Humpday
The 17th Raindance Film Festival’s programme is announced today with an exciting lineup, including 75 features and over 150 shorts with another strong year of standout special live events, exclusive Q&As and masterclasses.
The Raindance Film Festival will take place from 30 September to 11 October 2009 and will be hosted by its exciting new exhibitor partner Apollo Cinemas with the festival celebrating a 40% increase in ticket sales last year.
Opening the festival on Wednesday 30th September is mumblecore breakout American indie hit Humpday, starring Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project) and Mark Duplass (The Puffy Chair, Hannah Takes the Stairs) with writer/director/actress Lynn Shelton in attendance.
Closing the festival on Sunday 11th October brings us sex and the credit crunch as interpreted by Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh (Che, Traffic, Sex, Lies and Videotape) with the English Premiere of The Girlfriend Experience starring last year’s lead from Raindance hit 9 To 5 Days in Porn, Sasha Grey, Chris Santos and Peter Zizzo.
Sitting on this year’s stellar jury is: Riz Ahmed (Shifty, The Road To Guantanamo), writer/director Armando Iannucci (The Day Today, I’m Alan Partridge, In The Loop), Peter Bradshaw, film critic, The Guardian; actress Kerry Fox (Bright Star, Shallow Grave), director Momoko Ando (Kakera), Billy Childish: artist, musician, poet, writer, filmmaker; Christine Langan, Creative Director, BBC Films; writer and documentary filmmaker Jon Ronson (The Men Who Stare At Goats, Stanley Kubrick’s Boxes), Jamie Graham Deputy Editor, Total Film; Julia Brown - Commercial Director, Apollo Cinemas; Producer Andy Williams and legendary musician/actor Tom Waits.
Raindance Film Festival’s annual edgy line-up will play host to exciting music and film strand the Raindance Symphony Orchestra which includes the World Premiere of The Mighty Boosh Tour Doc (working title), directed by the BIFA winning Oly Ralfe for The Ballad Of AJ Weberman.
The Mighty Boosh’s Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt are anticipated to attend the premiere, which will be followed by a very special post-screening event.
Wayne Kramer of the anti-establishment American rock band MC5 will also be in attendance to promote The Narcotics Farm and play at a special Jail Guitar Doors gig at Proud Galleries. Music documentary about cult ‘punk poet’ Patrik Fitzgerald All the Years of Trying, directed by Dom Shaw, will be World Premiering.
Until the Light Take Us - a Black Metal documentary by directors Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell which has received a huge following in heavy metal circles.
Homegrown UK strand will showcase great British filmmaking talent, including the European Premiere of Down Terrace - attended by Director Ben Wheatley and cast Julia Deakin (Hot Fuzz, Shaun Of The Dead, Spaced) and David Schaal (Clubbed, Kidulthood, The Office).
The World Premiere of Jamie Thraves’ The Cry of the Owl stars Julia Stiles and Paddy Considine; and Stuart Hazeldine’s fraught Exam starring Jimi Mistry, Luke Mably and Colin Salmon. Not forgetting Colin a home grown horror phenomenon that was made in Tooting, South London for just £45 by former Raindance student Marc Price.
There will be a late-night screening at the Apollo proceeded by a ‘day of the dead’ meet the cast and crew with zombie makeovers and panel discussions.
Raindance is renowned for showcasing a strong Japanese Strand which this year focuses on Japanese women directors and will be welcoming director Momoko Ando with the World Premiere of her debut film Kakera.
She will also be sitting on the festival jury. Prolific Japanese director Sachi Hamano will feature at the festival as part of the strand to promote her award winning Lily Festival. Sachi, who has an underground following in Japan, started her career in 1968 as an assistant director in low budget Pink Film in Japan and has produced more than 300 theatrically successful films.
Other Japanese features include: awarding winning Love Exposure (UK Premiere) by Shion Sono, Ain’t No Tomorrows by Yuki Tanada, Hotaru by Naomi Kawase, Mime-Mime by Yukiko Sode.
In the vein of the opening night American indie sensation Humpday, this year’s American Indie Strand is a very strong contender.
In one of his final performances, David Carradine stars in MY Suicide, which will be hosted by director David Miller. Maverick underground director Steve Balderson (nominated for Best International Feature last year for Watch Out) returns to the festival with the World Premiere of Stuck!, starring Karen Black, Mink Stole and Susan Traylor.
Raindance will host the UK Premiere of Canadian Ryan Ward’s Son of the Sunshine and the London Premiere of Zach Clark’s Modern Love Is Automatic, starring Melodie Sisk, Maggie Ross and Carlos Bustamante.
The outstanding Documentary Strand includes contentious films such as A Necessary Death (European Premiere) directed by Daniel Stamm which takes the character-as-cameraman approach of Cloverfield and Diary of the Dead and applies it to a more intimate story of suicide.
Playing Columbine by Danny Ledonne raises moral questions surrounding the shoot to kill video games inspired by the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. My Big Break directed by Tony Zierra and filmed over 10 years is a controversial documentary that follows residents of the same house and their rise to fame and eventual breakdowns, including Brad Rowe (Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss), Wes Bentley (American Beauty) and Chad Lindberg (October Sky).
Finally the World Premiere of They Call it Acid the story of acid house culture will be supported by director Gordon Mason which features interviews with Carl Cox, Pete Tong and Paul Oakenfold. There will also be a post-screening rave with DJs Evil Eddie Richards, Trevor Fung, Jazzy M and Noel Watson.
Raindance continues its cutting edge industry profile by continually pushing the boundaries of independent filmmaking with this year’s festival trailer subsequently banned to general audiences but receiving a BBFC 15 certificate - which will be revealed exclusively at the festival press launch and play throughout the festival.
This year Raindance also launches the Raindance Film Café and creative hub at the Vinyl Factory/Phonica Records basement on Poland Street, Soho, which will host interactive screenings, events, workshops, parties and daily networking happy hours throughout the festival.
Bill Martell, "the Robert Towne of made-for-cable movies" will also be giving free daily scriptwriting classes at the Raindance Film Café.
All award winners will be announced before the screening of the Closing Night Film The Girlfriend Experience at the Apollo West End on Sunday 11 October.
The 17th Raindance Film Festival’s programme is announced today with an exciting lineup, including 75 features and over 150 shorts with another strong year of standout special live events, exclusive Q&As and masterclasses.
The Raindance Film Festival will take place from 30 September to 11 October 2009 and will be hosted by its exciting new exhibitor partner Apollo Cinemas with the festival celebrating a 40% increase in ticket sales last year.
Opening the festival on Wednesday 30th September is mumblecore breakout American indie hit Humpday, starring Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project) and Mark Duplass (The Puffy Chair, Hannah Takes the Stairs) with writer/director/actress Lynn Shelton in attendance.
Closing the festival on Sunday 11th October brings us sex and the credit crunch as interpreted by Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh (Che, Traffic, Sex, Lies and Videotape) with the English Premiere of The Girlfriend Experience starring last year’s lead from Raindance hit 9 To 5 Days in Porn, Sasha Grey, Chris Santos and Peter Zizzo.
Sitting on this year’s stellar jury is: Riz Ahmed (Shifty, The Road To Guantanamo), writer/director Armando Iannucci (The Day Today, I’m Alan Partridge, In The Loop), Peter Bradshaw, film critic, The Guardian; actress Kerry Fox (Bright Star, Shallow Grave), director Momoko Ando (Kakera), Billy Childish: artist, musician, poet, writer, filmmaker; Christine Langan, Creative Director, BBC Films; writer and documentary filmmaker Jon Ronson (The Men Who Stare At Goats, Stanley Kubrick’s Boxes), Jamie Graham Deputy Editor, Total Film; Julia Brown - Commercial Director, Apollo Cinemas; Producer Andy Williams and legendary musician/actor Tom Waits.
Raindance Film Festival’s annual edgy line-up will play host to exciting music and film strand the Raindance Symphony Orchestra which includes the World Premiere of The Mighty Boosh Tour Doc (working title), directed by the BIFA winning Oly Ralfe for The Ballad Of AJ Weberman.
The Mighty Boosh’s Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt are anticipated to attend the premiere, which will be followed by a very special post-screening event.
Wayne Kramer of the anti-establishment American rock band MC5 will also be in attendance to promote The Narcotics Farm and play at a special Jail Guitar Doors gig at Proud Galleries. Music documentary about cult ‘punk poet’ Patrik Fitzgerald All the Years of Trying, directed by Dom Shaw, will be World Premiering.
Until the Light Take Us - a Black Metal documentary by directors Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell which has received a huge following in heavy metal circles.
Homegrown UK strand will showcase great British filmmaking talent, including the European Premiere of Down Terrace - attended by Director Ben Wheatley and cast Julia Deakin (Hot Fuzz, Shaun Of The Dead, Spaced) and David Schaal (Clubbed, Kidulthood, The Office).
The World Premiere of Jamie Thraves’ The Cry of the Owl stars Julia Stiles and Paddy Considine; and Stuart Hazeldine’s fraught Exam starring Jimi Mistry, Luke Mably and Colin Salmon. Not forgetting Colin a home grown horror phenomenon that was made in Tooting, South London for just £45 by former Raindance student Marc Price.
There will be a late-night screening at the Apollo proceeded by a ‘day of the dead’ meet the cast and crew with zombie makeovers and panel discussions.
Raindance is renowned for showcasing a strong Japanese Strand which this year focuses on Japanese women directors and will be welcoming director Momoko Ando with the World Premiere of her debut film Kakera.
She will also be sitting on the festival jury. Prolific Japanese director Sachi Hamano will feature at the festival as part of the strand to promote her award winning Lily Festival. Sachi, who has an underground following in Japan, started her career in 1968 as an assistant director in low budget Pink Film in Japan and has produced more than 300 theatrically successful films.
Other Japanese features include: awarding winning Love Exposure (UK Premiere) by Shion Sono, Ain’t No Tomorrows by Yuki Tanada, Hotaru by Naomi Kawase, Mime-Mime by Yukiko Sode.