Manchester music classic ’24 Hour Party People’ set to return to cinemas

The 2002 film 24 Hour Party People, about the rise and fall of Manchester’s Factory Records, is set to be re-released in cinemas.

• READ MORE: ‘24 Hour Party People’ OST review

Directed by Michael Winterbottom, the film starred Steve Coogan as Tony Wilson, the charismatic founder of Factory Records who spearheaded the Manchester music scene during the ‘Madchester’ era of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

An ensemble cast including Paddy Considine, Peter Kay, Simon Pegg, and Andy Serkis all brought the vibrant scene to life, with cameos from real-life artists such as Happy Mondays’ Paul Ryder and Rowetta, Mark E. Smith, and Mani of The Stone Roses.

The film was nominated for the Palme D’Or at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, and is remembered as a cult classic of British cinema. To celebrate the movie’s 24th anniversary, it will be re-released in cinemas on October 9, with a 4K UHD Disc release following on October 26 – and you can order the latter here.

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A premiere screening of 24 Hour Party People will open Beyond The Music, Greater Manchester’s music and media industry conference, and music festival at MediaCity, Salford on 6 October, followed by a Q&A featuring Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton. You can register your interest in tickets here.

UK Prime Minister and former Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham will also be appearing at the event, as previously revealed.

Following the conference’s announcement, Coogan said: “24 Hour Party People is the work that is closest to my heart. I haven’t seen it for nearly 25 years. It captures the creative spirit of the town I am proud to have grown up in. I feel very sentimental about it all, which Tony Wilson would have deplored.”

Elsewhere, the actor revealed that his new role in HBO TV series The White Lotus came about because of his performance in the film, as the show’s creator Mike White is a fan of the movie.