A new film showcase focused on addiction and recovery is coming to Manchester, with six short films screening at Manchester Metropolitan University’s SODA, followed by a panel discussion.
The northern premiere, happening on 16 January, is part of Portraits of Recovery’s new DRY26 arts programme, which aims to reframe abstinence through a dynamic schedule of films, exhibitions, and talks.
Among the films selected are Reach, an animation by Kayleigh Gibbon that portrays the difficult first step in recovery, and The Light Side by Warrington filmmaker David McCollom and sober coach and author Lucy Rocca, which follows Rocca’s personal journey of sobriety and the creation of her online community.
Also featured is Sons of Jericho, a short documentary by Laura Roberts and Alex Black about five men navigating recovery together at Derby’s Jericho House centre.
After the screening, a panel discussion will bring together MMU neuroscientist and creative writing lecturer Dr Rachel Genn; Dominic Pillai, a Manchester-based filmmaker and Portraits of Recovery’s curator of social engagement; Maddie Kitchen, creative director of the Recovery Street Film Festival; and filmmaker David McCollom to talk more about the films and the themes they explore.
For more than a decade, the Recovery Street Film Festival has provided a platform for filmmakers with lived experience of substance use to share their stories, growing from grassroots street screenings into a national event viewed more than a million times.
Mark Prest, founder and CEO of Portraits of Recovery, said: “We are thrilled to be working with the Recovery Street Film Festival and to be showing this award-winning short film, which presents an authentic and hopeful vision of recovery. With DRY26, we want to show that sobriety isn’t about restriction, but about opening the door to a richer, more creative, and connected life.”
Maddie Kitchen, creative director of the Recovery Street Film Festival, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Portraits of Recovery to bring the Recovery Street Film Festival to Manchester for the first time.
“The city’s vibrant cultural scene and commitment to socially engaged art make it the perfect home for this special DRY26 event. It’s a chance to showcase incredible, award-winning films that spark vital conversations about recovery, directly within a community that is actively engaging with these themes.”
Tickets cost £2 and are available via Portraits of Recovery’s website.
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