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AHEAD OF BEING THE HOST HOTEL FOR THE GLITZY, HIGH-PROFILE BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL, THE MAY FAIR IS SUPPORTING UP- AND-COMING TALENT WITH THE EDGY, INDIE RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL. LUCY BROWN TALKS TO RAINDANCE FOUNDER ELLIOT GROVE AND FINDS OUT HOW THE HOTEL IS BUILDING ON ITS CINEMATIC HISTORY Supporting role

Raindance founder Elliot Grove is an interesting guy. Born to an Amish family outside Toronto, he ran off to art college and graduated with a degree in cire perdue (lost-wax bronze casting), worked with Henry Moore in the early 1970s, got into film through painting sets at the BBC and eventually set up “We’re really all about discovering.” Other Raindance festival ABOVE: ELLIOT GROVE film-training centre Raindance in 1992. films have included Oldboy, Memento, The Blair Witch Project “In the early Nineties, I was back in London, and I had and Pulp Fiction. fancied myself a property entrepreneur, buying and selling There’s a story behind the Raindance name – which bears houses in Mayfair,” says Grove. “I went spectacularly bust in a certain similarity to the high-profile Sundance Film Festival 1991 and spent an entire year feeling sorry for myself. I went in Utah. “I chose the name Raindance because of the dance back into film, but I had lost all my contacts. So I started you do to get your film made and, of course, because in training courses hoping to meet people, which I did.” London it usually rains,” says Grove. “And that first year after He launched the Raindance Film Festival in 1993 to I made the announcement, the phone went in my office and it showcase the work of some of the people who had come to was Robert Redford himself, saying, ‘Why are you stealing my Raindance. Alumni include Christopher Nolan, David Yates, name?’ I tried to explain the dance bit and the rain bit, and Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn, while Edgar Wright was pleaded with him to allow me to leave him to the plethora of Grove’s first intern. Raindance also launched the British talented film-makers in Britain and Europe – and the line went Independent Film Awards in 1998. dead.” “Raindance is a great place to come and see the stars of The Raindance Film Festival 2010 had 3,000 submissions. tomorrow,” says Grove. In the festival’s first year, it screened “We sit and watch every single one and the ones that we think What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, starring a teenage actor called are extreme films – extreme storytelling, extreme film-making Leonardo DiCaprio. “That’s the kind of person you’ll find at or extremely good – we pick,” says Grove. “By extreme, I Raindance, before they become a household name,” he says. don’t mean extremely violent. I mean film-makers that are very 16 film Raindance as a private screening, and Bruce LaBruce’sBruce and screening, private a as Raindance and so on,” explains global marketing manager Linda Plant. Linda manager marketing global explains on,” so and music and fashion and film of sort everything with connected hotel in the 1950s and, since its 2006 r 2006 its since and, 1950s the in hotel impr Hollywood fit.” good a like seemed it and rock’n’rolltradition, this has hotel Fair May “The says: Grove hotel. Fair May The and Circus Zombie documentaries we ar we documentaries both.” with sometimes or technique film-making with sometimes or topic with usually extreme, something doing they’re but – ability storytelling that’ – storytellers good historian Der historian but we figur we but differentreasons, for differentfilms these show to not people movies, including movies, those.” of track lost I’ve premieres– world are many “and Grove, premieres,”says Julian Barratt of Barratt Julian jury festival after-party,night the opening on Motorhead’sis and Lemmy the Toxicat performing Airbourne are The Event band Angeles them.” see to want you not or whether decide to able be should you that figured we old, years 18 least at are festival the to come that people the and old Sponsor for Sponsor year last event inaugural successful a following Hotel, Official Festival Film London BFI 54th the is It Festival. 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