Preview: Leeds International Film Festival | LIFF 2023

A UK film institution since 1987, Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) returns again in 2023 with a line-up packed with some of the year’s most anticipated films. 

Those familiar with the listings of the recent London Film Festival may get a small case of deja vu looking at LIFF’s screenings as many of its films repeat what was on offer there. Highlights amongst these include the new Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal film All of Us Strangers, The Boy and The Heron (also screening at Manchester Animation Festival), Jonathan Glazer’s first film in ten years The Zone of Interest and How To Have Sex.

Nevertheless, increased access to films such as these can only be a good thing, especially since UK film culture tends to be painfully London-centric and only so many people can afford to get on a train down south just to watch the latest art house films. In contrast, Leeds is just an hour’s train journey from Manchester and within less than two hours total you could go from a university lecture to being tucked away at art-deco cinema Hyde Park Picture House – one of the festival’s many screening locations and one of the UK’s oldest cinemas.

If you don’t want to wait what is often months for the wide release, then LIFF is probably your best chance at seeing some of this year’s most sought-after films. 

Beyond screenings of highly anticipated art house fare, LIFF also boasts many UK premiere screenings in their official competition, including Rachel Sennott’s latest lead role in I Used to Be Funny. Alongside these contemporary films, the festival also programmes sections which span both new releases and retrospective picks to cultivate a particular film niche.

One such section is ‘Cinema Amour’, a love letter to film’s exhibition spaces which includes new documentaries such as SCALA!!!, which recently screened as part of HOME’s FilmFear programme, alongside classics such as Tsai Ming-liang’s ode to cinema Goodbye, Dragon Inn. 

However, if that all sounds a bit too sophisticated for you, then LIFF also has a wide-ranging selection of genre films in their ‘Fanomenon’ strand, which includes the much famed ‘Night of the Dead’ horror film all-nighter. Part of the line-up this year is Spanish dark horror-comedy The Coffee Table, which recently won Best Film at Manchester’s very own Grimmfest. Other highlights across the festival’s many strands include Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things and a rare cinema screening of Bong Joon Ho’s Snowpiercer.

Over two weeks and across more than eight venues, Leeds International Film Festival is back and more ambitious than ever. Truly flying the film flag for the North, LIFF is stacked with many of the year’s most anticipated art house films alongside its fascinating programme of archive films and one-off events.

Student tickets start from £7.50 with multi-film passes also available. LIFF 2023 takes place from 3 – 19 November 2023.