21 / Screening / Santa Sangre Tues 19 Nov, Everyman Cinema, Albion Street, Leeds, 2030 (123 min), 18, £8/£6
25 / Workshop / Vampire Knitting Weds 20 Nov, Leeds Library Art Reading Room, 1730-1930, families and young people, FREE
Ageing enfant terrible and master cult filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky returned to the fray after a decade long hiatus to present his incendiary, hallucinatory parable Santa Sangre, every bit as madcap and compelling as his early hits El Topo and Holy Mountain. Santa Sangre is a temple torn down by bulldozers over the protestations of its leader Concha, the wife of an unfaithful circus performer and the mother of Fenix (Jodorowsky’s son Axel). The Church is built on a gruesome crime scene, the first of many trials for the young Fenix which lead to his incarceration in a mental asylum.
Join Sarah from Wessenden Woollies, designer extraordinaire, and learn to knit and create your very own cute vampire bat in only 2 hours!
22 / Screening / World Animation Award 2013 Part 3 Tues 19 Nov, Leeds Town Hall, Victoria Hall, 2030 (100 min), 12a, £6/£5
26 / Screening / Masterpiece: Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns Weds 20 Nov, Everyman Cinema, Albion Street, Leeds, 1800 (79 min), 15, £8/£6
Every year the World Animation Competition invites the best new animated films to Leeds and this year’s competition is definitely one you won’t want to miss. The most vivid and brilliant visions, the wildest imaginary worlds, true stories of amazing journeys, folklore, space, humour and just plain weird ideas… it is an experience that always delights and provokes in equal measure.
Malcolm McDowell narrates one of the best documentaries ever made about the art of graphic novels. Masterpiece is a detailed and fascinating account of the history and production of the hugely influential Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Frank Miller himself appears in the documentary along with many of the team involved in the creation of the classic work that ushered in the modern take of the dark and brooding protector of Gotham. The acclaimed animated version of the graphic novel is also showing in full at this year’s festival.
wednesday 20 novemBer 23 / Screening / HK: Forbidden Hero Weds 20 Nov, Everyman Cinema, Albion Street, Leeds, 1600 (90 min), 18, £8/£6 A new hero has arisen in Japan, wearing fishnet stockings, a mankini, and a mask of knickers, who slays the bad guys with a mindblowing variety of wild, deviant martial arts moves, and invincible crotch attack techniques. When conventional justice fails, make way for Hentai Kamen, the masked pervert. Based on a wildly popular Shonen Jump manga series and originally planned to be a direct-to-DVD release in Japan, this hilarious crowd pleaser became a surprise hit in cinemas in Japan and won the audience award at the New York Asian Film Festival.
Each participant can take home and keep their creations. All materials provided. All are welcome, but the knitting session is recommended for 16+ individuals, however families are very welcome as there will be colouringin sessions running at the same time to keep young children occupied. Please e-mail martha@thoughtbubblefestival. com to book a place on this workshop.
27 / Screening / The Dark Knight Returns Weds 20 Nov, Everyman Cinema, Albion Street, Leeds, 2000 (156 min), 15, £8/£6 Jay Oliva’s widely acclaimed and faithful animated adaptation of Frank Miller’s hugely influential graphic novel was released originally in two parts on video. Now you can see both parts as one full-length feature film in an exclusive cinema presentation as part of Fanomenon 2013. It is ten years after an aging Batman has retired, and Gotham City has sunk deeper into decadence and lawlessness. Now, when his city needs him most, the Dark Knight returns in a blaze of glory. Don’t miss the brand new documentary about Frank Miller’s masterpiece, also showing as part of this year’s festival.
thursday 21 novemBer 28 / Comics Forum Academic Conference Day 1 Thurs 21 Nov, Leeds Library Portal and Exhibition Space, 0900-1645, All ages, please see below for ticket prices and how to book
24 / Travelling Man, Newcastle Thought Bubble Signing Tour Weds 20 Nov, Travelling Man, 43 Grainger St, Newcastle, NE1 5JE, 1630-1830, all ages, FREE Thought Bubble, along with Travelling Man the UK’s friendliest comic stores - are very pleased to be able to bring a number of guests appearing at this year’s festival to a city near you! Guests at this signing include: Kelly Sue Deconnick, Matt Fraction, and Richard Starkings. Please visit travellingman.com for more details.
Comics Forum hits the small press and underground scenes this year, with two days of talks by experts from around the world! Whether you want to bone up on your comics history, delve into the politics of print culture, or see what’s going on in international comics communities, Comics Forum 2013 is the place to be! Tickets are priced as follows: 1 day (21st or 22nd November): £10 2 days (21st and 22nd November): £20 4 days (2 day Comics Forum pass + 2 day Thought Bubble pass): £35 (this is a saving of £7 on the cost of the tickets if bought separately) Please visit comicsforum.org for full details and to book tickets.
29 / Cartoon Workshop with Matt Dyson Thurs 21 Nov, Keighley Library, 13151415, selected schools, 6-10 year olds, FREE Amazing Cats & Super Dogs! Join Comic Artist Matt Dyson (creator of “Moo & Keo” and the “Today Let’s...” series) as he guides the group through the process of creating and drawing a new superhero team based around our favourite furry friends! 30 / Screening / British Short Film Competition 2013 Part 1 Thurs 21 Nov, Hyde Park Picture House, Brudenell Road, Leeds, 1400 (100 min), 12a, £6/£5 This year’s crop of British films have been as varied and magnificent as ever including The Phone Call, featuring a shy call centre worker who has an encounter which will change her life forever, Sea View, a subtle piece about a teenage girl trying to navigate her way through a brief encounter with an older man and the charming and melancholic The Parachutist about a German soldier from WWII who parachutes into 2013 and must find his way home. Benedict Cumberbatch stars in Little Favour, a slick action thriller and the competition is rounded off with the darkly comic Pussy Cat, a film about sex, marriage and cats. 31 / Screening / British Short Film Competition 2013 Part 2 Thurs 21 Nov, Hyde Park Picture House, Brudenell Road, Leeds, 1600 (100 min), 12a, £6/£5 This year’s crop of British films have been as varied and magnificent as ever including The Phone Call, featuring a shy call centre worker who has an encounter which will change her life forever, Sea View, a subtle piece about a teenage girl trying to navigate her way through a brief encounter with an older man and the charming and melancholic The Parachutist about a German soldier from WWII who parachutes into 2013 and must find his way home. Benedict Cumberbatch stars in Little Favour, a slick action thriller and the competition is rounded off with the darkly comic Pussy Cat, a film about sex, marriage and cats. 32 / Travelling Man, Manchester Thought Bubble Signing Tour Thurs 21 Nov, Travelling Man, 4 Dale St, Manchester, M1 1JW, 1630-1830, all ages, FREE Thought Bubble, along with Travelling Man the UK’s friendliest comic stores - are very pleased to be able to bring a number of guests appearing at this year’s festival to a city near you! Guests at this signing include: Kelly Sue Deconnick, Matt Fraction, Ramon Perez, Fiona Staples, and Richard Starkings. Please visit travellingman.com for more details.