BRATTLEBORO-Latchis Arts and Ian Moran are partnering to present Devised & Directed: The Films of Mike Leigh, a film and discussion series on four consecutive Saturdays this winter starting on Jan. 25.
The series highlights the work of British writer-director Mike Leigh and is curated by Ian Moran, a Brattleboro resident and host of the forthcoming (Spring 2025) podcast Devised & Directed: The Films of Mike Leigh, the first to cover the entirety of Leigh's filmography, and featuring in-depth conversations with critics, academics, and filmmakers.
The film and discussion series opens on Jan. 25 with Secrets & Lies, followed on Feb. 1 by All or Nothing and Topsy-Turvy on Feb. 8, and concluding with Naked on Feb. 15. All screenings are at 4 p.m., and admission is by donation. Moran will provide introductory remarks and encourage post-film conversations.
"Over the course of his 50-plus year career, Mike Leigh has established himself as one of our greatest living storytellers and the ultimate 'actor's director,'" organizers write.
Though he is a seven-time Oscar nominee for directing and writing, and the winner of numerous top prizes at international festivals, Leigh is relatively unknown. This series, coming on the heels of his newest feature, Hard Truths, will let established fans and newcomers see some of his past work on the big screen.
"The style of these films and the entire approach of their creators provided a unique antidote to both the overpolished, formulaic outputs of modern Hollywood and the hyper-stylized aesthetic of much contemporary indie fare," explained Moran. "These were, largely, not stories of extraordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, but rather loving and empathetic renderings of universal human experience; true to life, yet still portrayed with a sense of 'heightened cinematic realism' and helmed by a virtuoso dramatist."
Moran studied film at Temple University before switching to political science. After living in Philadelphia for nearly 20 years, he and his wife and young son moved to Brattleboro. An avid fan of podcasts (especially ones devoted to film criticism), he was shocked to find that a comprehensive Mike Leigh podcast did not exist. For the last 18 months, he's tried to bring together some of the biggest Leigh fans and scholars from across the internet and globe to bring just such a tribute to Leigh's work into existence.
Devised & Directed: The Films of Mike Leigh will be available for streaming upon release wherever podcasts are available. Follow @MikeLeighPod on Instagram for updates. For more information about the film series, visit latchis.com.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.