24 Hour Party People

When it came to music and nightclubs, Manchester definitely was the place to be in the 1980s. With bands like Joy Division, Happy Mondays and Buzzcocks, nightlife sparkled in the northern English city aka Mad-chester — the city where the party was on 24/7. Director Michael Winterbottom portrays the story of this vibrant period with humour and loads of music, with the recently deceased Robby Müller behind the camera.

In 1976, TV presenter Tony Wilson (Steve Coogan) is at a Sex Pistols gig in Manchester. He is so inspired that he starts organizing his own series of punk rock concerts. One of his first signings is the newly formed Joy Division with frontman Ian Curtis. Wilson also sets up his own record label, Factory Records, offering Joy Division a record deal. Many bands will follow. Later he opens up his own nightclub: The Haçienda. As it turns out, however, leading a musical empire requires business acumen.