Raindance Film Festival 2010 Preview
Legacy, Vampires and Incredibly Small are some of the independent films that have caught my eye this year.
The 18th Raindance Film Festival takes place from 29th September to 10th October, giving full support to independent filmmaking and debuting soon-to-be breakout movies. This is the festival that premiered the likes of Pulp Fiction, The Blair Witch Project and Memento! Films that have made their mark at the event in recent years include Humpday, Choke, Colin, Oldboy, Down Terrace and Exhibit A, plus they have no shortage of special guests attending.
From the 77 features and 133 shorts that will be screened at the very nice Apollo Piccadilly Circus, here are the ones that have caught my eye. Tickets are on sale today over at their website. For more information on the festival visit www.raindance.co.uk.
Vampires
This faux documentary from Belgium's Vincent Lannoo follows the life of several vampires as they squabble and deal with the tedium of everyday life. A bit like True Blood meets We Are What We Are, it appears in this mock-doc that vampires live openly among humans, but feed off illegal immigrants and prostitutes. From what I've read, this looks to be unique and witty take on the genre.
Legacy
Idris Elba lends his star power to this British drama, set in New York but filmed in the UK. Thomas Ikimi's story follows a former Black Ops operative (Elba) after a botched mission in Eastern Europe. Holed up in a Brookyln apartment, he begins a journey of contemplation and recovery.
Incredibly Small
Dean Peterson's charming debut is up for best low budget movie this year. The gentle comedy drama follows a recently graduated couple after they move into a tiny apartment, as they realise they may not be as perfect for each other as they thought.
The Woman With The Broken Nose
Serbian writer-director Srdan Koljevic's tale follows a bunch of characters affected by the attempted suicide of a mother, who leaves a newborn baby in the back of a cab. The Bosnian cabbie gets help from his hooker friend as he waits for the mother to come out of her coma. Hollywood Reporter calls this a "pleasing shaggy dog story", so it's not as grim as it sounds.
Symbol
Japan's Hitoshi Matsumoto presents this film, which is literally symbolic. A man wakes up in a white room, while phallic objects come out of the wall. It sets off a series of bizarre events as he tries to escape. Meanwhile, the viewer watches a masked wrestler as he prepares to fight. It's going to be the most divisive film of the festival, methinks.
Of course, the big films are the opening and closing night galas. Jackboots On Whitehall is a satirical animation with an all-star voice cast - Ewan McGregor and Rosamund Pike, to name but a few. An alternate history of WWII, where Nazis have seized London. Closing the festival is the acclaimed Son Of Babylon, a poignant Iraqi film about a young boy who goes searching for his father with his grandmother.
Special events include a night with Mike Newell, where the director will be talking about his vast body of work, which includes Four Weddings & A Funeral, Donnie Brasco and Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire. The Raindance Film Festival Awards will be selected by a jury that includes Derek Malcom, Lemmy, Julian Barratt and producers Alison Owen and Mark Herbert.
Subscribe to the SG News Feed
