Celebrating Louis le Prince

This special free panel event will explore the fascinating and tragic story of Leeds artist and inventor Louis le Prince, who made the world’s first moving images in the city in 1888.

The panel will also explore the influence of Le Prince’s wife Elizabeth Whitley and how we can increase awareness of their place in film history (they are featured together in the LIFF 2026 artwork as highlighted in the image at the top of this page). Hosted by LIFF Director Chris Fell, the event will run for approximately one hour and the panelists are: Irfan Shah, a Leeds based writer and expert on the life and work of Le Prince; Laurel Avery, a novelist, dress historian and former museum educator who is a Le Prince enthusiast and has written the new novel Light and Shadow based on his life; and Jason Lowe, a senior producer in video and animation who is aiming to create a permanent landmark in Leeds for Le Prince.