25th Leeds International Film Festival to open with Andrea Arnold’s Wuthering Heights and premieres announced for Golden Owl Competition
The 25th Leeds International Film Festival has announced its Opening Gala as Wuthering Heights, a bold adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic novel, directed by BAFTA award-winning director Andrea Arnold. Wuthering Heights will screen on Thursday 3rd November at the 1000-capacity Leeds Town Hall, marking the start of the 18-day film festival running until 20th November.
Filmed on-location in Yorkshire, with co-funding from Screen Yorkshire, and with leading man Heathcliff (James Howson) plucked from the streets of Leeds itself for his first major film role, Wuthering Heights was awarded Best Cinematography after its world premiere at the 68th Venice Film Festival. Garnering much critical acclaim for her stark and contemporary take on this literary adaptation, Andrea Arnold is set to further her status as one of Britain’s most exciting filmmaking talents after the success of her previous works Red Road (2006) and Fish Tank (2009). Wuthering Heights will be distributed in the UK by Artificial Eye and released on 11th November.
Chris Fell, Director of Leeds International Film Festival said:
“I’m delighted that the 25th Leeds International Film Festival will open with one of the most talked-about British films of the year, and one with strong associations with the Yorkshire region. Andrea Arnold’s raw interpretation of Wuthering Heights is a powerful experience and like none that has come before. The Opening Gala night at Leeds is our most high-profile event and we wanted to give this outstanding film the headline attention it deserves.”
Sally Joynson, Chief Executive of Screen Yorkshire, said:
"As Screen Yorkshire is a funder of the Leeds International Film Festival and a financier and Executive Producer of Wuthering Heights, the film is a perfect fit to open the festival. One of Yorkshire's great stories has been given a completely new interpretation by one of the UK's leading directors. The film will look stunning in Leeds Town Hall and show Yorkshire in all its rugged beauty."
Main line-up announced for Golden Owl Competition
The Golden Owl Competition, part of the Official Selection at Leeds, exists to promote outstanding new work by emerging directors whose films in the line-up have not yet secured UK distribution. Nine films are today announced for the Competition as UK Premieres, with final additions to be revealed at programme launch on 7th October:
22nd of May (22 Mei) Dir. Koen Mortier, Belgium, 2010
Dissecting one traumatic event with incredible cinematic invention, Koen Mortier’s 22nd of May ricochets from realist drama to taut thriller to dreamlike surreal fantasy.
Fuerteventura Dir. Mattias Sandström, Sweden, 2010
In a fascinating, cryptic psychological drama, Mattias Sandström assembles a probing meditation on grief, intimacy and identity.
The Gravedigger (A sírásó) Dir. Sándor Kardos, Hungary, 2010
Veteran cinematographer Sandor Kardos’ astonishing adaptation of the classic Rainer Maria Rilke short story is a bold innovation in cinematic narrative technique. Commandeering the technology used in horse racing to document the photo finish, the film resembles a carousel of hall-of-mirrors images, distorted and bleeding into one another.
Heat Wave (Après le Sud) Dir. Jean-Jacques Jauffret, France, 2011
A simmering drama of intersecting lives all taking place one sweltering afternoon somewhere on the edge of Marseilles, France.
Nana Dir. Valerie Massadian, France, 2011
A gentle and poetic evocation of a rural childhood, Nana is also a narrative innovation, telling a story almost exclusively through the eyes and words of a four-year-old child.
The Other Side of Sleep Dir. Rebecca Daly, Ireland/Netherlands/Hungary, 2011
Championed by Jane Campion at Cannes, Daly’s The Other Side of Sleep takes the small town murder story and subjects it to a dreamlike metamorphosis, reinvigorating familiar themes with deeply unsettling and atmospheric results.
The Prize (El Premio) Dir. Paula Markovitch, Mexico/Farnce/Poland/Germany, 2011
A subtle and powerful political drama, The Prize tells its story with haunting originality, through the eyes of a seven-year-old child featuring beautiful cinematography and fantastic performances particularly by the young lead.
Summer of Goliath (Verano de Goliat) Dir. Nicolás Pereda, Mexico/Canada/Netherlands, 2010
Innovatively blending documentary and fiction and bending generic expectations at every turn, Nicolás Pereda has constructed a startlingly original feature.
Toomelah Dir. Ivan Sen, Australia, 2011
A tough and uncompromising portrait of a remote Aboriginal community featuring non-professional actors and a mesmerising central performance by 10-year-old Daniel Conners.
Full programme will be announced on October 7th.
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