Who is Mike Leigh, and why are his movies important to those who care about film? One could easily argue that Leigh, now 76, is one of the greatest active film directors, not only in England, but throughout the cinematic world. His pictures are universally praised, and his work has been compared in both in style and artistry to the late Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu (Tokyo Story) and there is no greater complement than that.

Leigh possesses a unique ability of observing and commenting on British society and, like the work of Ozu, possesses a universal appeal. He has his own special style of directing, where he will often spend months getting his actors to “live” the roles they will be playing in his movie prior to the start of filming. Like Woody Allen in the U.S., top actors love to work in Leigh’s films, and the performances are invariably top rate. Among the eight movies we shall be screening are: Cries and Whispers, Topsy Turvy, Vera Drake, Happy Go Lucky, and Another Year. The other films are terrific as well.

If you have genuine interest in the oeuvre of a great director who makes films for an adult audience, then the pictures of Mike Leigh are essential watching. In 1990, Kenneth Turan film critic of the LA Times wrote, “Mike Leigh is considered by many critics the preeminent film-maker in the English-speaking world.”