Russell T. Davies & ‘Heartstopper’ Creator Headline Manchester’s Scene Festival!

BREAKING NEWS: The upcoming Scene: Manchester festival is set to showcase celebrities like Russell T. Davies and Alice Oseman, and will also include a series of exclusive preview screenings.

The festival, dedicated to LGBTQIA+ cinema and television, will be held in Manchester, UK, from August 20-27. The event will feature a variety of screenings, discussion panels, comedy performances, parties, and premiere events. Stay tuned for the complete lineup details.

Writer Russell T. Davies, known for Tip Toe, It’s a Sin, and Queer as Folk, will make an appearance with his frequent collaborator, producer Nicola Shindler. They will discuss the thrilling new Channel 4 miniseries Tip Toe and reflect on It’s a Sin as it reaches its fifth anniversary, just before its stage adaptation debuts at Aviva Studios in Manchester later this year.

Alice Oseman, the mind behind Heartstopper, will engage in a personal discussion about the influence her novels and their successful Netflix adaptation have had on the global LGBTQIA+ community.

Attendees will get an exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpse at Disney+’s new 1980s-themed series Rivals, featuring actors Gary Lamont and Hubert Burton, along with executive producer Alexander Lamb. Additionally, the BBC’s series I Kissed a Boy and I Kissed a Girl will be highlighted in a talk hosted by Charley Marlowe, with participation from several cast members. Channel 4’s An Altogether Different Comedy Night will also make a comeback.

Among the preview screenings are Pedro Almodóvar’s Bitter Christmas, Jane Schoenbrun’s Cannes Queer Palm winner Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex, and the Closing Night film by Neil Ely and Lloyd Eyre-Morgan, Chatlines. A special screening of Adam Shankman’s upcoming drag comedy Stop! That! Train! is also on the schedule.

The documentary segment will showcase works from Patrick Wolf, Barbara Hammer, and NOFX. The festival will also announce the nominees for the Iris Prize Best British Short, alongside Scene’s own Northern host program and guest programmers from TITE, Aks, Queer Filmmakers Network, and IAP:MCR.

Gary James Williams, the Head of Events at CityCo, which produces Scene, stated, “We’re excited that Scene is returning for its third year, and with our audience numbers doubling last year, the festival continues to grow stronger. Thousands of fans from across the UK and around the world are coming to Manchester to partake in the ultimate celebration of queer screen culture.

“This year, we aim to introduce audience members to their new favorite films while celebrating the stories and shows they already adore. Our program this year is the most extensive and ambitious to date – from Almodóvar to Ab Fab, Barbara Hammer to I Kissed A Girl, we have a mix of old classics, new narratives, shorts, documentaries, live comedy, dance performances, parties, and exhibitions. There truly is something for everyone.”