First festival under Creative Director Low Kee Hong invites audiences to ‘dream differently’
Factory International today (Tuesday 11 March) announced the programme for the Manchester International Festival 2025 (MIF25) with The Royal Ballet and an exhibition featuring Eric Cantona crowning the creative lineup.
Taking place at Aviva Studios and across the city from Thursday 3 July to Sunday 20 July, the festival will also be expanding to the Greater Manchester boroughs of Rochdale and Wigan for the first time with its opening public artwork, The Herds.
It is the first programme curated by Creative Director Low Kee Hong, who invited audiences to ‘dream differently’ as he announced the lineup to a busy gathering of press and guests in Aviva Studios’ Law Family Hall.
“I’m truly excited to share with you a programme that's been created with such a diverse range of artists, artists that ask us to question the state of the world right now, artists that challenge us to think beyond the state of where we think we are,” said Hong.
“As we all know we live in this incredibly strange and challenging times, a time that more than ever is so important to hold firm in our belief in community, to be there for each other, and to hold up and celebrate visions that inspire us, that really show us a future that we want to be part of, even when everything else around us tell us otherwise.”
In a programme perhaps light on marquee names known to those outside of the arts world, some of the biggest names attached are those of Eric Cantona and former Manchester United footballer Juan Mata (returning for his second festival) and the commissioning of Football City, Art United, a collaborative group exhibition which Hong termed “as Manchester as it can be, but at the same time global”. Ryan Gardner (again returning to MIF) will be the artist tasked with collaborating with Cantona.
The other instantly recognisable name is that of The Royal Ballet, who will partner with the festival to present a stage version of A Single Man, the 1964 novella from High Lane-born author and WH Auden contemporary Christopher Isherwood which was later adapted by Tom Ford into an Oscar-nominated film starring Colin Firth.
Written by Jonathan Watkins and with new music written for the production by Jasmin Kent Rodgman and Factory returnee John Grant, this world premiere will see former Royal Ballet principal Ed Watson perform the central role of George.
The festival will also see the unveiling of An Inheritance at Manchester Art Gallery, which brings together a collection of knowledge, advice, observations and objects from over 500 primary school children from across every borough of Greater Manchester.
Working with artists Andy Field, Beckie Darlington and Rosabel Tan, the children were tasked with thinking of Manchester 100 years from now and what they can leave behind for its children - a collection which the likes of Bev Craig will then pledge to safeguard for the next century.
On the first programme curated by Hong, Chief Executive and Artistic Director at Factory International, John McGrath said: “It has been such a delight to welcome Low Kee Hong to Manchester and to see his ideas for the future of MIF develop.
“With a global outlook and deep local engagement, the 2025 edition of Manchester International Festival, curated by Kee Hong, promises to be an exciting new step in the story of this unique festival of new work from the world’s great artists.
“Our wonderful new year-round home, Aviva Studios, will form a joyful centre to the festival, while we also partner with artists and organisations across Greater Manchester to ensure a festival for everyone.”
For more information about the festival and to see the full MIF25 programme visit the Factory International website.
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