Click here for full Programme.

Tickets for all films will be available here from Fri 12th Oct £6/£4.50 per film. Film Festival pass on sale now.

Click here for more ticket information.

Persepolis - Animation

Get your tickets before they go for exclusive Leeds screenings of Persepolis!
One of the most talked-about, most acclaimed and most important films of the year, the Jury prize-winner at Cannes and the Closing Gala of the New York Film Festival, Persepolis is now the Opening Gala of the 21st Leeds International Film Festival. Including voice acting from the legendary Catherine Deneuve, Persepolis is a highly-entertaining, unique black and white animation about the coming-of-age of an inquisitive and outspoken young Iranian girl during the Islamic Revolution. Persepolis is based on the autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi who also co-directs the film. Funny and fascinating, moving and uplifting, Persepolis is one of the films of 2007.
‘Persepolis is superb’ – BBC Online
‘This autobiographical tour de force is completely accessible and art of a very high order’ – Variety
‘Persepolis never loses its momentum, its sustaining sense of fun or its rapturous hold on the viewer’ – TIME. Carriageworks Main Auditroium 8pm Wednesday 7th. Leeds Town Hall 3pm Saturday 10th November.

Jeffrey Brown: Drawing between the lines - Documentary

This short documentary explores the work and world of alternative comics creator and 'one man cottage industry' Jeffrey Brown. In a series of short observations publishers, friends, fans and Jeff himself reveal why books like Clumsy, Unlikely and the (tellingly-titled) Every Girl Is The End Of The World For Me strike a chord with so many people. The film reveals the essence of Jeffrey Brown's comics - 'not all happy, not all sad' - but capturing 'something more' between the lines. This documentary will be screened with Moebius Redux. Carriageworks Studio: 2.45pm Sunday 11th November.

Moebius Redux: A Life In Pictures - Documentary

French artist and author Jean Giraud is one of the most famous and
influential comic strip illustrators and authors of all time. He achieved his greatest fame as Moebius - not so much a pseudonym as an alter ego. This documentary looks into the life of Europe's
most influencial comic artist with insights by his peers and friends
Enki Bilal, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Philippe Druillet. This documentary will be screened with Jeffrey Brown: Drawing Between the lines. Carriageworks Studio: 2.45pm Sunday 11th November.

The Tracey Fragments - Feature

A breathtakingly original new feature from Canada uses daring split screen effects to dramatise the story of Tracey Berkowitz, an emotionally confused 15 year old. She narrates the story of the search for her little brother Sonny, a troubled family life, the brutality of high school and dreams of her rock'n'roll saviour boyfriend Billy Zero. Truth and lies intertwine using the big screen potential to blend action and fantasy in a completely new way, more familiar to the innovations of indie comics and graphic novels. Download the comic by Andy B at the offical website by clicking the title. HydePark Picture House: 9pm Sunday11th November.

Vexille - Anime

Anime fans have come to expect the very best from the Film Festival when it comes to showcasing the latest titles from leading artists and filmmakers. Leeds has exclusively showcased works by Mamoru Oshii, Katsuhiro Otomo and Satoshi Kon. Vexille continues this great tradition and brings you the sensational, futuristic story of a female agent named Vexille who is dispatched to Tokyo to investigate whether the Japanese are developing robotic technology, which has been banned by the U.N. due to its threat to humankind. Get ready for another spectacular and stunning adventure delivered in the true inimitable style of Anime. Vue Cinema, The Light: 1pm and 6pm Friday 9th November and 8.30pm Saturday 10th.

Will Eisner: Portrait Of A Sequential Artist - Documentary

“Before Crumb…Before American Splendor…” In his remarkable 60-year career Eisner arguably did more than any to advance the medium. His egalitarian approach drove comics forward, from weekly strip (The Spirit, 1940) to the development of the graphic novel (A Contract With God, 1978). Made in collaboration with Eisner and his wife Ann, commentary on the great man comes from luminaries such as Art Spiegelman, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller, and novelists Michael Chabon and Kurt Vonnegut. Carriageworks Main Auditorium: 4.45pm Sunday 11th November.

Princess - Adult Animation

The sensational winner of the Golden Melies for Best European Fantasy Film, Princess is a searing animated vengeance thriller from multi-talented Danish filmmaker Anders Morgenthaler. After years away on missionary work, clergyman August returns home to discover his sister Christina has died from a drugs overdose whilst working as a porn star, 'The Princess'. Seized by absolute horror and anger, August snatches Christina's young daughter out of the care of a prostitute and, as she sleeps, embarks on a brutal mission to destroy everyone responsible for his sister's fate. Screening with Voigtampff (Germany, 13 mins) A man is persecuted by nightmares reminding him of the terrible events of his childhood. Hyde Park Picture House: 9.15pm, 11.15pm Friday 9th November.

 

Tekkon kinkreet - Anime

Credited as a visual effects artist on a host of films including The Abyss and Princess Mononoke, Michael Arias has created a stunning visual masterpiece with his first feature film. Tekkon kinkreet is exquisitely realized, minutely detailed Japanese anime with an added and unusual fluidity that immerses the audience into the lives of the characters populating Treasure Town. Based on the cult comic Black and White by Matsumoto Taiyo the film follows two young street urchins with the power to fly as they battle Yakuza gang members and alien assasins in a series of breathtaking,
heart-stopping action sequences for the control and survival of the city they hold dear. Vue Cinema: 3.30pm and 8.30pm Friday 9th. 6pm Saturday 10th November.

Death Note - Live Action/Anime

Based on the cult Manga series, Death Note is one of the hottest franchises to come out of Japan in recent years. Ryuk, a bored death demon from a parallel dimension, drops his Death Note on earth to see what happens. Light, a bright law student, finds the book and discovers that anyone whose name he writes in it dies shortly after. With criminals dying inexplicably, the police bring in the mysterious detective L and a deadly cat-and-mouse game begins. Hyde Park Picture House: 9pm Saturday 10th November.

Death Note: The Last Name

Continuing directly on from the first Death Note film, the sequel cranks up the tension and raises the stakes even further. With two demons and two Death Notes now loose in the world, Light has to go to extraordinary lengths to hide his identity from the bizarre genius L. Realising the danger they are all in, L risks his own life to lure Light into the open for a final deadly stand-off, from which neither might survive. Hyde Park Picture House: 1pm Sunday 11th November.

Strawberry Shortcakes - Feature

Based on the Manga "Sweet Cream And Red Strawberries", this brilliant Japanese art-house offering tells the fascinating stories of four people living diverse lives in Tokyo and twines their tales into a magnificently acted cinematic feast. “Strawberry Shortcakes” is a real treat to watch (as its name suggests!), and as well as a very welcome addition to the growing number of Manga-inspired films, it stands out as a truly intelligent and sensitive portrayal of realistically proportioned actual women in a milieu where highly distorted female characters of anime tend to predominate. You'll
feel so pleased you've seen this! Hyde Park Picture House: 4pm Sunday 11th November.

Bomb it - Graffiti Documentary

Bomb it is the explosive new documentary from award-winning director Jon Reiss investigating the most subversive and controversial art form currently shaping international youth culture: graffiti. Featuring old school legends and current favorites such as Taki 183, Cornbread, Stay High 149, T-Kid, Cope 2, Zephyr, Revs, Os Gemeos, KET, Chino, Shepard Fairey, Revok, and Mear One. This cutting edge documentary tracks down today's most innovative and pervasive street artists as they battle for control over the urban visual landscape. You'll never look at public space the same way again. Leeds Art Gallery 3pm Sunday 11th November.

Dai Nipponjin

What happens when a has-been superhero becomes a victim of stronger baddies and falling TV news ratings? Dai Sato's days seem over, his special power bulging in purple pants no longer a match for the new breed of bad or the harsh demands of modern viewers, and the cover of his normal self blown away, exposed to society's scorn. Directed by and starring Japanese comedy legend Hitosi Matumoto, as famous at home as Takeshi Kitano, Dai Nipponjin is a sublimely hilarious and ultimately moving spoof on hero culture. Screening with Doron (Japan, 16 mins) It is always essential to do something unique to impress the judges at an audition. Vue Cinema, The Light, 12.30pm Saturday 10th November.

Freesia: Bullets Over Tears

As sirens warn that a government authorised vengeance killing is about to take place, three Miike-inspired hitmen hunt down their prey managed by their vengeance-liaison officer. After several brutal official killings the operation turns in on itself as the group become subject of their own vengeance orders. Based on the cult manga series by Matsumoto Jiro, Freesia sets Battle Royale gameplay in a repressive, chaotic Japanese society of the near future where sirens announcing the end of the vengeance attacks seem entirely feasible. Hyde Park Picture House 6.45pm Sunday 11th November.