Tag Archives: Daniel McCarthy

Fruitvale Station Film Review | Sundance 2014

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One of the most praised dramas at Sundance USA last year and early Oscar contender to boot, Fruitvale Station finally got it’s UK bow at this year’s festival. The true story drama has been hoovering up acclaim and awards over the last year and it is very easy to see why. Over the course of December 31st, 08 and January 1st, 09 we track Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), a young father and resident of Hayward, California who begins his day determined to turn his life around. Following a spell of recent criminal convictions and prison spells, Oscar is resolved to get his house in order; get a new job, cut off bad habits and treat his family right including his adoring yet straight talking mother (Octavia Spencer). However, this search for redemption is to have a tragic end as a New Year’s Party in the city culminates in a cruel, needless tragedy that leaves the community -and America- in shock.

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Having an entire movie rest largely on a single performance is a risky business indeed. If your lead is underwhelming or just flat out doesn’t convince then you and your movie are dead in the water. Debut writer/director Ryan Coogler was surely aware of this going into production on Fruitvale Station. But he must also have been aware when he cast Michael B. Jordan that he really didn’t have to worry much. Still perhaps best known for playing the young, doomed drug dealer Wallace in the exceptional TV series The Wire, Jordan is an absolute flat out revelation here, a breakout role if ever there was one. Throughout Grant’s trials and tribulations over the course of the film, there is the feeling of raw anger and frustration at his surroundings and even many of those who surround him. Yet Jordan never feels like he’s showing off on a soap box like a lot of other ‘awards worthy’ performances have a habit of doing. Every beat, glance and observation feels real and lived in. The story of of fallen man going straight could easily fall into cliche yet the sheer humanity of the performance is more than enough to steer clear of any pitfalls. As mesmerizing as Jordan is it would be unfair to dismiss other cast members especially, Octavia Spencer on blinding form as Oscar’s rock steady mother. Her crumbling composure at the film’s climax is going to break hearts.

As a director, Coogler keeps a steady hand on incendiary material. Make no mistake, this is an angry film and rightly so. Rather than letting that anger disrupt the story and tone, he keeps everything on an even keel. There’s no fuss or confusion to the film’s beautiful and precise shooting. There’s even a touch of playfulness with Oscar’s text messages popping up on screen à la BBC’s Sherlock (don’t worry; it’s nowhere near as gimmicky or intrusive as it could be). We witness actual phone footage of the Fruitvale incident in the films opening act so there’s no surprise to the terrible outcome yet we feel all the gut-wrenching tension and heartbreak as Oscar goes about his daily grind and moves steadily towards his fate. It’s almost unbearably upsetting yet Coogler has managed to find the beauty and tenderness in the frank observations of an individual in his last moments. It’s a paean to life in America in all its wonder – and indeed its horror – and it deserves every bit of your attention.

Little Accidents Film Review | Sundance 2014

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Recent news stories of industrial mining accidents across the world linger in the background of this stark, character based drama from debut feature director Sara Colangelo. Expanded from her short film of the same name and assisted via the Sundance Institute’s Writers Lab, the story focuses on a rural Appalachian community devastated by a disaster at the local coal mine which has claimed ten lives. Already people are looking for someone to blame from a legal angle and pressure steadily mounts on the sole survivor of the disaster; Amos Jenkins (Boyd Holbrook) whose testimony could seal some hefty compensation. Meanwhile, one of the kids (Jacob Loflland) of the dead miners struggles with his own grief and sets off a chain of consequences that envelope Bill and Diana Doyle (Josh Lucas and Elizabeth Banks). The former is one of the managers of the coal mine and is a figure of rising blame and anger amongst the locals…

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Steeped in an authentic style and filmed entirely on location with no sets, Little Accidents doesn’t have to work hard to convince in its portrayal of an America that’s seldom seen along with those inhabiting it. It’s a place which would probably spring up on Google if you typed ‘small town America’; everyone knows each other and each others business whatever their background and class. The town is presented as its own internal universe. It’s a simmering cauldron of mistrust and quiet rage that boils over in the wake of tragedy and boy does it ever boil over. The films earthy and natural tone perfectly encapsulate this, as well as the authentic environment that includes what appear to be genuine residents appearing as themselves. It’s also bolstered by some really superb performances, most notably from Boyd Holbrook as the haunted Amos. Hindered via a limp and with a thousand yard piercing stare, Amos could prove too sheltered and quiet to engage with the audience, but Holbrook makes it connect finding the perfect manners for a deeply wounded yet profoundly decent everyman.

Where the film does seem a little less sure footed is in later developments. Characters meet and interact in ways that at first seems natural, but as events unfold grow increasingly cliched or even unbelieveable. A subplot which see’s Amos and Diana embark on an affair seems almost redundant; a cheap device to bring their characters and desires closer together and intertwine. Josh Lucas does the best he can (actually the best he’s ever been) as the put upon yet unshakable husband, but even his character’s arc seems very deliberately placed and dropped off without much thought. Performance wise the film is nearly stolen by Jacob Lofland (of Mud fame) who perfectly captures the innocence, anger and uncertainty of youth here compounded by tragic events. A lingering close up of his weary face late in the story provides the film with one its most striking images. It’s he and his fellow actors who hold Little Accidents steady even as it hits occasional rocky ground.

Crystal Fairy Film Review

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crystalfairyfilmreviewA young American in a foreign land, ignorant to the culture and the language, at the crossroads of life, in search cheap booze and an ecstatic high. At first impressions, Crystal Fairy seems depressingly familiar. I’ve personally seen enough dopey nonsense about Americans running amok overseas to last a lifetime. Thankfully such thoughts are quickly dismissed in this unpolished original, made as a small off the cuff project next to psychological thriller Magic Magic by writer and Sebastian Silva. Shot in a largely improvised manner, the film centres on Jamie (Michael Cera, also star of Magic Magic), an obnoxious and self centred young man travelling across Chile with a group of local friends. Drunk at a party, he runs into a fellow American going by ‘Crystal Fairy’ (Gaby Hoffmann), an incredibly enthusiastic mystic willing to see the good in everyone and everything. He inadvertently invites her along with his friends to the north coast where they plan to sample the famed San Pedro cactus juice, known for it’s potent hallucinogenic effects. It’s an idea he immediately regrets as her easy going charm rubs his selfish impulses the wrong way and the group gravitate far more towards her than him. Perhaps losing their heads together may be the only way to get on with one another…

 

In a set up that seems painfully familiar, Crystal Fairy’s primary success is finding a fresh vitality in the worn material. Part of this is down to the beautiful photography of the film. From the urgency of the cityscape to the desolate yet hauntingly beautiful Atacama Desert, the handheld camerawork gives a woozy vibrancy to the films look that matches up with the story tone perfectly. The camera is constantly roving to find detail from the rhythms of everyday local life to fleeting gestures that betray the characters inner thoughts and motives. Its a style that best suits the semi improvisational tone of the writing and characterization. While there is a sense of narrative drift that some viewers may not have the patience for, if they do they will be rewarded by a deviation from the norms you expect from the set up. Jamie and Crystal sound on paper like incredibly two dimensional characters; the ignorant jerk and the manic pixie dream girl. Yet in the midst of the bleak landscape, wry humour and refreshing honesty they come to life in a believable manner that fleshes both of them out.

 

This characterization is further complimented by the excellent performances of both Cera and Hoffman. Cera’s presence could have potentially drawn more unwelcome parallels with thestereotypical fool abroad trope. Having made his name in nebbish, exasperated roles from Arrested Development onward some would argue that he has acted his way into a typecast corner. It’s refreshing to see him not only acting in such a niche project but also that he embraces such an unlikeable character. Jamie is spiky, attention seeking and outwardly hostile to pretty much everyone he crosses paths with. It’s a credit to Cera that his naive charm manages to overcome Jamie’s imperfections and make the inevitable softening of his edges work. Hoffmann pretty much steals the show, her eccentric energy lightening up the screen in pretty much every appearance and avoiding the pitfalls of annoyance that similar characters have fallen into. Together they see through a film that thankfully sidesteps convention and offers up a telling glimpse of young fears, desires and potential hope.

Crystal Fairy [DVD]

American Hustle | Film Review

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‘Some of this actually happened’ states the opening title card of David O. Russell’ s freewheeling and acerbic comedic caper. It’s a sly and flippant and comment that not only reflects on the crisscross narrative that we are about to receive. It also matches the confident swagger of The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook, the double bill that marked O. Russell’s return to filmmaking several years after I Heart Huckabees (and several highly publicized verbal and physical alterations between collaborators) had somewhat sullied his career. In this hiatus Russell seems to have firmly pinned down his directorial voice and is making up for lost time, coming immediately on the critically lauded heels of these two recent films.

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At the tail end of the 1970’s Irving Rosenfield and Sydney Prosser (Christian Bale and Amy Adams) cross paths. He’s a con artist and forged art dealer, she’s a stripper with ambitions to be anything else and a flair for performance. They become lovers and partner up to dupe desperate would be clients out of vast fortunes. This comes to an abrupt halt when FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) traps them in a sting operation and then hands them an ultimatum; lengthy jail terms or help him bring down four major fraudsters using their inside knowledge of cons. With little choice the fragile alliance set their sights on Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), the mayor of a run down New Jersey town, whose otherwise decent dreams to see the town back on its feet has him resorting to bribing potential affluent backers. What follows is an increasingly fraught and escalating situation that involves political corruption, the East Coast mafia and Irving’s astonishingly volatile, wildcard wife Roslyn (Jennifer Lawrence). That and some very eye catching haircuts.

 

The films lengthy opening shot details Rosenfield’s painstaking preparation for engaging in his illicit trade. This includes applying a ridiculous and elaborate hair piece using super glue and a frankly eye watering comb over (Bale must be a frontrunner for most egoless star working). This sets the tone for the act of deception and the recreation of identity that runs throughout the film. Rosenfield takes an astonishing, almost delusional pride in the commitment to the roles that he takes on; a commitment followed by Sydney who adopts the persona of ‘Lady Edith’, a descendant of British aristocracy whose elusive charm helps reel in their marks. Indeed everyone in American Hustle is restless to be something other than who they are. Small timers want to be big fish, beat cops want to be national heroes and corrupt politicians want to be heros of the everyman. This provides a melancholic tone underlying throughout what would otherwise be a fairly generic crime comedy. Russell clearly has a lot of heart for the characters he writes and it’s matched by his verve behind the camera. Every frame of the film is bathed in a luxurious, warm hue along a variety of assured directorial flourishes ; crash zooms, tracking shots and multiple overlapping voiceovers. He’s making every effort to create a sense of the period in which the film is set and he doffs his cap to several filmmakers of the period. Martin Scorsese in particular seems to be evoked clearly in the directorial style and for the most part this works to keep the narrative pace high and the period evocation believable.

 

However whilst the majority of American Hustle plays out at high tempo, O. Russell’s looseattitude toward structure and a tight plot prove to be as much problematic and pleasurable.There’s no denying that there is a lot of fun to be had with the escalating sense of chaos and anarchism as it cruises along. It is often, and delightfully, full of near the knuckle dark humour and profane laced musings. O. Russell’s cast step up to the task admirably and the dialogue rings with an authentic, semi improvisational feel. The downside is that this occasionally drags down the complex plot and crucially even comes close to bringing it to a grinding halt. There is such a vast array of colorful side characters and layers of betrayal and deception, that the exhausting attention to period detail and character quirks seems to obscure what should otherwise be clear. And certainly whilst its surely impossible to make story like this boring, the film does feel overlong for what should otherwise be a light footed caper. If the film is guilty of being over indulgent however, we are in least in the greatest of company when it comes to the cast. Bale and Cooper are terrific as a unique spin on the hunter and prey cliche, forced to assist one another yet utterly resentful of one another. Their portrayals as tightly wound, temperamental, exasperated ‘professionals’ throb with an infectious energy and a disarming humility. Movie stars they may be, they both feel far away from typical star performances. As good as they are however, the film is absolutely stolen by Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence. Coming off her
Oscar win in O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook, Lawrence radiates fiery passion and honesty as Rosenberg’s neglected wife and young mother. High strung and over emotional she may be, she is certainly no where near as daft and hopeless as she seems and her clear and concise attitudes towards other characters is often breathtaking. An alcohol induced rendition of ‘Live and Let Die’ is at once utterly tragic and uproariously funny. It is Adams however who comes across the genuine heart and soul of the film. Less showy than any of her co-stars, she finds the vulnerability and desperation at the centre of her character that makes her empathetic and quietly courageous. All are backed by a solid supporting cast including Louis C.K. as Richie’s exasperated boss and an understated cameo late on that is really not worth spoiling.

 

It’s good to see such a prominent filmmaker from the 90’s back on such prolific form and O. Russell’s touch is for the most part infectious. The true trick now will be to see where his directorial voice can go from this unofficial trilogy that American Hustle rounds out. Perhaps he’s gotten a little too caught up with the hair and fashion in, but then again it’s a lot of fun whilst it lasts.

 

How To Survive A Plague | Film Review

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Nominated for the Academy Award for best documentary feature earlier this year, How To Survive A Plague arrives on these shores this week. With a engrossing yet intimate scope, the film examines the outbreak of the AIDS virus in the 1980’s and specifically its impact in Greenwich Village, New York. Faced with underwhelming medical advancement and indifferent political reaction, a diverse group of young men and women facing almost certain death banded together to found activist group ACT UP. Refusing to die quietly, they took their plight and struggle into the public domain and doggedly began a chain reaction that would turn AIDS from being nearly hundred percent lethal into a manageable disease. Director David France employs a wealth of archive footage and interviews with surviving activists to tell this remarkable story.

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Rather than settle for a standard talking head format that many documentary features use, France takes the bold approach of solely using existing archival footage for the vast majority of the films running time. Nearly 700 hours of home videos, news reports,testimonial footage and art protest videos have been whittled down to just under two with contemporary interview audio layered over the soundtrack. This approach reminded me of the brilliant documentary Senna, which also employed little seen existing footage to fill in for contemporary replacements. Like that films director, France realizes that he has an absolute goldmine at his disposal and that the images alone speak volumes. The confrontation between activist Bob Rafsky and then senator Bill Clinton is well documented enough (‘I feel your pain’). But there are numerous stirring and even jaw dropping scenes of protests, rallies, and interviews that convey the monumental struggle in all of its resilience. Ugly undercurrents of homophobia saw many victims of the disease meet indifference or outright hostility from what should in theory be American societies most supportive institutions; the healthcare industry and the Catholic church. One extraordinary sequence focuses on a mass ‘die in’ protest at St. Patrick’s Cathedral as protesters called out the church’s dismissal of condoms and the AIDS crisis altogether.

 

In the midst of the drama and tragedies that defined the era, France never loses focus of the figures at the centre of all of this. As the film reaches its later stages we are treated to a more conventional talking head interview format with surviving activists but this change in style is fully justified by the emotional arc that they, and in course the audience, have been on by that point. This was not simply a fight for political and social rights; it was a battle for life itself with no room for compromise. Many moments captured on camera here are raw and emotionally devastating. A rally culminating with the ashes of AIDS victims scattered across the White House lawn is utterly heartbreaking. If there is a crescendo to the grief and anguish of this generation, it comes from acclaimed playwright Larry Kramer silencing a group of squabbling, divided activists. ‘Plague! We are in the middle of a plague!’ he bellows. His voice cuts through the discourse and chills to the bone of the audience.  It’s a statement that sums up the battle that this community had to face together, and one that they overcame with unity, humour and dignity. It’s a statement, and a cause, that deserves to be heard and remembered and this film is brilliant testament to that.

Utopia Film Review

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Author, journalist and filmmaker John Pilger has spent the last four decades providing a voice for the vulnerable and powerless. He has worked up an impressive resume of work, picking up a Bafta and Emmy in the process, that tackles the theme of division between the powers to be and those considered to be ‘lesser’ individuals who suffer in their wake. His best known work is focused on his native Australia where his breakthrough film The Secret Country (1985), focused on the indigenous Aboriginal population and their shameful persecution over the years. This focus is reiterated in Utopia (named after the Aboriginal homeland in the northern territory) along with the shocking facts of how their land was stolen from them and the various injustices against them that have not ceased with the passage of time.

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Pilger does not hold back in his words and examinations of the current climate in Australia and rightly so. References to ‘the lucky country’ are used alongside  words such as ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid’; words that are hard to associate with one of the world’s leading nations. However they seem fully justified in the wake of Pilger’s disturbing revelations. There have been film projects, both factual and fictional, that have focused on the dark chapters of slavery and of ‘The Stolen Generation’, the hideous government policy that saw children taken from their families in order to be used as slave labour and as a deliberate effort to ‘breed out the black.’ Such depictions of shameful events seem like a distant memory but there appears to be no let up in unjust persecution on the native population. If anything it would appear to have taken on  a more subtle and ‘respectable’ facade. Grim statistics of neglect, rife disease, suicide rates and overwhelming incarceration of Aboriginal citizens portray a chilling view of a seemingly national ignorance. Amidst this catalogue of atrocity, Pilger specifically focuses on the steady and insidious efforts of a government endorsed think tank that attempted to quietly erase the dark history of the nation’s past (‘no genocide, no theft of land’) and then proceeded to fuel various moral panics in the media, including a notorious claim of mass paedophilla taking place within Aboriginal tribes.  The claims were untrue and served as a mass distraction to a land grab in the area to mine for natural resources that have kept Australia’s economy strong during the recent downturn. Images of the countries majestic rural beauty take on a dark, melancholic tone in the knowledge of what has been to done to lay claim to it. The interview subjects gathered together on behalf of the  government and media institutions, which includes former prime minister Kevin Rudd, are given a fair approach by Pilger but this still appears to provide more than enough rope for some of them. His interview style is concise and devastating in it’s blunt to the point attitude but not as devastating as his subjects apparent apathy or, more shockingly, a casual indifference to the shocking social divisions and injustices over the years. This sentiment also come across in a quietly disturbing set of soundbites from from everyday citizens celebrating national holidays to commemorate the arrival of westerners to the continent. Though it is admittedly unlikely for the filmmakers to include footage with those uneasy at the one sided nature of the celebrations, it’s still unnerving to see such willful disinterest and prejudice in a first world nation.

 

Throughout the film the sense of quiet anger and shame is raw but never lapses over into trite sentiment. Aboriginal interviewees contained in the film have been at the receiving end of neglect, stereotyping and institutional racism and there is no pleading for sympathy from them or in the tone of the film. There is the inclusion of astonishing footage of labour strikes that helped signal the collapse of slavery in the nation.  Rather than raging against indignity, there is a focus on the quiet and calm search for justice. This is encapsulated in one astonishing scene where Pilger accompanies the descendants of Aboriginal prisoners to the sight of a remote former prison where hundreds were incarcerated and  lost their lives. It is now a luxury resort, with no references or memorials to its past and those who died there. The camera holds on the elder descendants face, clearly wracked with pain and anger, yet refusing to be broken by what he sees.  Filmed in an unfussy and focused manner, it’s small moments like this that hit the hardest.  Pilger and his collaborators voice is a calm yet impassioned one and it deserves to be heard in this extraordinary film.

 

UTOPIA will be released in UK cinemas on November 15th. It will be released on DVD December 16th and broadcast on ITV on 17th December. It is set to be shown in Australia early next year.

I Play With The Phrase Each Other | 21st Raindance Film Festival

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raindance film festival, 21, filmJay Alvarez’ debut feature is being heralded as a genuine first; the first film to be composed entirely of phone calls between characters. With a micro budget obtained via crowdsourcing and Craigslist sales, the filmmakers collaborated with a group of friends, family and first time actors in the Portland area where filming took place. In line with its niche, contemporary framing device the film was shot on an Iphone. It centres primarily on Jake (Will Hand), a young neurotic tempted to the big city by his old friend Sean (Alvarez), a wannabe poet. Sean’s life is far from comfortable and wholesome; he lives in a squalid flat and earns his money by conning naive Internet shoppers. When Jake arrives to find Sean missing and uncontactable he struggles to fit in to the cities bleak, nocturnal landscape as the lengthy phone conversations in each scene detail strained relationships with distant friends, former lovers and forgotten family.

 

On first impressions, I Play With The Phrase Each Other sounds like its central premise would be an obstacle to connecting with it. There is the danger of being too distant to engage or the incredibly lo-fi shooting style proving too amateurish. Thankfully on a filmmaking level every penny of the fund raising  has paid off. Filmed in a stark monochrome against a backdrop of recession stricken America, the film relentlessly probes the nights and urban decay of the characters environment. I was reminded of In Search Of A Midnight Kiss and, to a lesser extent, Clerks in its visual style.  Production value and cinematography are terrific and show off the filmmakers skills with such limited resources. Along with  the Web Fest also taking place at Raindance this year, its films like this which really show off the advancing availability of resources and technology to today’s independent filmmakers.

 

Alvarez claims that the films unique structure is ‘ an announcement of youngness’ and that it would ‘scream our modern nausea’.  It’s a bold claim that does initially strike very effectively. There’s a swift flow to the opening passages of the film as we are introduced to the key players and the framing device of phone calls creates a sense of distortion and isolation that feels frighteningly contemporary. An early shot boosts a central character’s bookshelf comprised of Hemingway, Thompson and Heller. There’s no disguising the scripts incredibly literary background; the dialogue is at once profane and witty with a fine line of pathos running throughout.  Where things do begin to falter somewhat is in the meandering manner of the conversations themselves. Alvarez throws such a large group of characters into the mix that it starts to become difficult to keep track of who is who and more worryingly, who to care about. Characters discuss everything from employment to sexuality, media and the economy yet only a small amount of it sticks. Characters are introduced then dropped completely  just as they are starting to become engaging or memorable.  The cast of unknowns and first time actors do an extremely impressive job with the material that does work and lingers in the mind. One notable example is hustler Jamario, played with a volatile mix of humour and intimidation by ‘Big Dogg’, an acquaintance of the director. Its a piece of casting that rings with utter authenticity.  Another is an unnamed retail manager portrayed by Robert Thrush, featuring in a running series of deadpan vignettes before a climactic and  lengthy voice message plays out across a tight close up. Its a beautiful yet uncomfortable scene that really gets to the heart of the notion of disconnect via modern communication. The film is desperately crying out for other scenes of this immediacy and tenderness.

 

All in all I Play With The Phrase Each Other is an eye catching debut and certainly bodes well for Jay Alvarez. Although ultimately it may be a film that is easier to admire than to love.

 

 

21st Raindance Film Festival Launch

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The Raindance Film Festival , Europe’s largest independent film festival, enters its 21st year supporting and promoting independent filmmakers not just in the UK  but around the world. Established by Elliot Grove in 1992 as a unique new voice in British filmmaking, Raindance has grown in reputation and stature  with establishments opening in New York, Paris, Berlin, Toronto and many more cities around the globe. The festival has become a staple of the international film community and has seen the UK premieres of the likes of Pulp Fiction, Memento, The Blair Witch Project, Ghost World and Down Terrace. As Grove puts it, ‘There are two kinds of filmmakers in the world. There are those who are allowed into the sacred halls of film funding institutions and allowed to make their movies and then there is everyone else.’ Raindance has served as a platform for this second group for the past two decades. Grove recently took the podium at the Vue Cinema in Piccadilly to announce the the festival’s launch and give the press a taste of what’s on offering this year. Vue Entertainment are the official partners for the festival and are serving as the host venue this year. This year’s festival promises a bulging line up not just in the amount of entrants, but also in the diverse range of cultural background and formats.

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The full lineup is comprised of over 300 films submitted from over 50 countries which span a multitude of genres from black comedy, romantic drama, science fiction and documentary. The opening night gala film is the documentary feature How To Make Money Selling Drugs while the closing night  is the homegrown sci-fi thriller The Machine starring Toby Stephens. Rather than forcing the submitted films into a main competition against one another, the festival has broken screenings into specific international strands highlighting filmmaking from around the world. These strands include the likes of Reel Britannia, Way Out East, North American Indies and La Dolce Italia. One that has major focus in this years festival is the Mexican Revolution strand. Often overlooked as a country of rich cinematic culture, Mexico has seven feature films and a collection of shorts on offer for its second year at Raindance and is so far the only Mexican strand in a UK film festival. It includes the international premiere of Sugar Kisses by director Carlos Cuarón (brother of Alfonso) and the Cannes Award nominee Fable of A Blood Drained Girl by Alejandro Iglesias Mendizabal. There are also several short documentary films from Syria in competition that cover the ongoing conflict in the region. Grove revealed during the press launch that the director behind one of these films had only just recently escaped from captivity and was in hiding for fear of recapture. As well as a bountiful international selection, there will be a wide variety in the Documentary and Raindance Symphony Orchestra strands, with subject matter covering Youtube sensations, small town Basketball teams and 80’s rock band Skum Rocks.

 

As well as the main festival, Raindance will  be hosting the UK’s first ever Web Fest, a ‘micro-festival’ (running on the 28th and 29th of September)  that celebrates the emergence of user generated content online and will feature audience panels covering technical specifications, audience development and the future of web television and crowdfunding.  There will also be world premiere screenings of several new web series including Producing Juliet, the new project from Tina Cesa Ward whose previous project, Anyone But Me, got over 35 million views online. It marks a major development in the way that the film industry can approach distribution and audience interaction as well as a thorough indicator of how far technology and accessibility have come in a consumer market, giving more and more people the opportunity to make the projects they want to make. As Grove explains, ‘Filmmakers need to adapt to how everyone consumes media today…we wanted Web Fest to offer guidance as to how to generate and manage your content as well as showcase emerging talent.’

 

The penultimate day of the festival will see The Raindance Awards Ceremony, where a selected jury hand out awards for categories such as International, U.K. , short, documentary and animation. The jurors come from a varied background of cinema, criticism and interactive media. They include the film critic Robbie Collin, actor Jason Flemyng, author Robert Rankin, singer Beth Gibbons and the journalist and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. The later will have DVD’s of the films in competition delivered to him at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. As well as the major awards, one short film will be named

‘Film Of The Festival’ and will be awarded and shortlist position for Academy Award nominees.

 

During the festival attendants will be able to pick up The Raindance Popcorn Pass, which allows for unlimited access to Raindance screenings at Vue Piccadilly. It costs £100 and comes with £20 pre-loaded for use at the foyer (not on alcohol though!) and also allows for 20% off retail items in the foyer. It is available to purchase until the 25th of September via 08712240242.

 

The 21st Raindance Film Festival runs from the 25th of September to the 6th of October at the Vue cinema, Piccadilly. For more information visit www.raindancefestival.org or www.myvue.com/raindance