I’m chronically late to the attention on lots of the biggest movies, and always experience the FOMO of being behind the hype. Anora, Poor Things, Flow, and most recently, Sinners — all movies I procrastinated watching during their opening weekends and sorely missed the prime window of relevant conversation for. I’m stubborn.
The best way to avoid making the same mistake? Be in the audience for its world premiere! That way, once the film gets huge and everyone’s talking about it, you can brag that you were there the very first screening.
Impress your friends — here’s the feature films making their WORLD PREMIERES at Raindance this year:
Dream! (nominated Best International Feature)
Thailand | Director: Paul Spurrier | Writer: Paul Spurrier, Jiriya Spurrier | Producer: David Cluck | Principal Cast: Amata Masmalai, Tori Woodman, Manatsanun Phanlerdwongsakul, Vithaya Pansringarm, Sahajak Boonthanakit
Runtime: 142 min
When 10-year-old Lek flees her mountain home, she begins a magical journey across Thailand to find a new family. Dream! is the first Thai film musical—and the most ambitious independent film ever made in Thailand—blending fantasy, heart, and unforgettable songs in a sweeping, cinematic celebration of courage and hope.
Showings:
Sun, Jun 22nd, 8:15 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 3
Mon, Jun 23rd, 2:45 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 3
Buy tickets for Dream! HERE
Abducted Files (nominated Best International Feature)
Brazil | Director: Filippo Capuzzi Lapietra | Writer: Filippo Capuzzi Lapietra | Producer: Walk In Brothers, Stefano Capuzzi Lapietra, Filippo Capuzzi Lapietra | Principal Cast: Deotex, Filippo Capuzzi Lapietra, Pedro Andreta, Saulo Simão
Runtime: 73 min
In this mockumentary, a crew of ufologists revisits lost UFO footage from 2016 in Brazil. When shocking evidence resurfaces in 2024, they uncover a government conspiracy. Amid awkward encounters and cosmic chaos, they must decide whether to expose the truth or vanish into silence.
Showings:
Tue, Jun 24th, 6:15 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 3
Wed, Jun 25th, 12:45 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 3
Buy tickets for Abducted Files HERE
If You Should Leave Before Me
USA | Director: J. Markus Anderson, Boyd Anderson | Writer: J. Markus Anderson, Boyd Anderson | Producer: Chris Pegut, J. Markus Anderson, Boyd Anderson | Principal Cast: Shane P. Allen, John Wilcox, Tom Noga, Merrick McCartha, Susan Louise O’Connor
Runtime: 120 min
A devastating loss drives a rift between Mark and Joshua after many years of marital bliss. To avoid coping with their grief they immerse themselves in their work… which just so happens to be guiding the recently deceased to the afterlife. A touching story of love and loss.
Showings:
Sat, Jun 21st, 8:15 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 3
Sun, Jun 22nd, 3:15 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 3
Buy tickets for If You Should Leave Before Me HERE
Dali (nominated Discovery Award for Debut Feature, Best Performance in UK Feature, Best UK Feature, and Best Director UK Feature)
UK | Director: Mickey Angelov | Writer: Mickey Angelov | Producer: Joseph Bushell, Jazelle Cheong | Principal Cast: Mickey Angelov, Lucrezia Galeone, Philip Avramov, Victoria Valcheva, Nina Singh
Runtime: 91 min
A Bulgarian-born, American-raised rapper dies and faces The Gatekeeper at the crossroads of the afterlife, where he must relive his tumultuous past—family struggles, lost love, and a life of excess—to determine whether he belongs Above or Below. Explores themes of cultural identity and nature vs. nurture.
Showings:
Mon, Jun 23rd, 6:45 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 3
Tue, Jun 24th, 12:45 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 3
Buy tickets for Dali HERE
Heavyweight (nominated Best Performance UK Feature, Best UK Feature, Best Director UK Feature, and Best UK Cinematography)
UK | Director: Christopher M. Anthony | Writer: Christopher M. Anthony | Producer: Tiernan Hanby, Kevin Harvey, Nicholas Pinnock, Oliver Slinger, Antoine Dixon-Bellot, Simon Marriott | Principal Cast: Jordan Bolger, Nicholas Pinnock, Osy Ikhile, Jason Isaacs, Joplin Sibtain, Barry Aird, Rob Malone, Blake Harrison, Sienna Guillory, Jamie Bamber, Adrian Lukis
Runtime: 98 min
‘Heavyweight’ follows wildcard boxing contender, ‘Diamond’ Derek Douglas, and his support team ahead of a title fight he doubts he can win. The pressure escalates in realtime, as dirty tricks and revelations are revealed. ‘Heavyweight’ is an intense and visceral experience exploring a side of elite sport rarely seen.
Showings:
Wed, Jun 18th, 5:30 PM @ Vue West End
Thu, Jun 19th, 3:00 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 1
Buy tickets for Heavyweight HERE
Row (nominated Best Performance UK Feature, Best UK Feature, Best Director UK Feature, and Best UK Cinematography)
UK | Director: Matthew Losasso | Writer: Nick Skaugen, Matthew Losasso | Producer: Nick Skaugen | Principal Cast: Bella Dayne, Sophie Skelton, Akshay Khanna, Nick Skaugen, Mark Streppan
Runtime: 118 min
A bewildered and exhausted woman is rescued and subsequently interrogated after washing ashore on a bloodstained rowing boat. Appearing to be the sole survivor of an attempted World Record North Atlantic crossing, she pieces together repressed memories and faces the terror of what happened out at sea.
Showings:
Sat, Jun 21st, 6:30 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 5
Sun, Jun 22nd, 3:30 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 5
Buy tickets for Row HERE
The Last Grail Hunter (nominated Best Performance in UK Feature)
UK | Director: Mark Christopher Lee | Writer: Mark Christopher Lee | Producer: Mark Christopher Lee, EE Marin, Guy Thompson, John Altman | Principal Cast: John Altman, Johnny Raven, Sabrina Lee, Dionyves
Runtime: 70 min
Prepare to be immersed in a gripping sci-fi horror. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, humanity exists as mere pawns in a dystopian video game controlled by a shadowy secret society – the Priory of Sion. Can one man uncover the truth before the game ends?
Showings:
Thu, Jun 19th, 9:45 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 4
Fri, Jun 20th, 2:30 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 4
Buy tickets for The Last Grail Hunter HERE
Aiming to the Top – Accra Underground
Turkey | Director: Orçun Behram | Producer: Ahmet Eren Uzun | Principal Cast: Dominic Adjei Kpobi,Abdul Adams, Victoria Tina Redd, Patrick Miartey Laryen
Runtime: 83 min
In the slums of Accra, six artists use creativity to rise above poverty, crime, and hardship. Shot in a verite style, this raw, emotional documentary follows their struggles and dreams, showing how art can bring hope and transform lives, even in the toughest conditions. A powerful story of resilience.
Showings:
Thu, Jun 26th, 6:15 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 3
Fri, Jun 27th, 12:15 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 3
Buy tickets for Aiming to the Top – Accra Underground HERE
Beam Me Up, Sulu
USA | Director: Timour Gregory, Sasha Schneider | Producer: Sasha Schneider, Timour Gregory, Ashu Rai, Matthew Drake, Robert J. Sawyer | Principal Cast: George Takei, Eugene Roddenberry Jr., Stan Woo, Alexander Siddig, Christina Chong
Runtime: 90 min
In 1985, George Takei helped a group of young Trekkies make a fan film—then the footage vanished. Nearly 40 years later, the search to recover it opens a window into Takei’s extraordinary life, Star Trek’s legacy of inclusion and the ongoing fight for equality and representation.
Showings:
Wed, Jun 25th, 6:15 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 1
Thu, Jun 26th, 12:15 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 1
Buy tickets for Beam Me Up, Sulu HERE
Children in the Fire (nominated Best Documentary Feature)
Ukraine/USA | Director: Evgeny Afineevsky | Producer: Evgeny Afineevsky, Galyna Sadomtseva-Nabaranchuk | Principal Cast: Valeriia Sydorova, Yana Stepanenko, Roman Oleksiv, Sasha Paskal, Veronika Vlasova, Vladislav Buriak, Sergey Cherednichenko, Bohdan Yermokhin
Runtime: 108 min
This movie is a celebration to a human spirit. Ukrainian children’s resilience, strength and ability to overcome tragedies and losses, make each story a great inspiration for everyone. They had strength to overcome the darkest moments today’s war brought upon them and with dignity win this war. These little heroes can through their story inspire others.
Showings:
Fri, Jun 20th, 6:00 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 1
Sun, Jun 22nd, 12:00 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 1
Buy tickets for Children in the Fire HERE
In Symbiosis (nominated Best Director UK)
UK | Director: Helena Berndl, Francesco Maria Gallo | Writer: Helena Berndl | Producer: Helena Berndl | Principal Cast: Vandana Shiva, Peter Brown, Nora McKeon, Peter Melchett, Michael Antoniou
Runtime: 123 minutes
As the world is grappling with the emergent challenges of its development path, In Symbiosis’ striking and vibrant cast of interviewees, from land to lab, unveils the driving forces behind a broken food system and puts forward a path to building true resilience in and around us.
Showings:
Tue, Jun 24th, 9:15 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 3
Wed, Jun 25th, 3:15 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 3
Buy tickets for In Symbiosis HERE
Reaching for Light (nominated for Best Cinematography UK)
UK | Director: Matt Lanning, Eva Yap, Alex Keen | Writer: Alex Keen | Producer: Matt Lanning | Principal Cast: Chris Rose, Alex Baker, Matt Lanning, Alex Keen
Runtime: 47 min
Combining scientific experiment with artistic vision, a team of high-altitude filming experts from the UK set out for the Arctic Circle to document the Northern Lights from closer than ever before. Driven by the need to push their technology to new heights, they aim to deploy an array of 360° cameras at the edge of space, inside the Aurora Borealis. Should they succeed, they seek to inspire the next generation of explorers, scientists and artists. But up against extreme environmental conditions, a narrowing launch window and untested technology, can they capture this fleeting natural wonder, or are they chasing moonbeams?
Showings:
Fri, Jun 27th, 6:15 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 1
Buy tickets for Reaching for Light HERE
The Red List
Wales/UK | Director: Ross Pierson | Writer: Tim Mercier | Producer: Ross Pierson | Principal Cast: Iolo Williams, Kevin McGinn, Carley Green, Elinor James
Runtime: 49 min
Narrated by Iolo Williams, The Red List follows botanist Dr. Kevin McGinn on a year-long race to save twenty-five of Wales’ most endangered plants. Amid climate extremes and mounting pressures, this urgent documentary reveals the quiet struggle to protect biodiversity and the hope held in every seed.
Showings:
Fri, Jun 27th, 6:00 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 3
Buy tickets for The Red List HERE
Our Journey with Lobular Breast Cancer (nominated Best Director UK)
UK | Director: Tristan Loraine | Writer: Tristan Loraine | Producer: Tristan Loraine | Principal Cast: Susan Michaelis, Katie Swinburne, Sarah Ramsey Smith, Kirstin Spencer, Kate Ford, Emma Hunwick, Sharon Prince
Runtime: 90 min
A documentary film that tells the true and personal story of some remarkable ladies diagnosed with lobular breast cancer and their ‘Lobular Moon shot Project’ campaign to get the 2nd most common type of breast cancer, its own specific treatment. Over 350 MPs support their call for the Government to fund vital research into their disease. A disease which rarely shows on a mammogram and remains an ‘unmet clinical need’.
Showings:
Tue, Jun 24th, 5:00 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 4
Wed, Jun 25th, 12:30 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 4
Buy tickets for Our Journey with Lobular Breast Cancer HERE
This Is Your Captain Speaking
UK | Director: Tristan Loraine, Sandra Skibsted | Writer: Tristan Loraine | Producer: Tristan Loraine
Runtime: 106 min
In this documentary, a former airline Captain Tristan Loraine dives deep into what the aviation industry really knows about the quality of the air you breathe in flight.
Showings:
Mon, Jun 23rd, 4:30 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 4
Tue, Jun 24th, 12:30 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 4
Buy tickets for This Is Your Captain Speaking HERE
Emma: One Last Dance (nominated Best Documentary Feature and Best Director UK)
UK | Director: Maya Amin-Smith | Producer: Felicity Cross
Runtime: 75 min
Emma: One Last Dance tells the story of Emma Hayes, the most successful manager in WSL history, charting the impact she has had on the growth of women’s game, and following her last six months at Chelsea Football Club as she attempts to lead her team to victory one last time.
Showings:
Sat, Jun 21st, 6:15 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 1
Sun, Jun 22nd, 2:45 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 1
Buy tickets for Emma: One Last Dance HERE
The Rendlesham UFO: The British Roswell (nominated Best Director UK)
UK | Director: Roderick Godman, Mark Christopher Lee | Writer: Mark Christopher Lee | Producer: Roderick Godman, Mark Christopher Lee | Principal Cast: Mark Christopher Lee, Guy Thompson
Runtime: 114 min
In this thrilling, unique, and sometimes hilarious UFO documentary, tantalising discoveries emerge while delving into Britain’s own Roswell—the 1980 Rendlesham UFO incident where a mysterious craft was reportedly seen landing near a U.S. airbase. As the investigation revisits the original event, the film also chronicles the strange encounters reported in Rendlesham Forest ever since; weird UFO sightings, floating orbs of light, and encounters with terrifying cryptid creatures. Narrated by William B. Davis of X-Files fame, we follow the investigative team as they carry out their own scientific research at the original site, culminating in a CE5 (Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind) process that appears to manifest paranormal phenomena—leading to remarkable, life-changing results. We could say Rendlesham Forest is the UK’s “Roswell,” but the high strangeness documented by the team suggests that maybe it shares much more in common with the infamous Skinwalker Ranch in the U.S. Join us on this sensational UFO Road Trip Movie – the rock and roll truth is out there!
Showings:
Tue, Jun 24th, 8:30 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 4
Wed, Jun 25th, 3:00 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 4
Buy tickets for The Rendlesham UFO: The British Roswell HERE
The Two of Us (nominated Best Documentary Feature and Best Cinematography UK)
UK | Director: Owen Ward | Writer: Owen Ward | Producer: John May | Principal Cast: Tim Edwards, John May, Brian Conlon
Runtime: 86 min
After his daughter Elle is murdered on Christmas Eve, Tim Edwards begins a powerful journey of healing. Joined by comedian John May, he walks the length of the UK, confronting grief, forging unexpected connections, and inspiring others to find hope in the face of unimaginable loss.
Showings:
Mon, Jun 23rd, 8:30 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 2
Tue, Jun 24th, 3:30 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 2
Buy tickets for The Two of Us HERE
Saturnalia
USA | Director: Daniel Lerch | Writer: Daniel Lerch, Julia Nilsen, Darrell Workman | Producer: Vivian Owen | Principal Cast: Sophia Anthony, Velvet, Dante Blake
Runtime: 100 min
Saturnalia is a high-concept homage to the cerebral and stylish world of the Italian Giallo films of the 1970s. After the mysterious death of both her parents, Miriam Basconi, a newcomer to a prestigious boarding school, realizes that the macabre institution and its cruel headmistress are a front for something much more evil. The film is scored by the legendary Claudio Simonetti, composer of Suspiria, Deep Red, and Dawn of the Dead.
Showings:
Fri, Jun 20th, 9:30 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 2
Buy tickets for Saturnalia HERE
Snatchers (nominated Discovery Award for Debut Feature)
Australia | Director: Craig Alexander, Shelly Higgs | Writer: Craig Alexander | Producer: Craig Alexander, Shelly Higgs, Sebastian Chan, Denai Gracie | Principal Cast: Hannah McKenzie, Craig Alexander, Justin Hosking
Runtime: 82 min
A pair of old friends try to make a quick buck selling the organs of a fresh corpse but get thrown a curveball when she wakes up on the operating table.
Showings:
Sat, Jun 21st, 8:30 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 2
Buy tickets for Snatchers HERE
The Invisible Half (nominated Best Performance in a Debut Feature)
Japan | Director: Masaki Nishiyama | Writer: Masaki Nishiyama | Producer: Atsushi Sakamoto, Noboru Suzuki(Co-Producer) | Principal Cast: Lisa Siera , Miyu Okuno , Runa Hirasawa
Runtime: 106 min
Elena, a “half” Japanese high school girl, struggles with the feeling she’s not Japanese. While constantly watched, she discovers she is also being watched by something else—a monster that can only be seen through her smartphone and whose sounds can only be heard through her earphones.
Showings:
Fri, Jun 20th, 10:30 AM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 2
Buy tickets to The Invisible Half HERE
The Run
USA/Italy | Director: Paul Raschid | Writer: Paul Raschid | Producer: Seth Michaels, Sara Sometti Michaels | Principal Cast: Roxanne Mckee, George Blagden, Dario Argento, Franco Nero, Fabio Testi
Runtime: 90 min
An interactive film. A famous fitness influencer’s morning run turns into a fight for survival when she’s hunted by killers, and her fate depends on the viewer’s choices that determine if she and a local farmer she meets live or die.
Showings:
Fri, Jun 20th, 6:45 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 2
Buy tickets for The Run HERE
Thinestra
USA | Director: Nathan Hertz | Writer: Avra Fox-Lerner, Nathan Hertz (Story By) | Producer: Kelly Ann Parker, Alexandra Lubenova | Principal Cast: Melissa Macedo, Michelle Macedo, Gavin Stenhouse, Mary Beth Barone, Annie Ngosi Ilonzeh
Runtime: 87 min
It’s a sweltering Christmas in Los Angeles. Penny—haunted by binge eating and body dysmorphia—takes Thinestra, a mysterious Ozempic-like drug. That night, she violently expels grotesque masses of fat. But the flesh returns—twisted, ravenous, reborn as PENELOPE. As her doppelgänger wreaks bloody havoc, Penny fights to regain control.
Showings:
Fri, Jun 20th, 1:00 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 2
Buy tickets for Thinestra HERE
White Guilt (nominated Best Performance and Feature in UK category)
UK | Director: Marcus Flemmings | Writer: Marcus Flemmings | Producer: Marcus Flemmings, Haider Zafar, Katya Chattwell | Principal Cast: Stephanie Da Silva, Freya Crompton, Temica Thompson, Malik Kaddu, David Ajayi
Runtime: 62 min
Eleven affluent white individuals in their twenties and thirties embark on a journey aboard a bus, seeking to assuage their white guilt through a pay-to-play service. The film delves into themes of privilege, performative allyship, and the complexities of racial dynamics, offering a satirical perspective on contemporary social issues.
Showings:
Sun, Jun 22nd, 4:30 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 2
Buy tickets for White Guilt HERE
Loner (nominated Best Performance, Feature, and Director in UK category)
UK | Director: Charlie Robb, Douglas Tawn | Writer: Charlie Robb | Producer: Dillon Hollis | Principal Cast: Charlie Robb, Kat Johns-Burke, Jessica Summer, Douglas Tawn
Runtime: 99 min
Aspiring vlogger Angus embarks on a wilderness retreat to make videos about nature and disconnecting from city life. But an ancient presence protects the woods, and Angus is held at the mercy of a higher natural order. Loner is a raw, found-footage folk horror with a darkly comic pulse.
Showings:
Sat, Jun 21st, 10:30 AM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 2
Buy tickets for Loner HERE
Srishti
India | Director: Paul Antar | Writer: Paul Antar | Producer: Matthew Samuel Kilari | Principal Cast: Sumeet Thakur, Chitrangada Satarupa, Indira Tiwari, Debdeep Mukherjee, Murari Kumar
Runtime: 95 min
Neerav, a nihilistic photographer haunted by childhood guilt, travels to the remote Himalayan Sector K to investigate a mysterious phenomenon. As obsession consumes him, fate drags him through a series of unfortunate events that manifest a terrifying curse, until reality itself begins to fracture beyond repair.
Showings:
Sat, Jun 21st, 6:00 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 2
Buy tickets for Srishti HERE
Breakwater (nominated for Best Performance UK Feature)
UK | Director: Max Morgan | Writer: Max Morgan | Producer: Jemima Chen | Principal Cast: Daniel McNamee, Shaun Paul McGrath, Will Gao, Agnes Halladay
Runtime: 91 min
Set between the sandstone colleges of Oxford and the salt-encrusted Suffolk coast, Breakwater follows the tentative romance between university student, Otto, and retired angler, John. Their lives fuse irreversibly over the shared trauma of losing a loved one. However, their relationship darkens when the past exhumes itself in the form of guilt, grief, and ghosts.
Showings:
Mon, Jun 23rd, 6:30 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 5
Tue, Jun 24th, 12:00 PM @ Vue Piccadilly – Screen 5
Buy tickets for Breakwater HERE
Explore the Raindance Film Festival Programme
Austin Hughes is a mixed-media animator and illustrator studying in Arkansas with equal passions for storytelling and design. He’s currently in London with Raindance Film Festival focusing on their Jury and Box Office, immersing himself in a wide variety of films and voices before diving into the production of his own independent animated short thesis film next year.
