Not Quite Light Festival 2024 will premiere film based in Swinton

The Not Quite Light Festival will be returning to Swinton on Friday March 15 for the first time since it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Taking place until Sunday March 17, this year’s theme is ‘revival’, and will include a range of events, from talks and creative activities, to guided walks exploring the nature and history of Swinton.

The festival kicks off with a launch party, and the debut premiere of the film Gathering Points made by Simon Buckley, the festival’s creative director, at The Grand Palais.

Based in Swinton, the film explores the places people gather across the town to share stories and spend time together.

It visits five venues: The Hive Community Cafe, The Valley Community Gardens, The Grand Palais, Swinton Nail Salon, and Parade Chippy.

Simon said: “It’s too easy to drive through a place like Swinton and not stop to take a closer look. If we did, we could find extraordinary people and stories.”

Salford City Council asked Simon to make the film after he moved here.

“I think they’re working hard to bring attention to Swinton, to show what a great town it is,” he said. “Obviously, like so many northern towns, it has its challenges, but the people there are fantastic.

“The story I’m telling is one for us all, wherever we are in the country, that if we take the time to stop, and look closer, we will find beauty.

“The feel of the film is like if you were passing through in your car with the window down and happened to catch conversations.”

The festival this year is smaller in scale than previous years, but Simon is looking forward to people in Swinton and beyond enjoying the events they have planned across the weekend, and be able to just have fun.

One event in particular Simon is anticipating is the Local Boy Made Great talk on Tony Warren, creator of Coronation Street, which will feature appearances from Jennie McAlpine, who plays Fiz Dobbs on the show, director and actor Noreen Kershaw and screenwriter Debbie Oates.