The art school tale “The Academy” concludes Raindance’s 33rd season, which begins with the boxing drama “Heavyweight.”
The 33rd edition of London’s Raindance Film Festival will begin with the world premiere of Christopher M. Anthony’s boxing drama “Heavyweight,” which stars Jordan Bolger, Jason Isaacs, and Nicholas Pinnock.
The Academy :
The international premiere of Camilla Guttner’s art school drama “The Academy,” which stars Maja Bons as a student negotiating the harsh realities of the art world, will mark the festival’s conclusion.
The world premiere of a British debut feature about a wildcard boxer should kick off the 33rd edition of Raindance, which is known for punching above its weight, according to Raindance founder Elliot Grove.
With 70 narrative and documentary features, the festival, which takes place at Vue Piccadilly from June 18 to 27, makes a big return. This is the first time the festival has shown so many films since 2019.
Highlights of the international competition include “Dream!” (Paul Spurrier, Thailand), a Christmas-set musical that follows a young girl’s enchanted journey across Thailand;
“Granny Must Die” (Yi Jung Chen, Taiwan), a dark absurdist comedy about three generations living in a small apartment in Taipei; “Love Song from Hiroshima” (Hideyuki Tokigawa, Japan), a call to peace that features a kind alien wandering around modern-day Hiroshima.
Nawi :
Dear Future Me” (Vallentine Chelluget, Apuu Mourine, Kevin Schmutzler, Kenya), which focuses on child brides in Africa; and “No Beast. So Fierce.” (Burhan Qurbani, France/Germany/Poland).
a Richard III adaptation in which Kenda Hmeidan plays the daughter of an Arab clan who is scheming to take control of the Berlin underworld.
Other competition titles include “Shakespeare’s The Tempest” (Garret Replogle, U.S./), where “Star Trek” meets Shakespeare; “Srishti” (Paul Antar, India), about a photographer haunted by childhood guilt.
“Tape” (Bizhan Tong, U.K./Hong Kong), a reimagining of Richard Linklater’s cult classic; “The Party’s Over” (Elena Manrique, Spain/Belgium), with an award-winning performance by Beatriz Arjona; and “Wet Monday” (Justyna Mytnik, Poland), about a teenage girl dealing with trauma from sexual assault.
Some of the documentary selections include “Saint Damian” (Gregorio Sassoli, Alejandro Cifuentes, Italy), which takes an uncompromising look at homelessness and mental illness; “God As My Witness” (Lindsay Q. Pitre, U.S.), which reveals secrets within the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
“I Hope This Helps!” (Daniel M. Freed, U.S.), which explores AI through Google’s first chatbot; “Beam Me Up, Sulu” (Timour Gregory, Sasha Schneider, U.S.), which explores the life of “Star Trek” actor George Takei.
“Children in the Fire” (Evgeny Afineevsky, Ukraine), which features war-wounded Ukrainian children sharing their stories; and “The Social Trap: 5 Women vs The Big 5” (Elisa Jadot, France), which examines the impact of social media on mental health.
The U.K. selections include “Breakwater” (Max Morgan), a romance between a young Oxford student and a retired angler; “Dali” (Mickey Angelov), about a rapper who was born in Bulgaria and raised in America.
“Emma: One Last Dance” (Maya Amin-Smith), about Emma Hayes’ last months at Chelsea Football Club; “In Symbiosis” (Helena Berndl, Francesco Maria Gallo), about the food system;
“Poised” (Toby Robson), about MMA in northeast England; “Row” (Matthew Losasso), a thriller about a failed trans-Atlantic rowing record attempt; and “The Rendlesham UFO: The British Roswell” (Roderick Godman, Mark Christopher Lee), about the 1980 UFO.
“Deformelody: An American Nightmare” (Joshua Rivera, U.S.), “Dirty Boy” (Doug Rao, U.K.), starring Graham McTavish, “Dui Shaw” (Nuhash Humayun, Bangladesh).
“The Run” (Paul Raschid, U.S./Italy), an interactive movie in which viewers vote on options, “White Guilt” (Marcus Flemmings, U.K.), and “Zhaza” (Darkhan Tulegenov, Kazakhstan) are all part of the horror strand.
With 32 projects in the 10th edition of Raindance Immersive, the festival also commemorates ten years of XR innovation. As the primary sponsor, Canon Europe opens the Canon Lounge, an industry hub located at One Ninety-four Piccadilly.
Industry professionals Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Ashley Walters, Cristo Fernández, Emily Beecham, Iain Glen, and Jason Flemyng are on the festival’s jury.
Raindance is an Oscar-qualifying festival, meaning that the winners of its short film categories can be considered for an Academy Award.
With 32 projects in the 10th edition of Raindance Immersive, the festival also commemorates ten years of XR innovation. As the primary sponsor, Canon Europe opens the Canon Lounge, an industry hub located at One Ninety-four Piccadilly.
