LIFF 2026 Dates & Information
The 40th edition of Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) is planned to place from 5 — 22 November 2026.
The full LIFF 2026 programme will be announced in October 2026.
These dates may be subject to change as we move closer to the festival.
For any information about group bookings, sponsorship opportunities or press enquiries, please contact leeds.film@leeds.gov.uk
ABOUT LEEDS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Established in 1987, Leeds International Film Festival is one of the largest annual film events in the UK and the longest, running for 18 days every November in venues across Leeds and West Yorkshire. Presenting over 250 features and shorts every year, with annual submissions of over 5000 from more than 120 countries, LIFF principally showcases and supports films from new and diverse filmmaking talent and which may not receive profile in the UK otherwise.
The LIFF programme is featured across five main sections: Official Selection for new narrative features; Cinema Versa for documentaries; Fanomenon for fantastic genre films; LIFF SHORTS; and LIFF Spotlights. LIFF has two competitions for features – in Official Selection and Fanomenon – and seven in LIFF SHORTS: Louis le Prince International Short Film Competition; World Animation Competition; British and Yorkshire Short Film Competitions; Leeds Queer Short Film Competition; Leeds Screendance Competition; Leeds Music Video Competition.
Organised by the Leeds Film team at Leeds City Council, LIFF receives principal funding from the Audience Projects Fund of the British Film Institute. Leeds Film also presents other LIFF activities year-round - like the LIFF Spring Film Weekender every April and the outdoor Cinema on the Square every July – and includes Leeds Young Film which organises Leeds Young Film Festival (LYFF) for families every Easter and the Independent Directions Film Festival (INDIs) every February.
Leeds Film is part of the Leeds Arts, Events and Venues service at Leeds City Council which organises other major events like Light Night Leeds, Leeds International Concert Season and Leeds International Beer Festival, and operates leading venues in the city like Leeds Town Hall, Millennium Square and Carriageworks Theatre.
The world’s first films were made in Leeds in 1888 by Louis le Prince and today the city is a leading national centre for film culture. Leeds film culture includes fantastic new and historic cinemas, exciting film festivals throughout the year, special film events in landmark locations, four universities and colleges with dedicated film departments, a dynamic movement of societies and individuals organising their own film activities, and much more. Home to Channel 4 and Screen Yorkshire, Leeds is a major hub for film and television production and for talent development.
BFI Screen Culture
Leeds Film is supported by the BFI National Lottery Audience Projects Fund which supports ambitious audience-facing independent UK and international film and broader screen activity of national scale. The fund is part of the BFI's ten-year Screen Culture 2033 strategy.
