How Finding Emily was love letter to 'best city ever'

18 hours ago

Jasmine DuFraisseNorth West

News image — Finding Emily was released on May 22, but premiered in the Home cinema in Manchester weeks before.

PA Media The main characters Owen and emily sit side by side at a wooden bar table in a warmly lit, busy pub or bar. Both lean slightly forward with their arms resting on the table. Owen wears a light-coloured jacket over a checked shirt, while Emily wears a dark jacket, with blonde hair falling around her shoulders. — Finding Emily was released on May 22, but premiered in the Home cinema in Manchester weeks before.

A director has said her decision to include so much of Manchester in her latest film was intentional and acted as a "love letter" to the city.

Finding Emily, which is set across Manchester was released on 22 May, and stars actors Angourie Rice and Spike Fearn as the leads.

It tells the story of how a club-night romance leads to a hunt through a university campus when a musician realises he has been given the wrong number by a love interest.

Director Alicia MacDonald, who describes Manchester as "the best city ever" said she wanted to "embed" Manchester into the fabric of the film and create what she calls a "love letter" to the city.

Finding Emily actor Spike Fearn has 'always been obsessed with Manchester'

The centre of Manchester's Gay Village features heavily throughout, taking audiences inside venues like G-A-Y and Via, and offering a front-row seat to the city's nightlife.

Kat Ronney, who plays Emily Thewlis, spoke of her love of Canal Street and her first impression of the area, she said "I'd just arrived in Manchester and saw everyone so I just hung out. The people are just so fantastic."

"We went out when we were not working and being on that street, the people are just so fantastic. I loved it, it was amazing," Kat added.

From Canal Street to Deansgate Locks, Finding Emily leans on all the things that make up Manchester such as its nightlife, music ,culture and humour.

Speaking at the film's premiere, lead actress Angourie Rice explained that she "loves movies where the city is a character".

"We've seen so many films where New York or L.A. or Seattle take centre stage — so it's really nice that there's a movie where Manchester feels like a character," she said.

PA Media The characters Emily and Owen in the film stand close together in a traditional pub with stained glass windows, holding each other’s arms as they face one another. Around them, other customers sit with drinks at small tables, adding to the lively, daytime pub atmosphere. — The film stars Angourie Rice and Spike Fearn as its main characters.

'Gritty Northerness'

This isn't just a film set in Manchester - it's one shaped by it.

Oldham-born actress Cora Kirk, who plays Anna, believes the sense of identity is what makes the film stand out with viewers able to "see Piccadilly Records, the Gay Village, the canal" as "so much of the setting is Manchester".

"To do a film which feels so rooted in the culture that we've got, in the people, in the food, in the gritty Northerness of love - I just thought it was great. It was really great," she said.

Finding Emily's Cora Kirk on 'gritty northerness of love' in film

The film also draws on Manchester's music scene by featuring locations such as the Northern Quarter and even a cameo from Stockport band Blossoms.

For Timothy Innes, who plays Tristan, that musical heritage was central to the film's identity.

"There's music running through the heart of the city," he said.

"With all the bands that came out of here, the great music that came out of here and I think that you just feel it in the people, the vibes and it just feeds into the movie," he added.

BBC / Rob Oxley A canal runs between red-brick buildings decorated with rainbow flags, with crowds gathered along a waterside terrace.Reflections ripple on the water below as people socialise outside bars and venues lining the canal. — Canal street was just one of the Manchester locations that featured in the film.

Much of Finding Emily was filmed across the University of Manchester campus, alongside locations which people familiar with the city will recognise - from Sackville Street and St Peter's Square to Oldham Street and Rusholme's Curry Mile.

The film also dips into some of the city's pubs and venues, including the Peveril of the Peak and Electric Shuffle on Deansgate.

Both on and off screen, the cast embraced the Northern experience.

For director Alicia MacDonald, who described Manchester as "the best city ever", including so much of the city was intentional, she wanted to "embed" Manchester into the fabric of the film and create what she calls a "love letter" to the city.

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