HORROR-ON-SEA FILM FESTIVAL is an amazing gathering in Southend-on-Sea. Every January horror filmmakers and fans flock to the Essex coastal town to satisfy their desire for all things horror.
The festival screens, over two weekends each year and features some of the most gruesome, scariest, funniest and entertaining independent horror films you’ll ever find. For more information please check out their website here.
This year Horror-on-Sea screened the short film I wrote and produced called, Inferis (2024). It’s an atmospheric horror which is a proof of concept short I intend to develop as a feature film I can describe as Saw meets The Office. You can watch it here:
Myself, Julia (who appeared inInferis (2024) and my wife, Melissa, attended the packed 10am screening as the film supported an intriguing indie feature called The Cellar (2024). We also watched a gory and highly entertaining monster movie called, Hell-Hole (2024) that day. Many more films were screened over two weeks, plus masterclasses from horror filmmakers such as Pat Higgins.
So, if you ever find yourself in Southend-on-Sea one January then do check it out. Or scroll through the gallery of photos I took over the weekend.
31st RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL PREVIEW – ACTORS-TURNED-DIRECTORS!
As the Office Manager for the Raindance Film School, it is always exciting when the Raindance Film Festival is about to start. This year it runs from Wednesday 25 October 2023 to Saturday 4th November 2023 in Central London. All the amazing details can be found here: https://raindance.org/festival/
There are so many brilliant films to choose from, so it can be an impossibly difficult decision to narrow down one’s choice. If you have the time I recommend you buy a Festival Pass and go and watch everything. If you’re not fortunate enough to be able to do this you could thematically link your cinema choices.
I am always interested in following the careers of actors who become directors. The well-respected director, Dan Attias once said that, “. . . the best training he had for directing was being an actor.” Indeed, there are many great actors who have become fine film directors, including: Clint Eastwood, Jordan Peele, Jodie Foster, George Clooney, Greta Gerwig, Denzel Washington and Ben Affleck. So, here are four brilliant actors-turned-directors who have films screening at the 31st Raindance Film Festival.
DAY OF THE FIGHT (2023)
The opening gala film is written directed by Jack Huston and promises to be an incendiary drama of power and redemption.
Okay, the ultra-talented Adam Ethan Crow was not specifically an actor. Yet, he was certainly a prominent presence on the stand-up comedy scene, before turning his abundant skills to filmmaking. His latest film, Warhol, is a multi-stranded drama that connects various characters to powerful effect.
Paul Laight is a screenwriter, filmmaker, and blogger. In 2005, he formed Fix Films and has written and produced many shorts and other promos. Many of his films have been screened all over the world at various film festivals. Paul is currently working on feature and short film scripts for future productions. His work can be found here:
Raindance Film Festival is the largest independent film festival in the UK. Holding the 30th festival in 2022, Raindance is based in the heart of London’s buzzing West End film district.
Raindance Film Festival is officially recognised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences USA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the British Independent Film Awards. Selected shorts will qualify for Oscar® and BAFTA considerations.
Festival Sections: – World-renowned programme of the best UK and international independent films. – House of Raindance – talks and panels at Genesis Cinema – Raindance VRX programme for virtual reality and new media Networking events – Attracting 16,000 visitors including 500 industry professionals into London.
The 30th Raindance took place between October 26 – November 5 2022 in Central and East London. I attended many of the amazing events.
Opening Night Gala and Film – Corner Office (2022)
The opening night Gala at the Waldorf Hotel, was a fantastic event and Jonathan Pryce and Vanessa Redgrave deservedly received Raindance icon awards.
The opening gala was preceded by the opening film. Starring the cast-against-type, Jon Hamm,Corner Office (2022) is a fine surreal comedy. He portrays an office worker who finds a room in the office which no other worker can see. Is he crazy or the sanest person in the company? Joachim Back directs a stylish and offbeat indie cinema treat!
House of Raindance at Genesis Cinema
At the wonderful Genesis Cinema, near Stepney Green in East London, the Raindance Film Festival created the House of Raindance and Backyard cinema marquee full of fantastic industry events and screening. These included: panels with industry professionals from TooFar Media, Paus TV, and Celtx; masterclasses with filmmaking experts and retrospective screenings of classics such as Pulp Fiction (1994), Memento (2000) andOld Boy (2003).
Closing Party and Film – Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game (2022)
After watching over 15,000 feature and short film submissions, the Raindance programmers delivered an array of amazing cinematic works. Films screened from all over the world included: Erin’s Guide to Kissing Girls (2022), Iguana (2022), Pantafa (2022), Karaoke (2022), Little Axel (2022), Swallow (2022), Razorlight: Fall to Pieces (2022); and many shorts programmes including Raindance Film School Student Showcase, Queer, Horror, Radical Agendas and Transient Venture strands.
Having opened with a brilliant film, Raindance 30th Film Festival closed with another entertaining one too. It was the romantic, heroic and comedic 1970s period film, Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game (2022). It’s the story of Roger Sharpe, the young midwesterner who overturned New York City’s 35 year-old ban on pinball machines. Influenced stylistically by Martin Scorsese, it is a niche but fascinating and bumping slice of American legal historia. Safe to say to the closing party at Genesis Cinema was flipping marvellous too.
See you next year at the 31st Raindance Film Festival!
As an emerging filmmaker for the last twenty years (and counting), I am always looking out for fresh presentations and potential collaboration in regard to film production. Most of all I love watching quality short films. Thus, I was thrilled to attend the ‘Best of EFN’ Screening and Networking Event on Friday 11th March 2022. Find out more about them here:
The event took place at The Garden Cinema in Covent Garden – a new fully independent art-house cinema in the heart of London. If you ever want a break from the standard multiplexes, then check out this stylish art-deco delight.
Not only was it an incredible venue, but the night had an selection of some the best short films around. The line-up offered fine drinks, decent networking, a quality audience, a fun raffle, plus the finest shorts screened over the many great Emerging Film and Festival Nights.
SHORT FILM LINE UP
Films of Fury – Dir: Mila Araoz Ellis (2020) 12’57
The Sappho Project: fragment 147 Dir: Sari Katharyn (2021) 7’40
Moth Dir: Wai Ying Tiffany Tong (2020) 3′
Staying (Aros Mae) Dir: Zillah Bowes (2020) 19’23
Friends Online Dir: Samantha White (2019) 5’21
Vincent before Noon Dir: Guillaume Mainguet (2019) 17’
Crashing Waves Dir: Emma Gilbertson (2018) 3’39
Stationary Dir: Louis Chan (2019) 12’38
Single Dir: Ashley Eakin (2020) 14’09
All Stretched Out Dir: Alastair Train (2019) 3’33
— EFN International Short Film Festival
Emerging Filmmakers Night (EFN) is a quarterly International Short Film Festival that showcases work by emerging talent.
EFN is a BIFA (British Independent Film Awards) Qualifying Short Film Festival
RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2017 – BEST OF BRITISH SHORTS SCREENING
Just a quick heads up or shout out to the brilliant independent film festival that occurs in the UK every year called the Raindance Film Festival. Raindance are a terrific organisation who run film courses and support filmmakers from all backgrounds, as well as running their annual film festival – now in its 25th year!
If you are seriously interested in filmmaking and have no clue where to start you should definitely check out their website here. Filmmaking is bloody hard work and having made a number of short films myself — which can be viewed at my website here — I can safely say it is easier to review them than make a good one.
Anyway, given my love of cinema and short films I checked out the ‘Best of British’ short film programme at the Raindance Film Festival this weekend. There were eight original productions, all of which were very well produced, written and acted. The programme included: low, middle and upper budgeted productions ranging from purely independent filmmakers to films backed by the BBC, BFI, National Film and Television School and Film 4.
Short films are a fascinating format and can be very challenging to make. They can encompass traditional linear and genre narratives but can also present character pieces dependent on a mood or a theme. Short films can of course experiment with form and be represented as documentaries as well as narratives. They can also act as calling cards for filmmakers cutting their teeth before they move onto feature or TV productions.
Making films or, short or otherwise, is nowhere near as romantic as one would think. They are bloody hard work. So, I have much respect for anyone embarking on short film productions. Often, you will have NO money as funding is limited in the UK, but that should not stop you if you have an idea you are passionate about. Film on your phone if you have or if you need help get in touch with an organisation such as Raindance.
I watched eight films of varying length at the Vue Cinema on Saturday and they included: a brilliant comedy thriller about the threat of gentrification called CLA’AMdirected by Nathaniel Martello-White. The hilarious horror shortSMEAR had me chuckling, while the harsh drama 46.0, about a friendship that goes awry, unsettled me greatly. The short dramas CLEARED, WORK and SKIPPEDpresented fascinating short journeys from diverse perspectives.
Meanwhile, WILD HORSES presented an off-centre mix of live action and animation concerning a young girl suffering fatigue-inducing condition M.E. Finally, the film DIAGNOSIS arguably featured (along with Joel Fry in CLA’AM) the finest performance of the night from actress Charlotte Spencer. In the film she brilliant portrayed an actor working on medical role-play whose emotions are slowly coming apart from the inside.
Overall, it was a short film programme of the highest quality and I can certainly recommend taking a break from the Hollywood productions and supporting independent filmmaking. Many well-known writers and directors today cut their teeth making short films, using the terrific resources places like Raindance offer. So, if you get a chance do check out such nights as they are very much worth your while.
The Cinema Fix presents 