direction and then there would be the next lockdown and we were back to square one.”
“It was late last year that I made the decision to write another film that was logistically easier to get made. I wrote A Lost Memory over the course of a few weeks around October.
“In the movie, my character Anthony gets hit by a car down a dark country lane in the middle of the Highlands. As they are miles from the nearest hospital, he is taken to a remote farmhouse to be cared for by local veterinary nurse Ailsa. They soon begin to fall for each other – but Anthony’s past catches up with him when he least expects it.
“The brilliant William Nunez is directing who’s just come off the back of The Laureate starring Laura Haddock, Diana Agron and Tom Hughes. We are due to film in autumn on location in one of the most incredible parts of the world – so I can’t wait to get up there and start filming.”
Granada Reports’ Lucy Meacock makes a cameo in Mancunian Way’s serial killer drama ‘Out of Focus’ / Image: Mancunian Way Productions
Sean credits the “invaluable exposure” of long, intense theatre performances in his teenage years in helping him become a prepared performer – learning to accept the social sacrifices that often accompany a film worker’s lifestyle.
In 2019, he decided to make a go of it alone in the filmmaking world – and it was everything he imagined. Hard work and all. Some nights, he would be writing at his laptop, glance up at the clock and realise it was 4am.
None of it was easy. And it still isn’t. But Sean says if young Mancunian filmmakers are willing to put in the work – the opportunities are there.
“There is absolutely no reason nowadays that you can’t just get out there and try to do it yourself – there is so much information freely accessible online and on YouTube about the filmmaking process that there’s nothing you can’t find,” he explains.
“You also don’t need lots of money to make things happen, either. Sometimes it’s one of those where you need to ask 100 people. 99 say no but all it takes is that one person and you’ve got what you need. You’ve got to start somewhere, but so has everyone else.
“The best and most humbling advice I was given is ‘No one is waiting for your film’. Ultimately, no one is going to make it happen for you. You just have to go for it and ask people to get on board. The worst they can say is no.”
Sean Gonet is currently working on two more scripts for Mancunian Way – including a romantic drama and survival epic / Image: Louie Lee-Horton
Mancunian Way Productions is wandering from its roots a little with its next two features in Scotland and Iceland – but Sean is eager to turn the camera back on his city in the not too distant future.
“Visually, the city offers the perfect backdrop for so many different types of film,” he explains.
“It’s no surprise that filmmakers from all over the world are coming here just to shoot on our streets. Areas like Castlefield and The Northern Quarter for example just have that perfect urban look to them for projects that require a darker, grittier feel. Also, with the skyline increasing as it is, I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see more bigger budget action films being shot here over the coming years.
“The amount of film industry talent from Manchester itself is unbelievable. I have been in so many meetings discussing projects and it turns out that crew members from some of the biggest films in the world are from around here.
“Manchester is definitely becoming the place to be for moviemakers. Long may it continue.”
Learn more about Mancunian Way Productions by visiting their website.
Featured image: Mancunian Way founder Sean Gonet shot by Louie Lee-Horton
Manchester
The first new tenant of the old Debenhams department store on Market Street has been confirmed
Danny Jones
The first new resident of the Rylands Building on Market Street in central Manchester has been revealed, and it’s a foodie one.
Set to be the maiden opening inside the old Debenhams department store, which closed after more than three decades back in 2021, Rylands’ debut won’t be for another year or so, but it will soon welcome Mancs with an increasingly popular food hall operator making its way up north.
Simply called Market Place, the ever-growing brand is fast becoming a well-established name, with four venues in the capital already and a fifth coming soon.
Rylands will be their first location outside of London, and with 1,300 sqm of space at their disposal, Market Place Manchester is set to make a significant splash on the high street.
A look at Market Place Peckham.A rough idea of what the Manchester branch could look like.
Developers managed to green-light plans for the Grade II-listed building last November, sharing the first details and glimpses of their vision for the instantly recognisable city centre spot, including a whole new rooftop terrace.
Currently earmarked for a late 2026 launch, the former department store (previously Paulden’s) consisted of seven floors but is now set for a four-storey extension that promises to be a massive and varied retail, leisure and business destination that makes the most of the expansive structure.
Not to be confused with the famous John Rylands Library – a much older, more gothic, historic and hallowed hall over on Deansgate – this task of ‘revitalising a Manchester icon’, to quote property firm AM ALPHA, is a huge undertaking.
In charge of the redevelopment since 2023, the group have been outlining a pretty complete overhaul, with plans to convert the upper floors into premium office space, and the creation of a retail arcade at ground level, on which Market Place Manchester will sit.
This particular Manc corner was a bustling food, drink and shopping complex for the longest time, but has been derelict and covered up by boards for what feels like forever, with urban explorers even roaming the large, abandoned building.
Credit: Supplied
Now, though, the new long-term 15-year lease agreement will see the latest food hall kick off a new era for Rylands, delivering socially focused venues and the range of flavourful, vibrant choices of scran that Market Place have become known for.
With sites in St Paul’s, Vauxhall, Peckham, Harrow and soon Baker Street – as well as their eventual Manchester outpost, of course – the chain is getting bigger and better, meaning its arrival in the North West is an exciting one.
AM ALPHA manager Paul Hodgkiss said in an official statement: “Manchester is a city with a vibrant cultural scene – the perfect environment for forward-thinking concepts like Market Place Food Hall…
“The early commitment to Rylands is no coincidence: it reflects the strength of our strategic and forward-looking approach to development. We are not just creating high-quality space – we are setting new standards for urban mixed-use concepts. Interest from further prospective tenants is strong.”
It was only last week that Greater Manchester’s latest market hall, Campfield Studios, said hello to the general public and with House of Social also opening this summer, among several other similar projects, soon you won’t be able to move for more social hospitality scenes like this:
Manchester crowned one of the world’s best cities for music lovers
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been crowned one of the world’s best cities for music lovers, even beating out New York along the way.
If there’s one thing Manchester is known and loved for over anything else, it’s music.
From Oasis and Joy Division, to Happy Mondays, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, The 1975, and even more modern-day acts, there’s no end to the amount of talented artists this city has produced or been home to over the years, all contributing to Manchester being one of the most prestigious music cities there is.
The city’s live music scene has always been thriving, and that continues right through to this very day, as you’ll see big-name musicians including Manchester as a destination in their UK tour schedules more often than not.
This summer is all set to be a sensational celebration of sound, as not only is an immersive art trail, Music for the Senses, taking over the city from this week, but this year’s annual Manchester Day will be music-themed too, marking one of the biggest years for Manchester music in a long time.
Manchester has been named one of the best cities in the world for music lovers / Credit: Manchester City Council | Eldhose Kuryian (via Unsplash)
Oh, and there’s also the small matter of Oasis reforming for a UK tour, including a run of gigs at Heaton Park this month.
So it’s no surprise that Manchester has been named one of the best cities in the world for music lovers, especially as the IFPI Global Music Report has revealed that the UK has the third largest music market globally – with the music industry’s contribution to the UK economy being £6.7 billion on average.
Taking this recent report into consideration, the experts over at SeatPick have collated data to uncover the best UK cities for music lovers, analysing factors such as the number of concerts, homegrown talents, music businesses, and the total number of music venues, to reveal each city’s overall music score out of 10.
Coming in at second place with a music scene score of 8.97/10 is Manchester.
2025 is all set to be a sensational summer of sound in our city / Credit: Supplied
“Manchester remains one of the UK’s most iconic music cities and with 1,204 concerts between 2025-2026, 116 live music venues, and 380 homegrown acts, the city’s live music offering is as strong as ever,” SeatPick said of its findings.
“2025 is shaping up to be a historic year for Manchester, with Oasis reuniting for the first time in over a decade, with a massive comeback show at Heaton Park – the very spot where they played their last hometown gig in 2009.”
While Manchester may have missed out on the UK’s top spot, with that title going to London, in the global rankings, our city has claimed an impressive sixth place, beating out New York’s influential music scene.
Liverpool and Leeds are two of the other northern cities in the UK’s top 10, taking fifth and sixth place respectively.
“Cities which have a larger number of music businesses are key in creating the perfect city for music fans, as this impacts the city’s cultural, economic, and social vibrancy,” explained Gilad Zilberman, who is the CEO of SeatPick.
“A thriving music scene within a city means it can provide more artistic expression, support a wider range of genres, and enrich the cultural landscape, as well as attracting creative talent.”
The Manc -
10th June 2022 
