Danny Boyle’s ‘Millions’ to open
The 4th RAINDANCE EAST FILM FESTIVAL
East London, April 21 -28, 2005

The 4th annual Raindance East Film Festival today announces that the new film from acclaimed Trainspotting director Danny Boyle will open the festival on April 21 at the Genesis Mile End cinema. The hotly anticipated Millions is the story of two young boys who come across the loot from a bank robbery but need to spend it within a week before the UK converts to the Euro.

East End resident Danny Boyle will also take on the role as the festival Director in Residence and will spill the secrets of his success on April 24 in an indepth interview with film critic and fellow patron Jason Solomons.

Once again the Festival will continue to encourage local East London talent by acting as a platform for aspiring filmmakers in the area, as well as providing film-goers with early glimpses to the best and most inspiring films from around the world in a diverse programme including Far East, Asian and New British strands.

Following on from the success of last year’s programme, which drew greater numbers than in any previous year, and which included masterclasses from Elizabeth director Shekhar Kapur and East is East writer Ayub Khan Din, Raindance East 2005 will see Simon Channing-Williams bring his extraordinary filmmaking skills to the post of Producer in Residence. Simon, the BAFTA winning and Oscar nominated producer of notable British films such as Secrets & Lies, Topsy-Turvy and the recent hugely successful Vera Drake, and a long-time collaborator of Mike Leigh, will be discussing his career as well as treating audiences to two films from his repertoire - Naked and his ‘hidden gem’, Man about Dog.

In a special Script to Screen event in association with Circuit Films, feature film writer Tony Grisoni gives us a rare opportunity to hear firsthand about the development journey of three very different films; Queen of Hearts; Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas and In This World.

Audiences will be spoilt for choice as film highlights include the screening of Born into Brothels, an enthralling documentary that received the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at last month’s Academy Awards. Directed by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman, Born into Brothels is a fascinating insight into their time in Sonagchi, Calcutta, and the relationships they developed with children of prostitutes who work the city's notorious red light district.

The festival has horror films in abundance all of which are guaranteed to leave audiences quaking in their seats. In The Eye 2 (Jian Gui 2) pregnant Joey is descending into madness after being haunted by constant visions of dead people. Three top Asian directors Takeshi Miike, Park Chan-wook and Fruit Chan have joined forces to create a terrifying trilogy in Three...Extremes. Gregg Araki's Mysterious Skin stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brady Corbett and Elisabeth Shue. Shy Brady is certain that his five-hour memory loss after a baseball game was caused by him being abducted by aliens and sets out on a mission to discover the truth.

Raindance East will also screen Palindromes, the controversial film from Todd Solonz starring Ellen Barkin and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

The Festival each year presents a selection of special events that includes the well-known Live Ammunition Event. Aspiring filmmakers have the opportunity to pitch their original film ideas to a panel of experts that will include Michael Cowan of Spice Factory and Mark Herbert of Warp Films. Cutting East, the short film bi-monthly at the Spitz will be a festival special as aspiring filmmakers showcase their talent at an open deck session.

In recent years, the Bollywood genre has had a phenomenal impact on Western culture and in recognition of this fact, Raindance East has put together a panel of accomplished media professionals including Radio 1 DJ Bobby Fricton, Asjad Nasir (author Top 100 Bollywood Films) and Jeremy Wooding (dir. Bollywood Queen) who will discuss key debates surrounding this fusion of the West and Bollywood including the impact of each genre upon the other and the fusion of both cinemas.

This festival will also include a Youth Programme of workshops and screenings, presented as part of Fusion East, a major arts and cultural entertainment initiative for East London running to Spring 2006 aimed to highlight the vibrancy and creativity of the area.

The Raindance East Film Festival is a partnership between Raindance, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, and Lee Valley Regional Park, and offers a programme of independent cinema from around the world with a special place for shorts made by local East End talent.

The Festival will open on April 21 and continue through the week, closing April 28 at the Rio, Dalston. A full programme for the festival will be announced shortly.

Raindance East Film Festival
A New Direction For Independent Film
www.raindance.co.uk