Every year come November, the Leeds International Film Festival takes over my little city and brings with it a glimpse into a whole other world of cinema. There really is such a wide range of films in the programme every year from a Cuban zom-rom-com to a Hungarian seven hour meander through a dilapidated village to Steve McQueen's newest feature starring Michael Fassbender as a New York sex addict.
2011 saw the 25th anniversary of the film festival and although, unlike 2010, I didn't invest in a festival pass I still managed to see around twenty films over the two and a half weeks. I picked my top five films to share with you to keep an eye out for in the future including one cheeky piece of self promotion.
This has been sitting in my drafts for over a month now but finally, it's ready to share with you.
1. Take Shelter (2011)
Dir. by Jeff Nichols (USA)
I've seen this film again in the cinema since the festival and I think this is the most accessible film on my list. It's a stunning slow burner of a film that follows a father and husband as he spirals into delusional prophecies of an apocolyptic storm and becomes obsessed with building a storm shelter. It's pitch perfect with beautiful cinematography, an engulfing soundtrack and amazing acting from the entire cast including Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain. I cannot sing this film's praises enough, it unfolds with a building tension that leaves you hooked til the last frame.
2. The Fatherless (2011)
Dir. by Marie Kreutzer (Austria)
Most people know about my obsession with cults and communes so it was no surprise when my list for the festival included multiple films that touched on the subject. The Fatherless was my favourite film of the festival, an amazing achievement by a first time female director, and now a huge inspiration to me. It tells the story of an estranged family, who were raised in a commune, now reunited after their father's death in the same house they used to call home. There's an underlying tension throughout the film as family secrets are held back but the truth finds its way out in flashbacks from the glory days of the commune. It's dark and far from uplifting but it's fresh and moving. If you get the chance to see this, do!
3. Breathing (2011)
Dir. by Karl Markovics (Austria)
Breathing tells the story of a young offender about to be released back into the normal world after a childhood contained inside prison. He gets offered a job as a undertakers assistant to help smooth the transition between his two worlds and finds himself chasing after his mother who abandoned him when he was younger. The tenderness with which the film's story is told is beautiful and had everyone in the cinema in love with this film. The acting is spot on, it deals with such serious issues without falling into cliches and Karl Markovics is definitely someone I will wait eagerly to see what he does next with his writing/directing career.
4. The Last Tribe (2011)
Dir. by Simon Glass (UK)
The Last Tribe is a project very close to my own heart because I worked on the film and it was the first film that brought my name onto the big screen in a cinema. It's a documentary charting the journey of the Jewish community in Leeds. Although it's quite a niche story, it's heartwarming and funny with some great characters who really open up for the camera and share their fascinating stories. The Leeds Film Festival was it's premiere and I'm really proud to be able to say I was involved with the film.
5. 22nd of May (2010)
Dir. by Koen Mortier (Belgium)
22nd of May was one of those films I knew I would love from the moment I read about it in the catalogue. Chronicling the aftermath of a bomb attack in a shopping mall in a non-linear maze as the security guard chasing down victims and perpetrators alike to find their stories leading to a patchwork portrait of a handful of people's lives. The film is dark and gritty with tension building throughout as he rushes to try and prevent the attack that has already happened. An insightful look into an unstable mind and the chaos caused in an everyday situation gone horribly gone.
