Talks, special screenings and events around CONTROL at the Cornerhouse

A series of one off events, talks and screenings at Cornerhouse coincides with the release of Control, the long-awaited film about the short life and untimely death of Ian Curtis, lead singer with the legendary Factory Records band Joy Divison.

Cornerhouse, an original hangout for Factory staff and Haçienda revellers in the record company’s heyday, will welcome Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook for a question and answer session with Mancunian Control screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh (Fri 19 October, 6.30pm) as well as a rare chance to see the late, great Tony Wilson present the first ever live Sex Pistols UK TV performance on 70s music show So It Goes (Sat 20 October, 3.45pm).

Other events include screenings of director Anton Corbijn’s earlier film work (Thu 25 October, 6.10pm), a Rock ‘n’ Roll walking tour of Manchester with author C.P Lee (Sun 7 October, 4.00pm & Sun 21 October, 6.00pm) and a discussion led by journalist John Robb that will explore issues surrounding the current state of British music television (Mon 22 October, 6.30pm – in association with In The City).

Control premiered in Cannes on the eve of the 27th anniversary of Curtis’ death, committing suicide in the home he shared with his wife Deborah and daughter Natalie. Beautifully shot in black and white with electrifying performances from Sam Riley (Ian) and Samantha Morton (Deborah), the film follows Curtis as his musical aspirations took him from bleak 1970’s Macclesfield to emulating his idols David Bowie and Iggy Pop as a singer.

Just as his stage ambitions began to thrive he became distracted from his family commitments by an affair with a new love and the growing expectations of his band. Growing mental strain manifested itself in his health, with epilepsy adding to his guilt and depression. Desperation took hold and surrendering to the weight on his shoulders, Ian’s tortured soul consumed him.

Of the film, Corbijn commented, “Control is a personal film.  It is not a music film, at least not in my eyes. Joy Division and Ian Curtis were very relevant in that period of my life and when I realised that fully, I knew I had to make this film.”