About this Event
That Sinking Feeling (Bill Forsyth 1979, PG)
This is the story of a heist with a difference: the booty being stolen is a vanload of stainless steel sinks, and the thieves are bored Glaswegian teenagers. No one is more surprised than they are when the robbery seems to go to plan... Best known as the director of Gregory’s Girl and Local Hero, Bill Forsyth made his directorial debut with That Sinking Feeling. A zero-budget heist comedy, it was filmed in the streets of Glasgow with non-professional actors – several of whom will be familiar from Gregory’s Girl.
When That Sinking Feeling was released in the USA the actors’ Glasgow accents were considered impenetrable and the film was dubbed, at a cost exceeding its original production budget. We will be showing the original version!
“Among the happiest surprises of my years as a movie critic” – Philip French on the premiere of That Sinking Feeling
We are delighted to say that the film will be introduced by Jonny Murray, who is Personal Chair of Film Theory, History and Criticism at Edinburgh College of Art and the author of Discomfort and Joy: the Cinema of Bill Forsyth.
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The Manchester International Crime and Justice Film Festival 2026
ALL EVENTS ARE FREE – PLEASE BOOK TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT
Welcome to the 2026 festival sponsored by the School of Sociology & Criminology at Manchester Metropolitan University and curated by the university’s Policy Evaluation and Research Unit.
Since 2019 we’ve had a consistent mission – screening great films which provoke debate and provide an alternative take on crime, justice and punishment in the 21st century.
This year’s programme brings you an eclectic mix of international crime classics and lesser-known gems from a century of cinema, with settings ranging from the Scottish islands to the south of Chile. Our experts will be on hand to introduce the movies and to answer your questions at Q+A sessions after each screening. Selected screenings will also feature short films documenting creative projects delivered in prisons, in partnership between artist Faye Claridge, learners from each establishment and our partner Novus.
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Upcoming Films in the Festival:
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Wednesday 20th May, 5.30–8.15pm
Grosvenor East Building, Cavendish Street, Manchester, M15 6BG
M (Fritz Lang 1931)
Cert PG, 110 minutes
German with English subtitles
An unnamed city is rocked by a series of murders of children. An anonymous letter warns that there will be more. After the police flood the city with agents, the criminal underworld starts its own manhunt for the child-killer – unforgettably portrayed by Peter Lorre – aiming to make him face a rough form of justice. An expressionist classic and Lang's own favourite among his works.
Booking Link: M (PG): Crime and ` Film Festival 2026
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Wednesday 10th June, 5.30–8.15pm
Grosvenor East Building, Cavendish Street, Manchester, M15 6BG
Los Colonos (The Settlers) (Felipe Gálvez Haberle 2023)
Cert 15, 97 Minutes
Spanish with English subtitles
Chile, 1893. A group of three men – two British, one Chilean and part-Indian – set out for Tierra del Fuego in the far south, aiming to stake out land granted to businessman José Menéndez for his sheep-farming concern. The indigenous people living there will simply have to be removed – by any means necessary.
Booking Link: Los Colonos (15): Crime and Justice Film Festival 2026
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Saturday 13th June, 1.00–4.00pm
Grosvenor East Building, Cavendish Street, Manchester, M15 6BG
Z (Costa-Gavras 1969)
Cert 15, 127 minutes
French with English Subtitles
A popular left-wing politician in an unnamed Mediterranean country is killed in a seemingly random attack. The dead man is hailed as a martyr and conspiracy theories begin to circulate. The General who heads the country’s authoritarian government sets up an inquiry into the affair; he appoints a conservative judge to chair it, trusting that he will reach the right conclusions...
Booking Link: Z (15): Crime and Justice Film Festival 2026
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Friday 19th June, 5.30–8.15pm
Grosvenor East Building, Cavendish Street, Manchester, M15 6BG
Limbo (Ben Sharrock 2020)
Cert 12, 104 minutes
On a remote Scottish island, four asylum seekers – Syrian Omar, Farhad from Afghanistan, Wasef from Nigeria and Abedi from Ghana – wait for their claims to be decided. And wait, and wait. Barred from taking paid work, they fill their days by watching DVDs, attending wince-inducing “cultural awareness” sessions and arguing among themselves.
Booking Link: Limbo (12) : Crime and Justice Film Festival 2026
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The Festival is supported by our partners:
- Instituto Cervantes Manchester
- Alliance Française de Manchester (Registered Charity n° 1068084)
- Greater Manchester Youth Federation
- North West Film Archive
- Novus
- Goethe-Institut UK
- Breaking Barriers
- In Place of War
Screenings will take place at Grosvenor East Building, the university’s Arts and Creative Hub. Grosvenor East is on the corner of Oxford Road and Cavendish Street, five minutes’ walk from Oxford Rd train station. We also have a joint screening with our partners at Instituto Cervantes Manchester.
We look forward to welcoming old friends and new audiences alike, from the UK and internationally.
See you at the movies!
Your festival team:
Kevin Wong, Gavin Bailey, Anton Roberts, Katie Hunter, Phil Edwards and Benedicte Brahic
Film notes by Phil Edwards
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Room GE.3.08, Grosvenor East Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00
