Leeds International Film Festival
Encyclopedia
The Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) is the largest film festival
in England
outside London
. Held in November at various venues throughout Leeds
, West Yorkshire
it shows over 200 films from around the world, commercial
and independent
.
The festival office is in Leeds Town Hall
, and the director of the festival is Chris Fell. Debbie Maturi is the director of the Leeds Young People's Film Festival (LYPFF) (formerly Leeds Children & Young People's Film Festival (LCYPFF)), another successful event which had its 9th year in March/April 2008.
Each year, beginning in 2001, the festival has played host to the Night of the Dead
, an all-night horror-thon beginning at midnight, usually on the second Saturday of November.
LIFF has shown premieres of big blockbuster movies like The Butterfly Effect
, Finding Nemo
, Finding Neverland
, Baghban
to name but a few.
It featured 5 sections:
, Bright Star
and Bunny and the Bull
.
's latest stunning anime, Ponyo, has won the audience award for the Leeds International Film Festival 09. Described as wonderful, funny and charming by LIFF audiences, Ponyo was among a range of other high quality animation including the captivating Summer Wars
, and haunting Angel's Egg
, as part of the Fanomenon section which celebrates genre films including anime, horror, sci fi and action.
, directed by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel. They were moved by the honesty, humanity and detail of the film. It is a delicate lesson in the fundamentals of life. The jury was also impressed by its organic and assured qualities which manage to mix documentary and fiction in a seamless, fluid style. A special mention went to Puccini and the Girl for being a beautiful piece of cinema.
stood out among the competition for its deft blending of fantasy and reality, its assured handling of a great many disparate genre elements – horror, urban drama, comedy and more besides – and the way it presented these familiar elements in a way that seemed both new and vital. It is an earnest film, one that bravely wears its heart on its sleeve throughout key plot points and character development, where in the hands of a different director and cast the emotional impact of this material could very easily have fallen flat. Visually captivating, wonderfully scripted and acted with a tremendous lead performance from Jim Sturgess
, whether taken purely as entertainment or as an artistic statement it succeeds masterfully in every respect and for this reason it is a pleasure to award Heartless
the 2009 Leeds International Film Festival Silver Méliès.
Lina Paulsen, Germany, Programme Manager for the Hamburg International Short Film Festival
Ciprian Alexandrescu, Romania, Filmmaker, Producer and Director of the Iasi International Film Festival
Winning film: 10 min, directed by Jorge Léon, Belgium
A simple but powerful story told with minimal resources but which had a resonance that will stay with the jury for a long time.
For the director’s sensitive approach to the story, built with minimal resources. The dramatic situation is very powerful, it really captures the sensation of both love and growing apart at the same time. A beautiful representation of acting that help us to relate with the characters in a bitter/humorous key.
A stunning example of the animated documentary genre that here educates and moved the jury with its horrific personal stories which ultimately lead to a life affirming conclusion.
Special mention: Le Petit Dragon (The Little Dragon), directed by Bruno Collet, France / Sweden
An inventive and hilarious short film that draws on kitsch culture and gives us a highly individual take on a great seventies icon: Bruce Lee!
A gob-smacking jaw-dropping short film that rewards endless viewings and constantly asks: “how did they do that?”
Special mention: Laitue, directed by Nicholas Brooks, UK
A beautiful hand-drawn film experiment which uses the blank spaces on the screen as well as simple line drawings to create a loose narrative.
A documentary which uses a simple and basic technique to portray the hard and painful aspects of tough physical work which is both funny and captivating to watch.
Special mention: Red Sands, directed by David Proctor, UK
A captivating documentary that portrays the problematic tradition of bullfighting, still so controversial and both beautiful and disturbing to watch.
Jim Foulger, Journalist, Documentary Filmmaker and critic
Espen Jensen, Filmmaker and programmer coordinator for Hull International Short Film Festival
Hilary Radman, Lecturer in Media at Leeds City College
Special Mention: Curtains, directed by Julian Barratt
& Dan Jemmett
Special Mention: Photograph of Jesus, directed by Laurie Hill
Special Mention: Fanatic, directed by Paul Robinson
.
Retrospective.
Persepolis
was shown at the Opening Gala.
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
outside London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Held in November at various venues throughout Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
it shows over 200 films from around the world, commercial
Major film studios
A major film studio is a movie production and distribution company that releases a substantial number of films annually and consistently commands a significant share of box-office revenues in a given market...
and independent
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
.
The festival office is in Leeds Town Hall
Leeds Town Hall
Leeds Town Hall was built between 1853 and 1858 on Park Lane , Leeds, West Yorkshire, England to a design by architect Cuthbert Brodrick.-Background:...
, and the director of the festival is Chris Fell. Debbie Maturi is the director of the Leeds Young People's Film Festival (LYPFF) (formerly Leeds Children & Young People's Film Festival (LCYPFF)), another successful event which had its 9th year in March/April 2008.
Each year, beginning in 2001, the festival has played host to the Night of the Dead
Night of the Dead
The Night of the Dead is a whole night of horror films shown as part of the annual Leeds International Film Festival. Beginning in 2001, it has become a firm fan favourite, selling out well before the event...
, an all-night horror-thon beginning at midnight, usually on the second Saturday of November.
LIFF has shown premieres of big blockbuster movies like The Butterfly Effect
The Butterfly Effect
The Butterfly Effect is a 2004 American sci-fi psychological thriller film that is written and directed by Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber and starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart...
, Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo is a 2003 American comi-drama animated film written by Andrew Stanton, directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich and produced by Pixar. It tells the story of the overly protective clownfish Marlin who, along with a regal tang called Dory , searches for his abducted son Nemo...
, Finding Neverland
Finding Neverland
Finding Neverland is a 2004 semi-biographical film about playwright J. M. Barrie and his relationship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan, directed by Marc Forster. The screenplay by David Magee is based on the play The Man Who Was Peter Pan by Allan Knee...
, Baghban
Baghban
Baghban is a 2003 Bollywood drama film directed by Ravi Chopra, with a star cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Salman Khan, Mahima Chaudhary, Paresh Rawal, Rimi Sen, Lilette Dubey and others...
to name but a few.
2010 festival
The 24th Leeds International Film Festival took place from the 4–21 November 2010, with some tickets on sale from April.It featured 5 sections:
- Official selection - feature length fiction films
- Cinema Versa - documentaries
- Fanomenon - horror, anime, manga and other genre
- Cherry Kino - experimental cinema
- Short Film City - international short films (less than 45 minutes in length)
Awards
| Award | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Audience Award | High on Hope | Piers Sanderson |
| Audience Award for Feature Film | The King's Speech The King's Speech (film) The King's Speech is a 2010 British historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Colin Firth plays King George VI who, to cope with a stammer, sees Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist played by Geoffrey Rush... |
Tom Hooper Tom Hooper (director) Thomas George "Tom" Hooper is a British film and television director of English and Australian background. Hooper began making short films at the age of 13, and had his first professional short, Painted Faces, broadcast on Channel 4 in 1992. At Oxford University Hooper directed plays and... |
| Audience Award for Archive Film | Elling Elling Elling is a Norwegian film directed by Petter Næss. Shot mostly in and around the Norwegian capital Oslo, the film, which was released in 2001, is primarily based on Ingvar Ambjørnsen's novel Brødre i blodet , one of a series of four featuring the Elling character – the others are Utsikt til... (2002) |
Petter Næss Petter Næss Petter Næss is a Norwegian actor and film director. His first film as a director was the comedy Absolute Hangover in 1999... |
| Golden Owl Award | Tuesday, After Christmas Tuesday, After Christmas Tuesday, After Christmas is a 2010 Romanian film written and directed by Radu Muntean. The film was selected for the Un Certain Regard section of 2010 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Maria Popistaşu as Raluca* Mimi Brănescu as Paul Hanganu... |
Radu Muntean Radu Muntean Radu Muntean is a Romanian film director and screenwriter. He is a central figure of the Romanian New Wave.Radu graduated from the Theater and Film Academy in Bucharest in 1994, where he directed three short films. Since 1996, he has directed over 400 commercials and has won over 40 national and... |
| Golden Owl Special Mention | Sweet Little Lies Sweet Little Lies (film) is a 2010 Japanese film directed by Hitoshi Yazaki.-External links:*... (Suto ritoru raizu) |
Hitoshi Yazaki |
| Méliès d'Argent Feature Winner | The Last Employee (Der Letzte Angestellte) (Germany) | Alexander Adolph |
| Méliès d'Or Short Nomination | Yuri Lennon's Landing on Alpha 46 (Germany/Switzerland) | Anthony Vouardoux |
| Short Film World Animation Award | Angry Man | Anita Killi |
| International Short Film Competition Winner | Deeper Than Yesterday | Ariel Kleiman |
| Yorkshire Short Film Competition Winner | The Astronomer's Son | Simon Cartwright, Jessica Cope |
| Best of British Short Film Competition Winner | The Birdman of Tamworth | Alastair Uhlig |
2009 festival
The 23rd festival took place from the 4 November 2009 - 22 November 2009, showing a huge range of films from all over the world, including Men Who Stare at Goats, the Coen Brother's A Serious ManA Serious Man
A Serious Man is a 2009 dark comedy written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film stars Michael Stuhlbarg as a Minnesota Jewish man whose life crumbles both professionally and personally, leading to questions about his faith...
, Bright Star
Bright Star (film)
Bright Star is a 2009 film based on the last three years of the life of poet John Keats and his romantic relationship with Fanny Brawne. It stars Ben Whishaw as Keats and Abbie Cornish as Fanny...
and Bunny and the Bull
Bunny and the Bull
Bunny and the Bull is a 2009 British comedy film from writer-director Paul King. It stars Edward Hogg and Simon Farnaby in a surreal recreation of a road trip...
.
Audience Award
MiyazakiHayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
's latest stunning anime, Ponyo, has won the audience award for the Leeds International Film Festival 09. Described as wonderful, funny and charming by LIFF audiences, Ponyo was among a range of other high quality animation including the captivating Summer Wars
Summer Wars
is a 2009 Japanese animated science fiction romance film directed by Mamoru Hosoda, animated by Madhouse and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film's voice cast includes Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura, Sumiko Fuji and Ayumu Saitō...
, and haunting Angel's Egg
Angel's Egg
is a Japanese anime feature film produced by Tokuma Shoten in 1985. A collaboration between popular artist Yoshitaka Amano and director Mamoru Oshii, it incorporates surrealistic and existentialist qualities...
, as part of the Fanomenon section which celebrates genre films including anime, horror, sci fi and action.
Golden Owl Competition
The jury awarded the Golden Owl Award to La PivellinaLa Pivellina
La Pivellina is a 2009 Austrian feature film debut directed by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel. The film premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors' Fortnight, where it has been awarded the Europa Cinemas Label as Best European Film.- Plot :Abandoned in a park, the two-year-old girl...
, directed by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel. They were moved by the honesty, humanity and detail of the film. It is a delicate lesson in the fundamentals of life. The jury was also impressed by its organic and assured qualities which manage to mix documentary and fiction in a seamless, fluid style. A special mention went to Puccini and the Girl for being a beautiful piece of cinema.
Silver Méliès winning feature
Philip Ridley's HeartlessHeartless (2009 film)
Heartless is a 2009 British horror film directed by Philip Ridley and starring Jim Sturgess, Noel Clarke, Clémence Poésy and Eddie Marsan.-Plot:Jamie Morgan is a troubled photographer with a heart-shaped birthmark on his face...
stood out among the competition for its deft blending of fantasy and reality, its assured handling of a great many disparate genre elements – horror, urban drama, comedy and more besides – and the way it presented these familiar elements in a way that seemed both new and vital. It is an earnest film, one that bravely wears its heart on its sleeve throughout key plot points and character development, where in the hands of a different director and cast the emotional impact of this material could very easily have fallen flat. Visually captivating, wonderfully scripted and acted with a tremendous lead performance from Jim Sturgess
Jim Sturgess
James Anthony "Jim" Sturgess is an English actor and singer-songwriter. His breakthrough role was appearing as Jude in the musical romance drama film Across the Universe .-Early life:...
, whether taken purely as entertainment or as an artistic statement it succeeds masterfully in every respect and for this reason it is a pleasure to award Heartless
Heartless (2009 film)
Heartless is a 2009 British horror film directed by Philip Ridley and starring Jim Sturgess, Noel Clarke, Clémence Poésy and Eddie Marsan.-Plot:Jamie Morgan is a troubled photographer with a heart-shaped birthmark on his face...
the 2009 Leeds International Film Festival Silver Méliès.
Silver Méliès special mention
The Decaillon Brothers' Sodium Babies also stood out for its visual invention and daring appropriation of a huge variety of influences, taking what was on some level familiar about the vampire mythos and turning it into something genuinely distinctive, eye-catching, spirited and fresh. While not as fully developed as it could have been, the directors deserve to move on to bigger and better things, and for this reason Sodium Babies receives a special commendation.International Jury 2009
Philip Ilson, UK, Media event programmer and Director of London Short Film Festival (Chair)Lina Paulsen, Germany, Programme Manager for the Hamburg International Short Film Festival
Ciprian Alexandrescu, Romania, Filmmaker, Producer and Director of the Iasi International Film Festival
International Award Winners 2009
Grand Jury Prize, Best International ShortWinning film: 10 min, directed by Jorge Léon, Belgium
A simple but powerful story told with minimal resources but which had a resonance that will stay with the jury for a long time.
Best International Fiction Short
Winning film: Nunta Lui Oli ("Oli’s wedding"), directed by Tudor Jurgiu, RomaniaFor the director’s sensitive approach to the story, built with minimal resources. The dramatic situation is very powerful, it really captures the sensation of both love and growing apart at the same time. A beautiful representation of acting that help us to relate with the characters in a bitter/humorous key.
Best International Animation Short
Winning film: Slavar (Slaves), directed by Hannah Hellborn & David Aronowitsch, SwedenA stunning example of the animated documentary genre that here educates and moved the jury with its horrific personal stories which ultimately lead to a life affirming conclusion.
Special mention: Le Petit Dragon (The Little Dragon), directed by Bruno Collet, France / Sweden
An inventive and hilarious short film that draws on kitsch culture and gives us a highly individual take on a great seventies icon: Bruce Lee!
Best International Experimental Short
Winning film: Muto, directed by the Blu Collective, ItalyA gob-smacking jaw-dropping short film that rewards endless viewings and constantly asks: “how did they do that?”
Special mention: Laitue, directed by Nicholas Brooks, UK
A beautiful hand-drawn film experiment which uses the blank spaces on the screen as well as simple line drawings to create a loose narrative.
Best International Documentary Short
Winning film: Farseh Chob ("The wooden carpet"), directed by Abdolraman Mirani, IranA documentary which uses a simple and basic technique to portray the hard and painful aspects of tough physical work which is both funny and captivating to watch.
Special mention: Red Sands, directed by David Proctor, UK
A captivating documentary that portrays the problematic tradition of bullfighting, still so controversial and both beautiful and disturbing to watch.
National Augustin Awards 2009
National Jury 2009Jim Foulger, Journalist, Documentary Filmmaker and critic
Espen Jensen, Filmmaker and programmer coordinator for Hull International Short Film Festival
Hilary Radman, Lecturer in Media at Leeds City College
Leeds City College
Leeds City College is the largest Further education establishment in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, with around 57,000 students, 2,300 staff and an annual turnover of £78 million. It officially opened on 1 April 2009...
Best British Short
Winning film: Believe, directed by Paul WrightSpecial Mention: Curtains, directed by Julian Barratt
Julian Barratt
Julian Barratt is an English comedian, musician, music producer and actor. Barratt is best known for playing the character of Howard Moon in the cult comedy The Mighty Boosh, which he also co-writes with comedy partner, Noel Fielding.-The Mighty Boosh:Barratt stars as the character Howard Moon...
& Dan Jemmett
Special Mention: Photograph of Jesus, directed by Laurie Hill
Best Yorkshire Short
Winning film: Five Miles Out, directed by Andrew HaighSpecial Mention: Fanatic, directed by Paul Robinson
2008 festival
The 22nd festival was held from 4 November 2008 to 16 November 2008. It incorporated venues across the city, including The Hyde Park Picture House and Leeds Town HallLeeds Town Hall
Leeds Town Hall was built between 1853 and 1858 on Park Lane , Leeds, West Yorkshire, England to a design by architect Cuthbert Brodrick.-Background:...
.
2007 festival
The 21st festival, held 7 November 2007 - 18 November 2007, had five sections: Official Selection, Fanomenon, Cinema Versa, Nexus and a Kazuo HaraKazuo Hara
is a Japanese documentary film director. He won the award for Best Director at the 12th Hochi Film Award and at the 9th Yokohama Film Festival for The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On...
Retrospective.
Persepolis
Persepolis (film)
Persepolis is a 2007 French animated film based on Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel of the same name. The film was written and directed by Satrapi with Vincent Paronnaud. The story follows a young girl as she comes of age against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution. The story...
was shown at the Opening Gala.