Tag Archives: raindance

Discover And Be Discovered At 22nd Raindance Film Festival

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From World Cinema to British film, documentaries and shorts, Raindance Film Festival returns to London to showcase the best in Independent film

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Raindance Film Festival, the UK’s largest independent Film Festival, will be showcasing the very best in new independent cinema for its 22nd year at Vue Piccadilly London, from the 24th September – 5th October 2014.

 

The Festival is committed to discovering and promoting bold new talent who create innovative and boundary pushing films, allowing audiences to discover an alternative experience to their usual trip to the cinema.

 

The line-up of films on offer spans across genres, ranging from rom-coms to black comedies, psychological thrillers and sci-fi, to documentaries and music and art focused films – really delivering something for everyone.

 

Raindance filmgoers are also likely to be among the first to view cult classics of the future – with previous Raindance-premiered hits including the Blair Witch Project, Memento, Ghost World and Love Exposure.
The quality of films across all categories is reflected in the fact that one short film screened at Raindance will be crowned ‘Film of the Festival’, and will be awarded an Academy Award Short List position. 

 

New to this year, Raindance has scoured the regions to discover the industry’s best up and coming filmmaking talent. The chosen six new creative’s work will be screened in the shorts category, giving cinemagoers the chance to view fresh filmmaking from across the UK.

 

Anyone wishing to attend the festival can buy a Raindance Festival Pass, which will give access to every film screened at the festival, or simply pick up tickets on a film by film basis.

 

Raindance is committed to making film accessible to all, so the organisers endeavour to keep prices as reasonable as possible, with many screening tickets available for less than £10.

 

The full festival programme and access to tickets for the 2014 festival will be available on raindancefestival.org at the start of September.

 

 

Raindance Filmmakers’ Charity Ball | Events

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Host of film talent attend inaugural filmmakers’ ball

– Sadie Frost, Helen George and Tamer Hassan attended Raindance Film Festival’s charity party –

 

 A host of celebrities and film industry talent attended Raindance Film Festival’s inaugural Independent Filmmakers’ Ball last night to raise funds for The Independent Film Trust (IFT), the UK charity whose activities include the provision of film-making courses for disadvantaged adults and children. Guests included Sadie Frost, Helen George, Tamer Hassan, Nick Broomfield, Alan Parker, Matt Kernard and Kitty Brucknell.

alanparker elliotgrove geraldmccarthy helengeorge nickbroomfield sadiefrost

Entertainment on the night came from soul band ‘The Indies’ as well as a ‘filmmaker’s dream raffle’, with prizes including a Canon EOS C100 camera and screening-room hire from Motion Picture Solutions handed out to lucky winners.

 

Raindance and British Independent Film Award founder Elliot Grove comments: “It was a pleasure to see the crème de la crème of British indie filmmaking come together under one roof for such a great cause and to celebrate their work. Away from the glamour of tinsel town, these guys work incredibly hard to deliver thought-provoking, disruptive and consistently entertaining material for our viewing pleasure and I can’t wait for the chance to showcase their work when the 22nd annual Raindance Film Festival returns this autumn.”

 

 

Raindance Film Festival Presents The Independent Filmmaker’s Ball

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7:30pm, April 30th, Café de Paris, London

The Raindance Film Festival has announced their inaugural Independent Filmmaker’s Ball, will take place at the Café de Paris in Leicester Square, London, on the 30th April 2014. raindance

The ball is an opportunity to celebrate independent film and filmmakers and to bring the indie film community under one roof for an exciting night of partying, prizes, music and networking. Raindance and British Independent Film Award founder Elliot Grove said: “It might be all sunshine, bikinis and martinis for the Hollywood set, but British indie filmmakers work unbelievably hard in horrible weather to get their work made and seen. They deserve a night of celebration and some great raffle prizes to boot: bring on the Independent Filmmaker’s Ball!”

 

The event also doubles as a fundraiser for the Independent Film Trust (IFT), which teaches disadvantaged adults and children filmmaking skills. Neil McCartney, chairman of the IFT, said: “We’re so pleased to be able to work with both established filmmakers and complete beginners to promote filmmaking as an art form for everyone. This event will help us raise awareness for our cause, and the funds will enable us to carry on improving and extending the reach of our workshops.”

 

Raindance is planning a fantastic night of entertainment with a classy venue, great indie music and the filmmaker’s dream raffle. Music will be provided by soul band ‘The Indies’, a group made up of working professionals from the UK film industry. The raffle draw is being supported by some amazing Raindance partners and features an awesome array of prizes, including:

  • Canon EOS C100 camera & 18-135mm lens
  • Blackmagic camera hire & DCP package from the Post Factory
  • Screening room hire from Motion Picture Solutions
  • Hundreds of pounds worth of vouchers for stock footage from Pond 5
  • Two annual passes from Vue Cinemas
  • A spa treatment day for two with champagne afternoon tea from the May Fair Hotel

…and many more!

 

Tickets are now on sale, visit the website or call Raindance to enquire and book tickets:

Website:  http://www.raindance.org/independent-filmmakers-ball/

Number: 0207 930 3412

Independent film Third Contact Tours after making cinema history at BFI IMAX

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Third Contact is the debut feature film from Director Simon Horrocks and his company, BodyDouble Films. After a successful premiere at the renowned BFI IMAX, the independent film will make its way around the UK, Europe, America and Canada over the next four months. Screenings are being funded by Indiegogo and Tugg using a unique ‘cinema on demand’ approach.

Third-Contact-film

The story follows Dr David Wright, a depressed psychotherapist, who embarks on an obsessive investigation after a second patient takes their life in mysterious circumstances.

Shot using only a handheld camcorder, a microphone and a light, the overall budget for the film came to an astonishingly low £4000. The film has been praised for its exceptional camera work in addition to its seamless use of colours, themes and sounds throughout. The actors have been credited on numerous occasions for their performances whilst the script has been commended on its intelligence.

The writer and director, Simon Horrocks, who also took care of filming, casting, production and editing, had raised the money to put the film together by working in a cinema. Later down the line, Horrocks would be making cinema history for having a film short costing virtually nothing, screening in a theatre alongside films made for £200 million.

This milestone moment in Horrocks career came together by a Kickstarter campaign, which funded the premiere held at the BFI IMAX in London. The likes of MacUser Magazine and Raindance Film Festival got behind the project and made donations towards the campaign.

Once the premiere had taken place the film received rave reviews from the likes of Faust, Critics Associated, Frankenpost, Movie Sleuth and The London Film Review. Third Contact also made it to the prestigious HoF International Film Festival in Germany.

Third Contact will be screening in various locations in the UK, Europe, Canada and America over the forthcoming few months.

We will have an interview with the director, Simon, soon.

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.

raindance film festival 21st

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

 

Submissions open for Britain’s first Web Fest

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raindanceRaindance London Web Fest
Raindance hosts Britain’s first Web Fest in London
September 28/29, 2013

What do The Guild, Anyone But Me and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries have in common?

They were all started by independent writers who rejected the traditional broadcast commissioning process to create their own shows their own way… and were rewarded with loyal fans worldwide and millions of views of their web series.

And they are making money.

Britain’s first Web Fest has been created to celebrate the best independent online content from around the world in a 2 day feast of screenings, panels and special events that takes place during the 21st Annual Raindance Film Festival in the heart of London’s West End.

“It was only natural for Raindance to create a showcase for web series. Online content is becoming the place for filmmakers and creators to be discovered. Web series creators are the perfect example of independent filmmakers who have plugged into the social media landscape.” said Raindance founder Elliot Grove.

Raindance WebFest is currently open for submissions until July 15th.

For details: http://www.raindance.org/festival-2013/raindance-london-web-fest/

Raindance Raw Talent ties with Mulholland Pictures in new feature film

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Not happy with a film festival and film courses, Raindance are now making their own film, Love.Honour.Obey., a bondage-themed psychological thriller, Premiering September 2013

E & A
The Raindance Film Festival’s production arm, Raindance Raw Talent, has teamed up with multi-award winning Dutch production company Mulholland Pictures to produce an independent thriller titled Love.Honour.Obey., which will premiere at the Raindance Film Festival in London in September 2013.

Having curated one of the world’s leading film festivals and taught filmmaking classes for over two decades, Raindance has a mission to discover, foster and promote independent filmmaking around the world, always from an active, creative and energetic angle. Raindance Raw Talent aims to produce truly independent films that are entertaining, thought-provoking and commercially viable.

Mulholland Pictures won 4 awards at the Berlin Film Festival with their film Left Luggage. Other credits include Enigma starring Kate Winslet, directed by Michael Apted, Fogbound with Luke Perry and The Discovery of Heaven with Stephen Fry.

Love.Honour.Obey. is the story of Alison, who with her husband Tom is late one night assaulted and bound by an intruder in their home. A dark kidnapping story takes an intriguing twist, as it transpires that the intruder has a mysterious vision for the married couple. A gritty psychological thriller with a haunting moral, Love.Honour.Obey. also features the use of ‘Kinbaku’ – a form of Japanese bondage which literally translates as ‘the beauty of tight binding’.

To raise the money for this feature without having to rely on studios, professional film financiers or the government, Raindance Raw Talent has decided to use an alternative form of film financing which incorporates traditional elements such as pre-sales with the new model of crowdfunding. Using the Indiegogo website, in just over 2 weeks the campaign has raised an incredible 102% its goal and is still going strong, ranking among the top 5 film campaigns on the site!

To learn more about the Indiegogo campaign, donate or share, click here

The unique and exciting perks on the Indiegogo campaign are designed to give an insight into the process of making the film, from script to shoot, edit to premiere. They feature fly-on-the-wall viewpoints such as the full script notes between writer, director and producer, as well as the opportunity to spend a day with the cast and crew on set – and there will be even more one-of-a-kind perks added to the campaign soon!

Cult director Ate de Jong has made films in English, German and Dutch. He lived and worked in Hollywood for 8 years, and his credits include Drop Dead Fred and Highway to Hell. Ate has also directed the Miami Vice episode Missing Hours, which guest-starred James Brown and was a hallmark discovery moment for a young unknown comedian – Chris Rock. He currently resides in Amsterdam where he is a household name, equally controversial and successful.

Screenwriter Mark Rogers was discouraged from his craft by his university experience, where he was told he should not go into filmmaking due to his Cerebral Palsy. He got in contact with Raindance seeking some inspiration and a different opinion, and after reading one of his scripts Raindance founder and film producer Elliot Grove decided the opportunity was too good to miss. Funnily enough, Mark’s all-time favourite film is Drop Dead Fred. He is currently busy re-drafting Love.Honour.Obey. with Ate.

Director of Photography Zoran Veljkovic was classically trained in Yugoslavia, and has since shot 10 award-winning features, including Peter Howitt’s Dangerous Parking. Zoran has also lensed many more shorts, promos and commercials, and has been picked up awards in America, Italy, Spain, Japan, Holland and Yugoslavia.

Love.Honour.Obey. will premiere at the 21st Raindance Film Festival in September 2013.

Vinyl Film Review | Raindance Film Festival 2012

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Vinyl was one of my favourite films at the Raindance Film Festival. It is a comedy film about an ageing rocker, Johnny Jones, who goes to the funeral of a member of his former band. Johnny is living in a caravan and trying to have a baby with his wife, A washed up rock star, he misses his former life.

When he sees the rest of the band at the funeral they all end up jamming and they make a record, it’s good but Johnny cannot get anyone to sign the band or play the record in the youth-obsessed world of the music industry. Instead he spins the truth and says that the song has been made by a Welsh teenage band, and will reveal the truth when the record is a hit.

This film by Sara Sugarman is a real gem of a film. It is funny and entertaining. With a stellar cast including Phil Daniels , Keith Allen and Perry Benson, Vinyl is full of punk spirit, a fun, likable film which has been described as ‘School of Rock meets Spinal Tap’ and I couldn’t put it better myself.