Leiden International Film Festival
The Leiden International Film Festival, founded in 2006, has become one of the leading film festivals in the Netherlands showcasing feature films that examine the border between art-house and mainstream from all over the world. The 2014 edition lasted 10 days, screened 87 films, from 28 countries including Whiplash, Coming Home, Mommy, Leviathan, Wish I Was Here, Camp X-Ray, What We Do in the Shadows, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, I, Daniel Blake and Swiss Army Man. With its American Indie Competition LIFF aims to discover and cultivate an audience for today's emerging American filmmakers in the Netherlands.
Program
The festival's programming consists of many different kinds of fiction films, both big blockbusters and small arthouse films.The festival is a visitors' and not a market festival, attracting mainly film-fans and not sales agents. During the festival, films are not only screened in cinemas but special screenings are also hosted at venues like museums, an old factory, a historic church and an observatory. On the one hand, the LIFF has a deep connection with the city of Leiden, on the other hand it has over the years evolved into a festival with international ambitions, which is noticeable in its focus on American independent cinema and resulted in the American Indie Competition.
American Independent Cinema and the American Indie Competition
The LIFF attempts to bring American independent cinema to the continent. The American Indie Competition is the festival's main competition, focusing entirely on American independent cinema. Winners of previous competitions include and Safety Not Guaranteed. The prize is not awarded by a jury, but is voted for by all visitors of the selected films.Some American indies that were screened in the Netherlands at the festival: Breaking Upwards,, Safety Not Guaranteed, Howl, Towelhead, Winter's Bone, Please Give, Lola Versus, Precious, Little Miss Sunshine, Short Term 12, Whiplash, Tangerine, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Swiss Army Man.
2013 American Indie Competition
On September 28, the lineup for the 2013 American Indie Competition was announced by Filmmaker Magazine. Films that will be screening are: Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Bluebird, C.O.G., Coldwater, Computer Chess, Enough Said, Fruitvale Station, A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, Hide Your Smiling Faces, Kill Your Darlings, Prince Avalanche, The Spectacular Now, Starlet, Sweetwater and Trust Me. The American Indie Competition of 2013 was won by Short Term 12.2014 American Indie Competition
On October 4, the lineup for the 2014 American Indie Competition was announced on the website of LIFF. The competing films were: Camp X-Ray, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him, Gabriël, The Heart Machine, Imperial Dreams, Listen Up Philip, Love is Strange, The One I Love, Sequoia, The Skeleton Twins, Summer of Blood, The Well, Whiplash, White Bird in a Blizzard, Wish I Was Here and The Young Kieslowski.2015 American Indie Competition
The lineup for the 2015 American Indie Competition was announced on October 5. The competing films were: Mistress America, The End of the Tour, Consumed, Cronies, Houses, Results, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Cop Car, Z for Zachariah, Rosewater, Tangerine and The Gift.2016 American Indie Competition
On October 7, the lineup for the 2016 American Indie Competition was announced on the LIFF website. Films in competition this year are: First Girl I Loved, Lovesong, From Nowhere, Born to Be Blue, Swiss Army Man, Goat, American Pastoral, Transpecos, As You Are, Kicks, Joshy and Burn Your Maps. Additionally in 2016, an album called Sitting Through Credits, based on the competition, was made by Dutch artist Moon Moon Moon and was launched during the festival.2018 American Indie Competition
On October 5, the lineup for the 2018 American Indie Competition was announced on the LIFF website. Films in competition this year are: Eighth Grade, The Kindergarten Teacher, Blaze, Damsel, Leave No Trace, Love After Love, Cam, American Animals, The Miseducation of Cameron Post and Diane, Her Smell, Wildlife and Thunder Road.2019 American Indie Competition
On October 6, the lineup for the 2019 American Indie Competition was announced on the LIFF website. Films in competition this year are: The Farewell, To the Stars, Luce, The Death of Dick Long, The Friend, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Lucky Grandma and Seberg.Panorama
LIFF's Panorama program screens films from all over the world, from established names to newly discovered filmmakers.Some films that were screened in the Netherlands for the first time during the Panorama program: Amour, Argo, The Artist, Burn After Reading, Children of Men, Drive, Gone Baby Gone, Das Weiße Band, We Need To Talk About Kevin, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, 50/50, La grande bellezza, Inside Llewyn Davis, Mommy, Youth, I, Daniel Blake, Lion, The Birth of a Nation and Everybody Wants Some!!.
During the 2016 edition, the Audience Award was won by Toni Erdmann.
Side program
Besides the American Indie and Panorama programs, the LIFF also hosts many special screenings at locations like St Peter's Church and the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden. In 2013, the festival hosted a grand opening in the church with two Charlie Chaplin films, accompanied by live music from composer Timothy Brock.One of the most important aspects of the side programming is the Science & Cinema program, combining cinema with contributions from Leiden University. In the past few years, the festival has hosted several special on-location screenings, such as a screening of Spring Breakers in a local public pool and several jungle-themed films in a large greenhouse at Hortus Botanicus Leiden.
Attendance, opening films and prize winners
European Netwerk For Independent American Cinema
In 2014, LIFF founded the European Netwerk For Independent American Cinema in collaboration with the American Film Festival in Poland.Its mission is to promote American Independent productions throughout Europe by enhancing their visibility both among the public and within the industry, and encouraging their circulation. The Network works to fulfil this mission through its film festival members in Europe and its supporting partners in Asia and North America.
All the participating film festivals are major platforms for American Indie films in their respective regions. They all work closely within the Network, but embody diversity and individual artistic identity, through their distinct programming choices. They feature both press and audience screenings and offer a full range of side events that include master classes, conferences and industry pitching, bringing together a wide spectrum of viewers, iconic and emerging talent, and other industry professionals to share experiences and knowledge.