The UK’s leading indie film festival, Raindance, have announced that Jack Huston’s directorial debut ‘Day of the Fight’ will be the opening gala, and the film adaptation of Sara Mesa’s bestselling novel ‘Un Amor’ will be the closing gala for the upcoming 31st edition of the film festival.

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Raindance, recognised by Variety as “one of the world’s top 50 unmissable film festivals”, will be returning to the heart of London’s West End, running from the 25th October to the 4th November. Host cinemas will include Vue Piccadilly, Curzon Soho, Curzon Mayfair and the Garden Cinema, with The House of Raindance industry hub and the Raindance Immersive VR Showcase being hosted this year at Wonderville on Haymarket, which is all located on arrows-shot from the iconic Eros statue in Piccadilly Circus. Further films will be screened at Genesis Cinema in east London.

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Raindance founder Elliot Grove released a statement, saying:

When Raindance first launched back in 1993 with the World Premiere of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, the festival found itself at home in London’s iconic West End, championing indie film in cinemas more accustomed to playing Hollywood blockbusters. Year after year, Raindance proved that the West End could be a home to film of every budget and genre. In our most recent editions, Raindance embraced local neighbourhood cinemas across London. Now for this, our 31st edition, we are wholeheartedly back in London’s West End, the beating heart of cinema in the UK. And we will continue to champion new filmmakers and the edgy, under-the-radar films that we at Raindance love so much. Join us in 2023, in the shadow of Eros in the heart of London – and maybe with a little help from Eros’s mythical arrows, we’ll all fall just a bit in love with independent film.

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Here are the list of films that will feature at the 31st edition of the Raindance Film Festival…

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OPENING GALA: DAY OF THE FIGHT

DIRECTED BY: JACK HUSTON

Jack Huston makes his directorial debut with this story of a once-renowned boxer who takes a redemptive journey through his past and present, on the day of his first fight since he left prison. This formidable drama stars Michael Pitt alongside a cast that includes Ron Perlman, Joe Pesci and even features a cameo from Steve Buscemi. Jack Huston will take part in a post-screening Q&A, followed by a gala opening party at the Waldorf Hilton.

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CLOSING GALA: UN AMOR

DIRECTED BY: ISABEL COIXET

Based on Sara Mesa’s bestselling novel, Laia Costa plays a young woman who escapes her stressful life in the city and relocates to rural Spain. When she accepts a disturbing sexual proposal, it gives rise to an all-consuming and obsessive passion. Costa was nominated back in 2017 with the BAFTA EE Rising Star award for her performance in Victoria. The film was nominated for the Golden Seashell at the San Sebastián Film Festival.

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IN COMPETITION: FILM STRANDS

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DISCOVERY: MAVERICK FEATURES BY FIRST-TIME DIRECTORS

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PARACHUTE

DIRECTED BY: BRITTANY SNOW

Parachute marks the directorial debut of actress Brittany Snow, which also won her the Thunderbird Rising award recently at SXSW. Lead actress Courtney Eaton also picked up a prize at SXSW for her powerful performance as a young woman with an eating disorder and addiction issues.

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ALL THE COLOURS OF THE WORLD ARE BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE

DIRETED BY: BABATUNDE APALOWO

This debut feature from Babatunde Apalowo recently won the Best Feature Teddy at Berlindale. The film portrays two men who develop a deep affection for each other when they first meet in Lagos – but in a society which considers homosexuality taboo, they feel the pressure of social norms.

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UPON ENTRY

DIRECTED BY ALEJANDRO ROJAS AND SEBASTIÁN VASQUEZ

This debut feature from Alejandro Rojas and Sebastián Vasquez has received acclaim at festivals including Málaga and Tallinn. The film follows a young couple as they move from Spain to the United States, only to face an unpleasant inspection and gruelling interrogation when they enter New York airport’s immigration area.

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ONLY THE GOOD SURVIVE

DIRECTED BY: DUTCH SOUTHERN

Debut feature from Dutch Southern. Lead actress Sidney Flanigan plays a young woman who, after a heist gone wrong results in the deaths of three of her friends, finds herself in the custody of the small-town sheriff in this genre-bending horror/thriller.

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MOUNTAIN ONION

DIRECTED BY: ELDAR SHIBANOV

Debut feature from Eldar Shibanov. This Venice Film Festival prize-winner follows an eleven-year-old boy who finds his mother in the arms of a truck driver, and so he travels from Kazakhstan to China to find what he believes is the only thing that can help his father save the situation. and become a strong man: Gold Viagra.

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LOST SOULZ

DIRECTED BY: KATHERINE PROPPER

A debut feature that follows a young rapper leaving everything behind and embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery, music, and friendship in this slow-burning Texas-bound road-trip movie.

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STORM

DIRECTED BY: ERIKA CALMEYER

After her son drowns in an accident, a mother tries to restart her and her daughter’s life in this tough and powerful drama – only for rumours to surface that the daughter pushed her brother into the water.

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THE LAND WITHIN

DIRECTED BY: FISNIK MAXVILLE

The ‘Best First Feature’ winner at Tallinn, The Land Within follows an adopted boy living in Switzerland who returns to his native Kosovo at the request of his cousin, to help identify the exhumed bodies from a mass grave in their childhood village.

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INTERNATIONAL: Must-see titles selected from around the globe

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ALL THE SILENCE

DIRECTED BY: DIEGO DEL RIO

An actress and sign language teacher learns that she is soon to become deaf. Despite having deaf parents, deaf friends, and a deaf girlfriend, she refuses to accept a world without sound.

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BLOOD FOR DUST

DIRECTED BY: ROD BALCKURST

With a cast including Kit Harington, Josh Lucas and Stephen Dorff, Blood for Dust tells the story of a struggling travelling salesman who finds himself on a dangerous path after a chance encounter with a former colleague.

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CLASHING DIFFERENCES

DIRECTED BY: MERLE GRIMME

Winner of the ‘Young German Cinema’ award at Munich Film Festival, the all-female cast tell the story of a white feminist organisation who, in a clumsy attempt at diversity, invite a group of queer and BIPOC women to participate in their conference.

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HEAVIS TENDRES/TENDER METALHEADS

DIRECTED BY: JOAN TOMAS

An animated tale of two teenage boys in 1990s Barcelona who take refuge in their friendship and heavy music, escaping the grey world in which they live.

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PALIMPSEST

DIRECTED BY: HANNA VÄSTINSALO

From the Venice Film Fest Biennale Cinema College, this Benjamin Button-esque sci-fi drama follows two elderly roommates who are selected for a medical trial that makes them younger, giving them a second chance at life while retaining the memories of their past lift.

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PETT KATA SHAW

DIRECTED BY: NUHASH HUMAYUN

Having directed the multi-Oscar qualifying horror short Moshari, this self-taught filmmaker brings more ancient South Asian folklores to life in this supernatural anthology film.

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SWEET SIXTEEN

DIRECTED BY: ALEXA-JEANNE DUBÉ

A film adaptation of the late Suzie Bastien’s 2018 play, eight sixteen-year-old girls unveil themselves through eight bittersweet monologues.

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WHITE PLASTIC SKY

DIRECTED BY: TIBOR BÁNÓCZKI AND SAROLTA SZABÓ

This bold and visually striking animated film follows a young couple living in a barren, post-apocalyptic Budapest in the year 2123, struggling for food and life as they survive along with. therest. ofhumanity beneath a huge white dome.

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DOCUMENTARIES: Powerful and relevant narratives

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SATAN WANTS YOU

DIRECTED BY: STEVEN J. ADAMS AND SEAN HORLOR

The provocative story of how the ‘Satanic Panic’ of the 1980s was ignited by Michelle Remembers, a bestselling memoir co-written by a psychiatrist and his patient, which made lurid claims about Satanic ritual abuse.

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DUSTY & STONES

DIRECTED BY: JESSE RUDOY

This directorial debut intimately chronicles the ride of Gazi ‘Dustry’ Simelane and Linda ‘Stones’ Msibi, two struggling country music singers from Swziland who journey to Texas hoping for their big break.

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SEX WITH SUE

DIRECTED BY: LISA RIDEOUT

Winner of the ‘Best Documentary’ at the Candian Screen Awards 2023, this documentary chronicles the life of nurse-turned-sex-educator Sue Johanson, whose popular radio and TV programmes offered sex education from a pleasure-driven, feminist perspective.

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LA SINGLA

DIRECTED BY: PALOMA ZAPATA

Romani flamenco dancer Antoñita Singla lost her hearing just days after her birth, so learned to dance by watching her mother clapping. In the 1960s she was considered ‘the best flamenco dancer in the world’ – but ironically, she was more famous internationally than in Spain. This is her fascinating life story.

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WE ARE GUARDIANS

DIRECTED BY: CHELSEA GREEN, ROB GROBMAN AND EDIVAN GUAJAJARA

Produced by Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way, this documentary is a poignant portrayal of a group of native people who endeavour to save what is left of the Brazilian Amazon.

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ANOTHER BODY

DIRECTED BY: SOPHIE COMPTON AND REUBEN HAMLYN

Winner of the ‘Special Jury Award’ at SXSW, it documents a college student’s search for justice after she discovers deepfake pornography of herself circulating online.

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AURORA’S SUNRISE

DIRECTED BY: INNA SHAKAKYAN

Aurora’s Sunrise combines archive footage with animation to tell the true story of a teenage refugee turned Hollywood star: fourteen-year-old Aurora lost everything during the Armenian Genocide, but after fleeing to New York her story became a media sensation, leading to a starring role as herself in the 1919 film Auction of Souls.

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OMAR AND CEDRIC: IF THIS EVER GETS WEIRD

DIRECTED BY: NICOLAS JACK DAVIES

World Premiere and Davies’ second feature. Having worked with the likes of Coldplay, Elbow, PJ Harvey and Mumford & Sons, this Grammy-nominated director charts the intimate, artistic and personal relationship between Omar Rodriguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala of American progressive rock band The Mars Volta.

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THE BOOKS HE DIDN’T BURN

DIRECTED BY: CLAUS BREDENBROCK AND JASCHA

World premiere and debut feature from Claus Bredenbrock and Jascha. Narrated by Academy Awards winner Jeremy Irons, this documentary takes an eye-opening look at history by examining the remains of Adolf Hitler’s private library.

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UK: The best new films conceived and created right here

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LONG DISTANCE SWIMMER: SARA MARDINI

DIRECTED BY: CHARLY WAI FELDMAN

When former pro swimmers Sara Mardini and her sister Yusra arrived in Germany from war-torn Syria, they were Europe’s most celebrated refugees. New Sara is facing a twenty-year prison sentence for volunteering with a Greek NGO, helping other refugees. Screening in association with Migration Matters Festival.

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SISTERS INTERRUPTED

DIRECTED BY: CAROLINE SHARP

Highlighting the medical injustices that people face, this documentary follows two sisters as they both battle forms of epilepsy and together fight for access to a treatment that could save both their lives.

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RED HARRING

DIRECTED BY: KIT VINCENT

Tackling themes of mental health, love and society, this debut feature sees a filmmaker enlists his family on an intimate and darkly humorous journey to help them come to terms with his terminal illness.

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EMBERS

DIRECTED BY: CHRISTIAN COOKE

World premiere and directorial feature debut from Christian Cooke, who stars alongside Ruth Bradley in this story of a sexual surrogate who is employed to help a high-security psychiatric patient overcome his intimacy issues so he can make parole.

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SILENT ROAR

DIRECTED BY: JOHNNY BARRINGTON

Chosen to open this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, this charming coming-of-age drama follows a young surfer on the Isle of Lewis as he deals with unresolved grief following his father’s death.

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THE PORTRAIT

DIRECTED BY: SIMON ROSS

After her husband is devastated by a tragic accident, a devoted wife becomes obsessed with a mysterious portrait that resembles how he once was. This directorial feature debut from Simon Ross stars Natalia Cordova-Buckley, Ryan Kwanten and Virginia Madsen.

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CATCHING DUST

DIRECTED BY: STUART GATT

Erin Moriaty and Jai Courtney play a repressed wife and her criminal husband hiding out in the Texas desert, when a couple from New York suddenly arrives with dangerous consequences for them all.

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WARHOL

DIRECTED BY: ADAM ETHAN CROW

The lives of a controversial America shock jock, a desperate deaf girl, a homeless ex-soldier, and. ascared young gang member intertwine in this tale of choice, consequence, and redemption.