“I looked around the room which was rammed to the rafters and thought again that the numbers and the sentiment didn’t add up. If we all really agreed that this was over, why were we all there? A mass delusion?”

I met Leslie 20 years ago through Shooting People. We were both loud and opinionated voices and I think initially we argued, if only because initially I argued with everyone. Some took this to heart and seem to have considered me unpardonable ever since but Les’ heart was too big for that. For me Leslie embodied what UK film culture could be – deeply local, a light that could draw a community together, a light by which we could see each other better.