In 1991, a band from South Wales with the unlikely name of Manic Street Preachers came on to the British music scene proclaiming their ambition to make one album, sell 16 million copies of it, and then split up. All these years, multiple hit records, one missing member, and many controversies later, they are still here. In No Manifesto, this colourful and contentious band faces off with their equally colourful and contentious fans in a verité multimedia mash-up experiment that will turn the traditional rock’n’roll documentary upside-down and shake it until all the change falls out of its pockets.
For the making of No Manifesto, the Manics provided unprecedented access. In addition to telling the story of the band’s rise from mouthy punks to international renown, the film takes a fascinating look at the band's creative process and joins them on tour. Also included are interviews given exclusively for this project and candid scenes of the day-to-day lives of the band members.
Featuring footage shot at rehearsals, recording sessions, performances, band members’ homes and a variety of other locations combined with archival materials, plus interviews in which fans provide commentary, lore, criticism and praise, No Manifesto gives a comprehensive look at one of Britain’s most confounding bands.
Although No Manifesto will be released on DVD on February 16, it will also be shown in various cinemas including showings at Cardiff's Chapter Cinema and Manchester's Cornerhouse Cinema on January 30 and 31 respectively. Both screenings will include a convert video from the 'Past-Present-Future' live shows and a questions and answers session with the filmmakers.
Additional screenings with a questions and answers session will be held at London's Prince Charles Cinema (Feb 2nd), Nottingham's Broadway Cinema (Feb 3rd) and London's Curzon Soho cinema (Feb 4th).
For more information please see Nomanifestofilm.com, and watch the trailer for the docu-film below.