What We Do in the Shadows
What We Do in the Shadows was voted by 28th Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF28) audiences as overall favorite and X+Y, starring Asa Butterfield and Sally Hawkins, came second. In What We Do in the Shadows, Viago, Deacon, Vladislav and Peter are four vampires sharing a house in Wellington, trying to balance being undead with everyday problems like whose turn it is to wash up, where to find virgin blood and how to dress for a night out when you don’t have a reflection. As a documentary film crew follows them round we learn about each of their histories and what it means to be hundreds of years old in the 21st century. Co-written and starring Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords, What We Do in the Shadows balances comedy, horror and social commentary perfectly in this hilarious film.
Overall the vote was incredibly close for the top 5 films, and the top 20 winners in the LIFF28 Audience Award for Best Film are: 1) What We Do in the Shadows 2) X+Y 3) Song of the Sea 4) The Possibilities are Endless 5) The Imitation Game 6) Heaven Adores You 7) Giovanni’s Island 8) Seventh Heaven 9) Housebound 10) Birdman 11) Poverty Inc 12) Brasil Bam Bam Bam 13) Testament of Youth 14) Everybody Street 15) Kingdom of Dreams and Madness 16) Vessel 17) No One’s Child 18) Rurouni Kenshin 2 19) The House at the End of Time 20) #chicagoGirl – The Social Network
28th Leeds International Film Festival also announced its winning short films
Louis le Prince International Short Film Competition 2014
Winner: Art (Arta) (Dir. Adrian Sitaru, Romania)
Special Mentions: Chorus (Dir. Tiago Guedes, Portugal) + Greenland (Dir. Oren Garner, Israel)
Jury statement on Art:
‘An engaging, accomplished and technically superb film about manipulation.’
World Animation Award 2014
Winner: Walk the Dog (Dir. Sonja Rohleder, Germany)
Special Mentions: Zepo (Dir. César Díaz Meléndez, Spain) + Baths (Lanzi) (Dir. Tomek Ducki, Poland + UK)
Jury statement on Walk the Dog:
‘Immersive, cinematic and a graphic joy.’
British Short Film Competition 2014
Winner: Exchange and Mart (Dir. Cara Connolly, Martin Clark, UK)
Special Mentions: Goes to the actor Oliver Woolford for A Generation of Vipers + Alice (Thomas McNaught, UK)
Jury statement on Exchange and Mart:
‘A beautifully executed coming of age film.’
Yorkshire Short Film Competition
Winner: Cushy (Dir. Fliss Buckles, Cat Jones, UK)
Special Mention: Rare (Dir. Jim Morgan, UK)
Jury Statement on Cushy:
‘Cushy featured a demanding lead performance that was excellently portrayed by James Cooney. Superb writing of spoken word by Cat Jones and slick camera direction by Fliss Buckles provided the audience with a unique insight into the world of modern day imprisonment.’
Leeds International Screendance Competition
Winning Film: Amauros (Dir. Nicole Seiler, Switzerland)
Special Mentions: Black Tape (Michelle and Uri Kranot, Denmark, 2014) + Memorias (Ponciano Almeida & Bertie, Brazil+ UK, 2014)
Jury Statement on Amouros:
‘The film creates the visualization of a dance in detail without ever featuring a moving body on screen. The medium of film provides the perfect vehicle to create new dialogues about memory and perception which are present in the original stage piece, Pina Bausch’s Cafe Müller. A work which mines the potentials and conventions of screendance making.’
Short Film Audience Award
For films under ten minutes in length, voted for by the audience.
Winner: Carpark (Dir: Anthony Blades, UK)
Special Mentions: Voluntario (Javier Marco, Spain) + Manny Gets Censored (Graeme Robertson, Australia)
The Silver Méliès Short Film Competition 2014
The European Fantastic Film Festivals’ Federation exists to raise the profile of European fantastic films through its Méliès competition, which is hosted by numerous film festivals across Europe. Leeds International Film Festival has been a member since 2005 and this year has allowed the audience to pick which film should win the Leeds Méliès d’Argent and go forward to compete for the coveted Méliès d’Or at Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival next year.
Winner: Wind (Dir. Robert Löbel, Germany)
Special Mentions: Ghost Train (Dir. Lee Cronin, Finland + Ireland)
Dead Short Competition 2014
Winner: Cannibals and Carpet Fitters (James Bushe, UK)
Special Mentions: Safari Heat (Antti Lassko, Simo Ruotsalainen, Finland) + Liquid (Kaichi Sato, Japan)
Sci-Fi Shorts
Winner: The Nostalgist (Giacomo Cimini, UK)
Special Mentions: Metamorphosis (Rob Nevitt, UK) + Enfilade (David Coyle, Australia)