MIF Daily | Saturday 12 July – Factory International

Manchester International Festival is back and so is MIF Daily – our curated guide to the festival! We’ll tell you what to read, watch, listen to and do to make the most of MIF25.

MIF Daily is filled with top tips, recommendations and free events to help you navigate the busy festival. Head behind the scenes with interviews, studio visits and editorials, taking you out into the city and far beyond.

Look out for MIF Daily on Factory+ from Tuesday to Sunday throughout the festival.

Come rain or shine, we’ll see you on Festival Square!

READ: Festival Picks by our Young Curators

Last year, we welcomed our first cohort of Young Curators, who joined us for 12 months to help redefine curation. Meet them all here.

We caught up with Young Curator Otega Ajuchi – a multidisciplinary artist and service designer whose work bridges education, technology, creativity, and mindfulness – to find out his top picks for the festival.

For the last week of MIF25, I’m throwing myself into as many live music and kaleidoscopic experiences as I can. I’m especially looking forward to seeing Everything Is Recorded – I’ve listened to a few of the projects, but this will be my first time experiencing the music live. As always, I’m trying to come with no preconceived ideas or expectations. I’ll also be seeing Blackhaine on Friday, and I’m fully prepared to have my mind blown. There’s so much happening across the city, and I’m ready to dive deep. Bring on Week 3!

Watch: Balmy Ukraine: This is also Ukraine

Meet Daria, Hanna, Kira, Olexa, Rost, Sasha, Vlada, Vlada, Vesna and Zakhar – ten teenagers who like Radiohead, making art, swimming, dating, watching films and hanging out with their friends. They also live close to the front line in Ukraine.

Tomorrow is the premiere of Balmy Ukraine: This is also Ukraine – an extraordinary short film by young people directly impacted by the full-scale invasion. Watch the trailer here.

A black and white photograph of young people with their arms around each other in a group cuddle

Balmy Ukraine: This is also Ukraine | Trailer

Listen: Blackhaine Radio

Blackhaine: And Now I Know What Love Is continues at Diecast. Get acquainted with Blackhaine and his musical peers with this Spotify playlist.

Snaps – Blackhaine: And Now I Know What Love Is

A photo of warehouse industrial space lit in blue light with a person standing in front of a crowd with his arms wide

A photo of warehouse industrial space with a woman holding a man in her arms

A photo of a dark warehouse space and a person stood silhouetted against a bright light coming from a shipping container

DO: Festival Square goes to space!

Today’s artist talk is a little different! What is it like to travel to space? Join John McFall – Paralympic bronze medallist, Trauma and Orthopaedic Registrar, and the first-ever ESA parastronaut – as he shares his extraordinary journey.
Bring the little ones down early for a space themed party with Born to be Wild Child and space experiments with the Science and Industry Museum.
Or stay until the early hours with a High Hoops takeover featuring Kim Lana, Lady Shaka of FAFSWAG and Fastlove.
Festival Square line-up