"Outstanding" British movie with John Simm and Ralf Little gets free UK screenings

24 Hour Party People, the "outstanding" British film boasting a stacked cast including John Simm and Ralf Little, will screen for free in independent cinemas across the UK to mark its 24th anniversary.

Released in 2002, the comedy drama tells the story of the Madchester music scene through the eyes of record label owner Tony Wilson (Steve Coogan), the man who signed acts such as The Happy Mondays and Joy Division.

"Totally inspired by a Sex Pistols gig, Wilson and his friends set up Factory Records, proceeding to sign some of the most influential artists of their time," reads the synopsis for the film.

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"24 Hour Party People is a blackly comic tale of music, sex, drugs, larger-than-life characters, and the birth of one of the most famous clubs in the world, The Haçienda," it continues.

Directed by Michael Winterbottom and written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the film boasts a stellar British cast including Andy Serkis, Paddy Considine, Peter Kay, Rob Brydon, Simon Pegg, Lennie James, Shirley Henderson and Keith Allen.

Ahead of its re-release in cinemas on 9 October, the Madchester music biopic will be free to view on 5 and 6 October, screening at more than 100 independent cinemas as part of Escapes, a nationwide free cinema initiative supported by the BFI.

The initiative aims to make film more accessible by hosting more than 100 free screenings across the UK each month, giving audiences the chance to experience films on the big screen. You can find your nearest screening and book tickets here.

On a poster for the Escapes screening, Moby is quoted as calling 24 Hour Party People "outstanding", while NME called it "essential viewing".

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 87% approval rating from 100 reviews, with Rolling Stone writing: "Like the music, the film is outspoken, roaringly funny, defiantly sexual and relentlessly in your face. I couldn't have liked it more."

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The Hollywood Reporter said: "Thanks to an excellent script from Frank Cottrell Boyce, brilliant cinematography by the legendary Robby Muller and intelligent direction by Winterbottom, the film is constantly amusing and fascinating."

"It's worthwhile alone for Mr Coogan's fine portrayal of Mr Wilson as a sly, cantankerous question mark of a man who provokes more queries than he answers," penned The New York Times (via Rotten Tomatoes).

24 Hour Party People will be re-released in cinemas on 9 October.

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Reporter, Digital Spy

Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy. 

A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre. 

In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.