In these crazy times, we thought it’d be good to have a look ahead for something exciting and what’s better than an upcoming Film Festival, and it’s Raindance, which takes place from 28th October – 7th November for the 28th edition of the ever-popular celebration of independent cinema.
NEW SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE: Monday 6th July (raindance.org/festival/submissions)
The Raindance Film Festival attracts 16,000 visitors and is officially recognised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences USA (AMPAS), the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) for it’s huge celebration, and contribution, to some of the most important film work we get to see, the ever-inventive indies.
The winners for the Best Short, Best Animation Short and Best Documentary Short will qualify for the Oscars; British films accepted at Raindance may qualify for BAFTA consideration. In addition, British features and shorts in the official selection will be eligible for entry for the 2020 BIFAs. Raindance competitive sections are open for feature films (narrative and documentary), short films (narrative, animation, documentary, music videos), and immersive experiences (VR).
Throughout the 11-day festival, visitors can expect a wide-range of events, workshops, screenings and panels designed to bring insight to independent filmmakers, along with a Guest Country/Territory in Focus and a special retrospective on the Raindance Icon Award recipient for 2020.
For the competitive feature films strand at Raindance, films will compete for: Best International Feature, Best UK Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Performance, Best Documentary Feature and The Discovery Award for debut films. Raindance Special Awards also include Film of the Festival and Spirit of the Festival Award.
For the competitive shorts strand films compete for: Best Short of the Festival, Best UK Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Animation Short and Best Music Video.
For the competitive immersive (VR) strand, experiences will compete for: Best Immersive Game, Best Interactive Narrative Experience, Best Cinematic Experience, Best Animated Experience, Best Documentary Experience, Outstanding Achievement in Art, Outstanding Achievement in Audio, British Award: Best UK Experience, Discovery Award: Best Debut Experience and the Grand Jury Prize: Best Immersive Experience of the Festival.
Raindance also welcomes back its well-known strands and announces new strands in its programme. Strands this year will include: Raindance Immersive (XR), Raindance Queer, Raindance Sonic (Music Docs and Live Music), A Dirty World (Environmental films), Homegrown (UK Films), Viva Voce: Stories of Women, Female Gaze (Films by women behind the camera), Absurdities (Edgy films), and Politico, with more strands to be announced later.
Founder of the Raindance Film Festival, Elliot Grove, has spoken of his excitement for this year’s festival:
“Raindance returns to London and is happening from 28 October – no ifs no buts. And who better to amplify the voices of indie filmmakers than UK’s leading film publicity agency Premier. We are thrilled about this new exciting collaboration and look forward to welcoming you all this autumn“
critical popcorn 