Raindance Film Festival has unveiled its highly anticipated programme for its 23rd Film Festival, with international and UK premiere feature length films, shorts and documentaries from 48 countries. Raindance, which takes place in London at Vue Piccadilly between 23rd September – 4th October, is Europe’s largest independent film festival and will this year play host to 90 feature length films, almost 200 shorts and 30 industry events.
The festival opens with the World Premiere of American spy thriller, Newcomer, starring BIFA winner James Floyd and Anthony LaPaglia, followed by an opening night gala at Cafe de Paris with performances from Little Barrie and DJ Tronik Youth.
Raindance’s prestigious international programme this year includes the World Premiere of Rickie Lee Jones: The Other Side of Desire, an intimate portrait of the poet-musician and rock star, the UK premiere of Mexican film, Alice in Marialand, starring new Bond girl Stephanie Sigman and a host of exciting work from new British filmmaking talent.
The digital age features prominently as a theme at this year’s festival, with highlights including Alex Winter’s Deep Web, narrated by Keanu Reeves, Digital Dissisents, a documentary looking at the warriors of the digital age featuring Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, and Social Suicide a look at the lengths teenagers go to for internet notoriety.
The theme of fragility is also key throughout, with Raindance’s Shorts Programme including films such as Absence, directed by BIFA winning Rob Savage and starring Paul McGann as a man going through the grieving process, and I Exist, about the plight of displaced Syrians and their children after their homes and schools have been destroyed.
The festival will culminate in the annual Raindance Awards Ceremony on 2nd October with a jury made up of influential industry figures including Col Needham, Founder and CEO of IMDb, actress Sheridan Smith and actor Martin Freeman.
Main partners of the 23rd Raindance Film Festival: Vue Cinemas, The May Fair Hotel, BFI/Creative Skillset, Shortlist, Variety.
Full details on the programme and tickets to the festival can be found at www.raindancefestival.org
