Tuesday 10th November sees the opening of Short Film City, the section of the Leeds International Film Festival that will show audiences that – whilst they may be short – these films are more than able to satisfy. The Opening Gala will include highlights of this year’s programme including some archive footage of the Leeds provided in association with the Yorkshire Film Archive. The screening will be followed by the Short Film City Opening Party at The Nation of Shopkeepers, which will be highlighted by a screening of the Short Films of David Lynch.
The highlight of the following days will be the 10th annual Louis Le Prince International Short Film Competition. Named after the man who – in 1888 in Leeds – shot the first moving footage in history – the awards really do represent the very best in short films from across the world. Films to look out for include the multi-award winning Icelandic short 2Birds, a powerful and sometimes shocking tale of adolescence, Red Sands an excellent documentary that deals with the emotive subject of bullfighting and the really amazing Arena, the recipient of the Palme D’or at this year’s Cannes Festival. The, always popular, Animation Competitions (HERE and HERE) will bring forth such films as Varmints, nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2009, and the beautifully stylised Polish film Laska (Chick) that looks at male and female relationships in a new way.
The British section includes the Julian Barratt co-directed short Curtains – think The Mighty Boosh stylings but with a very dark edge – whilst Believe is a stunningly poetic story of grief and loss. Yorkshire also fares well, with the Yorkshire Film Award playing host to such films as Hammerhead, a really well acted drama about a boy and his estranged parents, and the brilliantly conceived Vigilante which is a hilarious and disturbing mockumentary
There are lots of retrospectives to look out for this year include gems from the Lodz Film School, the Polish institution responsible for training such legends as Andrezj Wajda and Roman Polanski, a rather wonderful selection of Romanian films and lots more besides.
If you’ve ever been put off by shorts because you think they’re ‘practise before a real film’ then why not have your perceptions changed by Short Film City. You’ll find that shorts are beautiful, moving and just as engrossing and exciting as their longer brothers and sister. With a chance to not only discover some of the stars of the future but of looking at some great shorts from the past, Short Film City should be an essential stop on your festival journey.