Eye for Film: Raindance Film Festival 2009

1000 Voices (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Tim Travers Hawkins; Writer: Tim Travers Hawkins; Stars: Adam Buxton, Tamsin Clarke), Official Site

Dark animation which gathers together voices of detained asylum seekers.

Full Review

Act Your Age (Year: 2008; Director: Roger Deutsch), Official Site

A memoir of early adolescence constructed from a 1950s instructional video.

Adelaide (Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Liliana Greenfield-Sanders; Writer: Liliana Greenfield-Sanders; Stars: Hank Harris, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Damian Young), Official Site, Trailer

Adelaide is looking for love in all the wrong places.

Alkaa ja päättyä (Country: Finland; Year: 2008; Director: Ville Kerimaa; Writer: Ville Kerimaa; Stars: Kaisa Leppänen, Samuli Vauramo)

A woman makes a life-changing decision to have a baby, against the will of the father, marking the end of one relationship and the beginning of another.

All Day Breakfast (Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Julian Kerridge; Writer: Julian Kerridge; Stars: Joanne Anderson, Dylan Brown, Jack Guttman, Michelle Holmes, Zoe Iqbal, Ray Keith, Alison King)

Nineteen, washed up and pissed off, Daryl is going nowhere fast. His 'not quite' girlfriend wants to get on Coronation Street! His mother does his head in and there's the boat! That big daft, stupid stuck boat...

Almost a Legend (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Mia Vuorio; Stars: Fran Landesman, Carolyn Cassady, Bob Dorough, Tom Smothers, Simon Wallace)

Biography of jazz lyricist and poet Fran Landesman.

And Another Thing (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Zak Emerson, Daniel Gifford)

Details to follow...

And What Remains (Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Marc W. Havener; Writer: Rick Cree; Stars: Micah Cree, Rick Cree, Rick Mumford)

Examination of a complex father-son relationship, set in Kansas.

Annwyl Plant (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Catrin Doyle)

Sorry, no details yet, but it was short-listed for the Glamorgan Purchase Prize.

An Ode To Modern Democracy And he Hairdresser (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Matt Strachan; Writer: Daniel Hesford; Stars: Holly Horner, Gerard Mcdermott)

A hairdresser's mind wanders as she trims Downing Street fringe and imagines the consequences of an assassination attempt using only hair salon essentials.

The Award (Il premio) (Country: Italy; Year: 2009; Director: Ermanno Olmi; Writer: Ermanno Olmi; Stars: Stefania Berselli, Maral Kinran, Matteo Bessone, Marco Costantini, Paolo Ferro, Maurizio Marchetti)

The true story of two Italian students who won an award for a useful invention.

Be Ok (Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Madeline McCarty)

Short music video.

Biet- Ly (Country: Denmark; Director: Alfred Nguyen)

Animation about Vietnamese boat people.

Botnik! (Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Jacqueline Smessaert; Writer: Jacqueline Smessaert)

A frustrated artist tries to impress a beatnik chick by going robotic.

Bull Republic (Country: UK; Director: Jonathan Simcox)

Details to follow.

Bunny In Hovel (Year: 2009; Director: Mayumi Yabe; Writer: Mayumi Yabe)

One of three films that makes up the collection Peaches, this film examinations domestic abuse in rural Japan.

The Capgras Tide (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Adam Hutchings; Writer: Adam Hutchings; Stars: Brendan Patricks, Martin Bendel, Kezia Burrows, Peter Henderson)

After suffering a concussion, a man becomes convinced that his father is an impostor.

The Cats (Country: Turkey; Director: Hakan Oztan)

Details to follow.

The Cat Piano (Country: Australia; Year: 2009; Director: Ari Gibson, Eddie White; Writer: Eddie White; Stars: Nick Cave), Official Site

In a city of singing cats, a lonely beat poet falls for a beautiful siren. When a mysterious dark figure emerges, kidnapping the town’s singers for his twisted musical plans, the poet must save his muse and put an end to the nefarious tune.

Full Review

Children of Manila (Country: Ireland; Year: 2008; Director: Alessandro Molatore), Official Site

Documentary which looks at the lives of three street children in Manila.

Coffin Call (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Martin Gooch)

Details to follow.

The Connoisseurs (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: George Milton; Writer: Mark Tilton; Stars: Stacey Roca, James Frost, George Lenz, Laurie Hagen)

Details to follow.

Conrad the Wise (Country: Canada; Year: 2009; Director: Alan Miller; Writer: Alan Miller, Hector Hugh Munro; Stars: Connor Stanhope, Valerie McNicol, Michael Dobson, Darryl Bosa, Iain Graham, Cristien Murphy, Tania Saulnier, Denise Steller, Tom Summers), Official Site, Trailer

Darkly comic tale about a young boy who uses his imagination to fight the oppressive rule of his uptight guardian, Miss Anthrop.

Crazy Hands (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Charlie Graley)

Details to follow.

Csikospost (Country: China; Year: 2008; Director: Yumiko Beppu; Writer: Yumiko Beppu)

A little girl tries to find a new 'mum' to marry her single dad. Part of the Peaches collection.

Cupid (Country: Australia; Year: 2009; Director: Melvin Montalban; Writer: Trinni Franke, Melvin Montalban; Stars: Richard Brancatisano, Julie Goss, Tahki Saul, Zoe Tuckwell-Smith), Official Site

The mischievous matchmaking god is the victim of his own arrow.

A Daily Day (Country: France; Year: 2009; Director: Elsa Blayau)

Das Paket (The Package) (Country: Germany; Year: 2009; Director: Marco Gadge; Writer: René Jacob; Stars: Michael Schrodt, Thomas Dehler), Official Site

Two gangsters are held up by a traffic light on their way to deliver a package which absolutely must not be late.

The Deaths Of Chet Baker (Country: Canada, US; Year: 2009; Director: Robert Budreau; Writer: Robert Budreau; Stars: Stephen McHattie, Ted Dykstra, Sten Eirik), Official Site

Exploration of the death of jazz icon.

Delphinium: A Childhood Portrait of Derek Jarman (Country: US, UK; Year: 2009; Director: Matthew Mishory; Writer: Matthew Mishory; Stars: Clint Catalyst, Kevin Collins, Jeremiah Dupre, Matthew Mishory, Edward Singletary, Kaiden Blake, Samuel Perone, Aldo Vento, Andreas Andrea, Dalilah Rain, Stuart Potter, Juan Guillen, Kamran Ali Taylor, Samuel Garfield, Jeff Onassis), Official Site

Short filim about the filmmaker.

Deux Regards (Country: US, South Korea; Year: 2008; Director: Kangmin Kim)

Experimental film created by working directly on film strips.

Echoes (Country: UK)

Details coming soon

Emerger (Year: 2008; Director: Aki Sato; Writer: Aki Sato), Official Site

Part of a triumverate of short films - Peaches - this tells the story of a lonely wife and a gay man trying to reconnect with a former lover.

Forgotten Bird of Paradise (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Dominic Brown), Official Site

A rare insight into the struggle of the West Papuan people under Indonesian occupation.

Gardens with Red Roses (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Richard Oliver; Writer: Paul Watson, Richard Oliver, Matt Cook; Stars: Helen Mutch, Andy Bates, Barry Martin, Harry Towb)

Love story set in the midst of the 1997 general election.

The Girl with Liquid Eyes (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Charlotte Boulay-Goldsmith, Adam Smith; Writer: Charlotte Boulay-Goldsmith; Stars: Maryam d'Abo)

A fairytale of love and loss.

Henna Night (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Sally El Hosaini; Writer: Sally El Hosaini; Stars: Beatriz Romilly, Amber Rose Revah, Badria Timimi)

Secrets come out on the night before a wedding in a British-Arab family.

Hollywood Jerome (Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Frey Hoffman; Writer: Frey Hoffman, Malik Yusef; Stars: Ronald L. Conner, Zanny Laird, Malik Yusef), Official Site

Story of a teenager who idolises Hollywood gangsters... which leads him to sign up to a street gang.

Honour me (Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Alex Tweddle)

Documentary about a British Pakistani girl abused at home and sent to Pakistan to marry aged 13.

How To Stop A Man From Committing Suicide (Country: Sweden; Year: 2008; Director: Markus Bohman; Writer: Markus Bohman; Stars: Christopher Papastefanou, Rickard Åberg, Kent Arvidsson, Millan Forsström, Jenifer Thejls, Henrik Westberg), Official Site, Trailer

Frank, more known as God, tries to save a depressed man from killing himself.

Imprint (Country: Australia; Year: 2009; Director: Edwin Mcgill; Writer: Edwin Mcgill; Stars: Kristian Beddow, Sharon Davis, Carter Doyle, Siobhan Heenan, Catherine Lee, Tony Nikolakopoulos, Stuart Orr, James Vegter)

A woman is caught between love for her daughter and trauma from the past.

The Incredible Story Of My Great Grandmother Olive (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Alberto Rodriguez), Official Site

The course of true love doesn't run smoothly for an ageing alien and a love-struck gran.

Infidel (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: George Milton; Writer: Mark Tilton; Stars: Dan Fredenburgh, William Beck, Elize du Toit, Orla Fitzgerald, Jo Bourne-Taylor)

One of a series of comic parables, entitled Sins Of London, this focusses on a disastrous dinner party.

Interpretation (Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Lin Oeding; Writer: Lin Oeding, Matt Olmstead; Stars: Ian Bohen, Cindy Chiu, Jay Giannone, Jeremy Luc, James Harvey Ward)

A romantic couple encounter a bunch of philosophical thugs.

Jericho (Director: Liam Gavin)

Details to follow.

John And Gaynor (Country: Tanzania; Year: 2009; Director: Thomas Whitworth)

We'll bring you details, as soon as we can find some...

JSY (Country: UK; Director: Marco Espirito Santo; Stars: Fred Fannon, Sean Power (voice),), Official Site, Trailer

Exuberant call to action in an emergency which mixes live action footage with collage.

Kavi (Country: US, India; Year: 2009; Director: Gregg Helvey; Writer: Gregg Helvey; Stars: Sagar Salunke, Ulhas Tayade, Rajesh Kumar, Madhavi Juvekar, Debu Bhattacharya, Rishi Raj Singh, Mukesh Barahti)

A young boy attempts to escape from the brick kiln where he is forced to work as a bonded labor slave in India.

Killer (Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Adam Leon, Jack Pettibone Riccobono; Writer: Adam Leon, Jack Pettibone Riccobono; Stars: Xavier Peña, Tysheeb Hickson, Ra'eed Harris, Jelani Swaby, Alisa Alexander, Bo Riccobono)

A night of adrenaline and rights of passage.

Larry (The Actor) (Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Eric Poydar; Writer: Brett Portanova, Eric Poydar; Stars: Lionel Mark Smith), Official Site

Larry reminisces on life as a black actor, positivism, and where to buy the freshest oranges in Inglewood...all with an eye on the phone and his mind on the Southside of Chicago. Described as a "mofaux" documentary.

The Last Supper (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Rupert Bryan)

Sorry, no information available... we'll bring you some as soon as we can.

Leonardo (Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Jim Capobianco; Writer: Jim Capobianco), Official Site

Animation shows Leonardo create a flying machine.

Legacy: Black Ops (Country: Nigeria, UK; Year: 2010; Director: Eromose; Writer: Eromose; Stars: Idris Elba, Eamonn Walker, Monique Gabriela Curnen, Richard Brake), Official Site

A former special agent holed up in a hotel room in the aftermath of a failed Eastern European mission grows suspicious of his brother's political success.

Full Review See: Legacy interview with Idris Elba, Thomas Ikimi, Eammonn Walker
, Tribeca diary and capsule reviews: Legacy, My Brothers, Zonad, Brilliantlove

Loss (Director: Kate Jessop), Official Site

Based on a short story by David Constantine.

Lucky Quid (Year: 2009; Director: Andy Jenkins; Writer: Andy Jenkins)

A homeless kid finds a coin that could change his life forever.

Make Yourself At Home (Fais Comme Chez Toi) (Country: France; Year: 2008; Director: Gautier About; Writer: Gautier About; Stars: Gautier About, Alain Fromager, Emmanuelle Destremau,), Official Site

A Basque man new to Paris throws a party to make friends, but finds himself stuck with three guests who outstay their welcome.

Mama (Country: Spain; Year: 2008; Director: Andy Muschietti; Stars: Victoria Harris, Berta Ros, Irma Monroig)

Spooky short, sees two sisters try to avoid their mother.

Marker (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Susanna Wallin)

Story focussing on a young girl catching reindeer.

Meatwaffle (Country: USA; Director: Leah Shore; Writer: Leah Shore)

Animation pastiche in which an elderly man recalls some bizarre memories.

Meltdown (Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: David Green; Stars: Emanuel Borria, Ryan Bradley, David Cross, Martin Dusig, Daniel Hartley, Genevieve Jones, Sunny Peabody, DeAnn Trimarchi, Justin Uretz)

An ice block invades a refrigerator.

Mentoring Mickey Rourke (Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Robert Postrozny; Writer: Jessica Simons; Stars: Mickey Rourke, Robert Postrozny, Carl B. Montgomery)

Mickey Rourke's aging acting teacher, Carl Montgomery Baker, has one last student he hopes to mentor to stardom...

Metro Boulot Dodo (Country: Italy; Year: 2009; Director: Elisa Minuzzo, Nicola Crivellari)

What is the difference between a ready-made and a real object?

The Mouse That Soared (Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Kyle Bell; Writer: Kyle Bell, Matthew J. Hayes; Stars: Kyle Bell), Official Site

Animated adventures of a foundling mouse who becomes a flying circus attraction.

My Horizon (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Matt Tromans; Writer: Matt Tromans; Stars: Sean Brosnan, Brawley Nolte, Nick Nolte, Margo Stilley)

A young American in London tries to come to terms with his brother's death as he drifts through the city.

My Identity (Country: Ireland; Director: Vittoria Colonna)

True story of an Irish transgender person and their fight for recognition of their basic human rights.

Natal Attraction (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Tom Fry; Writer: Tom Fry; Stars: Anthony Richardson, Mandy Kaplan)

An adulterous doctor gets into trouble via internet dating.

No sana hoy: It Will Not Heal Today (Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Becky Korman; Writer: Becky Korman)

The director travels to Cuba to reconnect with the forgotten past of her grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer's.

Of Best Intentions (Country: Ireland; Year: 2008; Director: Brian Durnin; Writer: Brian Durnin)

Five characters collide with cosmic consequences.

The Old Song and Dance (Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Ronni Raygun)

Surreal music video from the 1920s set to Whispering Jack Smiths' 'Gimme A Little Kiss'.

Open Your Eyes (Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Susan Cohen; Writer: Susan Cohen; Stars: Traci Dinwiddie, Suzy Nakamura, Eric Lange, Teresa Huang)

Diagnosed with breast cancer, Julia struggles to come to terms with her life and new self image.

Partir (Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Melodie Lamotte D’Incamps; Writer: Melodie Lamotte D’Incamps; Stars: Betty Krestinsky, Clementine Mazzoni, Lucette Martini)

Anna is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and is about to enter a nursing home. Lucette, the housekeeper, is packing up the home where Anna has always lived and Clementine, Anna's grandaughter, comes to help and spend the last days in the house with her grandmother.

Pictures (Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: P.D. Blake; Stars: Alan Convy, Andrea Corr, Neil Pearson)

Details to follow.

Pom-Pom (Year: 2009; Director: Yves Courbet)

Short.

Post-It Love (Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Simon Atkinson, Si & Ad, Adam Townley; Writer: Simon Atkinson, Adam Townley; Stars: Lee Ingleby, Charity Wakefield)

Nothing says I love you like a post-it.

Roar (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Adam Wimpenny; Writer: J S Hill; Stars: Russell Tovey, Jodie Whittaker, Tom Burke, Melanie Gray, Victoria Wicks)

A lonely Londoner takes drastic action after being snubbed by a girl.

Rolfe (Country: UK; Director: Thomas Whitworth)

Details to follow.

The Rules Of The Game (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Tom Daley)

Dark comedy.

The Screaming Skull (Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Ashley Thorpe; Writer: Ashley Thorpe; Stars: Ed Berry)

One need not be a house to be haunted.

Second Chance (Country: UK; Director: Clint Dyer; Stars: Alison Steadman, Aml Ameen, David Harewood, Susan Vidler)

Details to follow.

Seeds (Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Stewart Hendler; Writer: Richard Bloom, Lonny Pugh; Stars: Steve Filice, Sarah Jane Morris, Greg Rikaart, RuPaul, Irene White)

A chance encounter at a bus stop may hold the key to moving on.

Sertoli, Sertoli, Sertoli (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Owen Williams, Adam Wright; Writer: Owen Williams, Adam Wright; Stars: Michael Dixon, Kiki Kendrick, Richard Hollingworth, Rob Jones, Gwenda Williams, Christopher More)

Orwellian tale in which the top man in an underground resistance movement sets out to uncover the truth behind a corporate behemoth.

Shakespeare, Tarantino and the Mitchell Brothers (Country: UK; Director: Mark Davis)

Details to follow.

Shank (Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Chris J. Taylor; Writer: Chris J. Taylor; Stars: Gary Kitching)

An ex-con fresh out of prison tries to atone for his past, but finds going straight harder than he expected.

Sky People (Country: US; Year: 2008; Director: Shanti Thakur; Writer: Shanti Thakur; Stars: Mike Callahan, Carson Grant, Guy Olivieri, Youngblood Roche, Gayle Kelly Landers, Kristopher Kling, Olivia Villanti, Paul Breen, Shanti Thakur, Chandler Sante, Sherry Russell, Sadie Jones, Danielle Sante, Tyler Anderson, Sri Gordon)

In this surreal satire people race to live above the 13th floor to double their life-span as a "sky-person".

The Slow Game (La partita lenta) (Country: Italy; Year: 2009; Director: Paolo Sorrentino; Writer: Umberto Contarello, Paolo Sorrentino; Stars: Monica Dugo, Roberto Bernardini, Renato Gnani, Francesco Iacorossi, Flavio Gregori)

Rugby and trusting the bank.

The Sound of the Bell (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Esteban Gitton; Writer: Esteban Gitton; Stars: Pablo Gitton, Javed Khan)

For two boys on opposite sides of the world, school means very different things.

Sparks (Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt; Writer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elmore Leonard; Stars: Carla Gugino, Eric Stoltz, Xander Berkeley, Elizabeth Clemmons)

The tale of a former rock-and-roll goddess who may or may not have burnt her house down. Based on a story by Elmore Leonard.

Stalk Much? (Country: US; Director: Bill Baykan; Writer: Bill Baykan; Stars: Rob Janas)

After a crushing breakup, Michael journeys through the five stages of grief.

Sunshower (Country: Ireland; Year: 2009; Director: Liam Gavin; Writer: Liam Gavin; Stars: Brendan Conroy, Jenn Murray)

An encounter between a teenager and an elderly men... after she knocks him down with a boosted car.

Super Hero Blues (Country: UK; Director: Cass Marks)

Details to follow.

Swipe (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Max Blustin; Writer: Max Blustin; Stars: Lauren Shein, Daniel Mendoza)

A man resorts to unconventional means to get money from his girlfriend.

Tall Greens Tight Yellows (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Ornette Spenceley)

A seasonal worker mum struggles against her daughter's attachment to the local community.

The Taxidermist (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Bert & Bertie, Katie Ellwood, Amber Templemore-Finlayson; Writer: Bert & Bertie, Katie Ellwood; Stars: Paul Bhattacharjee, Ford Kiernan, Craig Parkinson, Camilla Rutherford)

A dark and quirky love story.

Tea And Biscuits (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Chris Klockner; Writer: Alex Barker; Stars: Toby Kebbell, Alex Barker, Marcus Lezard, Stephen Gressieux, Dave Whitlam, Matthew Shanfari, Rupert Bryan, Jolene Farmer, Rachael Kahn), Official Site

Billy and Eva are two people who meet in the gap of time between life and death. A short and sweet moment where memories are shared over a cup of tea and biscuits.

Tender as Hellfire (Country: US; Year: 2009; Director: Jason Stone; Writer: Joe Meno, Jason Stone; Stars: Chris Aguilar, Johnny Brazell, Sean Christian Day, Sean-Christian Day, Jeff Edwards, Craig Harrill, John Hawkes, Rick Mueller, Greg Travis, Robert Van Winkle, Bellamy Young)

Two boys try to come to terms with the loss of their father, while their mother's boyfriend has to decide whether he can shoulder the responsibility.

Ten For Grandpa (Country: Canada; Year: 2008; Director: Doug Karr; Writer: Doug Karr; Stars: David Alpay, David Huband, Catherine Black, Shannon Beckner, David Cormican, Ann de Villiers, Connor Edwards, Colette Kendall)

An introspective look at the enigmatic life of an influential ancestor that pushes an individual to immerse himself in a nefarious web of danger and infamy.

Thorns and Silk (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Paulina Tervo; Stars: Majda Al-Bahr, Niveen Al-Sawi, Hanan Al-Sharef, Yusra Mansur)

Snapshot documentary about the lives of four women from the West Bank who work in male-dominated jobs.

A Time Comes (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Nick Broomfield)

Documentary about the Kingsnorth six, environmental activists who scaled the chimney of Kingsnorth power station.

The Title Was Shot (Country: France/USA)

Details to follow.

Top Girl (Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Rebecca Johnson; Stars: Rumbi Mautsi, Naomi J. Lewis, Alexis Rodney, Jay Brown, Kerron Darby)

Donna is fifteen and fearless – the hottest babe in the whole of Brixton. She and her best friend Felicia are looking for Legz, a cool guy of around 20 who has a sound studio – in the bedroom of his mother’s flat. But Donna’s date with him doesn’t exactly go as she expected...

Touche (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Trevor Hardy; Writer: Trevor Hardy)

A cat decides to pick on a dog stuck in a car.

Full Review

War School (Year: 2009; Director: Ben Newman)

A children's school for soldiers.

Where the Monsters Go (Country: UK; Year: 2008; Director: Van Poynton; Writer: Leigh Oakley, Van Poynton; Stars: Bradley Hall, Geoff Loynes, Maria Massini, Ben Smith), Official Site

A troubled schoolboy coerces his cousin to take part in a crazed plan to break into a mysterious abandoned house in the forest.

Wrap (Country: UK; Year: 2009; Director: Portia Barnett-Herrin; Stars: Barbara Joslyn, Rosy Benjamin, Shaun French, Natasha White), Official Site

In a cloud of mistaken glamour, making films can be murder.

Young Love (Country: Australia; Year: 2008; Director: Ariel Kleiman; Writer: Ariel Kleiman; Stars: Anna Dudas, Alex Ford), Official Site

A jogger might be struggling... but it isn't safe to stop.

Eye For Film >> Festivals >> Raindance >> 2009 >> Shorts