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| Oh Lucy! |
The competition at for the festival, which runs from September 20 to October 1, will be judged by a panel, including Ex-BIFA director Johanna Von Fischer, Spanish producer Rosa Bosch, along with actors Jack O’Connell, Sean Bean, Christopher Eccleston, Ewen Bremner, Celia Imrie, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Josh Whitehouse, Neil Marshall and Rachel Portman.
Festival founder Elliot Grove said: “This year’s 25th-anniversary Festival has been made possible by a dynamic relationship with Lexus, who like Raindance, champion pioneering technology, innovation and craftsmanship.”
A full list of nominated UK features, documentaries, short films and web series are listed below (descriptions provided by the festival).
IN COMPETITION INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILMS
- Maya Dardel, Zachary Cotler and Magdalena Zyzak, USA
A famous writer claims on the readio that she intends to end her life and male writers may compete to become executor of her estate. Men drive up the mountain and are challenged intellectually and erotically, until one discovers Maya’s end game. Cast: Lena Olin, Rosanna Arquette, Nathan Keyes -
Mukoku, Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, Japan, UK premiere
Kengo Yatabe’s mother dies and his father is in a coma. He, like his father, was good at kendo. Those days are long gone and he now lofts around as a security guard and generally wastes time. Meeting the young Tooru, Kengo is inspired and decides to shape up. Cast: Atsuko Maeda, Jun Fubuki, Kaoru Kobayashi - Noise, Koichiro Miki, Japan, European premiere
Eight years after the indiscriminate killing spree committed in Akihabara, two girls search for their role in life. Cast: Ayami Nakajo, Jun Shison, Yuta Koseki, Yosuke Sugino - The Constitution, Rajko Grlc, Croatia, UK premiere
The story follows four people who live in the same building, but avoid each other because of the differences in their assets, sexual habits, nationality and religion. Cast: Nebojsa Glogovac, Dejan Acimovic, Ksenija Marinkovic - Hello Again!, Tom Gustafson, USA, UK premiere
Inspired by Arthur Schnitzler’s controversial 1896 play Der Reigen and the classic 1950 Max Ophuls film LA Ronde, in the early '90s the Lincoln Center commissioned Broadway composer Michael John LaChiusa to create the musical Hello Again. This film adaptation explores 10 fleeting love affairs across 10 periods of time in New York City history, through 10 lust-fueled episodes. - The Traveller, Hadi Ghandour, France/Lebanon, UK premiere
A travel agent who has never travelled is sent on a business trip to Paris, only to find himself confronted by temptations that he cannot handle. - Swaying Mariko, Koji Segawa, Japan, International premiere
Mariko, a seemingly normal housewife, has been with her younger husband, Tomoharu, for six years but is dissatisfied daily. Despite having a son together, Tomoharu is often absent from home and she suspects that he might be having an affair. - High & Outside: A Baseball Noir, Evald Johnson, USA, World premiere
In the streets of Los Angeles, a minor league baseball player recklessly claws to keep his dreams alive. Geoffrey Lewis, Phil Donlon, David Yow, Ernie Hudson, Jason Richter and Lindsey Haun star in this dark drama that explores the dangerous nature of living in someone else's shadow. -
Black Hollow Cage, Sadrac González-Perellón, Spain, UK premiere
A girl who lives secluded in a house in the woods with only the company of her father and a wolfhound finds among the trees a mysterious cubic device with the ability to change the past. - Djam, Tony Gatlif, France
An emotionally charged storytelling style that spread from poor urban communities in Greece and Turkey to the islands of the Aegean.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
- The Family I Had, Katie Green and Carlyle Rubin, USA, UK premiere
In The Family I Had, a mother recalls how her brilliant teenage son came to shatter their idyllic family through one horribly violent and shocking act. Now left to pick up the pieces, the survivors test the boundaries of their newly defined reality in the moving true crime exploration of the nature and limits of familial love. Cast: Charity, Paris, Ella, Kyla -
RiverBlue: Can Fashion Save the Planet? David McIlvride and Roger Williams, Canada, UK premiere
Follows internationally celebrated river conservationist Mark Angelo on an around-the-world journey by river that uncovers the dark side of the fashion industry. Infiltrating one of the world’s most pollutive industries, and speaking with fashion designers and water protectors world-wide, RiverBlue reveals stunning and shocking images that will forever change the way we look at the clothes we wear. Cast: Jason Priestley -
On Yoga: The Architecture of Peace, Heitor Dhalia, Brazil/USA, UK premiere
Based on Michael O’Neill’s book of the same name. This project tells the story of the 10 years the author spent photographing Yoga’s great masters. By posing questions from our current perspective, and mixing it with elements of movement and experiential sound, the film results in a new view of the art of yoga. Cast: Michael O'Neill, Edie Stern, Deepak Chopra, Mooji, Elena Brower -
Bluefin, John Hopkins, Canada, European premiere
Endangered giant bluefin tuna have returned to Prince Edward Island, Canada in surprising abundance after a disappearance from over-fishing. John Hopkins’s documentary explores the mystery of why normally wary bluefin tuna no longer fear humans and are turning into pets. Cast: Dr. Carl Safina, Brian Skerry, Dr. Boris Worm, Capt. Jamie Bruce, Capt.Jeff MacNeill - Speak Up, Stéphane de Freitas and Ladj Ly, France, UK premiere
Every year, at the University of Saint-Denis, a competition is held to decide “The Best Orator in the 93”. Any student can participate and many prepare with the help of professional advisors. Armed with new-found knowledge, Leïla, Elhadj, Eddy and the others face off in a bid to become the best orator in the 93. Cast: Leïla Alaouf, Souleïla Mahiddin, Eddy Moniot, Elhadj Touré
BEST DEBUT – DISCOVERY AWARD
- A Trip To The Moon, Joaquin Cambre, Argentina, UK premiere
Tomas is an outcast young teenager trying to pass an exam. His family is constantly pressing him and his mother forces him to take antipsychotic drugs. In his need to escape, Tomas plans an intriguing trip to the moon. In this particular journey where reality and fiction mingles, he will disentangle an old family secret. Cast: Ángelo Mutti Spinetta, Leticia Brédice, Germán Palacios, Ángela Torres, Luis Machín - I Still Hide To Smoke, Rayhana Obermeyer, France
Fatima, a strong-minded woman, is the lead masseuse of a hammam in Algiers. This is 1995 and the situation is tense in the capital. The day ahead promises to be hectic for all, and for Fatima in particular. Already, while walking to her place of work, she is the distant witness of a terrorist attack. At the hammam, Fatima should feel better, but the atmosphere proves electric in her small enclosed world, she has great difficulty in maintaining order. - Scaffolding, Matan Yair, Israel/Poland, UK premiere
Asher, 17 has always been the wild troublemaker at school. While his oppressive father sees him as a natural successor to his scaffolding business, Asher forges a special connection with Rami, his new literature teacher, and begins to glimpse new possibilities for himself. That is, until an unexpected tragedy occurs, and changes everything. Cast: Asher Lax, Ami Smolartchik, Jacob Chen - Children Of The Night, Andrea De Sica, Italy, UK premiere
Giulio, a 17-year-old from a well-to-do family, is sent to a boarding school. In this isolated place in the Alps, where iron-clad rules limit all contact with the outside, he makes friends with Edoardo, who is rather odd. Their friendship is sealed by frequent escapes at night, when the surveillance of the students seems to lapse. - The Story Of A Satellite, Sonia Albert-Sobrinoa and Miriam Albert-Sobrino, Spain, European premiere
Almost 20 years after losing his father to a freak satellite-related accident, Rafael, an undertaker, realises his whole life has been orbiting in the wrong direction. With the help of his own "Sancho Panza", Melito, Rafael will begin a transformational journey that he could never have anticipated.
BEST UK FEATURE
- In Another Life, Jason Wingard, World premiere
Our once beautiful homeland has become uninhabitable. Too dangerous to walk the streets, drive a car, visit friends. Many have already left Syria, risking their lives on the open water. Giving all we had to the ruthless opportunists who trade in the currency of human misery. Europe was meant to offer us hope. Cast: Mudar Abbara, Elie Haddad, Yousef Hayyan Jubeh, Toyah Frantzen - Stooge, Madeleine Farley, World premiere
Stooge is a feature documentary about Robert Pargiter, Iggy Pop's No1 fan. It covers the three years leading up to his 50th birthday when he tries to track his hero down in a final absolution. His journey has taken him all over the world in search of redemption after years of struggling with addiction, and of celebrating the communal lust that is Rock'n Roll. Cast: Rober Pargiter, Pete Thellusson, Iggy Pop, Scott Asheton, Steve Mackay -
The Dark Mile, Gary Love
Deliverance meets Rosemary’s Baby – The Dark Mile is a psychological thriller built around a strong central relationship of two very different yet sympathetic characters. London couple Louise and Clare (Rebecca Calder and Deirdre Mullins) book a sailing trip in the Highlands to recover from a personal tragedy. The location may be idyllic but soon they are tormented by a black industrial barge that follows them, and by the dysfunctional folk on board... Cast: Rebecca Calder, Deirdre Mullins, Finlay MacMillan, Paul Brannigan, Sheila Hancock - Edie, Simon Hunter
Edith Moore (Edie) is a bitter, gruff woman in her eighties. Following her husband’s death, she decides to take herself off to the Highlands on a climbing trip that her father had planned for them many years before. Cast: Sheila Hancock, Kevin Guthrie, Amy Manson, Paul Brannigan - Isolani, R. Paul Wilson, World premiere
After witnessing a brutal murder, a young single mother becomes a pawn in a deadly game of deception. To protect her son and start a new life she must outwit an ambitious prosecutor, a corrupt detective and a desperate killer. Cast: Kate McLaughlin, Catriona Evans, Jim Sweeney, Gianni Capaldi, Atta Yaqub
BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM
- Game, Jeannie Donohoe, USA, UK premiere
A new kid in town shows up at the high school boys' basketball tryouts and instantly makes an impression. Will talent and drive be enough to make the team? Cast: Rick Fox, Nicole Williams, Tye White, Jamie McShane, Charles Parnell -
Goddess, Karishma Dube, India/USA
The film explores the reality of being a closeted lesbian in contemporary India. Tara, a feisty teenager begins to risks family and tradition as she pursues her attraction towards her housemaid, Devi. When they are caught together at a dinner party, Tara must suddenly define who she really is. Cast: Priyanka Bose, Aditi Vasudev, Tanvi Azmi -
Lethe, Dea Kulumbegahsvili, France/Georgia
A lonely horseman wanders past the river of forgetfulness and through a rural Georgian village, where both children and adults explore life's more instinctual pleasures. Cast: Dato Gogoladze, Vika Chocheva, Mikheil Gomiahsvili - Mixtape Marauders, Peter Edlund, USA, International premiere
A nine-song visual mixtape following two young stoners into a world of mindless day jobs, petty drug deals and obsessive mixtape curation. Cast: Peter McNally, Ian Edlund, Emily Chisholm, Madeline Anderson -
Viola, Franca, Marta Savina, Italy, UK premiere
In 1965 Sicily, a 17-year-old girl single-handedly alters the course of Italian history with an unexpected act of defiance that causes a short circuit in her traditionalist community. Cast: Claudia Gusmano, Carlo Calderone, Ninni Bruschetta, Maurizio Puglisi
BEST UK SHORT FILM
- Work, Aneil Karia
Jess is an 18 year-old from London balancing her responsibilities as a daughter with her ambitions of a career in dance. When she is confronted with just how cold and unjust life can be during a journey to work, her perspective of the world around her begins to shift. Cast: Jasmine Breinburg, Taurean Steele, Carl Prekopp -
Diagnosis, Eva Riley, European premiere
Sally’s secretive evening job as a medical roleplay actress forces her to face up to feelings she thought she had under control. Cast: Charlotte Spencer -
CLA’AM, Nathaniel Martello-White, European premiere
A dark, surreal comedy about a local man who becomes convinced that a vast conspiracy is behind the impossibly rapid gentrification in his London area. But is it all in his head, or is the truth even darker than he imagines? Cast: Joel Fry, Ivanno Jeremiah, Brian Bovell -
Wild Horses, Rory Alexander Stewart
Joan has been housebound with M.E. for most of her adolescence. Now in slow recovery, her urge for independence is causing friction with her mother. When Joan's tutor encourages her to push herself she throws caution to the wind, leaving home in search of new experiences. And a horse. This Scottish short screened in Cannes. Cast: Emma Curtis, Emma Cater, Ainslie Henderson, Stephanie Compton -
46, Joseph A. Adesunloye, World premiere
Friends Adam and Luke are the life of the party. When they decide that Luke should host a party at his house, what was meant to be a night of fun without responsibilities turns out to be a nightmare for Adam. Cast: Adam Strawford, Guetan Calvin-Elito, Michelle Tiwo, Amy Lynch
BEST UK WEB SERIES
- I Gotta Be Me, Steven Bloomer
A frustrated soap star joins a Rat Pack tribute act as his hero, Sammy Davis Jr., surrounded by a genuine company of British ex-pat tribute artists Cast: Phaldut Sharma -
Stories of Note, Caleb Yule
A series of films that open the door into the lives of many whilst acting as an examination into the stories we tell. Cast: TBC -
Pls, Like, Tom Kingsley
BBC Three series on YouTube: A search for the next megastar vlogger finds an unlikely victor in struggling comedian, Liam, who must undertake a series of challenges in order to win a £10,000 prize. Cast: Liam Williamson and Tim Key -
Millennial Theory, Hugh O'Shea, Phillip Whiteman
An Instagram series that follows to halfwits who believe themselves to be enlightenment gurus; Think Nathan Barley meets Eckhart Tolle. Cast: Hugh O'Shea, Phillip Whiteman
BEST INTERNATIONAL WEB SERIES
- The Adventures Of A Broken Heart, Ariel Martínez Herrera, Argentina
If the heart could talk, this would be its first television show. With the special appearances of Rabid Penis, Drunk Liver and Operated Kidney Cast: TBC -
High Life, Glen Dolman and Luke Eve, Australia
Genevieve, a very sensible, creative and overachieving 17-year-old student in a respectable, middle class family, seems to be having the perfect ride, until her sanity spectacularly unravels in her manic episode of Bipolar Disorder. Cast: Lily Hatwell, Ezekiel Simat, Di Adams -
The Break Up List, Aaron Khoo, Singapore
When Luke Wong gets dumped by his girlfriend of 6 years, his whole world crumbles around him. Joe, his best buddy, is also abandoned by his girlfriend on the same day, leading the two set off on a journey to rebuild their lives and survive singlehood. Cast: Benjamin Kheng, Elliot Lucas Marcell Tan -
Jezebel, Julien Bittner, France
A mute musician in search of new inspiration after getting famous on the internet Cast: Hélène Kuhn, Martin Nissen -
Save Me, Fab Filippo and Dylan Pearce, Canada
Save Me drops us into random lives, mid-sentence. We get to know people through storylines that unravel with humour and pathos and a built-in ticking time bomb – that one of them at some point will be blindsided by a medical emergency Cast: Fab Filippo, Amy Matysio, Suresh John -
Clash Of The Narratives, Robin Forestier-Walker
Exploring what it's like to be on two opposing sides of a narrative Cast: Irma Inashvili, Tamara ChergoleishviliShare this with others on...
