Venue: Factory International
Town: Manchester, GB

Factory International is an arts organisation based in Manchester, England. It produces the biennial Manchester International Festival (MIF) and operates Aviva Studios, a landmark cultural venue designed by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). With a focus on commissioning original interdisciplinary works across theatre, dance, music, visual arts and digital media, Factory International collaborates with global artists and institutions, positioning Manchester - and the North - as a significant cultural hub. Factory International builds on the legacy of Manchester International Festival (MIF), which focusses on performing arts, visual arts and popular culture. The festival is staged across Greater Manchester - from theatres, galleries and concert halls to railway depots, churches and car parks. Plans to build a new cultural building in Manchester were announced in December 2014 by then Chancellor, George Osborne, who pledged a £78 million investment as part of the Northern Powerhouse programme. The project was backed by Manchester City Council, which stated that the venue would "play an integral part in helping Manchester and the north of England provide a genuine cultural counterbalance to London". In January 2017, MIF were named as the operators of the new cultural venue, tasked with developing its ideas and programme. The Government announced that, from 1 April 2018, they would provide Arts Council England with an additional £9 million per annum to offer revenue support to the project. In recognition of the new balance of its activity, in September 2022, the whole organisation re-branded as Factory International, though it will continue to present MIF every two years. In 2022, the organisation was awarded a National Portfolio Award from Arts Council England of approximately £9.9 million per year. Key support also comes from Manchester City Council and a range of sponsors and partners. In 2023, it was announced that the building would be called Aviva Stu