Come rain or shine, it wouldn’t be the autumn arts season in West Yorkshire without the Leeds International Film Festival.
Things will be looking a little bit different at the north’s marquee silver screen showcase this year.
Despite the better efforts of a worldwide health crisis that has disrupted studio schedules and indie efforts in equal measure for the best part of 2020, the 34th iteration, of what has become the biggest British event of its kind outside of London, is still set to welcome audiences for a packed slate this November.
Yet, for the first time, punters will also be able to enjoy highlights from the festival’s globe-spanning selection from the safety of their own homes, with a special online streaming platform set to host certain offerings remotely.
For those comfortable enough to venture out to venues, organisers have scaled back their usual operation to just three venues nestled in the city centre, at Leeds Town Hall, Vue in the Light and the City Varieties, with a reduced central programme compared to years gone by.
Even so, there’s still a wide range of gems to be savoured by film buffs across the run of the festival – and we’ve got the details you need to know ahead of booking your seats.
The 34th Leeds International Film Festival will launch on Tuesday, November 3 and run through to Thursday, November 19.
Where is Leeds International Film Festival 2020?
Three venues will host in-person screenings this year, with the traditional marquee location of Leeds Town Hall’s sumptuous Victoria Hall the flagship once more.
Vue will also be hosting showings, having set aside two screens at their location in The Light, just off the Headrow.
But the most eye-catching inclusion is that of the legendary City Varieties Music Hall, which began cinema operations in October as a temporary host venue for the Hyde Park Picture House, as it undergoes renovation. Having seen live performances curtailed, the famed Swan Street theatre will provide a unique experience for those who attend its screenings.
What to expect
In years gone by, the festival has become something of a springboard for several major awards season contenders as they move around the pre-Academy Awards circuit. Last year’s Closing Film Jojo Rabbit picked up a Best Picture nomination for example, while Marriage Story and The Irishman also figured heavily in the Oscar race.
But even with a reduced slate, there’s still so much more than just the critical darlings to get stuck into. Over fifty countries are represented across the programme this year, in both feature length and short entries, and there’s plenty to savour outside of the Official Selection competition.
Though the Festival’s traditional Retrospective field has been severely truncated, they still boast their Cinema Versa and Fanomenon sections, while a handful of choices from this year’s cancelled Leeds Young Film Festival will also be featured throughout.
How much will be available online?
The vast majority of the programme will be available through the Leeds Film Player.
Tickets for full length features will be priced at £6 while collections of short film selections will be available for £3.
The majority of the films available on the player will be available to rent during any period throughout the festival, though a small number will be time sensitive.
As it stands, the Festival is expected to be not impacted by Covid-19 beyond what measures they have taken in presenting their programme this year, even as West Yorkshire moves into Tier 3. However, the official guide says that cancelled screenings will result in either a full refund or the option to receive credit for another screening entirely.
What to watch
Here’ a selection of treats we’d recommend from the programme
Ammonite
Sparks fly in this slow-burn, Jurassic Coast-set period romance from God’s Own Country filmmaker Francis Lee, which follows palaeontologist Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) as her solitary existence is disrupted by the arrival of an unexpected guest, Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan).
And Tomorrow the Entire World
Germany’s official submission for next year’s Academy Award for Best International Feature Film follows Luisa (Mala Emde), a young law student who joins a branch of Antifa to combat fascism in this quasi-autobiographical thriller from director Julia von Heinz.
Another Round
Mads Mikkelsen and Dogme 95 veteran Thomas Vinterberg – who previously won the Festival’s Audience Award in 2021 for The Hunt – reteam for this Danish effort, following a group of schoolteachers who attempt to maintain a consistent state of intoxication through the workday.
David Byrne’s American Utopia
The former Talking Heads frontman burns down the metaphorical house with this dazzling, Spike Lee-helmed concert film taken from his Broadway residency of the same name, crafting an urgent and celebratory spiritual sequel to the classic Stop Making Sense.
Mogul Mowgli
A British-Pakistani rapper (Riz Ahmed) returns home ahead of his biggest tour to date, only to be waylaid by a critical illness that forces him to re-evaluate his relationship with his family and his heritage, in full-feature debutant Bassam Tariq’s personal, intimately compact drama.
Nomadland
After losing her job in the aftermath of the late-noughties recession, Fern (Frances McDormand), a sixty-something widower, takes to the open road across the American West in Chloe Zhao’s hotly-received ode to modern-day drifters, which claimed top prizes in Venice and Toronto.
Supernova
Long-time partners Sam (Colin Firth) and Tusker (Stanley Tucci) embark on a motorhome holiday to the Lake District as they grapple with the latter’s diagnosis of early onset dementia and the toll it has taken on their relationship, in Harry Macqueen’s low-key, poignant actors’ showcase.
The General
Buster Keaton’s legendary silent comedy masterpiece, about a railway engineer forced to pursue his locomotive and sweetheart after they are stolen away by Union spies during the early exchanges of the American Civil War, is presented with an old-fashioned live organ accompaniment.
You can find out more about the programme by visiting the Leeds Film International Film website.
