Audiences might be forgiven for assuming that the Leeds Film Festival only offered the best in English language cinema, what with anticipated big-name hits such as Argo and Seven Psychopaths taking centre stage in the programme. However, the I in LIFF stands for ‘International’, and this year there were a variety of films on offer from countries around the world. These include the winner of this year Palm D’or, Michael Heneke’s stunning French drama Amour, but also efforts such as Stormland (Iceland), Una Noche (Cuba), Alps (Greece) and Laurence Anyways (French Canada).

The sheer variety of films not in the English language that LIFF brought to Leeds is impressive, from Russia’s first zombie flick Metelesa: Winter of the Dead to the Spanish geriatric animated comedy Wrinkles. Interestingly enough, foreign films topped the ‘Audience Favourites’ list, with the top honour going to Danish thriller The Hunt, and the top ten comprising of films from Japan, France and Israel/Palestine besides the USA and UK. It’s easy to overlook foreign films when the British and American industries churn out new English titles at an increasingly fast rate; many cinema-goers are put off by the idea of subtitles or dubbing, and in some cases American remakes seem to be a more convenient option for audiences, featuring familiar faces and none of that tricky language barrier.

It tends to be the tradition that once in a while a particular foreign film catches the imagination of the public and becomes a hit; The Artist springs to mind as the most recent example of this phenomena (though as a silent film, perhaps this concealed any notion of ‘foreignness’ to audiences) and prior to that, Spirited Away did wonders for the global image of anime. Such films attract rave reviews and often the major awards, and for a while everyone feels a sense of having cultured themselves with a film that doesn’t feature Tom Cruise or Jason Statham, before most inevitably forget all about it and don’t see a foreign film until the next Oscars.

Yet by opting for the film that requires the least amount of real engagement, there’s a strong chance audiences will also be starving themselves of a really fulfilling cinema experience. Foreign language films allow a sort of escapism our familiar movies do not, transporting us as British viewers to locations across the world, allowing a glimpse into new cultures and experiences, all from the comfort of our theatre seat. There are nuances in the stylisation of films from other cultures that can only be imitated by Hollywood. It seems a crime that films as brilliant and captivating as The Hunt and Amour may remain confined to the indie or art house crowd, as the stories they tell have a wider appeal than they ever get credit for.

Although they may not be showing down at your local Vue or Odeon, it is well worth seeking out a title such as Alps or Laurence Anyways. There is so much to be learned from the world of international cinema, it’s a shame LIFF only comes once a year to bring these incredible foreign films to the masses.

Hannah Woodhead