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The risk-takers merit an award!

For a quarter of a century, the Raindance Film Festival has been celebrating audacious and bold filmmaking with a prize made just for them; here's the longlist for year's Discovery Award!

Britain’s favourite film festival celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. But that isn’t the only anniversary at sight! The Raindance Discovery Award at the BIFAs (British Independent Film Awards), the awards ceremony founded by Raindance in 1998, and which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

This award highlights innovation, uniqueness of vision, maverick filmmaking and risk-taking, with a budget under £500k and no, or very limited, theatrical distribution deals in place.

This year’s Raindance Discovery Award longlist highlights 12 standout films, comprising six features and six documentaries. “Raindance’s motto is ‘Discover. Be Discovered’. And this year’s Raindance Discovery Award longlist once again unearths some true gems of independent cinema,” says Elliot Grove, founder of Raindance and BIFA. “We are excited to champion these fresh, relevant, and inventive films. And of course, I’m especially thrilled that three of the longlisted films will screen at this year’s Raindance Film Festival.”

The longlist of documentaries includes (click on the film title in order to accede to the individual film review, where available):

  1. A Clever Woman (Jon Sanders);
  2. Donna (Jay Bedwani);
  3. Electric Malady (Marie Lidén)
  4. Fadia’s Tree (Sarah Beddington);
  5. Inland (Fridtjof Ryder);
  6. Off The Rails (Peter Day);
  7. Rebellion (Maia Kenworthy/ Elena Sánchez Bellot; pictured at the top of this article);
  8. Swede Caroline (Finn Bruce/ Brook Driver);
  9. The Fence (William Stone);
  10. Wayfinder (Larry Achiampong);
  11. When We Speak (Tas Brooker); and
  12. Winners (Hassan Nazer).

Previous recipients include Ben Wheatley, receiving an early accolade for his first feature Down Terrace (2009).

BIFA’s Raindance Discovery Award was presented in 2021 to Poly Styrene – I Am A Cliché (Paul Sng/ Celeste Bell, 2021).

The final list of 5 nominations will be announced on Thursday 3rd November (tbc), winner announcement at the awards ceremony on Sunday 4th December


By DMovies' team - 22-10-2022

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Winners

Hassan Nazer
2022

Victoria Luxford - 21-10-2022

This charming comedy from Iran celebrates childhood, community, and movies - from the 30th edition of the Raindance Film Festival [Read More...]

Donna

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Eoghan Lyng - 18-07-2022

In this probing documentary with a sensibility akin to Oscar Wilde, a transgender playwright commits their most important tale to page and screen - in cinemas on Friday, July 15th; also available on Digital [Read More...]

Rebellion

Maia Kenworthy and Elena Sanchez Bellot
2022

John McDonald - 14-03-2022

Extinction Rebellion take matters into their own hands when it comes to climate change, charging at the agonisingly difficult problem head-on - on Netflix on Wednesday, June 29th. [Read More...]

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