So last night I finished my last shift at the Leeds International Film Festival. Of course this doesn't mean that the Festival itself is over, (though how they'll manage without me I can't imagine ;) ) nor that I'm done talking about it. The Festival runs until Sunday with the horror all-nighter on Saturday the crowning glory, for me anyway. Eight or nine solid hours of horror films in the great atmosphere of the Hyde Park Picture House, kick ass!

Just caught one film when I was working last night which I'll talk about in a moment. Before that I think it's definitely worth mentioning the people I've been working with recently. The Leeds International Film Festival has gone from strength to strength over the last few years and is a fantastic event for both cinema and the city. This only happens thanks to the hard work of a lot of very dedicated people.

From volunteers like myself to the super-stressed out organisers, this thing only happens because there are enough people passionate enough about cinema in Leeds to make it happen. I've met lots of new people over the last week or so varying wildly in age, profession, nationality and even sanity, (you know who you are! :) ) These people were great to a man and I feel privileged to have met and worked with them.

"Mrs Henderson Presents" (2005)
Dir. Stephen Frears (UK)

One of the more mainstream titles at the festival this is soon to be out on general release and I have to admit that although it's probably not something I would have paid to see I enjoyed it more than I expected. Dame Judy Dench plays Mrs Henderson, a rich, eccentric widow in 1930's London who buys an old theatre and employs Bob Hoskins as the manager.

After some initial success the novelty wears off and business goes downhill until Mrs Henderson has the idea of staging naked performances. It's a great example of what us Brits do best, namely poking fun at ourselves, and there's plenty of wonderfully polite outrage and embarrassment.

The film darkens as WWII begins and Mrs Henderson's theatre soon becomes the only one to remain doggedly open through the blitz. On paper this seems like pure sentimentality and a bit of a cash in on the clich้ of plucky British determination but somehow, on screen, it works as a thoroughly genuine and moving story.

This is, to a large part, thanks to the quite outstanding performances from Dench, who shows why she is one of our very greatest assets, and Hoskins who holds his own and never looks out of place alongside her. Being mainstream, clich้d and even predictable doesn't stop this from being an enjoyable film to watch. Oh and here's a quick tip, if you're going to see it at the cinema but are unsure which screen it's on, just look for the queue of old people.