The first film I ever saw was The Red Shoes [1948], at the age of six. I remember sitting in the dark, eyes wide, breath held. I didn’t understand everything, but I felt it — the passion, the torment, the beauty, the all-consuming nature of artistic obsession. It was like the celluloid reached out and […]
When people ask me what it takes to curate films for a festival like Raindance, they often expect me to talk about cinematic trends, industry contacts, or narrative structure. And while all those matter, they’re not the first things I rely on for film selection. What guides me — more instinctively than anything — is […]
I’ve been watching films for Raindance for over three decades now. Thousands of them. Literally. In an average year, I’ll watch over 1,000 feature films. Our entire team watches hundreds of shorts, documentaries, and immersive pieces as well. I’ve seen everything from no-budget passion projects shot on iPhones to exquisitely polished international co-productions with household […]
Let’s face it—filmmaking is a rollercoaster. One day you’re convinced your script is genius; the next, you’re ready to delete it and become a barista. Funding falls through. Actors drop out. Your laptop crashes mid-edit. Your google drive with your script crashes. That’s when the right words can pull you back from the edge. The […]
My name is Suzanne Ballantyne. I am the hidden voice of Raindance Film Festival. My life partner, Elliot Grove, is the face and voice of Raindance. But most of what Raindance is, comes from a deep understanding and collaboration between me and my team. My role as a film festival programmer has evolved over time. […]
Women have had to continuously fight for positive representation in the industry. At Raindance, we prioritise amplifying minority voices. And so, in the vein of empowering women in film, I have shortlisted some of my favourite films directed by women that will be screening at Raindance this year. Each film explores womanhood, identity and femininity […]
I am Suzanne Ballantyne, Head of Programming at Raindance. My job is to decide which of the hidden gems get screened at Raindance. Come and see this amazing collection of films from this year’s Raindance Film Festival. I chose these films because the stories touched me, and because they are truly entertaining. I hope you […]
Having watched over 1,000 feature films a year as the Head of Programming of the Raindance Film Festival, Suzanne Ballantyne writes her observations and advice on how to Fake Being An Indie Auteur ***Read Part 2 of How To Fake Being An Indie Filmmaking Auteur Here*** This is not about how to make Hollywood films, […]
Having watched over 1,000 feature films a year as the Head of Programming of the Raindance Film Festival, Suzanne Ballantyne continues with Part 2 of her observations and advice on how to Fake Being An Indie Auteur ***Read Part 1 of How To Fake Being An Indie Filmmaking Auteur Here*** It is not enough to […]
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![[Staff Picks] 5 Female Directed Films You Must See](https://raindance.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/My-Love-Affair-With-Marriage.jpg)
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