Shadowplayers: Factory Records and Manchester Post-Punk 1978-81

Shadowplayers is a two hour documentary film by James Nice tracing the early history of iconic Manchester Label Factory Records between 1978 and 1981. The facts and the fictions are explored through candid interviews with 22 key participants, including Anthony H. Wilson (Founder) and Peter Saville (Designer), as well as musicians including Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order), Vini Reilly (Durutti Common), Simon Topping and Martin Moscrop (A Certain Ratio), Chris Watson (Cabaret Voltaire) and Howard Devoto (Buzzcocks/Magazine). The film is divided into 19 chapters, covering subjects such as The Factory Club, sleeve art and graphic design, producer Martin Hannett, the riot at the Joy Division concert at Bury in April 1980, The Factory Beneleux connection, the tragic suicide of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, the beginnings of New Order, and the decline of the post-punk culture in 1981.

Directed by James Nice, Shadowplayers: Factory Records and Manchester Post-Punk 1978-81 leans on a strong ensemble — Tony Wilson, Peter Saville, Peter Hook — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2006.