Raindance 2025: A Daring Tapestry of Global Voices and Bold Debuts
From underground squats in California to the post-gangland underbelly of Berlin, this year’s Raindance Film Festival (18–27 June, Vue Piccadilly) unveils its most eclectic lineup yet, celebrating stories that are urgent, unorthodox, and unflinchingly human. Now in its 33rd year, the Oscar®-qualifying indie institution has announced its Jury Award Nominees, honouring raw talent across 10 feature and four short film categories.
Topping the slate of Best International Feature contenders is Abducted Files, a Brazilian mockumentary twisting UFO paranoia into government cover-up, while Thailand’s ambitious musical Dream! promises holiday magic via a child’s cross-country odyssey. Elsewhere, No Beast. So Fierce. reimagines Richard III amid Berlin’s gangland politics, while Kenya’s Nawi: Dear Future Me confronts child marriage through a defiant coming-of-age tale.
Documentary highlights include Emma: One Last Dance, an intimate chronicle of WSL coaching icon Emma Hayes, and The Social Trap, where five women battle Big Tech’s devastating mental health toll. Ukraine’s Children in the Fire and Iraq’s Immortals give voice to young survivors of modern conflict, while Turtle Walker traces India’s disappearing coasts through the eyes of a sea turtle.
The Discovery Award for Debut Feature is a proving ground for innovation: A Cell Phone Movie breaks cinematic form entirely, while Snatchers leans into pitch-black comedy with corpse-harvesting gone wrong.
On home turf, UK features offer fresh blood and introspection—from Breakwater’s Oxford romance to Loner’s folk-horror YouTuber descent. Themes of identity, grief, corruption and survival cut across every category.
Raindance continues to live up to its name: a cinematic deluge of global grit, offbeat brilliance, and indie defiance. Winners will be crowned on 27 June, but in truth, the festival’s spirit lies in its fearless storytelling.
The festival is a bit of a tongue in cheek reference to the Sundance Film Festival held in Utah, USA each year, and the UK capital’s infamously bad weather.
If you prefer your films more classical than indie, then read our preview of the Venice International Film Festival.
Main image: Courtesy of Raindance.
