We’re delighted to introduce the programme for the 33rd Leeds International Film Festival with over 300 screenings and events to explore across 16 days. Selected from over 5000 films from 111 countries, the LIFF 2019 programme is presented in five major sections which are detailed below.
You can view the full LIFF 2019 programme listing here.
Details about passes and tickets are here.
Details of where to pick up a LIFF 2019 Guide or to download a PDF version are here.
Official Selection
In Official Selection we present some of the most anticipated new films alongside acclaimed discoveries from exciting British and international filmmaking talent. Don’t miss award-winners and audience favourites from other film festivals like Céline Sciamma’s stunning Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Karim Aïnouz’s magical The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão, Kantemir Balagov’s remarkable Beanpole and our closing film Jojo Rabbit, the new film from Taika Waititi.
Debuts of new female filmmakers are among the discovery highlights in Official Selection, including Cannes Grand Prix winner Atlantics by Mati Diop, Adam by Maryam Touzani, House of Hummingbird by Bora Kim, Judy & Punch by Mirrah Foulkes, and Land of Ashes by Sofia Quiros. We also present the new film from a graduate of the Northern Film School in Leeds, Thai drama The Cave by Tom Waller. This is just a taste of our largest Official Selection programme yet.
View all films in Official Selection
Cinema Versa
This year's Cinema Versa is an inspiring and galvanising array of documentary features, exploring new trends in filmmaking and spotlighting the year's most important work. So much more than documentary non-fiction, Cinema Versa defies simple categorisation.
Colombian rituals of the dead, insurrectionary Austrian feminist activists and the proprietor of a Saharan tea house maintain equal billing with filmmaking masters Patricio Guzmán and Werner Herzog not to mention revolutionary jazz leader Miles Davis. Our line-up showcases and deeply compelling stories, intriguing characters and innovative visual approaches.
Our season of films by Helena Třeštíková is supported by the Czech Centre London.
View all films in Cinema Versa
Fanomenon
If you’re a fan of genre and cult cinema in any form – action, anime, comedy, horror, sci-fi, thrillers and beyond – then you’ll love Fanomenon. The line-up for LIFF 2019 includes our hugely popular annual horror film marathons Day of the Dead and Night of the Dead which this year are each packed with five independent feature films. We also have a new Fanomenon marathon this year with a sci-fi take-over at Hyde Park Picture House on 15th November including two UK premieres.
Preview highlights in Fanomenon this year include Robert Eggers’ cult sensation The Lighthouse, Jérémy Clapin’s extraordinary debut animated feature I Lost My Body, and Won-Tae Lee’s intense gangster thriller The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil. Japanese films are always a big feature of Fanomenon and this year’s Planet Japan selection includes UK premieres of Five Million Dollar Life and We Are Little Zombies alongside the latest anime movies.
Mother Cutter: Women Who Shaped Film
This year’s LIFF retrospective focuses on the work of women editors, bringing invisible work into the light and taking us on a kaleidoscopic journey through global film history. We celebrate both the unsung art of film editing – work that gives structure, rhythm, mood and energy to a film – and the vital work of women in the film industry that is often uncredited or underappreciated.
A role women were ‘relegated’ to in the early years of cinema became one they thrived in, and is now rightly acknowledged as one of the most important and creative. Dive into our expansive survey that places monumental masterpieces alongside hidden gems of independent filmmaking and discover editing innovations that shaped cinema.
The title of the retrospective is taken from the nickname given to Verna Fields who edited American Graffiti, Jaws and Medium Cool.
View all films in Mother Cutter: Women Who Shaped Film
Leeds Short Film Awards
A qualifying event for shorts for the Oscars and BAFTAs, Leeds International Film Festival celebrates the incredible short film form with eight competitions packed with discoveries from around the world, across the UK and here in Leeds and Yorkshire.
The competitions are mostly presented in the luxury cinema setting of Everyman Leeds over five days starting on 13th November. They culminate with the Yorkshire Short Film Competition on Sunday 17th November at Hyde Park Picture House where all the award winners are announced. We also present screenings of the winning films on 20th November.
If you’d like to see multiple screenings of short films, we recommend our passes as great value ways of experiencing the Leeds Short Film Awards and the whole LIFF 2019 programme.
