Since 1993 Raindance has been bringing the brightest and best independent film to the core of London’s West End. You don’t need to be serious about filmmaking or serious about independent film . You do need to have the desire to discover the newest and freshest new film. Come and celebrate the best in independent film from around the world.
7 Reasons To Attend Raindance Film Festival 2023
1. Want to make a movie?
Take a first timer suffering from a plethora of networking nerves, add in one of Europe’s busiest networking locations, sprinkle on a few quid of cash bar drinks and PRESTO – the opportunity to meet new collaborators of a lifetime.
You can buy individual tickets now but’s a lot cheaper to attend Raindance Film Festival 2023 with a Festival Pass.
2. Amazing Catalan Films
We have a collection of the top bold, innovative and fresh Catalan films available to screen in western Europe – and it’s probably the most interesting and diverse group of films from Catalonia screening in Britain this year.
Get the low down on Catalan Cinema Here
3. Features
Browse the wide array of feature films at Raindance. These are the films that herald social change, they are the voices of the whistle-blowers. They are films that are truly independent, and nothing like Hollywood!
From documentary to narrative, from live action to animated, from drama to horror, Raindance 2023 has something for everyone to enjoy.
Discover our programme of features here
4 Indie Film Forum
Raindance Indie Film Forum is a place where you can discover an exciting collection of independent filmmaking workshops, panels and masterclasses presented by top level industry professionals to help you get to where you want to go.
Hosted at The House of Raindance at Wonderville, Haymarket from Weds 25 Oct through to Sat 4 Nov, there will be over 25 sessions covering topics from VR to screenwriting to making a film on a tight budget.
5. Shorts Programmes
Raindance takes short films very seriously. There are over 7 shorts programmes comprised of the very best we could find. For every short we are showing we passed over dozens of others.
One of our shorts will automatically qualify for the Oscar shortlist.
Read all about the shorts programme here.
6. Live!Ammunition!
This is it! Your chance to pitch your idea for a movie directly to the people that matter: the people that decide which films get made and which get chosen to screen in cinemas and on TV.
Put a fiver in the hat and you get up to 2 minutes to convince the panel that yours is the next big thing. If you are boring they can and will gong you off. But they have to give you two good reasons why.
A tense and emotionally charged event that has launched many movies in it’s history, including Meet The Parents.
Check out the Live!Ammunition! Here
7. Get Partied Out!
We’ve never had more parties organised than this year. Our Opening Night Gala features the hottest indie film out there followed by a party of all patries featuring the Flames of Rhythm. Then there are 5 more chances you have to walk the *Orange Carpet .
*Orange is the colour of our Principal Sponsor this year: MangoRX
There’s 2 ways to attend Raindance Film Festival 2023:
1) with a Raindance Festival Pass
2) select your film and buy an individual ticket from £10 – £15
Want to Walk a Red Carpet?
Opening Night Gala: Day of the Fight + Party
Fresh off of Venice, Jack Huston’s directorial debut tells the story of a once-renowned boxer who takes a redemptive journey through his past and present on the day of his first fight since he left prison.
The film stars Michael Pitt alongside a cast including Ron Perlman, Joe Pesci and a cameo from Steve Buscemi which leads us right into our star-studded Opening Night Party.
Red carpets, literal icons, a 1920s swing band and an open bar – what’s to miss?
Limited tickets are available for our Opening Gala, now on sale at an early bird price. Snag them while you can!
Photo Credit: Bertie Watson
I founded Raindance Film Festival in 1993 because the British film industry was closed, polite, and congratulating itself while shutting new filmmakers out.
I co-founded the British Independent Film Awards in 1998 because British indie film deserved more than a shrug, a pat on the head, and a Tuesday night screening.
Raindance didn’t start as a brand. It started as a rebellion: film training without gatekeepers, a festival without permission, and a community built by filmmakers who weren’t waiting to be invited in.
Later, we took it global: Toronto, Vancouver, New York, LA, Berlin, and Brussels, because independent film doesn’t belong to one city, one class, or one accent.
I’ve produced 700+ short films and seven features, including Deadly Virtues (2014) and ALICE, which won the SXSW Grand Jury Prize (2019) not because someone “discovered” us, but because the work earned its place.
I’ve written three books used by filmmakers worldwide because too many courses taught compliance instead of survival.
In 2009, I was awarded a PhD for services to film education, ironic, given that most of my career has been about tearing down the rules that education insisted you follow.
I don’t believe in waiting for permission.I believe in making work, building systems, and forcing the industry to catch up.
Specialties: Independent Film (the real kind) · Producing · Writing · Film Education · Festivals · Breaking Broken Systems
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