Hyde Park Picture House is the latest in Leeds to show its support for the people of Ukraine.
The cinema will be donating ticket sales of a range of movies to the UNHCR Refugee Agency Emergency Appeal, which aids Ukrainians that are forced to flee their homes in search of shelter and safety.
Image: Hyde Park Picture House (HPPH)
The showings will highlight a selection of Soviet 60s movies alongside more contemporary films that feature Ukrainian talent or storylines, as well as raising money for the cause.
All movies will also be shown either as a socially distanced or reduced capacity showing. The first being a distanced screening of Wings on Sunday 20th March at 3.30pm inside Leeds University Union.
Wings. / Image: HPPH
The picture house had initially planned to host a Soviet 60’s screening season but decided in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this could no longer go ahead as planned.
Instead, they have revised the schedule and plan to donate all proceeds to help Ukrainian refugees in need.
Hyde Park Picture House explained that:
"This screening of Larisa Sheptiko‘s Wings was originally part of the Soviet 60's season, alongside three other Russian and Armenian-language films from the 1960s, in collaboration with Klassiki.
"In light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, this season is now no longer able to go ahead as planned. However, we have decided to go proceed with our screening of Wings, for two reasons. Firstly, Larisa Shepitko was a Ukrainian director, and her work is an important part of the cultural heritage of a country now under assault. And secondly, we've agreed with Klassiki to donate all the ticket sales to the UNHCR emergency appeal."
Olga. Image: HPPH
Olga, a movie about a young gymnast with Olympic-potential leaves Kyiv just as Ukraine experiences unprecedented political turmoil, will be shown at Leeds University Union on Sunday 3 April 2022 at 3.40pm with a reduced capacity.
The film follows the life of Olga, who is a distant bystander, as her mother, an investigative journalist, challenges a brutal regime. A subtle, tensely handled tale of exile reflecting the pressures on young athletes, the clash between the personal and the political, and Olga’s search for who she is and what she is prepared to sacrifice.
Meanwhile, We and Our Mountains, "one of the most storied of the USSR’s so-called “national” cinemas, which remains relatively unknown abroad" will be shown at 3.30pm the following weekend on Sunday 15 May 2022- another of the Soviet 60s season that was due to be shown but was cancelled in light of current events.
Hyde Park Picture House in its current scaffolded state is presented in the colours of the Ukrainian flag to show its support.
The Wombats aren’t just still going strong - they’re getting better. And honestly? Long may they reign.
The Wombats absolutely tore the roof off the First Direct Arena in Leeds last night, Wednesday 26 March and what a night it was.
From the second they hit the stage it wasn’t just a gig, it was a full-blown indie-pop spectacle, packed with infectious energy, nostalgia, and a whole lot of dancing.
They kicked things off with “Moving to New York,” and honestly? The crowd was in from the first note.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Matthew Murphy’s unmistakable vocals rang through the arena and suddenly, thousands of people were screaming every lyric like it was 2007 all over again. It was one of those moments where you could just feel how much this band still means to people.
Despite the massive venue, The Wombats somehow made it feel intimate. The lights? Pure chaos in the best way - vibrant, colourful, and totally in sync with the band’s wild, bouncy sound.
Murphy’s cheeky banter between songs made it feel less like a polished arena show and more like a jam session with a few thousand of your closest mates.
Setlist-wise, they nailed it. “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” and “Greek Tragedy” had the whole place losing it, while the stripped-down version of “Techno Fan” gave everyone a minute to breathe (and maybe get a little emotional).
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Those quieter moments just made the high-energy choruses hit even harder. It was a rollercoaster - in the best way possible.
Then came the encore. If you thought the crowd was loud before, “Kill the Director” took things to another level. Pure, chaotic indie bliss. The kind of moment you don’t want to end.
Here’s the thing about The Wombats: some might say their older songs hit harder than their newer stuff, but is that just nostalgia talking? Or maybe it’s a generational thing?
Either way, they proved they’re still one of the most exciting live bands out there. They’ve still got the hooks, the humour, and the ability to turn a massive arena into a sweaty, euphoric singalong.
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
Danny Jones
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Sophie Smith -
17th March 2022 
