A qualifying event for the BAFTAs and the Oscars, the Leeds Short Film Awards celebrates the short film form in all its glory, with discoveries from around the world, across the UK and here in Yorkshire. We are thrilled to announce the winners in each short film award category. All the winning short films of LIFF 2019 can be seen in a special programme screening at Everyman Leeds on Wednesday 20 November at 4:00pm & 8:15pm. 


British Short Film Competition 
Jury: Kate Byers, Oriana Franceschi, Neil Mudd
Winner: Hydebank by Ross McClean (UK)
Special Mention: Pale Saint by Rhys Jones (UK)
Jury Statement on Winner: 'Humane, nuanced, thematically strong with an incredible cinematic vocabulary. Beautifully realised. As a doc it's fresh and trusted the Audience to piece together their stories. Filmically stays with you.'


Louis le Prince International Short Film Competition
Jury: Sophie Monks Kaufman, Andy Moore, Jack King
Winner: Olla by Ariane Labed (France)
Special Mention: The Christmas Gift by Bogdan Muresanu (Romania)
Jury Statement on Winner: 'With perfect control of pacing and tone, Ariane Labed tells a story of power inequality anchored by a lead performance that is minimalist, expressive and physically commanding -not least in one spellbinding dance scene, a spectacle in its own right that also encapsulates the heart of the film aka Olla’s punk energy and her defiant desire for self and sexual expression against the odds.'

Leeds Music Video Competition
Jury: Debbie Ball, Jennifer Lucy Allen, David McKenna
Winner: Okami by Motomichi Nakamura (UK/USA)
Special Mention: GUO4 by Peter Strickland (Hungary)
Jury Statement on Winner: 'Among a number of excellent animated videos, Motomichi Makamura's for Nicola Cruz's Okami stood out for its striking use of colour, wonderfully musical flow and consistent inventiveness. A joy.'

Leeds Queer Short Film Competition
Jury: Dahab Abullahi, Jess Fishenden, Jessica Sweet
Winner: A Night with Noorjehan by Mariam Majid (UK)
Special Mention: The Promise by Paula Gustafsson (Sweden) & My Lady of the Camellia by Edouard Montoute (France)
Jury Statement on Winner: 'A beautiful, well-crafted short which humanised a number of underrepresented intersectional identities. A delicate film that did not patronise the viewer.'

Leeds Screendance Competition
Jury: Priscilla Guy, Loránd János, Mary Wycherly
Winner: The Circle by Lanre Malaolu (UK)
Screendance Audience Choice: Sisters by Daphne Lucker (UK)
Jury Statement on Winner: 'The Circle challenges dominant screendance forms by exploring experimental editing and dramaturgy, whilst the use of documentary and multiscreen adds to both the conviction and impact of the work.'

Leeds Short Film Audience Award
Winner: Why Slugs Have No Legs by Aline Höchli (Switzerland)

World Animation Competition
Jury: Rebecca Hill, Jez Stewart, Nicolas Fong
Winner: And Then The Bear by Agnès Patron (France)
Jury Statement on Winner: 'A beautifully designed and composed film telling a story of childhood rebellion that was filled with primal emotion, and which built into an explosion of savage defiance, dance and visual pleasure.'

Yorkshire Short Film Competition
Jury: Kate Byers, Oriana Franceschi, Neil Mudd
Winner: The Strangers Case by Peter Trifunovic (UK)
Special Mention: Seagulls by Ben G. Brown (UK) & Standing in the Rain: Slung Low and The Holbeck by Brett Chapman (UK)
Jury Statement on Winner: 'Interesting take on a thorny age old debate. Imaginative and creative filming full of brave actor choices and universal resonance.'