The North West Underground

The North West has a tradition of going its own way, in film as much as anything else. The only Film Production Company ever to make a success of it outside of London was John E. Blakeley’s Mancunian Films, which ran for over 30 years, from the 20s to the 50s, creating region-specific cinema. In the 1980s, local cult hero Cliff Twemlow was one of the first people to see the commercial potential of making cheaply produced films for the straight-to-video market. Both men were driven by the attitude that they didn’t need permission or approval from some company in London. They could make films if they wanted, and in doing so, they would find their own market.

 

This attitude persists in a new wave of local filmmakers working in the region. Struggling with miniscule budgets, dependent on favours, in-kind support, self-belief and shared enthusiasm, they do not have the luxury of dedicated month-long shoots and endless post-production. They are often working on the hoof, in their spare time, taking on other jobs just to pay the bills. Their films may take months, even years to complete. And working within such an extended time frame, they need to be able to sustain their faith in the project, and that of everyone else involved, or the whole thing would simply fall apart. Luckily, they have that faith and the drive that goes with it. Salford Film Festival is keen to foster this “can do” attitude to creativity. Last year, we screened Chris Leonard and Joe O’Byrne’s Lookin’ For Lucky and Baldwin Lee’s 25Gs. This year we’ve decided to dedicate a strand to other filmmakers working to establish the North West’s New Wave.

 

We begin with the film that kick-started the whole movement, DIARY OF A BAD LAD, a savagely funny and morally troubling expose of the media's obsession with criminality and vice versa. Then we've four premiere screenings throughout the rest of the festival. We've a wry tale of the healing power of good music in A DROP OF THE PURE, filmmakers in search of Woody Allen in MANCATTAN, surreal comedy in CAR PARK, and raunchy farce in ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES. But the movement isn't limited to features. We're also dedicating the second programme in our CAUGHT SHORT strand to some SHOTS FROM THE NORTH WEST UNDERGROUND.

STARRING…THE PEOPLE OF SALFORD

Born in 2003 the Salford Film Festival paid special attention to the huge variety that Salford communities are famous for, and in encouraging their involvement in film-making both on screen and behind the camera, paved the way for five more seriously succ

STEVE BALSHAW INTERVIEW

My primary role is to select, source and secure the films, and to build these into a programme of screenings and related events that will hopefully attract an audience - so I deal with filmmakers and producers, and often with the various screening venues,

INNOVATE, DON’T IMITATE!

Manchester prides itself on being “The City of Innovation”. Benjamin Disraeli famously stated that “What Manchester does today, the rest of the world will do tomorrow

THE ORSON WELLES OF SALFORD

He was Salford's Welles and King of Manchester Exploitation movies. He was a pioneer of independent filmmaking in the region. And now there's a book. You should own it.

UNDERSTANDING THE PAST

In our past is our future. Understand one, and you can better visualise the other. This selection of films from the North West Film Archive offers a glimpse of the world that was, here in Salford - some of it now lost forever, some of it simply altered be