18th Raindance Film Festival - Press Launch

The 18th Edition of the Raindance Film Festival has officially been announced. 

The festival's opening film will be "JACKBOOTS IN WHITEHALL" dir. Edward & Rory McHenry and starring Ewan McGregor, Rosamunde Pike, Richard E. Grant, Timothy Spall, Tom Wilkinson, Alan Cumming, Richard Griffiths, Stephen Merchant and Richard O'Brien - a satirical animation presenting the possibility, back in WWII, what would have happened had the Nazis invaded England. 

The closing film will be "SON OF BABYLON" dir. Mohamed Al Daradji starring Shazada Hussein and Yasser Talib - it tells 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 the war. 

There have also been some controversial choices of films, mostly notably that of screening (although in private) "A SERBIAN FILM" dir. Srdjan Spasojevic, a film controversial due to the necrophiliac, pedophiliac, rape and incest scenes. 

"LA ZOMBIE" dir. Bruce La Bruce, another controversial choice, dubbed "gay zombie porn". As well as a program of pornographic shorts, "DIRTY DIARIES" directed by a host of feminist filmmakers hailing from Sweden and produced by Mia Engberg. 

The jury were quite a diverse bunch too: Charles Saatchi, renowned British film critic, historian Derek Malcolm, Ernie Marsh, one of Hitchcock's original sound producers, Julian Barratt of The Mighty Boosh, Lemmy, the iconic frontman of metal band Motorhead, musician and filmmaker Dave McKean, Alison Owen, producer of SHAUN OF THE DEAD, ELIZABETH, BRICK LANE, THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS, CHATROOM and, most recently, TAMARA DREWE, Joe Bateman, Festival director at Rushes Short Film Festival and Max Herbert, head of Warp Films and producer of such films as THIS IS ENGLAND and DEAD MAN'S SHOES. 

The Festival will run from Sept 29th - Oct 10th.