Raindance – festival supporting independent film

We are in the midst of the Raindance Film festival (29 September – 10 October) , which is taking place in London and supports independent film and independent film makers, since the early 90s.

Raindance could be described as the Fringe of the London Film Festival, with an alternative, less mainstream offering supporting film from the grass roots, and you can actually get tickets for it.  But it deserves as much credit with a very good line up.
Saying this I have never actually been, and can’t go again this year!

This year hosts 77 features, 69 UK Premieres and over 133 shorts with internationally acclaimed and controversial films, special live events, exclusive Q&As and masterclasses.

For me the highlight would be the closing film – Son of Babylon, which has already won awards at Berlin and Sundance, and has been put forward for an Oscar.

The film is set in Iraq two weeks after the fall of Saddam Hussein, where Ahmed, a 12-year-old boy  follows in the shadow of his grandmother deep into Iraq in seach of his missing father.

Other films of interest would be:

• Jackboots on Whitehall. A satirical animation about an alternative history of World War II where the Nazis seize London and England must band together to prevent a full on invasion. Voiceover cast includes Ewan McGregor, Richard E. Grant, Stephen Merchant and Richard O’Brien… It almost looks like a British Team America.

• Stolen. A documentary about human slavery in a United Nations refugee camp. The film follows a Saharawi refugee to North Africa for a reunion with her mother. However the UN-sponsored reunion reveals a secret which spirals the film into a dark world the filmmakers could never have imagined. Every festival which has screened the film to date has received legal threats but to no avail.
• A Serbian Film. The controversial highlight, and film that has been banned from other festivals, is a horror movie that deals with porns stars, snuff films, pedophilia and necrophilia.  Raindance are showing the unedited verion.

Check out the full programme and details here.