10 Best Films at Leeds International Film Festival

Leafing through the catalogue for the 30th Leeds International Film Festival reveals page after page of cinematic delights, particularly the rich vein of cinema history that runs through the festival's Retrospective strand.

Mint-fresh digital prints of Michael Mann’s Heat and David Lynch’s Blue Velvet are the perfect way to honour these masterpieces’ respective anniversaries (the former turns 20 while the latter is the same age as LIFF).

A look back at the films of the great Hal Ashby (Harold and Maude, The Last Detail, Being There) isn’t to be missed either. Same goes for screenings of films by Agnès Varda (Cleo from 5 to 7) and Vĕra Chytilová (Daisies and A Bagful of Fleas), acknowledging these great female filmmakers’ contributions to the cinematic new waves they helped kickstart in the 1960s.

You’ll also want to catch Abel Gance’s Napoleon, fresh from its unprecedented 50-year restoration effort, and films from the Soundtrack strand, which includes screenings of 2001, Jaws, Purple Rain and the greatest concert movie ever made: Stop Making Sense.

On top of all these wonderful older movies, here are the top ten new films you should track down tickets for:

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (Director: André Øvredal)

Set in a morgue on a dark and stormy night, Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch star as father-and-son morticians having trouble with a female corpse in this scary and darkly funny chamber piece from the mind that brought us Trollhunter. 11 & 15 Nov, Hyde Park Picture House

Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson)

Splicing together outtakes from her decades as a cinematographer on docs like Fahrenheit 9/11 and Citizenfour with some heartfelt home movies, Kirsten Johnson creates a vivid tapestry on the nature and ethics of filmmaking. 6, 11 & 13 Nov, Leeds Town Hall - Albert Room

Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt)

Kelly Reichardt’s slow-burn pseudo-western follows the daily lives – and deep loneliness – of four women in rural Montana. The big draw here is the cast. Reichardt regular Michelle Williams is joined by three other outstanding actresses: Laura Dern, Lily Gladstone and Kristen Stewart. 4 & 6 Nov, Hyde Park Picture House

Chi-Raq (Spike Lee)

The great Spike Lee takes Aristophanes’ antiwar satire Lysistrata, about the women of Athens refusing to have sex with their warring menfolk, and transplants it to modern-day Chicago. 4 & 7 Nov, Hyde Park Picture House

Creepy (Kiyoshi Kurosawa)

This tale of a psychopath who begins to exert a strange hold over his neighbours – the latest from J-horror master Kiyoshi Kurosawa – reportedly lives up to its title. 15 & 17 Nov, Vue in the Light

Graduation (Cristian Mungiu)

Another intricate, quietly gripping drama from Romanian New Wave star Cristian Mungiu. Here he follows a well-meaning doctor who finds himself up to his elbows in corruption as he attempts to boost his daughter’s grade on her final school exam. 13, 14 & 16 Nov, Vue in the Light

The Handmaiden (Park Chan-wook)

A typically stunning piece of cinema from Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, this erotic thriller based on Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith sees the director of Oldboy and Stoker at his Baroque best. Read our review of the film from an early screening at this year's London Film Festival. 11 & 14 Nov, Leeds Town Hall - Victoria Hall

Paterson (Jim Jarmusch)

The latest from Jim Jarmusch follows a quiet, gentle bus driver who writes poetry on the side. Adam Driver stars, and his wonky charisma chimes perfectly with Jarmusch’s offbeat style. 3 Nov, Leeds Town Hall – Victoria Hall; 5 Nov, Hyde Park Picture House

Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade)

The plot of this German comedy – a sweet-natured music teacher pretends to be an eccentric business coach to get close to his cold, corporate, business consultant daughter – sounds like a cheesy Hollywood movie, but Maren Ade’s third feature is full of surprises, with plenty to say about life and capitalism in modern Europe between the giggles. 17 Nov, Leeds Town Hall – Victoria Hall

Raw (Julia Ducournau)

We love the sound of this French-Belgian horror centered on a vegan veterinary student turned blood-thirsty cannibal. 12 Nov, Leeds Town Hall – Victoria Hall