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This November marks the commencement of the 21st annual Leeds International Film Festival. Growing in size and status since its launch back in 1987 the festival is now a stalwart of the British film industry and has been labeled the ‘Jewel of the north’ due to its balanced programme including premieres, documentaries, classic re-runs and animation encompassing many more genres and topics. Due to there being literally hundreds of films on display the festival is spread out across a wide range of venues, including The Carriageworks, The Hyde park picture house, The Vue cinema, Holy trinity Church and the Leeds Town Hall to name but a few. All of these venues are situated in or close by to the city centre. The opening night of Wednesday the 7th sets the tone for the diversity and credibility of the festival. Kicking off with the critically acclaimed French animation Persepolis being screened in the main auditorium of The Carriageworks, followed by Love Song, the first of a series of screenings of the works of Kazuo Hora who will be present to introduce the film at The Hyde Park picture house. The final film of the night is the latest from Robert Rodriguez, with a promotional image of a young lady with a machine gun for a leg; Planet Terror can be no less than intriguing. Not just focusing on feature length works the festival boasts the Golden Owl competition, the world animation competition, a selection of the best British and world short films as well as a Yorkshire film competition. Spreading its wings beyond the screen in a new addition to the programme this year is Nexus. This looks to explore the boundaries between film and other art forms. The majority of the screenings are in the evening and subject matter and film content is largely aimed at an adult audience so it is best to do a minimum of research on whatever you decide to watch before taking any children or those of a weak disposition. The website www.leedsfilm.com is up and running, boasting a wealth of information on tickets, directions and screening times. To further compliment this a free festival guide is available at all venues and a visitor centre has been set-up in The light just off the Headrow in the city centre.
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