Whether you’re part of our global audience or here in Manchester, our streaming offer provides the best seat in the house for a wide variety of MIF21 commissions. From theatre shows and live music to films and gaming, MIF Live has so much to engage with – and all of it ticketed on a Pay What You Feel scale or completely free to access. Press play!

Watch Cillian Murphy in the cinematic film All Of This Unreal Time

Until 18 July, Pay What You Feel

What happens when poetry meets film in an immersive experience at rave proportions? That’s what writer Max Porter and filmmaker Aoife McCardle wanted to find out when they created the innovative new film installation All Of This Unreal Time, which has its global premiere at MIF21. With a stunning soundtrack by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National and Jon Hopkins, and starring Cillian Murphy, the online film version brings the experience directly to you.

Make your living room a Global Playground

10-25 July, Pay What You Feel

Beam the excitement of The Global Playground into your home and delight the whole family with an uplifting show combining dance, theatre and puppetry conjured by Theatre-Rites, one of the most imaginative theatre companies in Europe. This family-friendly performance is all about the importance of time spent together, and the magic that can happen when we connect.

Explore Robert Yang’s inclusive game world in We Dwell in Possibility

1 July - 18 July, FREE

MIF is moving to The Factory, and to give you a sense of what that is going to be like, we’ve commissioned a series of digital artworks that push the boundaries between genres. Robert Yang’s We Dwell In Possibility is a new work created for MIF’s Virtual Factory. The games developer teamed up with illustrator Eleanor Davis to create this queer gardening simulation. It’s a playful digital space where politics and intimacy are explored.

Get up close to the big ideas with Marta Minjuín in conversation

Available on demand now, FREE

The creator of Big Ben Lying Down With Political Books kicked off the Festival with a free, live streamed event in collaboration with The Guardian. The historic newspaper, which has its roots in Manchester, is celebrating its 200th anniversary. Centring on the idea of the ‘work in progress’, the Argentine artist looks back over her six decades of radical art as The Guardian’s Alex Clark hosts. Watch again now.

Postcards From Now, whenever you want them

Until 18 July, FREE

Postcards From Now is a digital time capsule, a message to the future. The COVID-19 pandemic is changing our world in countless ways: some already visible, others as yet unknown. Pioneering creators from the worlds of dance, animation, art, filmmaking, literature and beyond have come together to show their perspective on the world as it is now. Four films will premiere online for free during MIF21.

Please note that Postcards From Now will have a USA streaming premiere in the autumn. It is not currently available to stream in this territory.

Looking Forward To Tomorrow’s lives online

10 & 17 July, FREE

A programme of talks, discussions and workshops created by the people of Greater Manchester, alongside invited key workers, artists and activists. The events will focus on two essential issue of our time: Equality on 10 July and Environment on 17 July. You can buy a ticket to attend Looking Forward To Tomorrow in person, or watch the final panel of each day online, for free, via MIF Live.

Reflect on the rollercoaster of human emotion with Notes on Grief

15-18 July, Pay What You Feel

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s spellbinding New Yorker essay (recently published as a book) Notes On Grief has been transposed from page to stage by the theatre director Rae McKen. Adichie’s powerful words, written following the death of her father during the pandemic, are poignant, and Notes on Grief is a space to pay tribute to those lost, and reflect on the nuances of an emotion that often go unspoken.

Contemporary classical music at home with The Patience of Trees

17-18 July, Pay What You Feel

Immerse yourself in an evening of contemporary classical music, and a timely meditation on nature and the city. The centrepiece of the evening is the Patience of Trees, a brand new concerto or violin, strings and percussion by acclaimed composer Dobrinka Tabakova, There are also pieces by Steve Reich, Julieta Szewach and more, in this musical exploration of the urban, the pastoral and the things which exist between the two.

An electrifying array of African and diaspora talent at Homecoming Live

17 July, Free Online

Founded by grime star Skepta, creative mogul Grace Ladoja MBE and collaborator Greatness Dex, Homecoming is the Lagos-based festival of African and diaspora creativity – platforming music, fashion, art, design and sport. For one night only, they’re coming to MIF to present Homecoming Live with Nigerian Afrorave star Rema, London’s Midas the Jagaban and Manchester’s own DJ Anz, hosted by Julia Adenuga. You can buy a ticket to be there in person, or watch it online, completely free.

We’re broadcasting the very best of Festival Square, every day

Until 18 July, Free

Festival Squareis always the beating heart of MIF. The place where amazing things come together, and you can discover a new favourite musician on DJ almost by accident. With MIF Live in town, there’s a huge range of Festival Square events being streamed online for free, so you don’t have to miss a moment of the action. Catch Billy Nomates on 13 July, and tune in to Mr Scruff’s takeover on the evening of 16 July.