Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Film description

We can confirm that our screenings of Portrait of a Lady on Fire will be taking place at Leeds University Union as planned, but with a reduced capacity. For the latest on how we're responding to the Coronavirus situation – visit this dedicated page on our website.

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Romance and art entwine in Portrait of a Lady on Fire, a sumptuous new masterpiece from the director of Tomboy and Girlhood, Céline Sciamma.

Set in late 18th century France, painter Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is commissioned by an affluent countess to paint the wedding portrait of her sheltered but headstrong daughter Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), in the hope it will find her a wealthy husband. While posing as her hired companion, Marianne is instructed to complete the portrait in secret, observing Héloïse by day and painting her by night. However, as the two women grow closer, their intimacy and attraction begins to blossom, paving the way for a simmering, star-crossed romance.

A heartbreaking period piece told with a distinctly modern feminist energy, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is the first female-directed film to win the Queer Palm at the Cannes Film Festival, where it also won the Best Screenplay award.