Raindance Film Festival 2017

The Raindance Film Festival is one of the biggest Film Festivals in the world and on the 29th – 1st we were lucky enough to go down and see what it’s all about.

We arrived in London on the 29th September at around 10:00 AM. After we had checked in at the youth hostel, we were given our passes which gave us the opportunity to go off and check out as many films as possible.

Shorts Programme International

Game – USA

Synopsis – 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?

This was one of my favourite short films out of all that we watched at the festival. The production side of the film was pretty much spot on. It was obviously quite a high budget film compared to come of the other films that we saw. I appreciated the storyline as we instantly connected with the protagonist as we go on this journey with her. The only issue I have with the story is that it was a little cliche. I think everyone watching knew what was going to happen 5-10 minutes into the film. It’s just been done before. Other than that, I thought the characters, the way it was shot and the way it engaged with the audience was unique and compelling.

Morning has broken – Poland

Synopsis – A woman quietly and emotionlessly murders her husband and daughter. She goes to bed, only to wake in the morning – and that’s where this film begins. A film about alienation, loneliness and losing yourself.

Where do we start with this film. I’ll start off with the cinematography. Visually wise, it’s beautiful. Whilst watching the film I noticed a few shots on a steadicam that were really effective and worked really well. The story of the film is quite strange. However, I quite like the subtle way we discover that she has killed her whole family. For example, we don’t see her kill her child. Instead, we see it in the background of a shot for a brief second, almost as if we’re not actually meant to see it. I think I’d need to watch the film a couple more times to really give a detailed review. Even though it was extremely weird, I quite liked it.

Chudala – India

Synopsis – In Indian mythology, Chudala needed to be seen as a man in order to be heard by her husband. When Rukhsana returns to her father’s house as Rehan, she is haunted by the memories of her life as a woman.

Chudala was a compelling story which was shot all in one location. At first, the story wasn’t too clear but as the film goes on, more is revealed. The use of authentic India instruments and board games have been implemented to really get that classic feel. I did enjoy the story but I found that it was probably the least interesting out of the films we watch.

Viola – France

Synopsis – 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.

Probably the most powerful film that revisits a very important part of recent history. I’ve noticed with all of these films, women seem to be the protagonists. However, it’s either them being raped or not being good enough. This film carries on with this trend and show’s a girl who stands up for what she believed in. The film is beautifully shot and well directed. One of my favourite out of the few shorts we saw.

Lethe – Georgia

Synopsis – 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.

Lethe was an interesting film. I remember watching and thinking ‘what is going on’. And after researching a little more, I am still unable to put together a informative review. The film was very confusing and just seemed to show stock footage of people working and playing. There didn’t seem to be a story. Cinematography wise, it was average. I can’t really recall anything being good about this film. However, the theme of women being second best seemed to be thrown around EVEN in this film.

Univitellin – France

Synopsis – Marseille, today. Aminata works as a hairdresser in an Afro hairdressing salon. Badara works as mechanich. When they meet, their love story will change their lives.

Another really compelling story. The main thing that stood out when watching this film was the attention to detail when it came to cinematography. It was very well shot and I remember at least a couple of scenes where the shots were utterly spectacle. However, I wasn’t really a fan of the story. We see a couple fall in love then cut to a guy killing himself and there isn’t really a explanation.