Karen's blog: Things to do in Leeds this weekend

Here are few ideas for those of my followers who live in or near to Leeds or from any home anywhere:

Leeds Film News // Our guide to the best online film, including LIFF Stay Home Shorts, LIFF Films Now Streaming and LYFF Family Film Picks...

Film at Home: LIFF Stay Home Shorts

We're curating special programmes of films available online to share with you while we all miss going to the cinema. Our first programme is an 80-minute selection of 9 short films from previous editions of Leeds International Film Festival, all former LIFF audience favourites and mainly animations, plus two musical interludes and one Yorkshire treat.

As the need for social distancing forces the closure of cinemas, we are adapting to new ways of experiencing the film culture we are so passionate about. From the incredible wealth of films available to view online to historical film archives and live-streamed Q&As, Leeds Film are keeping you up-to-date with the best new online film content and exciting new developments across viewing platforms in our Film at Home series.

In this month's Leeds Film Newsletter: Film Festivals Online, Leeds Young Film Festival news, #HydeParkPicks, Curzon Home Cinema Q&As and Yorkshire on Film...

Film at Home: Film Festivals Online

Covid-19 has forced many festivals to postpone or cancel their upcoming editions, with many adapting to the circumstances in impressively fast and inventive ways. Check out our Film at Home: Film Festivals Online guide for summaries of films now available online at the hip American film and multimedia festival South by Southwest, London LGBTIQ+ extravaganza BFI Flare, Greece's long-running Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and more.

Film at Home: Hidden Film Gems Online

There are 1000s of hidden gems from various international film studios and archives that are only a few clicks away and free of charge. Our Film at Home: Hidden Film Gems Online guide outlines three online libraries: Soviet era classics from the oldest Russian Film Studio, Mosfilm, rarely seen

Korean film archive gems including favourites of Parasite director, Bong Joon-Ho, and a rich history of documentaries and animation at the National Film Board of Canada.

Film at Home: LIFF Films Now Streaming

Many of the hit films from LIFF 2019 are now available to view online, across platforms including Netflix, BFI Player, Curzon Home Cinema, Amazon Prime and Vimeo. We're keeping you updated with the latest as they become available in our Film at Home: LIFF Films Now Streaming guide which includes Pink Wall, telling the story of a young couple's relationship during six different stages and Ordinary Love, starring Lesley Manville and Liam Neeson as a committed couple facing cancer together.

Leeds Young Film Festival's online Easter programme for the whole family

With Leeds Young Film Festival's postponement, we aren't hitting the brakes on family entertainment over Easter! Our expert programmers select 10 of the best family films every Friday in our LYFF Picks. We've launched a new filmmaking project where you're challenged to get creative from home. Finally, we're recruiting Special Agents for our LYFF Jury, an online programme of short films from the festival.

Hyde Park Picks: Daily recommendations from Hyde Park Picture House

Hyde Park Picture House has launched a new, daily online feature making recommendations for the best films available to view online each day. With a focus on new releases, #HydeParkPicks come with added extras including recorded introductions, further reading and related watching. Follow @HydeParkPH on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for daily updates. Recent picks include Bacurau, a genre-bending Brazilian adventure currently on MUBI.

Curzon Living Room Q&As

Curzon presents a new season of live streamed Living Room Q&As with award-winning directors, that you can enjoy for free from the comfort of your sofa. Recent instalments include Haifaa Al Mansour (The Perfect Candidate), Nora Fingscheidt (System Crasher) and Mark Jenkin (Bait), all available now. Upcoming highlights will also be available to watch following their initial broadcast, and include Q&As with Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium), Asif Kapadia (Diego Maradona) and Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir). More Info

Vivarium Q&A Thu 9 April, 8.30pm. Diego Maradona Q&A Tue 14 April, 8.30pm & The Souvenir Q&A Fri 17 April, 8.30pm

Northern Festivals React to Covid-19

Sheffield Doc/Fest will take place in an alternate format for 2020, with virtual events in June and a series of programmes that will take place on weekends through the autumn. In the meantime you can enjoy an array of films from their previous editions online. Leeds Queer Film Festival has made a brilliant free resource of over 100 online LGBTIQ+ films and Flatpack Festival has announced a home entertainment edition, bringing their BAFTA-qualifying short film competition direct to your home.

Yorkshire on Film –

Get Out and About Online

If you’re frustrated by being unable to get out and about in beautiful Yorkshire during the lockdown, there are various onscreen options that might help. Holmeflix is a vimeo channel with free short films made in the Holme Valley. Screen Yorkshire has collated a great list of TV and film productions made in this county. You could also check out Francis Lee’s award-winning God’s Own Country, available to rent or buy on various streaming platforms. BFI’s Britain on Film map enables you to extend the trip round the whole country.

The Criterion Collection Competition: Win April's releases on Blu-ray

Our exclusive monthly competition gives you the chance to win one of two bundles of the latest Blu-rays from The Criterion Collection's exceptional series of classic world cinema. April's releases include The Cranes Are Flying (1957), They Live By Night (1948) and The Prince of Tides (1991). To enter, answer: In which 1967 drama did 'The Cranes Are Flying' actress Tatyana Samoylova star in the lead role? Email answers to leeds.film@leeds.gov.uk.

Enter by midnight, Thursday 30 April.

The competition is open to UK residents only

Film industry support during Covid-19...

British Film and TV Industry

Support During the Covid-19 Crisis

The British Film Industry is pulling together in these difficult times and there are various resources and opportunities for support being offered by national and regional film organisations. The BFI has set up a new Covid-19 Emergency Relief Fund to provide one-off grants from £500-£2,500 to active workers in film, TV and cinema facing significant financial hardship as a result of the crisis.

Film Hub North is collating information about support for the North’s Film Sector including help and information on their own funded projects. Cinema For All are offering Advice While We Stay at Home tailored specifically for Community Cinemas. The BFI Network are offering expert advice on How to Manage your Mental Health as a Filmmaker.

The best movies on Netflix UK, novels to drive away the gloom and online events not to be missed.

This week...

· Apartments we'd love to be holed up in right now

· How to turn your garden into a wonderful adventure for the kids

· Online events to get you through the lockdown

· The best films on Netflix right now

· Delicious lunches delivered to your door

· The best novels for escaping the coronavirus gloom

5 Apartments We’d Love to be Holed Up in Right Now

Fed up of staring at your own four walls? Check out these little beauties. City centre flats with original features, undeniable style and views of the city, they're the perfect place to hole up – and while you may not be able to do it now, you might well want to move in when all this is over.

3 Delicious Lunches Delivered to Your Door

Turn Your Garden into a Fun Adventure for the Kids

Sunny lockdown days can only mean one thing – garden adventures. Head outside and let your imagination go wild as you take the kids on a jungle treasure hunt, a garden camping weekend and a shipwrecked den building challenge.

5 Online Events That Will Make You Forget the Lockdown

It's official – we're adapting to lockdown. Events that once happened face-to-face are now taking place online, so you can enjoy your favourite social gatherings from the comfort of your home. Will it be beer tasting or yoga tonight?

10 Podcasts to Keep You Going Through the Lockdown

The 21 Best Films on UK Netflix Right Now

Can't go out. Can't see your friends. There's only one thing for it – back-to-back movie marathon! But what to watch? We've trawled the endless maze of movies on Netflix UK to pick out the very best. From 90s classics that never get old to toe-tapping musicals and gritty war movies, there's something for everyone.