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 through a unique lens, and aims to represent aspects of the female identity that different women can relate to. Be sure to check them out!
Spanton vs The French Police, UK Premiere
France | 2022 | 62 minutes
Best Documentary Feature Nominee
Canadian tourist Emily meets a group of police officers from the celebrated national SWAT team in a bar in Paris.
After several drinks, they invite her to their office nearby. Re-examining the issue of consent, this is a compact metro-thriller that asks troubling questions in the post #MeToo era. Full review
Genesis Cinema | Tuesday 1 Nov 2022 | 20:50
Falcon Lake, UK Premiere
Director: Charlotte Le Bon
France/Canada | 2022 | 100 minutes
Discovery Award Nominee
Bastien and Chloé spend their summer vacation with their families at a lake cabin in Quebec, haunted by a ghost legend. Ready to overcome his worst fears to earn a place in Chloé’s heart, the holiday becomes a turbulent pivotal moment for the young boy. Full review
Genesis Cinema | Friday 4 Nov 2022 | 21:00
My Love Affair with Marriage, London Premiere
Director: Signe Baumane
Latvia/Luxemborg/USA | 2022 | 108 minutes
Best International Feature Nominee, Best Screenplay Nominee
From an early age, Zelma was convinced that love would solve all her problems as long as she conformed to societal expectations. But as she grew older something didn’t seem right with the concept of love: the more she tried to conform, the more her body resisted. Full review
Genesis Cinema | Wednesday 30 Oct 2022 | 18:05
My Name is Andrea, London Premiere
Director: Pratibha Parma
USA | 2022 | 94 minutes
Best Documentary Feature Nominee, Best Director Nominee
Gentle, UK Premiere
Director: László Csuja & Anna Nemes
Hungary/Germany | 2022 | 92 minutes
Discovery Award Nominee, Best Performance Nominee
Edina, a female bodybuilder, is ready to sacrifice everything for the dream she shares with life partner and trainer Adam: to win the world championship. Expensive steroids and supplements, force her to take a job as an escort which makes her realise the difference between her aspiration and true self. Full review
Curzon Soho | Saturday 5 Nov 2022 | 21:00
Of course, we have many other films in our selection for you to choose from – so just head to our website to check out the rest of our full programme list for this year! See you at our festival!
Did You Know?
Suzanne Ballantyne is the co-founder of Raindance (1993) and the British Independent Film Awards (1998). Since 1994 Suzanne has been watching movies in her role of Head of Programming of the Raindance Film Festival.
She has been a featured guest at four of the world’s premier film festivals: Rotterdam, Berlin, Toronto and Cannes. She has also served as a distinguished jury member on numerous festivals in Europe, America and Japan. As producer she has three award-winning feature films and has two projects with named cast in pre-production to her credit.
In 2017 she completed a Raindance MA in Filmmaking with Distinction.
