Leeds International Film Festival

With information on Leeds International film Festival, plus details of Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival:

Armando Iannucci’s A Personal History of David Copperfield announced for LIFF 2019        We are delighted to announce an exciting new addition to the programme at LIFF 2019, a special preview of Armando Iannucci’s eagerly anticipated new comedy, A Personal History of David Copperfield. Following on from the success of The Thick of It and The Death of Stalin, Iannucci turns a keenly satirical eye on the famous Dickens character, reinterpreting the classic novel with terrific verve and wit. Watch the trailer        Dev Patel plays the warm-hearted young hero who is thrown into a series of misadventures after his widowed mother remarries the abusive Mr Murdstone, leading him to a bottle factory, a school, law chambers and his aunt’s rural home. The cast of great British character actors includes Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie and Peter Capaldi. Sat 16 November, 12 noon. Victoria Hall, Leeds Town Hall Highlights and special events at LIFF 2019... LIFF 2019 Opening Film: Rocks Rocks is a vivid portrait of British teen life and a love letter to sisterhood, filmed with a 75% female cast and crew. From Sarah Gavron, director of Brick Lane and Suffragette, Rocks has been described as 'an energetic five-star triumph' (The Guardian) and ‘a crashing success’ (Screen International). An unforgettably vibrant opening for LIFF 2019.  Watch a clip from Rocks Weds 6 November, 6.30pm. Victoria Hall, Leeds Town Hall The Cave (Thailand) + Q&A The astonishing rescue mission to save a boys’ football team trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand for 18 days is brought to life in The Cave (Thailand). Real-life rescuers play themselves in this nail-biting dramatisation of the event that made news headlines across the world in 2018. Thai born director Tom Waller, who trained at the Northern Film School, will join us in person for a Q&A. Watch the trailer Sun 10 November, 7.45pm.  Victoria Hall, Leeds Town Hall LIFF 2019: Opening Films for Cinema Versa & Fanomenon LIFF 2019's Cinema Versa selection, dedicated to music and documentary non-fiction films opens with A Dog Called Money, which follows the innovative recording process of a number-one album by PJ Harvey. (Tickets | Trailer). Jérémy Clapin's hugely original and creative animation I Lost My Body, about a disembodied hand searching for its body, opens our Fanomenon selection of cult and genre cinema. (Tickets | Trailer) Weds 6 November, 6.30pm. Everyman Leeds & Weds 6 November, 9pm. Victoria Hall, Leeds Town Hall LIFF 2019 Tickets and Passes We're offering a selection of different festival pass options to suit all viewers at LIFF 2019! The LIFF Explorer Pass means that for an initial fee of £50, tickets for each screening can be purchased for only £3. Those planning to see 33 films or more can purchase a LIFF Explorer Gold giving full festival access for £150. A LIFF LITE gives access to 6 films for £40, and a LIFF BUZZ gives 10 tickets to those aged under 25 for £10!  Kes: Reimagined + Q&A Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Kes, Barnsley born choreographer Jonathan Watkins reimagines the story by weaving dance, projections, puppetry and music to create a family friendly Kes to rival War Horse. The Guardian called it ‘genuinely too powerful for words’. The stage version has been expertly re-engineered for the cinema screen by director Ross MacGibbon and premieres at LIFF with a Q&A with cast and crew. Watch the trailer Thurs 7 November, 6.30pm. Vue in The Light North Bar at Leeds Town Hall This year we’ve teamed up with North Bar to provide the bars at Leeds Town Hall during LIFF 2019. You can find their pop-up bars (which also serve coffee!) inside the main entrance and also with a large seating area in The Crypt: you can find The Crypt down the stairs from the reception area (please ask our volunteers if you can’t locate it). The bars will be open for evening screenings and also daytime at weekends. Find Leeds Town Hall Other film events happening in Leeds and beyond... Ken Loach's Sorry We Missed You tackles zero hour contracts Ken Loach’s latest impassioned depiction of austerity Britain builds on the success of his Palme d’Or winning I, Daniel Blake. Sorry We Missed You follows ex-tradesman Ricky and his carer wife Abby as they struggle to make ends meet on zero hours contracts. The screening at Hyde Park Picture House on Sun 3 November, 6pm (Tickets) includes a special panel discussion featuring guests from local film and politics. (Tickets | Trailer) From Fri 1 November. Citywide Tuesday Wonder: Good Posture Dolly Wells’ directorial debut, Good Posture, screens at Hyde Park Picture House for one night only. The film follows Lilian (Grace Van Patten) as she moves in with Julia (Emily Mortimer) and Don (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), a couple in a strained marriage. After Don leaves, Lilian and Julia, despite their differences, slowly begin to bond and help each other to find happiness by tackling the obstacles in their own way. (Tickets | Trailer) Tues 5 November, 6:30pm. Hyde Park Picture House Official Secrets: A Yorkshire I-Spy There’s still chance to catch Official Secrets in cinemas and spot some local locations on screen. Keira Knightley stars as Katharine Gun in this gripping drama, about a journalist who leaked a top secret National Security Agency memo, exposing an illegal spy operation. With filming locations across Yorkshire, the film features scenes in Leeds, Bradford, Shipley and more.  (Tickets | Trailer) Now screening. Citywide The Great White Silence + Live score by Frame Ensemble Captain Scott’s doomed 1910 journey to the South Pole is the focus of the dramatic silent film The Great White Silence. His tragic adventure was recorded by cinematographer Herbert Ponting who captured almost every detail of the expedition. The breathtaking landscapes of Antarctica will be soundtracked by a live score by Frame Ensemble at the University of York, intensifying this already haunting documentary. (Tickets | Trailer) Fri 1 November, 7:30pm. University of York hcmf// - Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival 2019 Hosted across an eclectic mix of traditional and unexpected spaces, hcmf// is the UK’s leading platform for British and contemporary art forms, encompassing new, experimental and electronic music, visual art, sound art and improvisation. Built around the subtle, beguiling work of Swedish Composer in Residence Hanna Hartman, hcmf// 2019 celebrates a multiplicity of voices – with a timely focus on the overlooked and the unheard. Find out more Fri 15 - Sun 24 November. Various venues, Huddersfield