FEATURE FILMS 3
THE FESTIVAL JURY 13
FESTIVAL JURY PRIZES 14
OUR SPONSORS 16
THE FESTIVAL TEAM 19
2 Feature Films and Feature Documentaries
ACOLYTES Australia 91' Director: Jon Hewitt Principal Cast: Joel Edgerton, Michael Dorman, Sebastian Gregory Short Synopsis: Acolytes is the story of a school bully’s two victims who, in an attempt to exact revenge, find themselves embroiled in a game of cat and mouse with a serial killer.
ADRIFT IN TOKYO (TEN-TEN) Japan 101' Director: Satoshi Miki Principal Cast: Joe Odagiri, Tomokazu Miura, Ittoku Kishibe Short Synopsis: Starring Joe Odagiri as the hapless law student Fumiya, who has somehow managed to rack up over 800,000 yen in debt with little prospect of ever paying it back.
AFTER-CRASS USA 38'20 Director: Marian Wallace Principal Cast: Gee Vaucher, Penny Rimbaud, V. Vale Short Synopsis: Artists and ex-members of 70's influential UK Anarcho-Punk music outfit, Crass, Penny Rimbaud and Gee Vaucher exhibit their work and perform in art exhibits in the US.
AGILE, MOBILE, HOSTILE: A YEAR WITH ANDRE WILLIAMS USA 88'16 Director: Tricia Todd, Eric Matthies Principal Cast: Andre Williams, Jon Sinclair, Jon Spencer Short Synopsis: He’s worked with Ike Turner, Berry Gordy and Stevie Wonder. He frequently tours America and other parts of the world. His songs have appeared in films that went on to become huge international successes. So why is it that, at 72 years old, Andre Williams is still struggling to pay for the budget hotel room in which he lives between tours? A fascinating insight into one of music’s forgotten legends.
ALL TOGETHER NOW UK 84' Director: Adrian Wills Principal Cast: Sir Paul McCartney, Geroge Martin, Ringo Starr Short Synopsis: "All Together Now" tells the story of the remarkable collaboration between The Beatles and Cirque du Soleil that resulted in the staging of LOVE, the spectacular show that's astonishing audiences in Las Vegas. Featuring contributions from not only Martin but also Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the late Apple boss, Neil Aspinall, ‘All Together Now’ is not just a great behind-the-scenes film as it also finds time for reflective contemplation of what remains the most popular band of all time.
AÑO UÑA Mexico Director: Jonás Cuarón Principal Cast: Eireann Harper, Diego Cataño
3 Short Synopsis: A love story between a Mexican teenager and an older American woman who meet one summer in Mexico, told through still images.
ANATOMY OF FAILURE USA 53’ Director: Principal Cast: Short Synopsis:
ARCTIC MONKEYS AT THE APOLLO UK Director: Richard Ayoade Principal Cast: Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders, Nick O'Malley Short Synopsis: A compelling film that invites the audience to immerse themselves in the style and force of the UK's most striking band as they deliver one of their most intense performances. Directed by comedian Richad Ayoade, this striking film is not to be missed.
ART AND APATHY Canada, Palestine 56' Director: Jessica Habie Principal Cast: N/A Short Synopsis: Art and Apathy is a look at the relationship between conflict and creativity in Israel and Palestine. The project is a conversation between four short poetic pieces that describe the effects of the Israel Palestine conflict on Israeli artists and features both acclaimed and underground voices.
THE AUTEUR USA 80' Director: James Westby Principal Cast: Melik Malkasian, Katherine Flynn, John Breen Short Synopsis: THE AUTEUR follows formerly renowned porn director Arturo Domingo (Five Easy Nieces, Requiem for a Wet Dream) through a bizarre weekend as he receives a lifetime achievement award at a film festival in Portland, OR.
BLACKSPOT New Zealand 83' Director: Ben Hawker Principal Cast: Luke Hawker, Simon Smith, Camille Keenan Short Synopsis: On a late night road trip, two companions discover that running from things in the dark, only brings you closer to what you should fear…
THE BLUE TOWER UK 87' Director: Smita Bhide Principal Cast: Abhin Galeya, Alice O'Connell, Indira Joshi Short Synopsis: Mohan is a young dreamer, unhappy in his marriage, pressured by his father-in-law into joining the family firm. With his parents dead, he relies for money on the support of his tyrannical bed-ridden Auntie, Kamla, who delights in tormenting her innocent nephew. An amazing debut from Smita Bhide.
BONNE ANNÉE Costa Rica 105' Director: Alexander Berberich Principal Cast: None Provided
4 Short Synopsis: Real problems, real people lying to themselves in one moment in time.
CHOKE USA 89' [OPENING NIGHT GALA] Director: Clark Gregg Principal Cast: Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly MacDonald Short Synopsis: From maverick author Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club) and breakout new writer-director Clark Gregg comes the subversively comedic tale of Victor Mancini, con artist, sex addict, Colonial villiage re-enactor, angst-filled son, serial restaurant choker…and unsuspecting romantic antihero for our modern times.
CHRIS & DON USA 90' Director: Tina Mascara, Guido Santi Principal Cast: N/A Short Synopsis: Chris & Don tells the love story between British writer, Christopher Isherwood (whose book The Berlin Stories inspired the musical and film Cabaret) and American portrait artist, Don Bachardy.
CLUBBED UK 95' Director: Neil Thompson Principal Cast: Mel Raido, Shaun Parkes, Scot Williams Short Synopsis: Set in the world of 80's clubland. A lonely factory worker becomes involved with a group of doormen building to a frightening and brutal climax.
CRAWFORD USA 73' Director: David Modigliani Principal Cast: None Provided Short Synopsis: What happens to the 705 residents of Crawford, Texas when George W. Bush moves to town?
CRAZY USA Director: Rick Bieber Principal Cast: Waylon Payne, Ali Larter, Lane Garrison Short Synopsis: Inspired by the life of Hank Garland, Crazy is the story of a legendary guitar player who emerged from Nashville in the 1950’s.
CUT THE PARTS IN GREY Italy Director: Principal Cast: Short Synopsis:
THE DAISY CHAIN UK 91' Director: Aisling Walsh Principal Cast: Samantha Morton, Steven Mackintosh, Mhairi Anderson Short Synopsis: After retreating to the West of Ireland to recover from the sudden death of their infant daughter, Martha and Tomas foster a disturbed 8-year-old girl, Daisy who has lost her entire family to tragic accidents. The locals warn Martha and Tomas that Daisy is an evil fairy changeling but to Martha, Daisy is the child she has always longed for.
5 DUMMY UK 85' Director: Matthew Thompson Principal Cast: Aaron Johnson, Thomas Grant, Emma Catherwood Short Synopsis: Jack needs someone to talk to... When his beloved mother passes away, he turns to drastic measures for solace. THE EARS Japan 116' Director: Hiromu Nakamura Principal Cast: Tomachika Izumi,Tamaki Kaiho Short Synopsis: A tale from the south island of ''Takarami Jima', where people coexist with nature…
ELECTRIC APRICOT USA Director: Les Claypool Principal Cast: Seth Green, Dian Bachar, Sam Maccarone Short Synopsis: A hilarious spoof of jam bands centered on the band, Electric Apricot, in the style of "This Is Spinal Tap".
THE END USA/UK 70' Director: Nicola Collins Principal Cast: N/A Short Synopsis: The End is Nicola Collins’ debut film exploring the violent background and history of the notorious cockney gangsters that inhabited London’s East End. Shot in black and white, this talking heads documentary gets closer to the truth about these untouchable men than most as Collins is none other than the daughter of Les Falco, a respected old school gangster.
ESTÔMAGO Brazil/Italy 112' Director: Marcos Jorge Principal Cast: João Miguel, Fabiula Nascimento, Babu Santana Short Synopsis: The world is made of those who eat and those who get eaten. Raimundo Nonato, our protagonist, finds an alternative way: he cooks. He cooks first in a bar, then in an Italian Restaurant and then in prison - how did he end up in jail? He cooks and learns how to get by in a society divided in two between those who eat and those who get eaten. What he learns, are a series of rules he uses to his advantage: in the end, the cook must also get his share of food – and only he knows which part tastes best.
THE 4TH MAN Serbia 104' Director: Dejan Zecevic Principal Cast: Nikola Kojo, Marija Karan, Dragan Petrovic Pele Short Synopsis: Fourth man is something different from the land of Serbia; a very well directed, and scripted movie with Nikola Kojo in the leading role who deadpans effortlessly trough the picture, and executes everyone with real pleasure.
FINE, TOTALLY FINE (ZEN ZEN DAIJÓBU) Japan 110' Director: Yôsuke Fujita Principal Cast: Yoshiyoshi Arakawa, Yoshino Kimura, Yoshinori Okada Short Synopsis: Teruo is a part-time manual labourer and full-time dreamer, living with his despondent father in a flat above the family-run used bookshop. Teruo’s
6 strange ambition to build a haunted theme park seems primarily motivated by a childish desire to ignore that it might well be time to grow up and face the real world.
FLICK UK 95' Director: David Howard Principal Cast: Faye Dunaway, Liz Smith Short Synopsis: A pirate radio station playing the sounds of the fifties brings a teenager who died 50 years ago back from the grave to search for his lost love and take revenge against his tormentors. Flick boasts a comic book look that echoes Sin City, and oozes in retro style. The big star on display is 1970s screen goddess Faye Dunaway as a one-armed Police lieutenant from Memphis. Throw in a kick-ass 1950s Rock ’n’ Roll soundtrack, and you’ve got one hell of an entertaining gem.
FUGITIVE PIECES Director: Principal Cast: Short Synopsis:
GARDENS OF THE NIGHT USA 110' Director: Damian Harris Principal Cast: Tom Arnold, Gillian Jacobs, Evan Ross, John Malkovich Short Synopsis: A film about two children, a boy and a girl, who are abducted separately by two men and then forced to live as a dysfunctional family.
GOLIATH USA 81' Director: David Zellner Principal Cast: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Caroline O'Connor Short Synopsis: The events of Goliath unfold without mercy or relief for a man who clings to his search for ‘the sweetest most wonderful cat in the whole world.’ Absurd, clever and inspiring.
GUNNIN' FOR THAT #1 SPOT USA 90' Director: Adam Yauch Principal Cast: Short Synopsis: Beastie Boy Adam Yauch directs this stunning documentary, following eight high-school basketball players as they prepare for the first Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic game in Harlem.
HABER Germany Director: Principal Cast: Short Synopsis:
HIP HOP COLONY Kenya 93' Director: Michael Wanguhu Principal Cast: Bamboo, Harry Kimani, Tedd Josiah Short Synopsis: Michael Wanguhu’s lively documentary celebrates the recent emergence of hip hop youth culture in Kenya, a nation still emerging from the hangover of British colonial rule.
7 HUSH UK 90’ [CLOSING NIGHT GALA] Director: Mark Tonderai Principal Cast: William Ash, Christine Bottomley, Guy Burnet Short Synopsis: Tired and irritable, Zakes Abbott drives home along the motorway, his girlfriend, Beth, asleep beside him. Failing to spot his exit he speeds across the causeway, cutting up a white van and barely avoiding an accident, soon realising there are darker forces at play.
INDESTRUCTIBLE USA 113’ Director: Ben Byer Principal Cast: Ben Byer, Barbara Byer, John Byer Short Synopsis: Indestructible portrays an epic journey of self-discovery for filmmaker and single father Ben Byer as he battles the incurable and fatal neuro- degenerative disease, ALS.
IST FAUST SCHÖN? France 82' Director: Julien Perrin Principal Cast: Jean-Hervé Péron, Zappi Diermaier Short Synopsis: An insightful exploration of Faust, one of the most revered and influential bands of our time.
IT'S HARD TO BE NICE Bosnia & Herzegovina 102' Director: Srdjan Vuletiç Principal Cast: Sasa Petrovic, Senad Basic, Emir Hadzihafizbegovic Short Synopsis: A story about redemption of one corrupted Taxi driver, Fudo (Sasa Petrovic) who decides to take control of his own destiny.
IT’S ONLY ROCK N’ ROLL BUT I LIKE KEITH Director: Principal Cast: Short Synopsis:
JAPANTHER IN (3-D) DINO DETH DANS Director: Nick Chatfield Taylor and Ian Vanek Principal Cast: Japanther, Penny Rimbaud, Gee Vaucher Short Synopsis: This film captures JPNTHR in (3-D), a performance staged in NOV 07 as part of the Performa biennial in New York. For the past seven years Brooklyn's Japanther has baffled unsuspecting audiences and steadily grown it's cult following. They've lived out of the a van all over Europe, Australia, Canada and the US. Whilst self releasing records and keeping up the "Art Project" persona the group was founded on in 2001. Synchronized swimmer, marionettes and giant puppets have all been used with no end in sight. "Dino Deth Dans" signals a departure of sorts and a home coming of others. Japanther take flight with legendary Crass poet and drummer Penny Rimbaud on 2 epic poems (one topping ten minutes the other just shy.)
KAROSTA UK 50’ Director: Peter King Principal Cast: Short Synopsis:
8 L...LIKE LOVE Slovenia, Czech Republic, Austria,Serbia 100' Director: Janka Glogovac Principal Cast: Lucija Serbedzija, Labina Mitevska, Rade Serbedzija Short Synopsis: Film L… like love is based on true story about young people from ex-Yugoslavia, who live and work in Prague – “center of emigrant crosses”.
LAY DOWN YOUR HEARTS UK 57’ Director: John Simpson Short Synopsis: The story of the rise to fame of the Zawose family, an East African musical dynasty.
LEFT EAR Australia 79' Director: Andrew Wholley Principal Cast: Lech Mackiewicz, Clare Mackey, Helena Malczewska Short Synopsis: A confronting drama that tells the story of a lonely Polish immigrant in Australia who videos his life in an attempt to capture his dreams.
A LIFE IN THE DEATH OF JOE MEEK USA 121' Director: Susan Stahman, Howard S. Berger Principal Cast: Alex Kapranos, Keith Strickland, Steve Howe Short Synopsis: This feature documentary chronicles the rise, fall and resurrection of Joe Meek, Britain's first independent pop record producer.
LITTLE ASHES UK 107' Director: Paul Morrison Principal Cast: Javier Beltrán, Robert Pattinson, Matthew McNulty Short Synopsis: It's 1922. A young Salvador Dalí arrives in Madrid to study fine art, and begins living in the Residencia de Estudiantes. Surrounded by the crème of Spain's artistic scene, he and poet Federico García Lorca strike up a friendship, finding a mutual admiration for each other's work.
MAO TSE TUNG Director: Principal Cast: Short Synopsis:
MESSAGE TO THE WORLD UK 38’ Director: Caroline Caplan Short Synopsis: Kilburn-born Jesse Hector founded influential proto-punk band The Hammersmith Gorillas in the early 70s. This documentary is a salute to an elusive and incredibly influential talent, who seems content, now, with just being a cleaner at the Hackney Empire.
MIDNIGHT MADNESS UK 90' Director: Charles Henri Belleville Principal Cast: Short Synopsis: An exploration of an extreme basketball tournament that rages from midnight until dawn across twelve British cities, culminating in London where the ten best players go to Los Angeles to train then compete against the top amateur team in the US. Director Charles-Henri Belleville’s followup to last year’s Raindance hit The
9 Inheritance is less about basketball as a game than a means to illustrate problems facing youth in inner city Britain.
THE MILKY WAY (A VIA LACTEA) Brazil 88' Director: Lina Chamie Principal Cast: Marco Ricca, Alice Braga, Fernando Alves Pinto Short Synopsis: Heitor and Júlia love one another. After a violent quarrel over the phone, he decides to go after her. “Youth prefers youth,” so fears Heitor, a university professor in his 50’s as he drives through Sao Paulo after his girlfriend Julia, meditating on their violent phone quarrel, fearful that she has run off with Zhiago, a young actor who has been pursuing her. A dream-like romantic tale from Brazil.
NIGHTWATCHING UK 134' Director: Peter Greenaway Principal Cast: Martin Freeman, Emily Holmes, Jodhi May Short Synopsis: An extravagant, exotic and moving look at Rembrandt's romantic and professional life, and the controversy he created by the identification of a murderer in the painting The Night Watch.
NO THROUGH ROAD Australia 85' Director: Sam Barrett Principal Cast: James Helm Short Synopsis: The serenity of another quiet evening is shattered for an amateur photographer when a desperate woman takes refuge in his humble suburban home. Reluctantly, he is pulled into a cat and mouse game with her pursuers. Only dawn will reveal the blood-soaked fallout of being alone in the middle of suburbia.
NOW, I… (IMA, BOKU WA) Japan 87' Director: Yasutomo Chikuma Principal Cast: Yasutomo Chikuma, Yoshiharu Fujisawa, Masato Shiga Short Synopsis: Based on the experiences of some actual friends of his, Chikuma painfully draws attention to a social phenomenon that might be more prevalent than one imagines. Though literally the first time he has picked up a camera, Chikuma acquits himself remarkably in the main role in a film which, despite being realised on an unbelievably small budget of 500,000 yen (under $5000), nevertheless never puts a foot wrong.
OBITUARY FOR ESCOBAR Serbia 91' Director: Milorad Milinkovic Principal Cast: Vojin Cetkovic, Tamara Garbajs, Zijah Sokolovic Short Synopsis: Serbian crime drama focusing on Belgrade's violent criminal underworld.
ONE DAY REMOVALS UK 87' Director: Mark Stirton Principal Cast: Patrick Wright, Scott Ironside Short Synopsis: Andy and Ronnie are just ordinary removal men, nothing exciting ever happens in their day. Today will change that: one day they will never forget. A hilarious Scottish debut for Mark Stirlton.
10 PATTI SMITH DREAM OF LIFE USA 109' Director: Steven Sebring Principal Cast: Patti Smith, Tom Verlaine, Michael Stipe Short Synopsis: Following the multitalented and private artist over 11 years of international travel, through her spoken words, performances, lyrics, interviews, paintings, and photographs.
A PERMANENT PART-TIMER IN DISTRESS (SÓNAN FURLITÂ) Japan 67' Director: Hiroki Iwabuchi Principal Cast: N/A Short Synopsis: After graduating from university, Iwabuchi finds himself biding time as a part-time worker (furiitâ) for Canon, but soon finds himself stuck in a rut working endless hours for a meager hourly wage and unable to pay off his student debts.
PRODUCTION OFFICE Canada 84' Director: Deborah Marks, Steve Solomos Principal Cast: Shauna McDonald, Brandon McGibbon, Maury Chaykin Short Synopsis: Shot entirely in one room, and mostly between two characters, ‘Production Office’ recreates the high-tension, insanely minutae-obsessed parody of a military campaign that is the ‘below the line’ (anyone below stars, directors and producers) world of film production.
THE PROJECT USA 97’ Director: Principal Cast: Short Synopsis:
PVC-1 Columbia 85' Director: Spiros Stathoulopoulos Principal Cast: Daniel Páez, Hugo Pereira, Alberto Sornoza Short Synopsis: Shot in real time, PVC-1 is based on the true story of a woman who is turned into a human time bomb in a bizarre act of terrorism.
THE RIND [LA CASCARA] Uraguay, Spain, Argentina 105' Director: Carlos Ameglio Principal Cast: Juan Alari, Martin Voss, Walter Reyno Short Synopsis: The death of an advertising creative, while working on an idea for the launch of an anti-cold pill. Pedro begins an intricate search in order to discover the departed’s idea.
SENSELESS UK 85' Director: Simon Hynd Principal Cast: Jason Behr, Emma Catherwood, Joe Ferrera Short Synopsis: The intimate and terrifying account of an American businessman's plight at the hands of terrorists who will go to unimaginable lengths to make their voices heard. The film offers up an interesting moral quandary as to how far one should go in presenting human suffering as entertainment and to what extent audiences are themselves culpable.
11 SEVEN SIGNS USA 53' Director: JD Wilkes Principal Cast: JD Wilkes, Slim Cessna, Scott Biram Short Synopsis: Possessed by a vision similar to that of the tent-show evangelists down in Dixie, Colonel J.D. Wilkes (the charismatic frontman and songwriter for Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers) sets off with a camera crew to prove that the older, stranger South still exists in all of its eerie, time-worn, & gothic glory...despite the expansion of the "New South's" urban sprawl. TENDER THROBBING TWILIGHT [TASOGARE] Japan 64' Director: Shinji Imaoka Principal Cast: Masaru Taga, Tasuko Namikibashi, Kenji Yoshioka Short Synopsis: With a quirky and surprisingly touching tale of love at the far side of retirement age, proving that Japanese sex films are not just for dirty old men; they can also be about dirty old men.
THE TOUR (TURNEJA) Serbia 110' Director: Goran Markovic Principal Cast: Dragan Nikolic, Mira Furlan, Josif Tatic Short Synopsis: Drama focusing on a group of actors on tour out of Belgrade in 1993, where they are caught up in the conflict in Serbian Krajina.
THIS WORLD OF OURS (ORETACHI NO SEKAI) Japan 92' Director: Ryo Nakajima Principal Cast: Yoshihiko Taniguchi, Arisa Hata, Satoshi Okutsu Short Synopsis: A raw and anarchic portrait of a generation sick of the world they live in, a generation without hope or future living by their own rules.
TODAY, THE SAME DAY IS DIFFERENT [HOY EL DIA SE REPITE DIFERENTE] Spain 102' Director: Xavier Baig, Oscar Moreno Principal Cast: Toni, Julio, Pruvi Short Synopsis: “Today, The Same Day is Different" takes us into Toni's universe and through the last six months of his life, until the day he dies.
TOKYO: WINGS OF DEFEAT Japan 90' Director: Risa Morimoto Principal Cast: Takehiko Ena, Shigeyoshi Hamazono, Kazuo Nakajima Short Synopsis: Wings of Defeat mixes original archival footage with candid interviews with a number of kamikaze survivors, interspersed with equally astonishing testimonies from surviving veterans of the USS Drexler, a destroyer sunk by two kamikaze pilots.
TURTLES ARE SURPRISINGLY FAST SWIMMERS (KAME WA IGAI TO HAYAKU OYOGU) Japan 90' Director: Satoshi Miki Principal Cast: Juri Ueno, Yû Aoi, Ryo Iwamatsu Short Synopsis: With its breezy, easygoing charm and perky array of oddball characters, Satoshi Miki’s second feature is an ideal entry point into the chaotic and random worlds created by this prodigious new filmmaking phenomenon.
12 TWILIGHT PHANTOM [AKO-KURO] Japan 97' Director: Tsukasa Kishimoto Principal Cast: Msaki Tamaru, Shugo Oshinari, Erika Short Synopsis: After an unfortunate accident, Misaki visits her boyfriend, Koichi Matsumura in Okinawa, the southern island of Japan. Traveling along the mountain trail, a strange bag hanging down from the fig tree branch catches Misaki's eyes. Upon inquiry, Jinsei and his son Jinta who is passing by explain that the bag actually holds the corpse of a cat.
UNDER THE SNOW Spain Director: Principal Cast: Short Synopsis:
WATCH OUT USA 90' Director: Steve Balderson Principal Cast: Matt Riddlehoover, Peter Stickles, Jillian Lauren Short Synopsis: Watch Out is the story of Jonathan Barrows, a man who falls in love with himself, literally. He is secretly attracted to his own body, carries out an erotic relationship with a blow-up doll that resembles him, and takes pleasure in rejecting the advances of his many admirers, both male and female.
WELLNESS USA 90' Director: Jake Mahaffy Principal Cast: Jeff Clark & Paul Mahaffy Short Synopsis: Thomas Lindsey is a travelling salesman who arrives in a small town seeking investment for a miracle drug by the name of Wellness- but he doesn’t really know what the product does.
WETLANDS PRESERVED USA 96' Director: Dean Budnick Principal Cast: Dave Matthews, Bob Weir, Blues Traveler Short Synopsis: This striking documentary chronicles the story of Wetlands, the first (and perhaps only) activist nightclub.
WHO IS KK DOWNEY? Canada 87' Director: Pat Kiely, Darren Curtis Principal Cast: Darren Curtis, Kristin Adams, Matt Silver Short Synopsis: The story of two perennial losers who want more than anything to be famous, popular, and successful.
WILD BLUE YONDER USA 70’ Director: Celia Maysles Short Synopsis: This provocataive first person documentary chronicles Celias quest to get to know her father, the famed documentarian, David Maysles [Gimme Shelter, Salesman] who died when she was only 7 years old.
ZEBRA CROSSINGS UK 140' Director: Samuel Holland
13 Principal Cast: Lee Turnbull, Greg Wakeman, Aaron White Short Synopsis: Set amongst the backdrop of the towering, concrete-clad estates of south London ‘Zebra Crossings’ blends a diverse mixture of characters that all share one thing in common: The incredible loneliness of living alongside 7 million other people.
THE FESTIVAL JURY
Peter Capaldi was the recipient of the 1995 Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film for Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life. He is also a respected film and television actor, recently known for his performance as the political spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker in the BBC sitcom The Thick of It. Other notable credits include Stephen Frears’ Dangerous Liaisons, Channel 4’s Peep Show, and E4’s Skins.
Oli Harbottle was the producer of the Raindance Film Festival for three years from 2003 to 2005. He is now the film release coordinator at Dogwoof Pictures, one of the leading art house distributors of independent film in the UK.
Kim Newman is an established journalist and film critic, contributing regularly to Empire and Sight and Sound magazines. He is also a respected fiction writer, reveling in themes of horror and alternative histories. His best-known novel is 1992’s Anno Dracula.
Rebecca O’Brien has been an independent film producer for twenty years. She has produced ten feature films with Ken Loach, including “Land and Freedom”, “Sweet Sixteen” and “My Name is Joe”. In 2006 “The Wind that Shakes the Barley”, won the Palme d’Or in Cannes. Their latest film “Looking for Eric”, written by regular collaborator Paul Laverty, has just finished shooting and will be launched in 2009.
Nicolas Roeg is a world-renowned film director whose career spans four decades. His debut Performance (co-directed with Donald Cammell) introduced audiences to his experimental and influential approach to filmmaking, which was expanded upon in his later works Walkabout, Don’t Look Now and The Man Who Fell To Earth. His latest film, Puffball, was released in cinemas earlier this year.
Joe Utichi is the editor of Rotten Tomatoes UK, the influential reviews website that brings together critics’ views from around the world. Before joining RT in 2006 he launched and ran his own successful film website, FilmFocus.
14 Adam Yauch is a founding member of the influential hip-hop trio the Beastie Boys. Starting life as a hardcore punk band, they are one of the longest-lived hip hop acts, who continue to enjoy commercial and critical success in 2008, more than 20 years after the release of their debut album. He is also the director of Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot, a basketball documentary screening at Raindance this year.
FESTIVAL JURY PRIZES
To recognise the outstanding achievements of the filmmakers showcased at the 16th Raindance Film Festival in 2008, a number of jury prizes will be awarded. The winners will be announced before the screening of the Closing Night Film HUSH at the Cineworld Trocadero on Sunday 12 October at 7:30PM. The nominees are:
UK FEATURE The Blue Tower Dummy Flick Senseless Zebra Crossings
UK SHORT * Broken Like People Do Ottica Zero Player Red Sands
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE Adrift in Tokyo [Japan] Estomago [Brazil] Goliath [USA] The Tour [Serbia/] Watch Out [USA]
INTERNATIONAL SHORT A Juicy Turkey [France] Little Minx Exquisite Corpse: Cara [USA] Small Collection [USA] The Tournament [Italy]
15 Trouble Sens [France]
DEBUT FEATURE No Through Road [Australia] Production Office [Canada] PVC-1 [Colombia] The Rind [Uruguay] This World of Ours [Japan] Who is KK Downey? [Canada]
DOCUMENTARY Agile, Mobile, Hostile [USA] Indestructible [USA] Today, The Same Day Is Different [Spain] Tokyo Wings of Defeat [Japan] Wild Blue Yonder [USA]
AUDIENCE AWARD [FEATURE] New this year to the festival, the Audience Award will be given to the best feature film at the 16th Raindance Film Festival as selected by you. Make sure you grab a judging slip on your way into the screening and give us your vote on the way out!
* UK SHORT sponsored by Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines supports the Best UK Short Film Award with a prize of 2 return tickets to anywhere in the US. The prize was designed to give UK filmmakers the opportunity to attend screenings of their film in US festivals.
DAILYMOTION SHORT CIRCUIT AWARD The Short Circuit Award is a new short film competition created by Dailymotion and Raindance.tv to search for budding new talent. Filmmakers upload their 60 second short films to the Dailymotion website, where they will be judged by a panel of esteemed industry professionals, led by director Michael Winterbottom [24 Hour Party People, The Road to Guantanamo]. The winner will be announced on Wednesday 8th October at a gala screening of the 10 shortlisted finalists, held at the Rex Cinema in London. Visit www.dailymotion.com for more details.
SAE DIGITAL SHORT FILM AWARD Back for the third year, the winner of the SAE Digital Short Film Award is chosen from a strict rule of criteria - the film must have been entirely shot and edited using only digital means of production and must demonstrate a unique approach to filmmaking utilising new digital technology. The nominations for this year are: Alfie Is Go [USA], The Eye [Argentina], Fight [UK], Mime and Punishment [USA], Letter to Colleen [USA].
FILM OF THE FESTIVAL [SHORT] For the fifth year running we are very excited to announce the Film of the Festival Award. The winner of last year’s award, UK filmmaker Tom Tagholm (“About de Truffe”), was selected for his unique and original style of filmmaking as well as demonstrating a strong passion for his art. Last year’s award was supported by Diesel who supported Tom’s win by funding his project to produce the 16th Raindance Film
16 Festival trailer, which can be seen at www.raindance.co.uk. This year’s award is supported by the Independent Film Trust and the winner.
FESTIVAL SPONSORS
Our sponsors share a passion for cinema and the arts and without their very generous contributions, and without the help and support of the hard working people behind them, Raindance would not be able to survive.
PRINCIPAL SPONSOR
Cineworld Cinemas (since 2002) For five years running, Cineworld Cinemas is proud to once again be the principal sponsor of the Raindance Film Festival. The landmark Cineworld Trocadero hosts the opening and closing night gala celebrations with the bulk of the festival unspooling at the Trocadero. Festival screenings take place at Cineworld Shaftesbury. Cineworld staff and Unlimited passholders are amongst the festival’s staunchest supporters.
MAJOR SPONSORS
Dailymotion Brand new to Raindance this year, we are proud to introduce Dailymotion, the world's largest independent video entertainment site and your one-stop shop for the best creative content on the web. With its strong filmmaker community and diverse range of channels covering news, comedy, music, film, sports and the arts, Dailymotion is the fastest growing destination for people to find or upload videos about their interests and hobbies, eyewitness accounts, travelogues and everything else from the strange to the spectacular.
New to this year is The Short Circuit Award, a short film competition created by Dailymotion and Raindance.tv to search for budding new talent. Filmmakers upload their 60 second short films to the Dailymotion website, where they will be judged by a panel of esteemed industry professionals, led by director Michael Winterbottom [24 Hour Party People, The Road to Guantanamo]. The winner will be announced on
17 Wednesday 8th October at a gala screening of the 10 shortlisted finalists, held at the Rex Cinema in London. Visit www.dailymotion.com for more details.
Delta Air Lines (since 2006) After a successful 2nd year, Raindance welcomes Delta as the official airline of the festival. Delta supports the Best UK Short Film Award with a prize of 2 return tickets to anywhere in the US. The prize was designed to give UK filmmakers the opportunity to attend screenings of their film in US festivals. And through the “Delta Filmmaker Flyover” scheme, Delta Air Lines will once again be enabling three US filmmakers to fly to London to attend their films’ screenings at the Raindance Film Festival.
Tiscali (since 2004) Back for their fifth year as a supporter of the festival, Tiscali are once again supporting the innovative online scheme, Raindance Online, which enjoyed so much success last year. Tiscali will be hosting virtual screenings of selected features and short films from the festival on Tiscali.co.uk. These screenings will take place simultaneous sly with the off-line festival allowing film fans that are unable to travel to Central London the chance to enjoy the Raindance experience as it happens.
Tuaca New to Raindance this year we are very happy to introduce Tuaca as the sponsors of our Opening and Closing Night Gala celebrations taking place on the 1st and 12th of October. Tuaca is a delicious Italian brandy-based liqueur, infused with hints of citrus and vanilla. Enjoyed as a chilled shot or in a variety of cocktails, it’s fast becoming a favourite amongst drinkers and bartenders throughout the UK. If you’ve never tasted Tuaca, come along to our gala celebrations and try it! Or if you can’t wait, it’s available online at www.thedrinkshop.com and www.drinkon.com at a RRP of £17.99. www.tuaca.com Start Chilled. Enjoy Responsibly.
MAIN SPONSORS
Ascent Media (since 2005) Through more than 70 facilities in California, New York, London, Singapore and other locations throughout the world, Ascent Media provides effective solutions for the creation, management and distribution of content to major motion picture studios, independent producers, broadcast networks, cable channels, advertising agencies and other companies that produce, own and/or distribute content.
HMV (since 2006) Raindance has always been associated with cutting edge music films and this year HMV has agreed to sponsor the London premiere of Arctic Monkeys At the Apollo taking place at the Rex Cinema on 7th October 2008 and the fantastic Beatles / Cirque du Soleil documentary All Together Now screening at the Rex Cinema on 9th October 2008.
The Rex Cinema + Bar (since 2007) The Rex Cinema + Bar is once again hosting this year’s Festival Lounge with special events, great films and live music. Stylish, decadent, yet relaxed, the Rex is the perfect networking centre for Raindance.
18 SAE (since 2006) The international digital training college with British campuses in Glasgow, Liverpool London and brand new facilities in Oxford, returns to Raindance for the 3rd year running. Together with SAE, Raindance created the SAE Best Digital Short Film Award to honour a short film made using only digital means. SAE will also be hosting their annual Raindance special event masterclass in filmmaking and digital technology.
SUPPORTING PARTNERS
Bitch Rabbit (since 1998) Raindance has enjoyed the premium design services of Bitch Rabbit since 1998. Bitch Rabbit have helped to give Raindance a truly unique style.
Gibson and Epiphone Guitars (since 2006) Gibson and Epiphone are back to support the strong musical element that makes Raindance unique to other film festivals. There will be guitar giveaways at select screenings.
Independent Film Trust (since 2004) A charity whose goals are to raise money to support the Raindance Film Festival, the British Independent Film Awards, and other independent film projects in the UK deemed worthy by the trustees. Kodak (since 2006) Kodak sponsors a special cinematography masterclass. Last year’s event featured cinematographer Phil Meheux (Casino Royale, Scum).
New Day Pictures New to Raindance this year, New Day Pictures offer a full range of facilities from kit hire to the edit including a full avid media compaose, HD/SD and a wide range of video cameras.
Raindance.tv (since 2007) A quality Web 2.0 service with over 100 hours of quality shorts, features and documentaries screening on www.raindance.tv and 14 additional platforms including Dailymotion, Vuze, and Babelgum.
CULTURAL PARTNERS
Instituto Cervantes (since 2005) Instituto Cervantes makes it possible to meet the import/export costs of Spanish speaking films screened at Raindance. Cervantes also helps Raindance to source the newest and most cutting edge films from Spain and Spanish speaking countries.
Italian Cultural Institute (since 2002) The ICI makes it possible to meet the import/export costs of Italian films screened at Raindance. The ICI also assists Raindance is sourcing the best new Italian films.
19 Japan Foundation The Japan Foundation supports Raindance’s Way Out East Japanese film programme which helps us to cover the costs of shipping the films to and from Japan.
Sasakawa Foundation (since 2001) Supports our critically acclaimed Way Out East programme, making it possible to import/export heavy film prints and pay screening fees.
MEDIA PARTNERS
Don’t Panic Raindance is delighted to announce it’s new media partnership with Don’t Panic, a unique free publication found in carefully selected independent shops, bars, universities and art spaces. Also distributed outside alternative music events and launch parties, it contains all sorts of arts and culture goodies and information for cities all around the world with the emphasis on design and the future of our planet. Electric Sheep Magazine Electric Sheep is the film magazine for lovers of offbeat, left-field and cult cinema, published by Wallflower Press. It is proud to be associated to the Raindance Film Festival through various cross-promotion activities and joint events.
The Hollywood Reporter Raindance is proud to introduce The Hollywood Reporter as a new and exciting Media Partner for the 16th Raindance Film Festival. The Hollywood Reporter is one of the world’s largest entertainment trade publications and is dedicated to spreading the latest and most up to date information in the world of cinema.
Rotten Tomatoes (since 2007) Who said indie film had a small audience? Rotten Tomatoes boasts over 10 million visitors each month, and are covering Raindance on their international website as well as hosting an event at the festival with Corey Feldman (yes that’s right!).
Shooting People (since 1999) Shooting People and Raindance go back ages, and this year, Shooting People is once again getting behind the premiere indie festival in the UK. THE FESTIVAL TEAM
Director Elliot Grove
Producer Jesse Vile
Senior Programmer Suzanne Ballantyne
Programming
20 Graham Bendel Jamie Greco Elliot Grove Andreja Kmetovic James Merchant Will Pearce Jasper Sharp Jesse Vile
Assistant Producer James Merchant
Events Coordinator Joe Pearshouse
Editor Xavier Rashid
Design Bitch Rabbit
Hospitality Coordinator Amélie Thille Volunteer Coordinator Chris Presswell
Print Traffic Rory O’Donnell
Technical Chris Thomas
Website Heenesh Patel
Official Photographer Andreas Tovan
Festival Assistants Zach Boren Jules Garnett
Public Relations Organic Marketing
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