Raindance Award Winners Announced

62% Rise in Attendance for 19th Raindance Film Festival

British Indie Stranger Things (Best UK Feature), Croatian/Serbian/Slovenian co-production Just Between Us (Best International Feature), Bulgaria’s Tilt (Best Debut Feature) and Italian short Reset (Film of the Festival) were among the winners at this year’s Raindance Film Festival Awards. The prestigious jury, which included actor Dexter Fletcher, director Gillies Mackinnon, and TV/radio presenter Alex Zane, selected winners in the eight awards categories.

“There were some outstanding films across the whole line-up so selecting winners was especially difficult this year,” said Elliot Grove, Festival Director. “This has been a really successful festival – from the heart of London’s West End we’ve screened over 200 features and shorts at the state-of-the art Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly. Attendance was up by a staggering 62% on last year proving that the appetite for independent film is thriving.”

The winners were announced on Saturday night (8th October) at the festival venue, the Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly Circus. The 19th Raindance Film Festival, which started on 28th September and wrapped on 9th October, brought 94 UK feature film premieres and 137 shorts to London, cementing Raindance’s position as Europe’s leading independent film festival.

The other winners were How To Start A Revolution (Best Documentary), the UK’s Monk3ys (Best Microbudget Feature), Denmark’s Words (Best International Short), and Love At First Sight (Best UK Short). The winning team behind Reset (Film of the Festival) will be offered the chance to film next year’s Raindance Film Festival trailer, with the support of the Independent Film Trust.

Festival Jury

The jury comprised Sally Bibawy of photography company Lomography, actor Dexter Fletcher (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), Director Gillies MacKinnon (Hideous Kinky), Julian Richards, filmmaker and co-founder of Jinga Films, Oli Harbottle from Dogwoof, Céline Masset, co-founder and Artistic Director of the Brussels Short Film Festival, actress Helen McCrory (The Queen, Harry Potter films), Wendy Mitchell, Head of News at Screen International, and radio/TV presenter and film critic Alex Zane.

Festival Awards – nominated films with winners indicated

Best International Feature

Just Between Us / Rajko Grlic – Croatia/Serbia/Slovenia WINNER

No Return / Miguel Cohan – Spain / Argentina

After Fall, Winter/ Eric Schaeffer – USA

Youth H2 “Come As You Are” / Kota Yoshida – Japan

War Games / Cosimo Alemà – Italy

Best UK Feature

Stranger Things / Eleanor Burke/Ron Eyal – UK WINNER

Acts Of Godfrey / Johnny Daukes – UK

A Thousand Kisses Deep / Dana Lustig – UK

Flutter / Giles Borg – UK

Hollow/ Michael Axelgaard – UK

Seamonsters / Julian Kerridge – UK

Best Debut

Tilt / Viktor Chouchkov Jr. – Bulgaria WINNER

Synchronicity / Joe Tanaka – Japan

Exteriors / Marie Kristiansen – Norway

On The Way Home / Emiliano Corapi – Italy

Restive/ Jeremiah Jones – USA

Best Microbudget Feature

MONK3YS / Drew Cullingham – UK WINNER

Julius Caesar / Adam Lee Hamilton & John Montegrande – UK

Uspomene 677 / Mirko Pincelli – Bosnia Herzegovina / UK

Meso Cafe / Ja’far ‘Abd al-Hamid – UK

Black Pond / Tom Kingsley & Will Sharpe – UK

Best Documentary

How to Start A Revolution / Ruaridh Arrow – UK WINNER

White Button / Igor Stoimenov – Serbia

The Echo Of Astro Boy’s Footsteps / Masanori Tominaga – Japan

Where My Heart Beats / Khazar Fatemi – Sweden

Heaven + Earth + Joe Davis / Peter Sasowsky – USA

Best International Short

Words / Sven Vinge – Denmark WINNER

The Lady Paranorma / Vincent Marcone – Canada

Martyr Friday / Abu Bakr Shawky – Egypt

Zoltan- The Hungarian Gangster of Love / Justin Reardon – USA

Hemingway’s Pen / Renzo Carbonera – Italy

Best UK Short

Love At First Sight / Michael Davies – UK WINNER

This Side of the Afterlife / Adam Horton – England

God View / Billy Lumby – UK

The Girl Is Mime / Tim Bunn – UK

Rough Skin / Cathy Brady – UK

Film of the Festival (Short)

The winner is offered the chance to film next year’s Raindance Film Festival trailer, with the support of the Independent Film Trust:

Reset / Nicolangelo Gelormini – Italy

About Raindance Film Festival

The Raindance Film Festival runs from 28 Sept – 9 Oct at the Apollo Cinema in London’s Piccadilly Circus, with the Opening Night premiere of Another Earth at Cineworld Haymarket on 28 Sept. Now in its 19th year, Raindance Film Festival is Europe’s leading Independent Film Festival showcasing feature films, shorts and docs from around the world and specialising in independent films and directorial debuts. The festival has a strong legacy of showing alternative, edgy films. Since 1993 Raindance Film Festival has uncovered the hottest new filmmakers to hit the cinematic scene. Raindance-premiered hits include Pulp Fiction, Memento, the Blair Witch Project, Ghost World and Love Exposure.

Raindance – The Voice of Independent Film

Raindance is dedicated to fostering and promoting independent film in the UK and around the world. Based in the heart of London, Raindance combines Raindance Film Festival, Training Courses, the prestigious British Independent Film Awards and Raindance.tv

www.raindance.co.uk