Leeds Film Festival
Matthew:
November 10th, 2006
Leeds could do with more this sort of thing. For a city its size and with such great heritage, it has very little in the way of arts and cultural events. The Henry Moore Institute is a pleasant enough way to spend an afternoon, and the Hyde Park Picturehouse occasionally plays films that make an alternative to the mass marketed seemingly ubiquitous ‘Vue’ cinemas.
However, for 10 days in November Leeds turns into a Mecca for lovers of film. Set in the new and appropriately tasteful venue of the Carriageworks in Millenium Square, this festival boasts several UK premieres from the world of ‘alternative’ cinema. The most notable of these is the celebrated Korean director Kim Ki Duk’s latest oeuvre, ‘Time’.
There are around 25 films playing everyday, encompassing all kinds of genres. There are music documentaries such as ‘Looking for Reyno’ a charming investigation into an Argentine band led by a drummer with Downs syndrome. The ‘Cinema Versa’ selection contains films with a political aspect, such as ‘Kabul Transit’.
This is a great opportunity for culture deprived Leodensians to go and see something out of the ordinary, and reminded of just how compelling and entertaining cinema can be when it is created by those who have more at stake than box office takings.