How is your Holiday going?
If you are like me, you have indulged too much these past few days. And you’ll have parked your financial credit card worries until the New Year. And its year end and time for one’s reflections on 2023.
A lot of my friends have booked exotic trips to lands faraway, or spent their downtime walking the aisles at their local mall. Others have retreated to there candle-lit ivory tower, a glass of wine in hand, and worked ferociously on their screenplays and business plans.
Me? I’m doing something I rarely do:
I have slammed my laptop shut and switched off my phone. What a relief!
It’s not the first time I have felt totally spent. I know I have to get the proverbial mojo working again!
You might think that overseeing the most successful Raindance Film Festival in over 30 years that I would be finding this Raindance thing a whole lot easier. But no. Pushing for sponsorship and audience has proven to be even more difficult as the festival keeps growing and expanding.
Similarly too, the education programme has grown in leaps and bounds. But this also means that there are a host of new challengers, many emulating what Raindance has done since 1992! Meaning that I have had to dig deep into my sub-conscious and find ways to continuously refresh and innovate.
So, what do we do when we stop believing in our creativity?
I turn to my friends, from home and abroad. It’s about getting positive feedback. I did manage to finish the novel I have been working on since 2004 about my journey on camelback up the Horn Of Africa when I was 10 years old. Mates who have read it have complimented me on my work – and now it’s with an editor prior to publication. These comments, as compliments do, make me feel great.
At my day job, I am surrounded by a close-knit team of colleagues with whom I bounce and shape ideas. Whether it is David and Jose on festival questions, Martyna, Suzanne, Christina and Malaika on programming decisions, Harvey on filmmaking questions, Nina, Bailey or Shayla on marketing strategy, or Denise on open class ideas and challenges, Then there is the Higher Education programme. There is Zuliqar, Sibyl, Paul and Ufuk working like stink on this. And what about Charlie on the soon-to-be launched Raindance Raw Talent, not to speak of out FD, Philip and our new chairman, Byron.
Collaboration is key and essential.
As my mom on the farm used to say: “Share the load!”
I’m really lucky to be surrounded by so many like-minded spirits. But what about you? Raindance has a vibrant international membership. Joining is simple! And you can help the community create really great work.
Filmmaking can be lonely. If you haven’t joined our vibrant international membership, join now. Many of our events and classes are online, so you don’t need to travel to London, or to one of our hubs in Toronto, New York or LA.
Even if finding your friendly collaborator this side of New Years isn’t going to happen, remember this:
Your writing, your creativity, your films are more important than ever before. The entire Raindance team will be waiting for you in January.
Until next year, Have a lovely holiday,
Yours in filmmaking,
a
Elliot Grove, Founder/CEO
Did You Know?
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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