from Raindance

The Raindance Film Festival announces its 18th festival programme at today’s press launch at The May Fair Hotel. This year’s lineup includes 77 features, of which 69 UK Premieres and over 133 shorts with another exceptional year of internationally acclaimed and independent films, special live events, exclusive Q&As and masterclasses. The festival will take place from 29 September to 10 October at its home of Apollo Cinema: Piccadilly Circus for the second year running – which celebrated knockout attendance figures at last year’s festival.

Opening the festival on Wednesday 29th September is JACKBOOTS ON WHITEHALL – a satirical animation about an alternative history of World War II where the Nazis seize London and England must band together to prevent a full on invasion. Star voiceover cast includes: Ewan McGregor, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Timothy Spall, Tom Wilkinson, Alan Cumming, Richard Griffiths, Stephen Merchant and Richard O’Brien. It will be followed by an after-party with live set from rising US indie band stars The Airborne Toxic Event and DJ set from one of the most influential DJs in the UK – Andrew Weatherall. The following day will be a special screening of ALL I EVER WANTED – a music documentary following Airborne Toxic Event as they face their biggest ever event at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The band and filmmakers will be taking part in a special panel discussion directly after the screening.

Closing the festival on Sunday 10th October brings us SON OF BABYLON, the much hyped Iraqi film which is representing this year’s Iraqi hopes for the Oscars and has already won two awards at Berlin International Film Festival and one at Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Mohamed Al Daradji, this is the poignant story of a young boy who follows his grandmother in a journey across Iraq in the hopes of finding her son and his father who never returned from war.

Sitting on this year’s stellar jury are: Charles Saatchi, renowed British film critic and historian Derek Malcolm; one of Alfred Hitchcock’s original sound producers Ernie Marsh; Julian Barratt of The Mighty Boosh; Lemmy from iconic metal legends Motorhead; writer, illustrator, musician and filmmaker Dave McKean; Alison Owen (producer of Shaun of the Dead, Elizabeth, Brick Lane, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Chatroom and Tamara Drew), Joe Bateman Festival Director at Rushes Short Film Festival and Mark Herbert head of Warp Films, producer of award winning films such This is England and Dead Man’s Shoes…more