This week we’re highlighting some of the great culture released in 2022. We won’t be offering a definitive ranking – that’s being very handily covered by the Guardian’s various arts desks, from film and music to TV and stage, with art and games still to come. Instead, this is a spotlight on our favourite releases – big and small – from the year that culture came roaring back after a pandemic-themed start to the decade.
Indeed, 2022 saw cinemas, gig venues, theatres, concert halls and festivals finally packed with up-for-it audiences again. Meanwhile, performers were able to showcase what they had been cooking up in those lost lockdown months, and in many cases the results were spectacular. The news wasn’t all positive, though. In the UK, venues that were already struggling post-pandemic had to contend with a cost of living crisis that made operating impossible for some, while a radical reshaping of Arts Council funding created some winners, but a lot of losers. The demise of the Edinburgh International film festival showed that even institutions many would consider part of the cultural furniture are vulnerable in these straitened times.
