Metropolis turns 100

Metropolis Centenary Screenings in Manchester and Bradford Mark 100 years of Fritz Lang’s Landmark Film

The Stoller Hall in Manchester and Bradford’s National Science and Media Museum will host special live-scored screenings of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis celebrating 100 years since the landmark film’s premieres in Germany and the UK.

Northern Silents’ resident quartet, Frame Ensemble, will create a brand-new musical score for Fritz Lang’s Metropolis at The Stoller Hall, Manchester, on Sunday 10 January 2027, marking one hundred years since the film’s world premiere in Berlin. The celebrations continue in Bradford at Pictureville Cinema, part of the National Science and Media Museum, on Sunday 21 March, making 100 years since the film’s British premiere at Marble Arch, London. This screening will feature a live improvised score by  Northern Silents’ artistic director and pianist, Jonny Best, with percussionist Trevor Bartlett.

Metropolis is one of the most influential silent films ever made, shaping science fiction in cinema for generations. Its recognisable, striking imagery and cinematic vision have inspired filmmakers throughout the last century. Its vision of a futuristic city has influenced films including Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, Terry Gilliam’s Brazil and, more recently, Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis.

These two live-scored screenings of Metropolis herald a larger Northern Silents season which will examine the significance of this remarkable film, and explore in more detail the individual talents responsible for its creation. This will include a curated season of films starring Brigitte Helm, who was just eighteen years old when her performance as Maria and the Robot in Metropolis propelled her to international screen stardom. Further details of these events will be announced shortly.

Booking is open for the Metropolis centenary events at Stoller Hall on January 10th 2027 and Pictureville Cinema at the National Science and Media Museum on March 21st 2027.