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Our top 15 films to see at the 40th Leeds International Film Festival
10th October 2026
Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Leeds International Film Festival between the 29th October and 15th November – an epic celebration of films, filmmakers, filmgoers, cinemas and Leeds where film began!
From award-winning new releases and restored classics to thought-provoking documentaries and unique genre films, across 6 venues including Hyde Park Picture House, believed to be the last gaslit cinema in the world, Cottage Road Cinema, the oldest continuously run cinema in Leeds, and the Leeds City Library.
If you plan to see several films across the Leeds International Film Festival, then why not pick up a LIFF Pass! From the LIFF Explorer 10 which includes 10 passes you can share with your friend group, to the Explorer Gold with gives unlimited tickets for the entire programme, discounts at several food & drink outlets (including Laynes, Headrow House and Sela Bar) and Vue Ultra Lux Seating.
After checking out the Leeds International Film Festival preview and the full programme, these are our top 15 choices to see:
Ultimate Thunder
Fri 30th Oct 17.45 at Hyde Park Picture House
Sat 31st Oct 11.30 at Hyde Park Picture House
Mon 9th Nov 18.00 at Mill Hill Chapel
This uplifting film follows Ultimate Thunder, a punk rock band based in Leeds whose members have learning disabilities, Downs syndrome and autism, over three years as they develop new music, play for increasingly larger crowds, face cuts to funding and more.
Fjord
Sun 1st Nov 12.45 at Vue in the Light
Fri 6th Nov 20.30 at Vue in the Light
Sun 8th Nov 14.30 at Cottage Road Cinema
Mon 9th Nov 20.15 at Hyde Park Picture House
Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival, Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord follows a Norwegian woman and her devout Romanian husband as they relocate to a remote town, where the neighbours feel uneasy around their rigid beliefs.
La Bola Negra
Sun 1st Nov 15.45 at Vue in the Light
Mon 2nd Nov 19.45 at Vue in the Light
Tue 3rd Nov 20:00 at Hyde Park Picture House
Thur 5th Nov 19:30 at Cottage Road Cinema
La Bola Negra is a highly-rated melodrama following Spanish history from pre-Civil War to present-day through three intertwining queer stories, winning Best Director at Cannes Film Festival and the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Persepolis
Mon 2nd Nov 18:00 at Mill Hill Chapel
Tue 10th Nov 20:15 at Mill Hill Chapel
LIFF brings back Persepolis, the story of a spirited girl growing up during the 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran, to the big screen, in tribute to the artist, writer and director Marjane Satrapi.
Adam’s Apple
Mon 2nd Nov 14:00 at Everyman Cinema Leeds
Tue 3rd Nov 20:15 at Mill Hill Chapel
Sat 7th Nov 19:45 at Everyman Cinema Leeds
This unique documentary, in its English premiere, follows the gender transition of Adam and directed by their mother Amy Jenkins, and was filmed over two decades.
Atonement
Mon 2nd Nov 20:30 at Hyde Park Picture House
Sun 8th Nov 13:15 at Vue in the Light
Anchored by moving performances from Boyd Holbrook, Hiam Abbass and Kenneth Branagh, Atonement is a powerfully human story about the immeasurable costs of war, exploring universal questions about guilt, and the nature of forgiveness as a U.S Marine seeks redemption for his decisions in the Iraq War.
Jim Queen
Fri 6th Nov 21:30 at Vue in the Light
Sun 8th Nov 20:15 at Vue in the Light
A raunchy adult animated spoof about a viral outbreak turning gay men straight, Jim Queen is a heartfelt and charming comedy showing at LIFF in its UK premiere.
Playtime
Sat 7th Nov 8:30 at Hyde Park Picture House
A satire of modernity and restored to glory, Playtime is an inventive movie from 1967 following Monsieur Hulot as he tries to navigate a futuristic Paris with equally disorientating characters.
Rebellion
Fri 30th Oct 18:15 at Pictureville, Bradford
Wed 4th Nov 19:45 at Leeds City Library
This powerful documentary about the Bradford 12 draws on archive footage, first-hand testimony and reconstructions of the trial to capture this major campaign against racist violence in 1981.
Mārama
Fri 30th Oct 17:45 at Vue in the Light
Sun 1st Nov 16:00 at Vue in the Light
Mārama is a Gothic horror, rooted in colonialism, as a young Māori woman heads to Victorian Yorkshire to explore and face the dark secrets of her family history.
Wicker
Thur 29th Oct 18:15 at Vue in the Light
Thur 29th Oct 20:45 at Cottage Road Cinema
Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgard star in this charming and raunchy one-of-a-kind romance as a fisherwoman and a man made out of wicker marry and send the village into a frenzy with their perfect relationship.
Pan’s Labyrinth
Thur 29th Oct 15:30 at Vue in the Light
Fri 30th Oct 20:00 at Vue in the Light
Restored to 4k for it’s 20th Anniversary, Guillermo Del Toro’s fairytale horror classic Pan’s Labyrinth follows Ofelia in post-Civil War Spain as she takes on three dangerous tasks to reclaim her throne in the underworld.
The History of Concrete
Thur 29th Oct 15:30 at Vue in the Light
Fri 30th Oct 20:00 at Vue in the Light
In his feature directorial debut, John Wilson applies the winning rom-com formula from a Hallmark movie workshop to a documentary about the dullest thing – concrete, delivered with his usual dry wit.
Once Upon a Time in Harlem
Sun 15th Nov 13:30 at Hyde Park Picture House
Sun 15th Nov 14:30 at Vue in the Light
Filmed by legendary filmmaker William Greaves and completed by his son David 50 years later, Once Upon a Time in Harlem is a love letter to the Harlem Renaissance with a lively gathering of artists, musicians and academics sharing their knowledge and creativity in 1972.
The Debut
Sun 8th Nov 18:30 at Hyde Park Picture House
Tue 10th Nov 20:45 at Vue in the Light
Thur 12th Nov 18:00 at Vue in the Light
This uplifting comedy from actor-writer-director Jesse Eisenberg follows a shy housewife, played by Julianne Moore, as she takes on a bit part at a small community theatre with domineering director Paul Giamatti.
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Day of the Dead Fanathon
Sat 31st Oct at Vue in the Light
Enjoy a whole day of horror on Halloween with LIFF’s Day of the Dead, buy a pass for the whole day or for individual films with this year’s features Never After Dark, Recluse, Imposters and Ghost in the Cell.
Yorkshire Short Film Competition
Tue 3rd Nov 20:30 at Everyman Cinema Leeds
Fri 6th Nov 20:30 at Everyman Cinema Leeds
Mon 9th Nov 20:15 at Mill Hill Chapel
Explore several Yorkshire based short films including Practical Anarchy, a history of the 1in12 Club in Bradford, Blue Hour, a group of teenagers wander the Yorkshire moors before they depart for university, and Nowt, a dark drama on the pressures of girlhood.
Find the full programme, social events and booking links at Leedsfilm.com