Katherine Newbury’s (Emma Thompson) talk show is in the slumps. To revitalize her program, she hires Molly Patel (Mindy Kahling) - a breath of fresh air who shows her that millennials don't have to be all that scary in this uplifting comedy about friendship, cultural differences and surviving in a, luckily, ever-changing world.
Our brunch was planned on November 1st because the UK was planning to leave the EU on that day. However, the deadline has been extended to January 31st, and our proposed “farewell” would be a little premature. We’ll still be playing the films, but have cancelled the Brexit Brunch.
Our brunch was planned on November 1st because the UK was planning to leave the EU on that day. However, the deadline has been extended to January 31st, and our proposed “farewell” would be a little premature. We’ll still be playing the films, but have cancelled the Brexit Brunch.
Our brunch was planned on November 1st because the UK was planning to leave the EU on that day. However, the deadline has been extended to January 31st, and our proposed “farewell” would be a little premature. We’ll still be playing the films, but have cancelled the Brexit Brunch.
Scotland, 1994. Best mates Johnno and Spanner are destined for different futures. In pursuit of adventure and an escape, the boys head out to an illegal rave for one last night together. A universal story of friendship, rebellion and the irresistible power of gathered youth.
An ambitious but shy film student (Honor Swinton Byrne) falls in love with a charismatic, mysterious older man (Tom Burke). As she throws herself into this intense and emotional relationship, she must try to distinguish between reality and fantasy.
Based on the Jack London novel of the same name, Pietro Marcello’s latest follows a sailor trying to rediscover himself as a writer. A passionate and timeless story of class consciousness, romance and failed ideals.
You'll never get mad at delayed delivery drivers after you’ve seen this film. Ken Loach (I, Daniel Blake) strikes again in this UK drama about a delivery driver and his family who are struggling to get by in modern-day England.
Tamás' girlfriend breaks up with him and he wants to figure out if love only exists when it's practically gone. Super original Hungarian film somewhere in between Eternal Sunshine and Charlie and Hannah’s Grand Night Out. Melancholic dramedy with epic edits.
In darkest rural Ireland, ex-boxer Douglas 'Arm' Armstrong has become the feared enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family, whilst also trying to be a good father to his autistic young son. Torn between these two families, Arm's loyalties are truly tested when he is asked to kill for the first time.
In this beautiful true story by the directors of Intouchables and C’est la vie!, Bruno and Malik (Vincent Cassel en Reda Kateb) dedicate their lives taking care of autistic children and teens, and training young people from underprivileged areas to be their caregivers.
Inés, Justo, and Gerardo were right-wing anti-Allende radicals in 1970s Chile. Now, Inés and Justo are respected businesspeople, but Gerardo's lingering political conviction threatens to expose the trio's shared past. A tense thriller about the traumatic parts of Chilean history.
Model student Luce Edgar shocks his teacher, Harriet, with his essay on political violence. Now Harriet, Luce and his parents have to deal with complicated questions about race, identity, morality and more. This intense, intelligent and timely thriller will linger long after the credits roll.
A disastrous wedding night leads to an accidental killing, after which Natalie flees, together with her rebellious and heavily pregnant best friend Poppie on horseback. This eccentric not-quite-Western surprises from beginning to end with its colorful depiction of life in a small South African rural town.
In a remote Icelandic town, an off-duty police chief begins to suspect a local man of having had an affair with his late wife, who died in a tragic accident two years earlier. Gradually his obsession for finding out the truth accumulates and inevitably begins to endanger himself and his loved ones.
His son is missing, his family is lost, but his dress sense is immaculate! With a visual style and deadpan humor reminiscent of Wes Anderson and a career-best performance by Bill Nighy as a melancholic scrabble enthusiast, Sometimes, Always, Never is a winning combination. Triple word score!
16-year-old Lise is accused of murdering her best friend. In court, she’s required to account for a way of life that doesn’t always comply with the morality approved of by the justice system. Family relations and social expectations are compellingly picked apart in this intelligent French courtroom drama.
A young poet has left his homeland to start living in a small cabin near the ocean. In search for inspiration, he finds himself alone in his room. Waiting for a new day to arrive.
Dick died last night, and Zeke and Earl don’t want anybody to find out how. That’s too bad though, ’cause news travels fast in small-town Alabama. From the director of Swiss Army Man -- and just as bizarre.
In 1972, Aretha Franklin recorded Amazing Grace, the most successful gospel album of all time, at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. The film recordings of these legendary evenings where never before shown to the public – until now!
After learning their beloved matriarch has terminal lung cancer, her family opts not to tell her about the diagnosis, instead scheduling an impromptu wedding/reunion back in China. Based on an actual lie, this heartfelt story of family and togetherness was one of the highlights of the prestigious Sundance Festival.
A young woman and her fiancé (Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots) are in search of the perfect starter home. After following a mysterious real estate agent to a new housing development, the couple finds themselves trapped in a maze of identical houses and forced to raise an otherworldly child in this surreal fable.
Irresistible, this story about a convict with a violent past who is offered the chance to participate in a new rehabilitation program, where prisoners help tame wild horses. With Matthias Schoenaerts, directed by newcomer Laure de Clermont Tonerre.
Monty Python’s comedy classic is now 50 years old. That, of course, is cause for celebration! Therefore we are organizing a special screening in the National Museum of Antiquities. No matter how many times you have seen the film, you have never seen it like this!
Jason Segel, Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck star in this intensely moving and beautifully mounted drama, telling the story of how a friend saved a family after their young mother's diagnosis with terminal cancer.
A cut-off hand escapes from a dissection lab with one goal in mind: to get back to its body. As it scrambles through the pitfalls of Paris, it remembers its life with the young man it was once attached to… until he met Gabrielle.
This action thriller from South-Korea is the most bad-ass film to play at LIFF this year. Sylvester Stallone agrees, because he is going to do a remake. It will be hard to top this original that has already screened at Cannes.
After running away from a residential nursing home to pursue his dream of becoming a pro wrestler, a man who has Down syndrome befriends an outlaw (Shia LaBeouf), who becomes his coach and ally in this lovely feel-good adventure.
Our 2019 may look a bit dystopian, but it's nothing compared to the 2019 envisioned by Ridley Scott in his iconic Blade Runner. The film is set in November 2019, so we had to pay tribute to this amazing film, which features one of the best performances of ‘our’ Rutger Hauer.
Senate staffer Daniel Jones is assigned the daunting task of leading an investigation into the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program after 9/11. But the release of his ‘Torture report’ encounters heavy opposition from the White House and CIA in this enthralling, old-school political thriller, thriving on an extraordinary performance by Adam Driver.
Another absurdist comedy by Quentin Dupieux, in his unique style: Deerskin. Jean Dujardin shows off his comedic ability as the main character, who goes to extreme lengths to make sure he is the only one looking good in his kind of jacket. Filming the results, Dupieux adds metacommentary to discuss the point of film.
Winning Best Picture at the Canadian Screen Awards and a Crystal Bear (Berlinale) is no small feat for a feature debut. A Colony is an honest and at times awkward story about coming of age in a small town, subtly set against the background of Canada’s colonialism and indigenous culture. Unique and touching.
Film and beer, what a combination. Especially with the beer from Cinema Brewers, and the best short films of this year, gathered from around the whole world. Each film in the competition has a chance of winning the prize of the Cinema Brewers Film Fund!
Iceland is preparing for Christmas. Somewhere, an abandoned farm is burning. A children's choir is singing Christmas carols. A girl and her mother are trying on a VR-headset. In 56 independent scenes, Echo paints a beautiful portrait of contemporary Icelandic society.
Brittany, 1770. Marianne has to paint a wedding portrait of the beautiful Héloïse. However, the bride-to-be refuses to be painted, and thus to marry. As Marianna secretly observes Héloïse, a strange and fragile intimacy starts to develop. One of the absolute best films of the year and not to be missed.
No matter where Benni goes, she is immediately kicked out again. The wild nine-year-old is what the youth welfare office refers to as a “system crasher”. In this intense but impressive drama we see both the good and bad in Benni, and root for her on her quest to find a home.
Fifty years ago, Un Homme et Une Femme was released, Claude Lelouch’s beautiful and iconic film about love. This is the sequel that is just as beautiful, has the same cast, and continues the story where we left it back then.
The title character of this film is a chain-smoking Chinese grandmother who goes all in in the casino and lands herself on the wrong side of luck--and in the middle of a Chinese gang war.
Hirokazu Kore-eda fans, pay attention! In The House of Us, the young Hana tries to navigate her parent’s divorce and other hardships of adult life. Director Ga-eun Yoon proves herself one of the world’s finest filmmakers in the way she captures contemporary childhood.
In between raising her young son, taking care of her ill-tempered, cancer-battling mother, and navigating her career as a top-notch lawyer dealing with a major corruption scandal, Silvia could very well be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. But at this most unlikely moment, Silvia embarks on a love story for the first time in years.
Katherine Newbury’s (Emma Thompson) talk show is in the slumps. To revitalize her program, she hires Molly Patel (Mindy Kahling) - a breath of fresh air who shows her that millennials don't have to be all that scary in this uplifting comedy about friendship, cultural differences and surviving in a, luckily, ever-changing world.
A church in Nazareth with a door that won't open. A deserted Paris. A New York supermarket with as many guns as fresh produce. In a series of darkly comic vignettes, Palestinian director Elia Suleiman investigates the meaning of being in exile, and the absurdities of nationalism, normality, and identity.
After discovering that her husband’s addiction to escorts has left their family penniless, Alice finds herself drawn into the world of high-end prostitution as a means of caring for herself and her child. This film will have you on the edge of your seat!
With a hammer behind his back, Matiev pushes the doorbell of a Russian apartment, ready for revenge. However, it turns out he's far from the only one this visually exciting splatter-punk action comedy, reminiscent of the early work of Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie.
If you could go back to the good old days, would they truly be better? That is what Victor, a disillusioned man in his sixties, is about to find out as his life is turned upside down when he gets the chance to return to the most memorable week of his life.
In this psychologically chilling slow burn by the directors of Goodnight Mommy, a young woman and her reticent new stepchildren find themselves isolated in the family's remote winter cabin, locked away to dredge up the mysteries of her dark past and the losses that seem to haunt them all.
After learning their beloved matriarch has terminal lung cancer, her family opts not to tell her about the diagnosis, instead scheduling an impromptu wedding/reunion back in China. Based on an actual lie, this heartfelt story of family and togetherness was one of the highlights of the prestigious Sundance Festival.
Well, you know, just another World War II satire-comedy about a German boy struggling to confront his own nationalism with the help of his completely insane imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler. It’s one of those things that is right up Taika Waititi’s alley. And we. Can’t. Wait.
A young musician meets a mysterious man who speaks with an Eastern-European accent and claims to be Death himself. Together they embark on a nocturnal odyssey full of dark humor, and eccentric characters in illustrator-turned-director Xaver Böhm visually stunning fairytale.
Ordinary porno or artistic nudity? Hopelessly old-fashioned or unexpectedly progressive? Just a good film or way overhyped (with, as some critics argue, the death of Kubrick himself, for whom this would be the last film, as the biggest PR stunt of all)? Come and see for yourself!
Brittany decides, as you do, to drastically turn her life around and take up running. But is she going in the right direction? A brilliant Jillian Bell in this heartwarming, whip-smart comedy that you just need to experience every now and then.
Over a trio of summers, a caretaker for luxury condominiums relies on her resourcefulness and her eye for opportunity to take advantage of whatever comes her way. Sandra Kogut’s episodic small-scale reflection on national corruption is both humorous and inventive.
After the death of his wife, Trond retreats to a small village in the east of Norway. A chance encounter brings back memories of Trond’s youth… Hans Peter Morland made a stunning adaptation of Per Petterson’s award-winning novel of the same name.
Lauded director Bong Joon-Ho has won the Palme d’Or for this magnificent film that is equal parts hilarious comedy and pitchblack drama. Follow the exploits of a family down on its luck that will do anything to get higher up in life, other people be damned.
When something’s so bad you know you’re not supposed to enjoy it, but God, it feels good...! Expect nothing but awful hits, terrible videos and outfits that could pass as “controversial”.
Unfortunately, this film is in Dutch, without subtitles. We apologize for the inconvenience.
In the early 1980s, Tommaso Buscetta does something that rocks the mafia to its core. After becoming involved in the raging wars between the Sicilian mafia bosses, he decides to meet with Judge Giovanni Falcone and betray the eternal vow he made to the mafia.
A selection of the best shorts of the yearly Leiden International Short Film Experience. This short film festival in May expands every year, always gathering more great films, directors and depth. A program carefully selected by LISFE, for LIFF.
A young dancer tries to come to terms with his feelings for men within the framework of a repressive and conservative Georgian society. A touching story about love, prejudice and the freedom and restrictions of the language of dance, impressively shot by Levin Akin (Certain People).
Unfortunately, this film is in Dutch, without subtitles. We apologize for the inconvenience.
When Andrew, a young American soldier, witnesses his fellow recruits murdering innocent Afghan citizens, he knows he should tell his superiors. But what if this makes him the next target? Dan Krauss adapts his 2013 documentary of the same name into a fascinating and confronting war movie.
An ambitious but shy film student (Honor Swinton Byrne) falls in love with a charismatic, mysterious older man (Tom Burke). As she throws herself into this intense and emotional relationship, she must try to distinguish between reality and fantasy.
In this beautiful true story by the directors of Intouchables and C’est la vie!, Bruno and Malik (Vincent Cassel en Reda Kateb) dedicate their lives taking care of autistic children and teens, and training young people from underprivileged areas to be their caregivers.
Hollywood, 1968. The celebrated A BOUT DE SOUFFLE star and global style icon, American actress Jean Seberg returns from Paris to the States, but soon finds herself on the radar of an illegal FBI surveillance program because of her ties to the civil rights movement. Kristen Stewart shines as Seberg in this intriguing biopic.
Please note that both the introduction and the film are in Dutch. We apologize for the inconvenience. A Naturalis natural history museum staff member comes across a forgotten vat in the collection. It turns out to contain a baby orangutan, collected in the late 19th century by Johann Büttikofer. What, the staff member thinks, should we do with this beautiful, endearing creature?
Two CIA agents have to stop a computer virus called "The Soviet Union", but their mission soon turns out to be a trap. This wildly unpredictable movie mixes a variety of genres in a way that simply has to be seen to be believed.
His son is missing, his family is lost, but his dress sense is immaculate! With a visual style and deadpan humor reminiscent of Wes Anderson and a career-best performance by Bill Nighy as a melancholic scrabble enthusiast, Sometimes, Always, Never is a winning combination. Triple word score!
Watching film whilst drinking wine without getting escorted off the premises? Yes, please! After last year's great succes, Veni Vidi Vino is back with a bang! A tasting of six wines, each of them accompanied by a film fragment matured on years and years of LIFF experience.
Jason Segel, Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck star in this intensely moving and beautifully mounted drama, telling the story of how a friend saved a family after their young mother's diagnosis with terminal cancer.
A deserving winner of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard prize, this sumptuous tale of two sisters cruelly separated by family and fate makes for deeply moving drama.
Over a trio of summers, a caretaker for luxury condominiums relies on her resourcefulness and her eye for opportunity to take advantage of whatever comes her way. Sandra Kogut’s episodic small-scale reflection on national corruption is both humorous and inventive.
Another absurdist comedy by Quentin Dupieux, in his unique style: Deerskin. Jean Dujardin shows off his comedic ability as the main character, who goes to extreme lengths to make sure he is the only one looking good in his kind of jacket. Filming the results, Dupieux adds metacommentary to discuss the point of film.
To the Stars is a beautifully shot black and white film set in 1960s Oklahoma. Iris Deerborne’s world changes completely when Maggie appears and an unlikely relationship between the two develops. A mesmerizing and almost mystical film, a true gem found at Sundance.
A cut-off hand escapes from a dissection lab with one goal in mind: to get back to its body. As it scrambles through the pitfalls of Paris, it remembers its life with the young man it was once attached to… until he met Gabrielle.
You'll never get mad at delayed delivery drivers after you’ve seen this film. Ken Loach (I, Daniel Blake) strikes again in this UK drama about a delivery driver and his family who are struggling to get by in modern-day England.
A successful businessman is found in a locked hotel room with the body of his mistress and a lot of cash. To prove his innocence, he asks for the help of a famous lawyer. This thrilling race against time will keep you guessing until the very end.
A deliciously twisted comedy set in a demented, timeless suburbia where every adult wears braces on their straight teeth, couples coordinate meticulously pressed outfits, and coveted family members are swapped in more ways than one in this competition for acceptance.
Watching film whilst drinking wine without getting escorted off the premises? Yes, please! After last year's great succes, Veni Vidi Vino is back with a bang! A tasting of six wines, each of them accompanied by a film fragment matured on years and years of LIFF experience.
Hirokazu Kore-eda fans, pay attention! In The House of Us, the young Hana tries to navigate her parent’s divorce and other hardships of adult life. Director Ga-eun Yoon proves herself one of the world’s finest filmmakers in the way she captures contemporary childhood.
Irresistible, this story about a convict with a violent past who is offered the chance to participate in a new rehabilitation program, where prisoners help tame wild horses. With Matthias Schoenaerts, directed by newcomer Laure de Clermont Tonerre.
The title character of this film is a chain-smoking Chinese grandmother who goes all in in the casino and lands herself on the wrong side of luck--and in the middle of a Chinese gang war.
Sunday night is zombie night at LIFF! We’re dragging Halloween well into November with the exclusive premiere of, yes, at long last: Zombieland: Double Tap! This sequel to the modern classic brings you even more Twinkies, even more Emma Stone, and revamped zombies!
With a hammer behind his back, Matiev pushes the doorbell of a Russian apartment, ready for revenge. However, it turns out he's far from the only one this visually exciting splatter-punk action comedy, reminiscent of the early work of Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie.
Divided into three chapters, Monstri tells the story of a married couple by following them for 24 hours. This layered drama is both a personal story about a complex relationship and a critical look at the expectations placed on people within contemporary Romanian society.
Model student Luce Edgar shocks his teacher, Harriet, with his essay on political violence. Now Harriet, Luce and his parents have to deal with complicated questions about race, identity, morality and more. This intense, intelligent and timely thriller will linger long after the credits roll.
Eight-year-old chess prodigy Fahim and his father are forced to flee Bangladesh. In Paris their situation appears hopeless, until Fahim’s talents lead him to meet top chess coach Sylvain. Based on a true story, Fahim is a touching and inspirational film.
A deserving winner of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard prize, this sumptuous tale of two sisters cruelly separated by family and fate makes for deeply moving drama.
If you could go back to the good old days, would they truly be better? That is what Victor, a disillusioned man in his sixties, is about to find out as his life is turned upside down when he gets the chance to return to the most memorable week of his life.
Tamás' girlfriend breaks up with him and he wants to figure out if love only exists when it's practically gone. Super original Hungarian film somewhere in between Eternal Sunshine and Charlie and Hannah’s Grand Night Out. Melancholic dramedy with epic edits.
Brittany decides, as you do, to drastically turn her life around and take up running. But is she going in the right direction? A brilliant Jillian Bell in this heartwarming, whip-smart comedy that you just need to experience every now and then.
This action thriller from South-Korea is the most bad-ass film to play at LIFF this year. Sylvester Stallone agrees, because he is going to do a remake. It will be hard to top this original that has already screened at Cannes.
A disastrous wedding night leads to an accidental killing, after which Natalie flees, together with her rebellious and heavily pregnant best friend Poppie on horseback. This eccentric not-quite-Western surprises from beginning to end with its colorful depiction of life in a small South African rural town.
Senate staffer Daniel Jones is assigned the daunting task of leading an investigation into the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program after 9/11. But the release of his ‘Torture report’ encounters heavy opposition from the White House and CIA in this enthralling, old-school political thriller, thriving on an extraordinary performance by Adam Driver.
Fifty years ago, Un Homme et Une Femme was released, Claude Lelouch’s beautiful and iconic film about love. This is the sequel that is just as beautiful, has the same cast, and continues the story where we left it back then.
Lu and Fati are teen mums living in a religious shelter in Buenos Aires. When one of the girls runs away, a young nun named Paola takes care of her baby. A quiet, contemplative narrative feature debut from documentary maker Maura Delphero.
A young dancer tries to come to terms with his feelings for men within the framework of a repressive and conservative Georgian society. A touching story about love, prejudice and the freedom and restrictions of the language of dance, impressively shot by Levin Akin (Certain People).
Prof. Rypar is a somewhat conservative pensioner who does not quite get along with the new times. When he finds a Vietnamese boy at the edge of the roof of his apartment, he decides to take him home and offer him a room. The two are very different individuals and find it hard to get along, however they both discover that they need one another.
Lauded director Bong Joon-Ho has won the Palme d’Or for this magnificent film that is equal parts hilarious comedy and pitchblack drama. Follow the exploits of a family down on its luck that will do anything to get higher up in life, other people be damned.
Casey (Jesse Eisenberg) enlists in a karate class to learn how to defend himself, but finds that his sensei can teach him more than just karate. Maybe even a little too much… This dark comedy echoes the work of LIFF Favourite Yorgos Lanthimos.
With While At War, Alejandro Amenábar (Abre los Ojos, Mar Adrento, The Others) offers a revealing look at an important aspect of Spanish history: the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Historical figure and philosopher Miguel de Unamuno decides to ask Franco for clemency when the lives of his colleague academics are threatened.
A father in a small village in the north of Turkey tries everything to give his daughters a better life. He sends them to rich families, as foster children and maids. All three of them return for various reasons. Are they better off at home?
Party time! We have programmed a special edition of Science & Cinema, in honour of the 444th anniversary of Leiden University. The program will feature 4 special films in unique locations, surprising events, and a very attractive €4,44 entry fee!
Please note that this event is in Dutch. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Based on the 2012 award-winning graphic novel by Joff Winterhart about Sue, a librarian, and Daniel, her fifteen-year-old son who listens only to Metallica. Directed by Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners) and with an original soundtrack by Belle & Sebastian: enough ingredients to make true LIFF favourite.
Based on the Jack London novel of the same name, Pietro Marcello’s latest follows a sailor trying to rediscover himself as a writer. A passionate and timeless story of class consciousness, romance and failed ideals.
To the Stars is a beautifully shot black and white film set in 1960s Oklahoma. Iris Deerborne’s world changes completely when Maggie appears and an unlikely relationship between the two develops. A mesmerizing and almost mystical film, a true gem found at Sundance.
Our generation had no Chris Pratt, no 3D glasses. Our Pratt was a Brad, our technological innovation was a cigarette burn. We’ve all been raised on movie screens to believe that one day we’ll be done watching Fight Club. But we won’t.
You'll never get mad at delayed delivery drivers after you’ve seen this film. Ken Loach (I, Daniel Blake) strikes again in this UK drama about a delivery driver and his family who are struggling to get by in modern-day England.
When Andrew, a young American soldier, witnesses his fellow recruits murdering innocent Afghan citizens, he knows he should tell his superiors. But what if this makes him the next target? Dan Krauss adapts his 2013 documentary of the same name into a fascinating and confronting war movie.
No matter where Benni goes, she is immediately kicked out again. The wild nine-year-old is what the youth welfare office refers to as a “system crasher”. In this intense but impressive drama we see both the good and bad in Benni, and root for her on her quest to find a home.
Brittany, 1770. Marianne has to paint a wedding portrait of the beautiful Héloïse. However, the bride-to-be refuses to be painted, and thus to marry. As Marianna secretly observes Héloïse, a strange and fragile intimacy starts to develop. One of the absolute best films of the year and not to be missed.
With While At War, Alejandro Amenábar (Abre los Ojos, Mar Adrento, The Others) offers a revealing look at an important aspect of Spanish history: the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Historical figure and philosopher Miguel de Unamuno decides to ask Franco for clemency when the lives of his colleague academics are threatened.
Prof. Rypar is a somewhat conservative pensioner who does not quite get along with the new times. When he finds a Vietnamese boy at the edge of the roof of his apartment, he decides to take him home and offer him a room. The two are very different individuals and find it hard to get along, however they both discover that they need one another.
A successful businessman is found in a locked hotel room with the body of his mistress and a lot of cash. To prove his innocence, he asks for the help of a famous lawyer. This thrilling race against time will keep you guessing until the very end.
After running away from a residential nursing home to pursue his dream of becoming a pro wrestler, a man who has Down syndrome befriends an outlaw (Shia LaBeouf), who becomes his coach and ally in this lovely feel-good adventure.
A cut-off hand escapes from a dissection lab with one goal in mind: to get back to its body. As it scrambles through the pitfalls of Paris, it remembers its life with the young man it was once attached to… until he met Gabrielle.
Based on the Jack London novel of the same name, Pietro Marcello’s latest follows a sailor trying to rediscover himself as a writer. A passionate and timeless story of class consciousness, romance and failed ideals.
Katherine Newbury’s (Emma Thompson) talk show is in the slumps. To revitalize her program, she hires Molly Patel (Mindy Kahling) - a breath of fresh air who shows her that millennials don't have to be all that scary in this uplifting comedy about friendship, cultural differences and surviving in a, luckily, ever-changing world.
After learning their beloved matriarch has terminal lung cancer, her family opts not to tell her about the diagnosis, instead scheduling an impromptu wedding/reunion back in China. Based on an actual lie, this heartfelt story of family and togetherness was one of the highlights of the prestigious Sundance Festival.
Two CIA agents have to stop a computer virus called "The Soviet Union", but their mission soon turns out to be a trap. This wildly unpredictable movie mixes a variety of genres in a way that simply has to be seen to be believed.
After the death of his wife, Trond retreats to a small village in the east of Norway. A chance encounter brings back memories of Trond’s youth… Hans Peter Morland made a stunning adaptation of Per Petterson’s award-winning novel of the same name.
A church in Nazareth with a door that won't open. A deserted Paris. A New York supermarket with as many guns as fresh produce. In a series of darkly comic vignettes, Palestinian director Elia Suleiman investigates the meaning of being in exile, and the absurdities of nationalism, normality, and identity.
The incomparable Bruce Springsteen performs his critically acclaimed latest album. He muses on life, rock, and the American dream, in this intimate and personal concert film co-directed by Thom Zimny and Springsteen himself.
Party time! We have programmed a special edition of Science & Cinema, in honour of the 444th anniversary of Leiden University. The program will feature 4 special films in unique locations, surprising events, and an attractively priced €4,44 entry fee!
Goldie (Slick Woods) is a street-wise, 18-year-old dancer with big dreams of big fame, even as she is stuck at home minding her two sisters while their mother is in jail. When an opportunity to audition for a real music video comes her way, Goldie feels the time has finally come for her star to rise.
Dick died last night, and Zeke and Earl don’t want anybody to find out how. That’s too bad though, ’cause news travels fast in small-town Alabama. From the director of Swiss Army Man -- and just as bizarre.
A deliciously twisted comedy set in a demented, timeless suburbia where every adult wears braces on their straight teeth, couples coordinate meticulously pressed outfits, and coveted family members are swapped in more ways than one in this competition for acceptance.
When a famous murder mystery novelist is found dead at his estate, everyone’s a suspect… Rian Johnson (Brick, Star Wars: The Last Jedi) has created an impeccably written and extremely entertaining modern murder mystery, full of unexpected twists and turns from start to finish.
Where would we be, as a society, without Heath, singing on those stairs, with that hair, with that smile? Without Julia, with her mediocre but absolutely heart-shattering poetry? Nowhere. We would be nowhere.
After discovering that her husband’s addiction to escorts has left their family penniless, Alice finds herself drawn into the world of high-end prostitution as a means of caring for herself and her child. This film will have you on the edge of your seat!
Senate staffer Daniel Jones is assigned the daunting task of leading an investigation into the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program after 9/11. But the release of his ‘Torture report’ encounters heavy opposition from the White House and CIA in this enthralling, old-school political thriller, thriving on an extraordinary performance by Adam Driver.
The title character of this film is a chain-smoking Chinese grandmother who goes all in in the casino and lands herself on the wrong side of luck--and in the middle of a Chinese gang war.
16-year-old Lise is accused of murdering her best friend. In court, she’s required to account for a way of life that doesn’t always comply with the morality approved of by the justice system. Family relations and social expectations are compellingly picked apart in this intelligent French courtroom drama.
Sonya lives her life in a lonely routine, struggling to keep her family-owned funeral home afloat. One day she finds a body lying at her doorstep, which is the start of a highly unusual friendship. An inscrutable, tender and bitterly comic film about the desire for companionship.
Scotland, 1994. Best mates Johnno and Spanner are destined for different futures. In pursuit of adventure and an escape, the boys head out to an illegal rave for one last night together. A universal story of friendship, rebellion and the irresistible power of gathered youth.
Fifty years ago, Un Homme et Une Femme was released, Claude Lelouch’s beautiful and iconic film about love. This is the sequel that is just as beautiful, has the same cast, and continues the story where we left it back then.
A father in a small village in the north of Turkey tries everything to give his daughters a better life. He sends them to rich families, as foster children and maids. All three of them return for various reasons. Are they better off at home?
Based on the 2012 award-winning graphic novel by Joff Winterhart about Sue, a librarian, and Daniel, her fifteen-year-old son who listens only to Metallica. Directed by Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners) and with an original soundtrack by Belle & Sebastian: enough ingredients to make true LIFF favourite.
A young woman and her fiancé (Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots) are in search of the perfect starter home. After following a mysterious real estate agent to a new housing development, the couple finds themselves trapped in a maze of identical houses and forced to raise an otherworldly child in this surreal fable.
In 1961, United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld’s plane mysteriously crashed, killing Hammarskjöld and most of the crew. With the case still unsolved 50-plus years later, Danish journalist, filmmaker, and provocateur Mads Brügger (The Red Chapel, The Ambassador) leads us down an investigative rabbit hole to unearth the truth.
In this beautiful true story by the directors of Intouchables and C’est la vie!, Bruno and Malik (Vincent Cassel en Reda Kateb) dedicate their lives taking care of autistic children and teens, and training young people from underprivileged areas to be their caregivers.
Lu and Fati are teen mums living in a religious shelter in Buenos Aires. When one of the girls runs away, a young nun named Paola takes care of her baby. A quiet, contemplative narrative feature debut from documentary maker Maura Delphero.
Please note that this event is in Dutch. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Winning Best Picture at the Canadian Screen Awards and a Crystal Bear (Berlinale) is no small feat for a feature debut. A Colony is an honest and at times awkward story about coming of age in a small town, subtly set against the background of Canada’s colonialism and indigenous culture. Unique and touching.
This action thriller from South-Korea is the most bad-ass film to play at LIFF this year. Sylvester Stallone agrees, because he is going to do a remake. It will be hard to top this original that has already screened at Cannes.
Well, you know, just another World War II satire-comedy about a German boy struggling to confront his own nationalism with the help of his completely insane imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler. It’s one of those things that is right up Taika Waititi’s alley. And we. Can’t. Wait.
Model student Luce Edgar shocks his teacher, Harriet, with his essay on political violence. Now Harriet, Luce and his parents have to deal with complicated questions about race, identity, morality and more. This intense, intelligent and timely thriller will linger long after the credits roll.
Iceland is preparing for Christmas. Somewhere, an abandoned farm is burning. A children's choir is singing Christmas carols. A girl and her mother are trying on a VR-headset. In 56 independent scenes, Echo paints a beautiful portrait of contemporary Icelandic society.
In 1929, the career of Laurel & Hardy was at its top. Armed always with big smiles, Stan and Ollie find themselves in difficult situations. Wherever they go, they make a mess. The Silent Movie Project: Stan & Ollie is a piano concert that contains a selection of their best silent movies.
In a remote Icelandic town, an off-duty police chief begins to suspect a local man of having had an affair with his late wife, who died in a tragic accident two years earlier. Gradually his obsession for finding out the truth accumulates and inevitably begins to endanger himself and his loved ones.
Divided into three chapters, Monstri tells the story of a married couple by following them for 24 hours. This layered drama is both a personal story about a complex relationship and a critical look at the expectations placed on people within contemporary Romanian society.
Dick died last night, and Zeke and Earl don’t want anybody to find out how. That’s too bad though, ’cause news travels fast in small-town Alabama. From the director of Swiss Army Man -- and just as bizarre.
If you could go back to the good old days, would they truly be better? That is what Victor, a disillusioned man in his sixties, is about to find out as his life is turned upside down when he gets the chance to return to the most memorable week of his life.
Trainspotting meets Twilight in this sequel to the goosebumps-inducing family drama SLASH iconic horror sensation, based on the stories by Stephen King that became a moderate success in the 70s that writers nowadays would kill for… This time it’s all work and no play for Ewan McGregor who stars as the all-grown up Danny, now dealing with alcoholism and other dark, supernatural secrets.
After learning their beloved matriarch has terminal lung cancer, her family opts not to tell her about the diagnosis, instead scheduling an impromptu wedding/reunion back in China. Based on an actual lie, this heartfelt story of family and togetherness was one of the highlights of the prestigious Sundance Festival.
Prof. Rypar is a somewhat conservative pensioner who does not quite get along with the new times. When he finds a Vietnamese boy at the edge of the roof of his apartment, he decides to take him home and offer him a room. The two are very different individuals and find it hard to get along, however they both discover that they need one another.
After the death of his wife, Trond retreats to a small village in the east of Norway. A chance encounter brings back memories of Trond’s youth… Hans Peter Morland made a stunning adaptation of Per Petterson’s award-winning novel of the same name.
Inés, Justo, and Gerardo were right-wing anti-Allende radicals in 1970s Chile. Now, Inés and Justo are respected businesspeople, but Gerardo's lingering political conviction threatens to expose the trio's shared past. A tense thriller about the traumatic parts of Chilean history.
In between raising her young son, taking care of her ill-tempered, cancer-battling mother, and navigating her career as a top-notch lawyer dealing with a major corruption scandal, Silvia could very well be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. But at this most unlikely moment, Silvia embarks on a love story for the first time in years.
Lauded director Bong Joon-Ho has won the Palme d’Or for this magnificent film that is equal parts hilarious comedy and pitchblack drama. Follow the exploits of a family down on its luck that will do anything to get higher up in life, other people be damned.
In 1972, Aretha Franklin recorded Amazing Grace, the most successful gospel album of all time, at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. The film recordings of these legendary evenings where never before shown to the public – until now!
With a hammer behind his back, Matiev pushes the doorbell of a Russian apartment, ready for revenge. However, it turns out he's far from the only one this visually exciting splatter-punk action comedy, reminiscent of the early work of Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie.
Eight-year-old chess prodigy Fahim and his father are forced to flee Bangladesh. In Paris their situation appears hopeless, until Fahim’s talents lead him to meet top chess coach Sylvain. Based on a true story, Fahim is a touching and inspirational film.
When a corrupt politician is made a scapegoat by his fellow colleagues, he must race against time to avoid prison by playing the system. This leads to a desperate realization about the corruption he helped maintain in this pulse-pounding new thriller.
With While At War, Alejandro Amenábar (Abre los Ojos, Mar Adrento, The Others) offers a revealing look at an important aspect of Spanish history: the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Historical figure and philosopher Miguel de Unamuno decides to ask Franco for clemency when the lives of his colleague academics are threatened.
Brittany decides, as you do, to drastically turn her life around and take up running. But is she going in the right direction? A brilliant Jillian Bell in this heartwarming, whip-smart comedy that you just need to experience every now and then.
Based on the 2012 award-winning graphic novel by Joff Winterhart about Sue, a librarian, and Daniel, her fifteen-year-old son who listens only to Metallica. Directed by Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners) and with an original soundtrack by Belle & Sebastian: enough ingredients to make true LIFF favourite.
In the early 1980s, Tommaso Buscetta does something that rocks the mafia to its core. After becoming involved in the raging wars between the Sicilian mafia bosses, he decides to meet with Judge Giovanni Falcone and betray the eternal vow he made to the mafia.
Irresistible, this story about a convict with a violent past who is offered the chance to participate in a new rehabilitation program, where prisoners help tame wild horses. With Matthias Schoenaerts, directed by newcomer Laure de Clermont Tonerre.
In this beautiful true story by the directors of Intouchables and C’est la vie!, Bruno and Malik (Vincent Cassel en Reda Kateb) dedicate their lives taking care of autistic children and teens, and training young people from underprivileged areas to be their caregivers.
Casey (Jesse Eisenberg) enlists in a karate class to learn how to defend himself, but finds that his sensei can teach him more than just karate. Maybe even a little too much… This dark comedy echoes the work of LIFF Favourite Yorgos Lanthimos.
Sonya lives her life in a lonely routine, struggling to keep her family-owned funeral home afloat. One day she finds a body lying at her doorstep, which is the start of a highly unusual friendship. An inscrutable, tender and bitterly comic film about the desire for companionship.
Please note that this event is in Dutch. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Kamer 306 recounts a forgotten chapter in music history. In the 1950s, groundbreaking research at the Philips Physics Laboratory laid the foundation for electronic music ever since. Afterwards, musician and composer Thomas Ankersmit will perform his homage to this pioneering work.
Hollywood, 1968. The celebrated A BOUT DE SOUFFLE star and global style icon, American actress Jean Seberg returns from Paris to the States, but soon finds herself on the radar of an illegal FBI surveillance program because of her ties to the civil rights movement. Kristen Stewart shines as Seberg in this intriguing biopic.
Please note that this event is in Dutch. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Another absurdist comedy by Quentin Dupieux, in his unique style: Deerskin. Jean Dujardin shows off his comedic ability as the main character, who goes to extreme lengths to make sure he is the only one looking good in his kind of jacket. Filming the results, Dupieux adds metacommentary to discuss the point of film.
Katherine Newbury’s (Emma Thompson) talk show is in the slumps. To revitalize her program, she hires Molly Patel (Mindy Kahling) - a breath of fresh air who shows her that millennials don't have to be all that scary in this uplifting comedy about friendship, cultural differences and surviving in a, luckily, ever-changing world.
A young dancer tries to come to terms with his feelings for men within the framework of a repressive and conservative Georgian society. A touching story about love, prejudice and the freedom and restrictions of the language of dance, impressively shot by Levin Akin (Certain People).
The year Britney accidentally did something again, the year we went to Ibiza with the Vengaboys and the Backstreet Boys knew exactly what they wanted. That year deserves its own party!
Tamás' girlfriend breaks up with him and he wants to figure out if love only exists when it's practically gone. Super original Hungarian film somewhere in between Eternal Sunshine and Charlie and Hannah’s Grand Night Out. Melancholic dramedy with epic edits.
Model student Luce Edgar shocks his teacher, Harriet, with his essay on political violence. Now Harriet, Luce and his parents have to deal with complicated questions about race, identity, morality and more. This intense, intelligent and timely thriller will linger long after the credits roll.
To the Stars is a beautifully shot black and white film set in 1960s Oklahoma. Iris Deerborne’s world changes completely when Maggie appears and an unlikely relationship between the two develops. A mesmerizing and almost mystical film, a true gem found at Sundance.
A father in a small village in the north of Turkey tries everything to give his daughters a better life. He sends them to rich families, as foster children and maids. All three of them return for various reasons. Are they better off at home?
This action thriller from South-Korea is the most bad-ass film to play at LIFF this year. Sylvester Stallone agrees, because he is going to do a remake. It will be hard to top this original that has already screened at Cannes.
A successful businessman is found in a locked hotel room with the body of his mistress and a lot of cash. To prove his innocence, he asks for the help of a famous lawyer. This thrilling race against time will keep you guessing until the very end.
Another absurdist comedy by Quentin Dupieux, in his unique style: Deerskin. Jean Dujardin shows off his comedic ability as the main character, who goes to extreme lengths to make sure he is the only one looking good in his kind of jacket. Filming the results, Dupieux adds metacommentary to discuss the point of film.
Katherine Newbury’s (Emma Thompson) talk show is in the slumps. To revitalize her program, she hires Molly Patel (Mindy Kahling) - a breath of fresh air who shows her that millennials don't have to be all that scary in this uplifting comedy about friendship, cultural differences and surviving in a, luckily, ever-changing world.
Eight-year-old chess prodigy Fahim and his father are forced to flee Bangladesh. In Paris their situation appears hopeless, until Fahim’s talents lead him to meet top chess coach Sylvain. Based on a true story, Fahim is a touching and inspirational film.
Divided into three chapters, Monstri tells the story of a married couple by following them for 24 hours. This layered drama is both a personal story about a complex relationship and a critical look at the expectations placed on people within contemporary Romanian society.
A lot of indie directors featured in past LIFF-competitions began their careers making short films. In this program, we bring you the best shorts from the United States, and give unknown filmmakers a stage to showcase their talent in front of an international audience.
A lot of indie directors featured in past LIFF-competitions began their careers making short films. In this program, we bring you the best shorts from the United States, and give unknown filmmakers a stage to showcase their talent in front of an international audience.
Every January, the local priest of a small Macedonian village throws a wooden cross into the river and hundreds of men dive after it. This time, Petrunya dives into the water on a whim and wins. A sympathetic movie with a fierce protagonist.
Jason Segel, Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck star in this intensely moving and beautifully mounted drama, telling the story of how a friend saved a family after their young mother's diagnosis with terminal cancer.
A deserving winner of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard prize, this sumptuous tale of two sisters cruelly separated by family and fate makes for deeply moving drama.
Winning Best Picture at the Canadian Screen Awards and a Crystal Bear (Berlinale) is no small feat for a feature debut. A Colony is an honest and at times awkward story about coming of age in a small town, subtly set against the background of Canada’s colonialism and indigenous culture. Unique and touching.
The appliances may be somewhat outdated, but since time inside the office walls moves somewhat more slowly than in the real world, both the characters and the humor are still as delicious, familiar, and up-to-date as ever.
No matter where Benni goes, she is immediately kicked out again. The wild nine-year-old is what the youth welfare office refers to as a “system crasher”. In this intense but impressive drama we see both the good and bad in Benni, and root for her on her quest to find a home.
After running away from a residential nursing home to pursue his dream of becoming a pro wrestler, a man who has Down syndrome befriends an outlaw (Shia LaBeouf), who becomes his coach and ally in this lovely feel-good adventure.
After learning their beloved matriarch has terminal lung cancer, her family opts not to tell her about the diagnosis, instead scheduling an impromptu wedding/reunion back in China. Based on an actual lie, this heartfelt story of family and togetherness was one of the highlights of the prestigious Sundance Festival.
In darkest rural Ireland, ex-boxer Douglas 'Arm' Armstrong has become the feared enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family, whilst also trying to be a good father to his autistic young son. Torn between these two families, Arm's loyalties are truly tested when he is asked to kill for the first time.
Party time! We have programmed a special edition of Science & Cinema, in honour of the 444th anniversary of Leiden University. The program will feature 4 special films in unique locations, surprising events, and a very attractive €4,44 entry fee!
Over a trio of summers, a caretaker for luxury condominiums relies on her resourcefulness and her eye for opportunity to take advantage of whatever comes her way. Sandra Kogut’s episodic small-scale reflection on national corruption is both humorous and inventive.
Is it a club night? A mini festival? Who knows? We sure don’t! In any case: lots of funk, soul, afro, jazz, hiphop, rock, reggae, ska, and lots of good times. With Broken Brass Ensemble, Love The System, Mungo Bungo, Kiloknallers, De Nachtelijke Escapades en Strik & Strak’s Silent Disco.
Please note that this event is in Dutch. We apologize for the inconvenience.
A young woman and her fiancé (Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots) are in search of the perfect starter home. After following a mysterious real estate agent to a new housing development, the couple finds themselves trapped in a maze of identical houses and forced to raise an otherworldly child in this surreal fable.
Please note that this event is in Dutch. We apologize for the inconvenience.
If you could go back to the good old days, would they truly be better? That is what Victor, a disillusioned man in his sixties, is about to find out as his life is turned upside down when he gets the chance to return to the most memorable week of his life.
Well, you know, just another World War II satire-comedy about a German boy struggling to confront his own nationalism with the help of his completely insane imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler. It’s one of those things that is right up Taika Waititi’s alley. And we. Can’t. Wait.
A young musician meets a mysterious man who speaks with an Eastern-European accent and claims to be Death himself. Together they embark on a nocturnal odyssey full of dark humor, and eccentric characters in illustrator-turned-director Xaver Böhm visually stunning fairytale.
A disastrous wedding night leads to an accidental killing, after which Natalie flees, together with her rebellious and heavily pregnant best friend Poppie on horseback. This eccentric not-quite-Western surprises from beginning to end with its colorful depiction of life in a small South African rural town.
Pedro Almodóvar’s modern classic is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special screening at LIFF!
No matter where Benni goes, she is immediately kicked out again. The wild nine-year-old is what the youth welfare office refers to as a “system crasher”. In this intense but impressive drama we see both the good and bad in Benni, and root for her on her quest to find a home.
This year, LIFF will be looking into understanding through the medium of film. How do we, as viewers, relate to what is shown? By using virtual reality, lectures and personal short films, we try to find answers. Join us at Old School on Saturday 9 November!
This year, LIFF will be looking into understanding through the medium of film. How do we, as viewers, relate to what is shown? By using virtual reality, lectures and personal short films, we try to find answers. Join us at Old School on Saturday 9 November!
When Andrew, a young American soldier, witnesses his fellow recruits murdering innocent Afghan citizens, he knows he should tell his superiors. But what if this makes him the next target? Dan Krauss adapts his 2013 documentary of the same name into a fascinating and confronting war movie.
You'll never get mad at delayed delivery drivers after you’ve seen this film. Ken Loach (I, Daniel Blake) strikes again in this UK drama about a delivery driver and his family who are struggling to get by in modern-day England.
Casey (Jesse Eisenberg) enlists in a karate class to learn how to defend himself, but finds that his sensei can teach him more than just karate. Maybe even a little too much… This dark comedy echoes the work of LIFF Favourite Yorgos Lanthimos.
A church in Nazareth with a door that won't open. A deserted Paris. A New York supermarket with as many guns as fresh produce. In a series of darkly comic vignettes, Palestinian director Elia Suleiman investigates the meaning of being in exile, and the absurdities of nationalism, normality, and identity.
This year, LIFF will be looking into understanding through the medium of film. How do we, as viewers, relate to what is shown? By using virtual reality, lectures and personal short films, we try to find answers. Join us at Old School on Saturday 9 November!
The title character of this film is a chain-smoking Chinese grandmother who goes all in in the casino and lands herself on the wrong side of luck--and in the middle of a Chinese gang war.
Vai' is a portmanteau feature film made by 9 female Pacific filmmakers, filmed in 7 different Pacific countries: Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Kuki Airani (Cook Islands), Samoa, Niue and Aotearoa (New Zealand). It is about the journey of empowerment through culture over the lifetime of one woman, Vai, played by a different indigenous actress in each of the Pacific countries. In each of these Pacific nations 'vai' means water.
Iceland is preparing for Christmas. Somewhere, an abandoned farm is burning. A children's choir is singing Christmas carols. A girl and her mother are trying on a VR-headset. In 56 independent scenes, Echo paints a beautiful portrait of contemporary Icelandic society.
After discovering that her husband’s addiction to escorts has left their family penniless, Alice finds herself drawn into the world of high-end prostitution as a means of caring for herself and her child. This film will have you on the edge of your seat!
Brittany, 1770. Marianne has to paint a wedding portrait of the beautiful Héloïse. However, the bride-to-be refuses to be painted, and thus to marry. As Marianna secretly observes Héloïse, a strange and fragile intimacy starts to develop. One of the absolute best films of the year and not to be missed.
In the early 1980s, Tommaso Buscetta does something that rocks the mafia to its core. After becoming involved in the raging wars between the Sicilian mafia bosses, he decides to meet with Judge Giovanni Falcone and betray the eternal vow he made to the mafia.
His son is missing, his family is lost, but his dress sense is immaculate! With a visual style and deadpan humor reminiscent of Wes Anderson and a career-best performance by Bill Nighy as a melancholic scrabble enthusiast, Sometimes, Always, Never is a winning combination. Triple word score!
This year, LIFF will be looking into understanding through the medium of film. How do we, as viewers, relate to what is shown? By using virtual reality, lectures and personal short films, we try to find answers. Join us at Old School on Saturday 9 November!
Last year a feature program, now also to see as shorts! These short films show you the craziest stuff filmmakers have come up with this year. Throw every expectation you have out of the window and just surrender to this crazy, idiotic, unbelievable program.
This year, LIFF will be looking into understanding through the medium of film. How do we, as viewers, relate to what is shown? By using virtual reality, lectures and personal short films, we try to find answers. Join us at Old School on Saturday 9 November!
A young woman and her fiancé (Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots) are in search of the perfect starter home. After following a mysterious real estate agent to a new housing development, the couple finds themselves trapped in a maze of identical houses and forced to raise an otherworldly child in this surreal fable.
In a remote Icelandic town, an off-duty police chief begins to suspect a local man of having had an affair with his late wife, who died in a tragic accident two years earlier. Gradually his obsession for finding out the truth accumulates and inevitably begins to endanger himself and his loved ones.
After running away from a residential nursing home to pursue his dream of becoming a pro wrestler, a man who has Down syndrome befriends an outlaw (Shia LaBeouf), who becomes his coach and ally in this lovely feel-good adventure.
This year, LIFF will be looking into understanding through the medium of film. How do we, as viewers, relate to what is shown? By using virtual reality, lectures and personal short films, we try to find answers. Join us at Old School on Saturday 9 November!
A cut-off hand escapes from a dissection lab with one goal in mind: to get back to its body. As it scrambles through the pitfalls of Paris, it remembers its life with the young man it was once attached to… until he met Gabrielle.
Hirokazu Kore-eda fans, pay attention! In The House of Us, the young Hana tries to navigate her parent’s divorce and other hardships of adult life. Director Ga-eun Yoon proves herself one of the world’s finest filmmakers in the way she captures contemporary childhood.
This year, LIFF will be looking into understanding through the medium of film. How do we, as viewers, relate to what is shown? By using virtual reality, lectures and personal short films, we try to find answers. Join us at Old School on Saturday 9 November!
Scotland, 1994. Best mates Johnno and Spanner are destined for different futures. In pursuit of adventure and an escape, the boys head out to an illegal rave for one last night together. A universal story of friendship, rebellion and the irresistible power of gathered youth.
Brittany decides, as you do, to drastically turn her life around and take up running. But is she going in the right direction? A brilliant Jillian Bell in this heartwarming, whip-smart comedy that you just need to experience every now and then.
Model student Luce Edgar shocks his teacher, Harriet, with his essay on political violence. Now Harriet, Luce and his parents have to deal with complicated questions about race, identity, morality and more. This intense, intelligent and timely thriller will linger long after the credits roll.
Lauded director Bong Joon-Ho has won the Palme d’Or for this magnificent film that is equal parts hilarious comedy and pitchblack drama. Follow the exploits of a family down on its luck that will do anything to get higher up in life, other people be damned.
Escaped from a small village in India this film went on a rampage to the Toronto Film Festival and has now, for the first time, arrived in The Netherlands. But can it be stopped? This visual masterpiece is an attack on the senses and truly Bonkers in every way, but it will definitely be a unique experience. Do you dare?
Brand new cultural initiative EYES WIDE SHUT pays homage to the nightlife, electronic music and the rave. We'll have a final dance in the Wibar. The best electronic live-acts and rock solid dj-sets from in and out of town fill up Leiden's new creative breeding ground.
Lauded director Bong Joon-Ho has won the Palme d’Or for this magnificent film that is equal parts hilarious comedy and pitchblack drama. Follow the exploits of a family down on its luck that will do anything to get higher up in life, other people be damned.
Unfortunately this event is in Dutch without subtitles.
Winning Best Picture at the Canadian Screen Awards and a Crystal Bear (Berlinale) is no small feat for a feature debut. A Colony is an honest and at times awkward story about coming of age in a small town, subtly set against the background of Canada’s colonialism and indigenous culture. Unique and touching.
Unfortunately, this film is in Dutch, without subtitles. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Sonya lives her life in a lonely routine, struggling to keep her family-owned funeral home afloat. One day she finds a body lying at her doorstep, which is the start of a highly unusual friendship. An inscrutable, tender and bitterly comic film about the desire for companionship.
Travel around the world with a Dutch family who captures the life of indigenous groups on six different continents. Down to Earth serves as a wake-up call and a beacon of hope for the world of tomorrow.
Inés, Justo, and Gerardo were right-wing anti-Allende radicals in 1970s Chile. Now, Inés and Justo are respected businesspeople, but Gerardo's lingering political conviction threatens to expose the trio's shared past. A tense thriller about the traumatic parts of Chilean history.
Jason Segel, Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck star in this intensely moving and beautifully mounted drama, telling the story of how a friend saved a family after their young mother's diagnosis with terminal cancer.
In 1972, Aretha Franklin recorded Amazing Grace, the most successful gospel album of all time, at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. The film recordings of these legendary evenings where never before shown to the public – until now!
16-year-old Lise is accused of murdering her best friend. In court, she’s required to account for a way of life that doesn’t always comply with the morality approved of by the justice system. Family relations and social expectations are compellingly picked apart in this intelligent French courtroom drama.
Lu and Fati are teen mums living in a religious shelter in Buenos Aires. When one of the girls runs away, a young nun named Paola takes care of her baby. A quiet, contemplative narrative feature debut from documentary maker Maura Delphero.
After discovering that her husband’s addiction to escorts has left their family penniless, Alice finds herself drawn into the world of high-end prostitution as a means of caring for herself and her child. This film will have you on the edge of your seat!
You'll never get mad at delayed delivery drivers after you’ve seen this film. Ken Loach (I, Daniel Blake) strikes again in this UK drama about a delivery driver and his family who are struggling to get by in modern-day England.
To the Stars is a beautifully shot black and white film set in 1960s Oklahoma. Iris Deerborne’s world changes completely when Maggie appears and an unlikely relationship between the two develops. A mesmerizing and almost mystical film, a true gem found at Sundance.
Hollywood, 1968. The celebrated A BOUT DE SOUFFLE star and global style icon, American actress Jean Seberg returns from Paris to the States, but soon finds herself on the radar of an illegal FBI surveillance program because of her ties to the civil rights movement. Kristen Stewart shines as Seberg in this intriguing biopic.
A deliciously twisted comedy set in a demented, timeless suburbia where every adult wears braces on their straight teeth, couples coordinate meticulously pressed outfits, and coveted family members are swapped in more ways than one in this competition for acceptance.
After running away from a residential nursing home to pursue his dream of becoming a pro wrestler, a man who has Down syndrome befriends an outlaw (Shia LaBeouf), who becomes his coach and ally in this lovely feel-good adventure.
An ambitious but shy film student (Honor Swinton Byrne) falls in love with a charismatic, mysterious older man (Tom Burke). As she throws herself into this intense and emotional relationship, she must try to distinguish between reality and fantasy.
In this beautiful true story by the directors of Intouchables and C’est la vie!, Bruno and Malik (Vincent Cassel en Reda Kateb) dedicate their lives taking care of autistic children and teens, and training young people from underprivileged areas to be their caregivers.
His son is missing, his family is lost, but his dress sense is immaculate! With a visual style and deadpan humor reminiscent of Wes Anderson and a career-best performance by Bill Nighy as a melancholic scrabble enthusiast, Sometimes, Always, Never is a winning combination. Triple word score!
Two CIA agents have to stop a computer virus called "The Soviet Union", but their mission soon turns out to be a trap. This wildly unpredictable movie mixes a variety of genres in a way that simply has to be seen to be believed.
Unfortunately this screening is cancelled. Whether you like horror or not, you have to see this combination of found footage, flashlights, and runny noses. Imitated but never duplicated, and apparently irresistible.
Senate staffer Daniel Jones is assigned the daunting task of leading an investigation into the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program after 9/11. But the release of his ‘Torture report’ encounters heavy opposition from the White House and CIA in this enthralling, old-school political thriller, thriving on an extraordinary performance by Adam Driver.
A young musician meets a mysterious man who speaks with an Eastern-European accent and claims to be Death himself. Together they embark on a nocturnal odyssey full of dark humor, and eccentric characters in illustrator-turned-director Xaver Böhm visually stunning fairytale.
In darkest rural Ireland, ex-boxer Douglas 'Arm' Armstrong has become the feared enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family, whilst also trying to be a good father to his autistic young son. Torn between these two families, Arm's loyalties are truly tested when he is asked to kill for the first time.
When a famous murder mystery novelist is found dead at his estate, everyone’s a suspect… Rian Johnson (Brick, Star Wars: The Last Jedi) has created an impeccably written and extremely entertaining modern murder mystery, full of unexpected twists and turns from start to finish.