Day 1 at Raindance

After the massive party that was opening night and the European premiere of Here Comes the Devil, the 20th Raindance Film Festival officially opened yesterday with a great variety of films on offer that were lapped up by many.

There were international shorts, a popular screening of Ivan's Dream, a surreal showing of Errors of the Human Body in conjunction with amBX (a new system which incorporates light and sound enhancement in the film to provide a new sensory experience) and a completely packed International Film Finance panel (health and safety representatives, avert your eyes NOW) which had people sitting on the aisle, the stairs and on each other's laps to see the discussion on a film fund that is planning to provide finance for independent films.

The Lottery of Birth - an interesting film that explores whether we are the human experience we are born into  - was sold out too, and I'm hearing good things about the Vice trilogy of showings too. What was evident is that the Apollo Cinema on Piccadilly Circus was packed out with Raindancers who were voting with their wallets for a new breed of film.

Pass-holders and filmmakers from around the globe were lined up at the ticket counter vying for the last tickets to the evening films which had to refuse admission after a certain point. I read that Alan Rickman and Terence Stamp had just arrived for a Raindance screening of a film they wanted to see but didn’t dare leave the sanctity of my secured seat in the screening I was at for fear of not having one when I returned. The crowds upstairs were excited and the atmosphere reminded me of what a film festival should be. Raindance in its 20^th year is really showing the others how it’s supposed to be. They are screening debut projects including one from an 18 year old filmmaker shot for only £3000 (‘Strings’ screening tonight), highlighted work from their postgraduate class, an array of kickstarter projects including the dazzling Underwater Realm, a low budget film shot in two weeks shot entirely without permits (‘Culture Shock’), a Jennifer Lynch feature on filmmaking in India and more.

Sundance is considered an indie film festival but the choices are predictable, the parties and sponsorship saturated and it’s become a marketing ground for studios and names to plug, push and orchestrate sales, announcements and projects. That’s not to say it’s not doing a lot for the Utah economy or bring an excitement to it that has its own place, but this is true independent cinema and worth celebrating.