The guide to Leeds Film Festival is huge. You better get it way before the festival begins or you don't stand a chance. Luckily I did and I've been reading it on the bus. Here are my first impressions and recommendations so far.

To amuse or confuse the films are split into six categories with fun sounding names. Some of the names are more meaningful than others. Here is my run down of the categories and my chosen few films based on my first impressions.

Official Selection

This section aims to highlight some of the best new films of the year. They've been selected by the festival organisers as films you really should see. It's also one of the smaller sections, and therefore less overwhelming. If you want to see a good film, one from this section would be a good bet.

The films from this section that have jumped out at me are: The Last King of Scotland, Venus and Ten Canoes.

Cinema Versa

This is the slightly confusing name given to a collection of inspirational documentaries, political films, experimental film and films about music. There are a lot of films in this section and I'm a lot less sure about them. I think I'm going to have to watch a few till I truly understand what this section is about.

The following films stood out while I was reading their synopses on the bus: A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash, Guerilla Girl, Looking for Reynolds and Beijing Bubbles - Punk and Rock in Chinas Capital.

Fanomenon

These films plan to be the cult films of tomorrow. There's a lot of horror in here, some science fiction and some animation.

I'm not a big fan of horror (I'm a bit too squeamish) so the films I've picked might be a bit tame for you horror fans. If you're like me, you might want to check out: Paprika, GamerZ and The World Sinks Except Japan. If you do like horror, then you should check out the programme. There's some really gory stuff that will surely distress and delight.

UK Film Week

This section champions films produced here in the UK that should be noticed. Colour Me Kubrick has caught my attention and looks very good. There are also some films set in or partly based in Leeds including Mischief Night and Like Minds.

Shoot

This will feature various collections of short films. I will probably try to catch the World Animation Award and the collection of films produced by Leeds Met Students.

Devotional Cinema

This is a section of poetic, graceful and spiritual films. I'm a bit sceptical about this section and I'm not sure it's the sort of thing I'll enjoy. I'm going to reserve my judgement though and try to check some of them out. First on my list is Into Great Silence.

Leeds International Film Festival starts tomorrow. See the Official Website for more details.