A Manchester poet and filmmaker and a local arts producer have launched a new grassroots film festival to champion independent voices often overlooked by larger industry events.
Nathaniel Lloyd Richards and flematu sessay created the Manchester Fringe Film Festival after noticing that much of the media attention around the Manchester Film Festival focused on big-budget productions and Hollywood names, leaving limited space for local filmmakers.
“What started as a simple Instagram DM saying ‘let’s just do our own’ quickly grew into something much bigger,” they said.
Self-funded and organised through late-night planning sessions alongside their day-to-day work, the first edition of the festival took place on 29 March at Pink Studios.
The event brought together 23 independent filmmakers and an audience of 53 attendees, showcasing a diverse programme across three screenings. The line-up included documentary films, scripted shorts, animation and music videos, exploring themes such as mental health, culture and healing through creativity.
With no submission fees and free tickets for all attendees, the festival was designed to remove barriers and create an inclusive, supportive space for emerging creatives to share their work.
“Our aim was to create a space where local filmmakers could finally screen the projects they’ve worked so hard on, without financial or industry gatekeeping,” the organisers said.
Following the success of its debut, the Manchester Fringe Film Festival has already received strong interest from both filmmakers and audiences, with many calling for it to become an annual event. The founders say a growing community of Manchester-based film lovers has already begun to form around the initiative, championing local storytelling and creative collaboration.