The third in our venues specific highlights series is Vue in The Light - a staple cinema in the heart of Leeds.
‘I just realised that the stories, the memories, are beautiful.’ – words spoken by director Simon Safranek when researching for his new documentary King Skate. Shining a light on communist-era Czech skate punks, the documentary is not just a film about skateboarding, it's a film about how skateboarding became one of the primary ways for the youth at the time to fight back against the communist regime. Avoiding the realms of being too political, the documentary follows the skaters themselves, those who resisted and became symbols of freedom for their country simply because they wanted to drink beer, have fun, and do whatever they wanted. A mix of old footage, new recordings catching up with the skaters today and a suitably punk soundtrack including tracks from the Clash, the Sex Pistols and their Czech counterparts Visaci zamek, and the more New Wave bands Garaz and Miro Zbirka, this film is rare gem not to be missed. Catch director Simon Safranek in a Q&A after the international premiere screening of King Skate on Saturday 3 November.
If you haven’t heard about Peterloo yet, now is your chance to see what has been one of the most talked about releases of the season. Director Mark Leigh delivers an impassioned warning against political complacency in his latest film which focuses on the infamous Peterloo massacre of 1819 when a demonstration for political reform led to the deaths of many protestors. Leigh’s reconstruction of a dark chapter of English history reaches epic heights brought vividly to life by an ensemble cast including Maxine Peake and Rory Kinnear. We are delighted to welcome Mike Leigh in person at LIFF2018 for a Q&A after the screening for the 7pm showing in the director’s last appearance before the international release of Peterloo on 2 November.
Eva Trobisch’s stunning debut All Good is a complex character study of a strong willed woman, Janne, anchored by a mesmerising central performance from Aenne Schwarz. Janne’s attitude is ‘if you don’t see any problems, you don’t have any’, even though her new boss’s brother-in-law sleeps with her against her will. The film adopts a gripping, first person perspective as she ploughs on with her life, keeping the incident under wraps though unforeseen problems beset her from every direction threatening all her relationships and her work life one after the other. ‘At what point does defiance twist into denial? This is the fine precipice on which German writer-director Eva Trobisch’s searing debut feature “All Good” balances its frayed-nerve drama...A fascinating flip on themes contentiously raised in Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle,” underpinned by a breakout performance of raw candor by Aenne Schwarz, this is grown-up filmmaking of sharp, subtle daring.’ Variety
U - July 22 by director Erik Poppe is a Norwegian-made account of the 2011 massacre in which Anders Breivik killed 77 young people and injured many more. The film picks out one of those young people, Kaja, and follows her through its 72 minutes in one frantic, unbroken take. This Norwegian production relies on detailed testimonies from witnesses to fashion its amalgam of stories which have been worked by screenwriters Siv Rajendram Eliassen and Anna Bache-Wiig into a compelling and often brilliant narrative. Described as ‘a visceral, brutal, yet heartfelt and earnest movie, which imbibes the innocent bewilderment and horror of its young characters.’ by The Guardian, U - July 22 is presented in partnership with the LUX Film Prize of the European Parliament.
Finally, to highlight, we’ll be showing the cult classic Clerks - a slice of life that is designed to prove there is nothing so unordinary as the ordinary. The film was made, for practically nothing, by Kevin Smith, who wrote the screenplay, co-produced, edited and plays a character called Silent Bob. It is one of those small-scale American independent movies that you either fall for or you don't. It’s a buoyant, bleakly funny comedy chronicling a day's worth of activity at two adjoining stores. There's no denying the raw and energetic feel Smith created with a memorable script, great characters and a genuine sense of Gen X angst.
Keep your eye out for our next venues Highlights about Everyman Cinema.
