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Leeds International Film Festival · 2008

Leeds International Film Festival 2008

Official Selection

Worldwide selection of films, including retrospectives. The recent releases will be in competition for the Golden Owl.

Programme

36 films · 11 reviews

Jump to a film

57,000 Kilometres Between Us (57000km Entre Nous, 57,000km Between US)

Review preview for 57,000 Kilometres Between Us

The voyeuristic experience of watching their unpleasant exhibitionism becomes a very alienating experience and as a result it is increasingly difficult to engage with, or indeed care about, any of the characters.

Adam Micklethwaite · 2.5 out of 5
A teenager struggles for connections - both real and virtual - as her step-father presents an airbrushed version of their lives online.

(Country: France; Year: 2008; Director: Delphine Kreuter; Writer: Delphine Kreuter; Stars: Florence Thomassin, Pascal Bongard, Mathieu Amalric, Marie Burgun, Hadrien Bouvier, Stéphanie Michelini, Mohamed Rouabhi, Véra Briole) , Official site

Full review

Black Ice (Musta jää)

Dark thriller about the lengths a wife will go to in order to exact revenge.

(Country: Finland, Germany; Year: 2007; Director: Petri Kotwica; Writer: Petri Kotwica; Stars: Outi Mäenpää, Ria Kataja, Martti Suosalo, Ville Virtanen, Sara Paavolainen, Netta Heikkilä, Väinö Heiskanen, Philipp Danne, Matti Laine, Emilia Sinisalo) , Official site

Blind Loves (Slepe lásky)

Review preview for Blind Loves

Juraj Lehotský's Blind Loves not only succeeds in describing the world as blind people really experience it but, in so doing, presents the sighted viewer with a fascinating insight into a different way of living.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
The complexities of love and relationships as experienced by various visually impaired people.

(Country: Slovakia; Year: 2008; Director: Juraj Lehotsky; Writer: Juraj Lehotsky, Marek Lescák; Stars: Peter Kolesár, Iveta Kopdrová, Miro Daniel)

Full review See: Article about Blindness and blind people in cinema

Chiko

Crime thriller sees a pair of pals fall foul of a drug lord.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2008; Director: Özgür Yildirim; Writer: Özgür Yildirim; Stars: Denis Moschitto, Moritz Bleibtreu, Volkan Özcan, Fahri Yardim, Reyhan Sahin, Lilay Huser, Philipp Baltus, Henny Reents, Hans Löw, Simon Goerts) , Official site

The Class (Klass)

Powerful tale of how bullying can lead to violence in the classroom.

(Country: Estonia; Year: 2007; Director: Ilmar Raag; Writer: Ilmar Raag; Stars: Vallo Kirs, Pärt Uusberg, Lauri Pedaja, Paula Solvak, Mikk Mägi, Riina Ries, Joonas Paas, Kadi Metsla, Triin Tenso, Virgo Ernits)

A Dog's Dream (El Sueño del perro)

Dialogue-free film about a grieving writer coming to terms with the loss of his family.

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2008; Director: Paulo Pécora; Writer: Paulo Pécora; Stars: Guillermo Angelelli, Mónica Lairana, Aldo Niebur)

Dream (Bi-mong)

Review preview for Dream

Kim Ki-duk is using language to highlight the communicative gulf that exists between his dramatis personae.

Anton Bitel · 4 out of 5
A woman acts out the dreams of a stranger.

(Country: South Korea; Year: 2008; Director: Kim Ki-duk; Writer: Kim Ki-duk; Stars: Jô Odagiri, Lee Na-yeong, Jang Mi-hie, Kim Tae-hyeon, Park Ji-a)

Full review

Drifter

Documentary meets art film in this road movie from Brazil.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2008; Director: Cao Guimarães)

Empties (Vratné lahve)

Third part of Sverák's trilogy, following The Elementary School and Kolya, asks is it ever to late for fulfillment?

(Country: Czech Republic, UK; Year: 2007; Director: Jan Sverák; Writer: Zdenek Sverák, Zdenek Sverák; Stars: Zdenek Sverák, Tatiana Vilhelmová, Daniela Kolárová, Alena Vránová, Jirí Machácek, Miroslav Táborský, Martin Pechlát, Nella Boudová, Jan Budar, Pavel Landovský)

Flower In The Pocket

A man tries to juggle being a father with making a living.

(Country: Malaysia; Year: 2007; Director: Liew Seng Tat; Writer: Liew Seng Tat; Stars: Zi Jiang Wong, Ming Wei Lim, James Lee, Amira Nasuha, Mislina Mustapha, Inom Yon, Azman Hassan, Wen Xin Yong, Kah Loong Lo, Zhang Phang Chong)

Genova

Review preview for Genova

Colin Firth gives possibly his best performance yet.

Val Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
In a foreign city, a young girl begins to catch glimpses of the mother she lost in a car crash.

(Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Michael Winterbottom; Writer: Laurence Coriat, Michael Winterbottom; Stars: Colin Firth, Catherine Keener, Perla Haney-Jardine, Willa Holland, Hope Davis, Demetri Goritsas)

Full review

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo)

Review preview for The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

If you watch one western in your lifetime, make it The Good, The Bad And The Ugly.

Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
Classic western in which three men variously scheme, save and double-cross each other in the search for a legendary stash of gold.

(Country: Italy, Spain; Year: 1966; Director: Sergio Leone; Writer: Luciano Vincenzoni, Sergio Leone; Stars: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach, Aldo Giuffrè, Luigi Pistilli, Rada Rassimov, Enzo Petito, Claudio Scarchilli, John Bartha, Livio Lorenzon, Antonio Casale) , Official site , Trailer

Full review See: Score spotlight

Gala screening at Leeds Town Hall

(How) To Be Dead (Cómo estar muerto/Como estar muerto)

The festival programme promises this is will take you "through the streets of Buenos Aires on a meandering journey to ennui".

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2008; Director: Manuel Ferrari; Stars: Inés Efron, Ignacio Rogers, Julián Tello, Nahuel Viale )

The Karamazovs (Karamazovi)

Petr Zelenka's unusual take on theatre and life follows a group of Czech actors as they perform an adaptation of Dostoyevsky's novel in a Polish factory.

(Country: Czech Republic, Poland; Year: 2008; Director: Petr Zelenka; Writer: Petr Zelenka; Stars: Martin Mysicka, Michaela Badinková, Igor Chmela, Radek Holub, Lenka Krobotová, Roman Luknár, Andrzej Mastalerz, Marek Matejka, David Novotny, Pavel Simcík)

Kinogamma Part One: East

Described as the "reinvention of the travelogue".

(Country: France; Year: 2008; Director: Siegfried)

Kinogamma Part Two: Far East

Offbeat travelogue sets its sights on India.

(Country: France; Year: 2008; Director: Siegfried)

Magic Mirror (Espelho Mágico)

Follows a man who is taken to meet a rich acquaintance on release from prison. Introduced by Portugese academic Joao Antunes.

(Country: Portugal; Year: 2005; Director: Manoel de Oliveira; Writer: Agustina Bessa-Luís, Manoel de Oliveira; Stars: Leonor Silveira, Ricardo Trêpa, Luís Miguel Cintra, Leonor Baldaque, Glória de Matos, Isabel Ruth, Adelaide Teixeira, Diogo Dória, José Wallenstein, Maestro Atalaya)

Mermaid (Rusalka)

The fanciful tale of an introverted little girl who grows up believing she has the power to make wishes come true. She must reconcile this belief with reality when, as a young woman, she journeys to Moscow and grapples with love, modernity and materialism.

(Country: Russia; Year: 2007; Director: Anna Melikyan; Stars: Masha Shalaeva, Evgeniy Ciganov, Maria Sokolova, Nastya Doncova)

Mina-ye shahr-e khamoosh

A surgeon returns to Iran after years of living away and finds his hometown invokes a powerful emotional reaction.

(Country: Iran, Germany, Canada; Year: 2007; Director: Amir Shahab Razavian; Writer: Mohammad Farokhmanesh, Armin Hofmann, Amir Shahab Razavian; Stars: Ezzatolah Entezami, Shahbaz Noshir, Saber Abbar, Reza Khamse)

Momma's Man

Review preview for Momma's Man

My patience with the central character expired long before the film eventually dragged itself towards the end of its running time.

Adam Micklethwaite · 2 out of 5
A man in mid-life crisis retreats to his parents' loft.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Azazel Jacobs; Writer: Azazel Jacobs; Stars: Flo Jacobs, Ken Jacobs, Dana Varon)

Full review

Moscow, Belgium

Romantic comedy about a single mum who forges an unlikely friendship with a recovering alcoholic truck driver.

(Country: Belgium; Year: 2008; Director: Christophe Van Rompaey; Writer: Jean-Claude Van Rijckeghem, Pat van Beirs; Stars: Barbara Sarafian, Jurgen Delnaet, Johan Heldenbergh, Anemone Valcke, Sofia Ferri, Julian Borsani, Bob De Moor, Jits Van Belle, Griet van Damme, Lisa Buylaert)

Parting Shot (Pas Douce)

Review preview for Parting Shot

Parting Shot becomes a fascinating meditative study for anyone that has ever felt themselves in the grip of uncontrollable passion.

Chris · 3 out of 5
A frustrated young nurse finds her life transformed after she meets a troublesome teenager.

(Country: France; Year: 2007; Director: Jeanne Waltz; Writer: Jeanne Waltz; Stars: Isild Le Besco, Lio, Steven de Almeida, Yves Verhoeven, Christophe Sermet, Estelle Bealem)

Full review

The Path (El Camino)

Two children travel to Costa Rica in search of their mother.

(Country: Costa Rica; Year: 2007; Director: Ishtar Yasin Gutierrez; Writer: Ishtar Yasin Gutierrez; Stars: Sherlin Paola Velásquez, Juan Borda, Morena Guadalupe Espinoza, Marcos Ulises Jiménez, Cornelio Flores Meza, Germán Pomares, Jean-François Stévenin)

The Rest Of The Night (Il Resto della notte)

A Romanian servant plots revenge after being sacked for stealing.

(Country: Italy; Year: 2008; Director: Francesco Munzi; Writer: Francesco Munzi; Stars: Sandra Ceccarelli, Aurélien Recoing, Stefano Cassetti, Laura Vasiliu, Victor Cosma, Constantin Lupescu, Veronica Besa, Valentina Cervi, Ditta Teresa Acerbis, Susy Laude)

Rumba

Review preview for Rumba

Very capable of raising of smile.

Adam Micklethwaite · 3 out of 5
Offbeat comedy in the style of Tati.

(Country: France, Belgium; Year: 2008; Director: Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon, Bruno Romy; Writer: Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon, Bruno Romy; Stars: Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon, Philippe Martz, Bruno Romy, Clément Morel)

Full review

Shadow Of Sand

Super-8 film about a woman whose lover may or may not be real.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2008; Director: Yusuke Kaida; Writer: Yusuke Kaida)

She Unfolds By Day

An afternoon in the life of a frustrated middle-aged son, his misanthropic 80-year-old mother and their hyperactive dog.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Rolf Belgum; Writer: Rolf Belgum; Stars: Julia Belgum, Merrilyn Belgum, Rolf Belgum, Christopher Wells)

Sita Sings The Blues

Using a variety of colorful animation techniques, writer-director Nina Paley wittily interweaves the story of Sita, the leading lady of the ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana, with the story of a modern American woman struggling to keep her marriage afloat.

(Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Nina Paley; Writer: Nina Paley; Stars: Annette Hanshaw, Reena Shah, Sanjiv Jhaveri, Aseem Chhabra, Bhavana Nagulapally, Manish Acharya) , Official site

Soi Cowboy

Review preview for Soi Cowboy

Clay doesn’t want for ideas but his symbolism is in grave danger of smothering the story

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
An uneven relationship between a westerner and a Thai former sex worker.

(Country: Thailand, UK; Year: 2008; Director: Thomas Clay; Writer: Thomas Clay; Stars: Nicolas Bro, Pimwalee Thampanyasan, Petch Mekoh, Natee Srimanta, Somrak Khamsing, Porntip Papanai, Art Supawatt Purdy)

Full review

Stalker

Review preview for Stalker

A film which makes you rethink your perceptions and encourages you to ponder deeper questions of humanity.

Amber Wilkinson · 5 out of 5
Sci-fi drama in which three men make a journey into the unknown in search of their deepest desire.

(Country: Russia; Year: 1979; Director: Andrei Tarkovsky; Writer: Arkady Strugatsky, Boris Strugatsky; Stars: Aleksandr Kajdanovsky, Alisa Fredndlikh, Anatoly Solonitsin, Nikolai Grinko, Natasha Abramova)

Full review

Summer Book (Tatil kitabi)

Family drama sees a clan thrown into disarray after the patriarch falls into a coma.

(Country: Turkey; Year: 2008; Director: Seyfi Teoman; Writer: Seyfi Teoman; Stars: Taner Birsel, Tayfun Gunay, Harun Ozuag, Ayten Tokun, Osman Inan, Riza Akin, Onurcan Alavi, Zafer Inan, Ekrem Senel, Mahir Ozel)

Time To Die (Pora Umierac)

Review preview for Time To Die

The film is funny, heart rending, brutally honest and extremely well made.

Angus Wolfe Murray · 4.5 out of 5
An old woman talks to her dog in an attempt to retain a modicum of independance in a material world that does not appreciate a child's desire to play on a swing.

(Country: Poland; Year: 2007; Director: Dorota Kedzierzawska; Writer: Dorota Kedzierzawska; Stars: Danuta Szaflarska, Krzysztof Globisz, Patrycja Szewczyk, Agnieszka Podsiadlik, Piotr Ziarkiewicz, Kamil Bitau, Kai Schoenhals, Weronika Karwowska)

Full review

Versailles

After a chance encounter a social misfit is left looking after a five-year-old in the forest.

(Country: France; Year: 2008; Director: Pierre Schöller; Writer: Pierre Schöller; Stars: Guillaume Depardieu, Max Baissette Baissette de Malglaive, Judith Chemla, Aure Atika, Patrick Descamps, Brigitte Sy, Franck Bruneau, Philippe Dupagne, Matteo Giovannetti, Blandine Lenoir)

Wellness

Thomas, a salesman more like a modern day Willy Loman stakes the last of his cash on a wonder-drug in a savage deconstruction of the American Dream.

(Country: USA; Year: 2008; Director: Jake Mahaffy; Writer: Jake Mahaffy; Stars: Paul Mahaffy, Jeff Clark) , Official site

Weltstadt

Exploration of how two drunken teenagers came to beat up a homeless man and set him on fire.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2008; Director: Christian Klandt; Writer: Christian Klandt; Stars: Hendrik Arnst, Florian Bartholomäi, Justus Carriere, Franziska Krumwiede, Karoline Schuch, Jürgen Verch, Henrike von Kuick, Gerdy Zint)

Winstanley

Meticulously researched and sparely beautiful account of the creation and destruction of England’s first commune.

(Country: UK; Year: 1975; Director: Kevin Brownlow; Writer: Kevin Brownlow, David Caute, Andrew Mollo; Stars: Miles Halliwell, Jerome Willis, Terry Higgins, Phil Oliver, David Bramley, Alison Halliwell, Dawson France, Bill Petch, Barry Shaw, Sid Rawle)