It may not carry the reputable weight of some of the world's larger, more exotically located, showcases, but Leeds International Film Festival (Liff) isEngland's largest outside of London, boasting a multifarious annual selection.
Spanning a rather mammoth three weeks (6-21 November) this year, Liff includes 163 feature films, short film programmes and events – all of which are presented over 250 screenings.
Scattered across the city, the 27th festival takes in an array of venues from the charming, almost Lynchian construct of the Hyde Park Picturehouse (celebrating its 100th year next year) to the most recent addition to Leeds' cinematic offerings, an Everyman cinema loaded with thick, comfy, living room-like armchairs. The Town Hall, which despite its rather cavernous frame and potential for cold, echo-filled atmosphere, is actually rather stunning inside and proves to be both a rather relaxing and engulfing cinematic experience.
The American-centricity of many film festivals is thankfully eschewed in Leeds. One of its most enticing and engaging aspects is its breadth: films from Russia, Finland, France, Romania, Hungary, Australia, Sweden and so on – the opportunity for diversity is both vast and rich.
The festival organises all its films into sections. Here is a brief flavour of what you can expect from each, below.
Official Selection
These are the main events, if you like. New release films that have been making waves, or have been deemed important enough that they are likely to, by the curators.
Gravity (in both 2D and 3D) – This Oscar-tipped space adventure film opens the festival. It actually looks set to be a film that utilises the 3D format to take the viewer on an exploration of an alien yet spaciously expansive environment, instead of a means to squeeze a few more quid out of a cinema ticket.
Nebraska – Alexander Payne's (Sideways, About Schmidt, The Descendants) latest is a road-trip flick, one undertaken by a senile alcoholic convinced he's won the sweepstakes lottery that embarks on a trip to Nebraska to collect his winnings. Shot in black and white, Bruce Dern's performance earned him the Best Actor award at Cannes.
Harmony Lessons – a film from Kazakhstan that tells a tale of violence and corruption with many performances coming from local teenagers.
Heli – A film set within the horrors of the bloody Mexican drug war that earned its director the Best Director Award at this years Cannes.
Retrospective
This section really isn't just a nostalgia-dipped voyage into familiar, generic and predictable films of the past, nor is it opportunistic curating intent on selling tickets by easy allure of general public consensus or mass popularity, it's a genuine opportunity to be exposed to the unfamiliar and the overlooked. While you may be able to catch Orson Wells' The Third Man or the suitably Yorkshire-set This Sporting Life, the focus is far more leftfield and obtuse, such as in-depth looks at the career of Polish director Walerian Borowczyk or the Japanese filmmaker Masaki Kobayashi.
Clause Tous Risques (1960) – Based on a novel by a death row inmate, this tells the story of an exiled gangster who attempts to return to his home country of France after an audacious robbery.
Faust (1926) – This free screening is also accompanied by a live organ performance.
The Humanist Trilogy (1959-1961) – Masaki Kobayashi's humanist drama trilogy gets a rare big screen outing.
Peeping Tom (1960) – A British thriller with an idiosyncratic take on the serial killer format. The murder weapon? A modified movie camera, one that of course doubles up as means to get up close and personal to the acts themselves.
Fanomenon
Fantasy, Cult and Horror is the guts of this section. Films shown are both old and new and span film, documentary and animation. Expect horror marathons at both the Hyde Park Picturehouse and also the Town Hall. You can also take in a range of cult classics such as Jaws, 2001: A Space Odyssey and the directors cut of the Exorcist. It too contains more films than any other section at this year's festival.
100 Bloody Acres – A black comedy horror flick that takes the viewer on a wicked and bloody voyage through Australia's primal outback.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Jay Oliva's animated adaptation of this recent monster blockbuster. It was once split into two films but both are shown together, in full, here.
Masterpiece: Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns – A suitable companion film to the above. This documentary looks at the history of the graphic novel but, in particular, the influence and impact of The Dark Knight Returns.
Big Bad Wolves – explores the idea of vigilantism and taking the law into your own hands in the wake of a child murderer's release. A torture-filled thriller.
Cinema Versa
This is the documentary section. A section that spans multiple topics within said format however. From music documentaries to activist films to environmental explorations.
Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction – As the title suggests, a partly fictionalised probe into one of America's great actors and musicians. With contributions from a stellar cast such as David Lynch and Wim Wenders.
Mistaken for Strangers – A music documentary about indie-rock band The National (sort of). This incredibly funny documentary looks at the sibling of the lead singer of the band and his rather hapless attempts to roadie for them on a major worldwide tour whilst trying to make a film about it.
Here Was Cuba – A deep exploration and investigation into what really went on in October of 1962 and the potential nuclear disaster that almost exploded.
The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector – An archive selection picked from the festival's media partner MusicFilmWeb.com. This captures Spector up close and personal, and music revelations aside – though plentiful as they are – this plunges deeper than just music, exposing the thoughts and behaviours of a man who at the time is on trial for murder.
Short Film City
This is all things short: be it screening panorama's, workshops or competition screenings, this is the place to be for people interested in shorts.
Cherry Kino Presents: Colour Super 8 Filmmaking Workshop – a two-day long workshop that teaches you how to film with super 8 film. At the end you will make your own film and be taught how to process it in a re-creatable fashion that can be done at home.
European Documentary Shorts – A selection of shorts from Europe that vary from a hilarious look at a Polish Sunday league football referee to A Story for the Modlins, a look at a reclusive actor from Rosemary's Baby.
Yorkshire Short Film Competition – A chance to a selection of home-grown filmmaking talent World Animation Award 2013 – An expansive and varied line-up of short animations from all over the world. Many of which have already been taking home awards throughout the year at other festivals.
• Daniel Dylan Wray is a freelance journalist living in Sheffield, primarily covering the arts
