The One and Only Mike Leigh

"I say, come and be in my film. Can't tell you what it's about. I can't tell you what your character is. We'll invent that as part of the process. And you will never know any more than your character knows." Mike Leigh The only British director to have won the top prize at both Cannes and Venice film festivals, Mike Leigh is one of the greatest living film-makers. Known for low-budget, award-wining films including Abigail’s Party, Nuts In May, Vera Drake, Secrets And Lies and Naked, his latest film Mr Turner is his most lavish film to date. Leigh’s acutely observed tragi-comedies explore the poetry and pathos in the lives of ordinary people, and are borne of an extraordinary working process - there’s no script, no stars and a six month rehearsal period where the actors collaborate with him to devise the film. Despite his collaborative process, every film draws on Leigh’s personal experiences, from growing up in Salford to his troubled relationships with his parents. In this deeply personal and intimate imagine… film Mike Leigh opens up as never before.