‘A version of girlhood that is feral and unwashed’: Leeds filmmaker Kate Graham on her LIFF short Blue Hour

On the last day before leaving for university, 18-year-old Bea drifts across the Yorkshire moors with her three best friends, armed with skateboards, a guitar, and a handheld DV camera.

They are in search of the "blue hour" - that fleeting window after sunset when the world seems to pause.

For Yorkshire writer, director, producer, and editor Kate Graham, the title serves as both a cinematic homage and an emotional metaphor.

"I homaged the concept from Eric Rohmer," Kate tells the Yorkshire Evening Post. "It just worked so well because it’s a liminal space. I was thinking about liminality for crossing over the threshold from adolescence to adulthood. The blue hour served as a metaphor for that."

The film, screening as part of the Yorkshire Shorts selection at the 2026 Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF), marks a deliberate stylistic shift for Kate.

Her previous short, Winter Song, was a multi-award-winning exploration of maternal dread and isolation filmed during the height of the pandemic.

"With Winter Song, it was quite bleak - it was exploring that isolation a lot of new mums went through in 2020," Kate explains. "Once I came to the end of that festival run, I wanted to make something a bit more fun, lean into documentary style, focus on performances, and do a lot of improvisation."

To capture Bea’s inner world, Graham combined wide digital footage of the sweeping Yorkshire countryside with handheld, low-res MiniDV camera shots taken in-world by the lead character.

"Because Bea is a skater, I wanted to lean into that aesthetic of having the DV camera," Kate says. "There’s a lot of great films made on Alexas, but there’s a new batch making these sad-girl-millennial DV films!

“It also became a practical choice. We had no money, so after our main two-and-a-half-day shoot, we went back out on a pickup day with just three of us on crew and the cast, shooting extra stills and footage on a handheld camera without needing to rent kit."

That scrappy, collaborative approach extended to building the central group of four friends.

After putting out an open call on Instagram, Graham received more than 60 responses from young actors across the North.

"They hadn't met before, which is probably the thing I'm proudest of because their chemistry is phenomenal," Kate says. "Instead of traditional trust exercises, we just went through the script, took them out for dinner, and hung out in a photo booth so they could get to know each other and build a genuine sense of friendship."

Championing authentic Northern stories

For Kate, bringing Blue Hour home to LIFF after a successful festival run at Women X, Bradford, and Aesthetica is an opportunity to push back against outdated regional stereotypes.

"It’s so important because the North just isn't represented enough on screen," she says. "People seem to come to Yorkshire and shoot the beautiful scenery while framing out all the realness. It becomes a romanticised, simplified version of rolling hills.

“With this film, I wanted to frame those things in - make sure there’s a pylon in the background, or something that reflects real life."

Kate points out that the contemporary North is far richer and more diverse than traditional media portrays.

"At my kids' school in Leeds, over 200 languages are spoken. There’s such a rich diversity here and in so many parts of Yorkshire, but when it’s represented on screen, it seems to be a Yorkshire from 100 years ago rather than modern Yorkshire.

“There is so much talent here that could make incredible films if given the backing."

Ultimately, Kate hopes local audiences connect with the raw honesty of her young leads. "I hope people watch it and see a version of girlhood that is feral and unwashed, but beautiful, lovely, and funny."

Kate Graham's Blue Hour screens as part of the Yorkshire Shorts programme at Leeds International Film Festival 2026, with venue details and tickets available through the Leeds Film Festival 2026 website.