LIFF 2020 Festival Programme

Concerned about the future for his 4 year-old daughter, filmmaker Damon Gameau created an eco doc that looks at how the future could be better if we…

An essential piece of history in the making and a landmark film for a strange and difficult year, 76 Days is fly on the wall reportage from the…

A Cinema Prayer profiles one of the greatest directors of all time, Andrey Tarkovsky, the Russian mastermind behind Andrei Rublev and Stalker. Made in…

A documentary about Bor and Bestla, the only camels in the world that live in the Arctic Circle in the far north of Norway, and 9 year-old Torarin and…

With A Silent Voice, Naoko Yamada unveiled her unique talent for observing the intimate dramas of adolescence through the strokes of anime for the…

In a remote cave, a travelling storyteller recounts a fascinating tale to his young assistant. Tonio, the Bear King's son, is kidnapped by hunters in…

Bring Down the Walls looks at the prison-industrial complex in America, the industry that profits from the expansion of prisons, and juxtaposes it…

Young boy Marco is fleeing from the terrible wizard Maga Kahn and his army of ape soldiers, as he’s stolen a magic diamond that can fulfil wishes at…

Klara is a young city calf with a big dream of becoming a musical star. One day she receives a letter from her father whom she has not heard from for…

CEE Animation Talents highlights the most talented young animation filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe. It presents the best films made by…

A murderous psychopath gets more than he bargained for when he targets a loving young couple, who may not be as innocent as they first appear. A night…

In a dystopian future, a dictator rounds up all the 'ugly' children to make the country a 'better' place. Using propaganda and alt-truth to convince…

Collective is a gripping documentary revealing the uncompromising power of investigative journalism. A tragic fire at Bucharest’s Colectiv club leaves…

One of the enduring strengths of animation is the ability to express the inner worlds and obsessions of its filmmakers. This year, we’re taking a deep…

Downstream to Kinshasa is a compelling documentary that follows a group of war survivors from Kisangani. Civilians maimed in the Six-Day War, a…

The tangling and twisting of family ties in and outside the household, the workplace and the mean city streets. This programme takes us on a winding…

This year’s selection of horror shorts has an overarching theme of family, friends and self. Three of the films are from homegrown UK talent including…

From outer space to inner space and the rise of the robots, we present a selection of possible futures. Eject from the UK and It’s Okay from the USA…

We are delighted to host for the first time the Film Africa Baobab Award for Best Short Film, organised by the Royal African Society. Established in…

The second programme of five short films nominated for this year’s Film Africa Baobab Award includes Egyptian drama Henet Ward about Halima, a…

Newly appointed parliamentary candidate, You-wei Wang and his assistant, Ying-ying Hsiung are determined to stop the building of a chemical plant by a…

An intimate portrait of one of the world’s most celebrated and studied directors, Stanley Kubrick. Drawing on previously unheard recorded interviews,…

Leeds Queer Film Festival is proud to be partnering again with LIFF to select short films focusing on LGBT+ stories. This first programme takes…

For the third year in a row, Leeds Queer Film Festival has had the honour of curating the Queer Short Film programmes for LIFF. This second programme…

From the surreal image of a merman on a rubbish tip in Kinshasa, to Covid wary, clingfilm-wrapped bodies in an abandoned carpark, this compelling…

A great chance to see the winners of this year’s Leeds Short Film Awards together in one  programme of short film wonders. The size and diversity of…

Selected for this year's Cannes Film Festival, Love Affair(s) is a charming romantic comedy about the many practical and philosophical challenges of…

Fantasy is in danger. The evil Crudo has discovered a way to destroy the Magic Book that contains all the stories ever invented by Humanity, leaving…

When we die, there are still some practicalities that need to be taken care of before our time among the living is finally over. Swedish director Carl…

Austrian director Robert Schabus makes a timely and insightful investigation into the crisis of democracy around Europe and the seemingly unstoppable…

The Mole Agent is a warm and funny docudrama and a spy story with a difference. When a client engages him to investigate suspected elder abuse in a…

Our first BAFTA qualifying compilation of British Short films is an exploration of transformation, growth and change, as we follow a collection of…

Our second BAFTA qualifying British Short Film Competition, is a depiction of endurance, survival and resilience, as our compilation of films shows…

For the first time in twenty years, due to COVID-19, Night of the Dead isn’t happening 😭 But don’t despair! Thanks to the new Leeds Film Player, we…

Three city children are forced to spend the summer on their deranged grandfather’s farm in rural Estonia. When they accidentally free his prized cow,…

The Krakow Film Foundation have lovingly curated a programme that showcases the very best Polish animations forged by exceptional female filmmakers…

Deftly balancing an intimate personal story and a large-scale dramatisation of a historical tragedy, Jasmila Zbanic has made one of the best films of…

England, 1665: the Great Plague is sweeping the land and fear and superstition is rife among the population. Grace, a recent widow, is falsely accused…

A true meeting of artists’ minds: drawn from poet and activist Stephen Watts’ book Republic Of Dogs / Republic Of Birds, Huw Wahl’s 16mm essay film…

Rocca is a unique 11 year-old girl with a gung-ho attitude to life. As her father is an astronaut on the International Space Station, she is sent to…

A selection of 4 Romanian shorts, lovingly curated by the Transilvania International Film Festival. Havana, Cuba explores the concept of being alone…

Romy’s mother has to work a lot. That’s why Romy goes to her grandmother every day after school. If you think that sounds like fun, then you’re wrong,…

The united village of sheep and wolves leads its steady and peaceful life until two unexpected guests suddenly arrive - a Polar fox and a small ewe.…

Sisters With Transistors is a joyous celebration of pioneering women in electronic music, featuring the composers and musicians Daphne Oram, Pauline…

After her father’s death, Snow White is at the mercy of her self-loving stepmother. Locked in a tower by the evil queen, Snow White repeatedly escapes…

Sune is going to be his grandfather's Best Man but when he discovers that the wedding is on the same day as the class trip, he decides to try and do…

In this year of disruption and isolation, we bring you accounts of unsettled identities, personal discovery and collective action. Colonial legacies…

We pick the most outstanding animated short films from a diverse selection, for our ever popular World Animation Award. In this programme, climate…

Our World Animation Award programmes bring together animations of every kind, from festival award winners, to freshly minted graduation short films.…

With 30 films from 20 different countries selected from hundreds of entries, we present the very best in contemporary short animated films. The last…

Equally as enthralling as the county it represents, the Yorkshire Short Film Competition continues to go from strength to strength, encapsulating the…