Leeds International Film Festival reveals opening films for 40th anniversary edition
LIFF celebrates 40 years this autumn with a stellar opening selection featuring international star power, hand-painted animation, and inspiring West Yorkshire filmmaking
The Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) has officially revealed the opening lineup for its landmark 40th anniversary edition, which will transform cinema venues across the city - including the historic Hyde Park Picture House and Everyman Leeds - from October 29 to November 15.
Headlining this year's anniversary edition across LIFF's core strands is a rich mix of star-studded folk fables, international coming-of-age dramas, and a deeply inspiring local story from a West Yorkshire filmmaker.
Opening the main festival programme is Mouse, directed by acclaimed filmmaking duo Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson (Saint Frances, Ghostlight).
Set in the summer of 2002, the bittersweet drama stars Katherine Mallen Kupferer alongside Academy Award nominee Sophie Okonedo in an emotionally resonant story about grief, unlikely friendships, and self-discovery that has already been hailed as a personal favourite of the LIFF programming team.
Meanwhile, LIFF's famous cult and genre strand, Fanomenon, kicks off with Wicker, a dark and whimsical romantic fable based on Ursula Wills-Jones' short story The Wicker Husband.
Academy Award winner Olivia Colman stars as a reclusive, ostracised fisherwoman in a conservative seaside town who sarcastically commissions a bespoke husband crafted entirely out of wicker from a master weaver (Peter Dinklage).
However, when the wicker creation (Alexander Skarsgård) comes to life with a gentle, soulful nature, their genuine romance sends shockwaves through the local community.
Local storytelling takes centre stage in the Cinema Versa documentary strand with Ultimate Thunder, an award-winning feature by Leeds director Ben G. Brown and recipient of the International Audience Awards at this year’s Sheffield DocFest.
The film follows a local Leeds punk band formed by musicians with learning disabilities, Down syndrome, and autism as they navigate creative barriers and chase their dream of performing to a live festival crowd - serving as a fitting tribute to the band’s late synth player, John Densley.
Rounding out the opening selection, the Family strand - presented in partnership with the Leeds Young Film Festival - features Iron Boy.
The gorgeously hand-painted animated feature follows 11-year-old Christophe, who discovers a life-changing passion for making music following a spinal disorder diagnosis.
The full LIFF 2026 festival programme goes live online on October 1, when festival passes will become available to purchase, before individual film tickets go on general sale from October 8.