So attracting a genuine star in the shape of Brazilian film-maker Fernando Meirelles (City of God) to the city is something of a coup.
The festival team has been working with Mr. Meirelles since last autumn, attempting to steer a route through his ridiculously heavy schedule to arrange flights and a mutually convenient date for his exclusive on-stage Screentalk interview.
To achieve one of the highlights of the festival, we worked closely with the Embassy of Brazil to fly Meirelles from Sao Paulo to Yorkshire. He appeared in Bradford in conjunction with the University of Leeds and was interviewed by Lúcia Nagib of the Centre for World Cinemas.
Described as ‘one of the ten greatest film-makers working in the world today’, Meirelles discussed his career in an interview presented in partnership with the University of Leeds and the Embassy of Brazil. We’re delighted to welcome him to BIFF for what is his first UK retrospective.
Watch a clip from the interview below.