Over the years since Raindance's inception the festival has screened a myriad of films, varying in genre, location, format and so on. Some being a little more well known others but still there is a an archive of gems and delights to be found once you look in the right places. One of those places being Netflix!
Here are 15 films that have screened at Raindance that are available on Netflix for your viewing pleasure.
Exam (2009)
Directed by Stuart Hazeldine
Nominated for Best UK Feature at Raindance, Exam is a psychological thriller about eight candidates applying for a job who must go to sit an enigmatic exam. The candidates sit in a dimly lit room and are given specific rules by the 'Invigilator' regarding leaving, spoiling their papers, and speaking to the guard or the invigilator himself. In a Lord of the Flies-like fashion, it shows how the group can either work together or collapse under the pressure of greed.
Nominated - Best UK feature at the 2009 17th Raindance Film Festival.
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Fight Church (2014)
Directed by Daniel Junge (Academy Award winner) and Bryan Storkel
A feature documentary about the confluence of Christianity and mixed martial arts, including ministries which train fighters. The film follows several pastors and popular fighters in their quest to reconcile their faith with a sport that many consider violent and barbaric. Faith is tried and questions are raised. Can you really love your neighbour as yourself and then punch him in the face? Fight Church is a provocative portrait of two seemingly isolated worlds and what happens when they collide.
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Down Terrace (2009)
Directed by Ben Wheatley
Bill and Karl are imprisoned for a mysterious crime and once released become preoccupied with deciphering who turned them into the police. All the while the network of amateur criminals that live within Down Terrace begin to distrust one another, through the disgustingly hilarious filter of Ben Wheatley's black comedy writing/directing style. The cult British director Ben Wheatley's first feature film was a hit at Raindance and thus he was one to watch, as he would later release Kill List, Sightseers, A Field in England and the recent High Rise.
Winner – Best UK feature at the 2009 17th Raindance Film Festival
Winner – Raindance Award at the 2009 British Independent Film Awards
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Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006)
Directed by Jonathan Demme (Academy Award winner)
Director Jonathan Demme has a fruitful and prolific career that spans over 40 years. Having directed classics such as The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, Stop Making Sense and more; Demme indulges in Neil Young's music (and since 2006 has made a follow up film) as it's clearly an important subject for him, which he touches upon with passion and intrigue.
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Humpday (2009)
Directed by Lynn Shelton
One of the queens of the 'Mumblecore' genre, Lynn Shelton's Humpday is about two straight male friends attempting to produce a gay pornographic film together. Humpday has all of the awkward and sporadic nuances that you expect in a Mumblecore film, and if you happen to be a 20 or 30 something human being you may just find it relatable.
Humpday was the Opening film at the 2009 17th Raindance Film Festival
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Pulp Fiction (1994)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino (Academy Award winner)
Pulp Fiction needs no introduction, just the reading of its title sends ripples of images, quotations and sounds through the mind. A film with incalculable influence which seems continually ongoing through each generation of filmmakers. At Raindance we're very proud to have screened it as part of the festival and now its on Netflix, what more can you ask for.
Pulp Fiction was the opening film at the 1995 3rd Raindance Film Festival, which was also its British premier. Pulp Fiction Won Best original screenplay at 1995 Academy Awards.
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Gored (2015)
Directed by Paul Kowalski
Gored is the story of Antonio Barrera, holder of the dubious title of 'most gored bullfighter in modern history' with 23 gores under his belt, exploring both the life of Barrera and the unbelievably dangerous sport in close detail. Gored cuts between footage from inside the ring and personal interviews with Barrera's family, shedding insight as to what drives him to keep returning to the ring.
Gored had its UK premier with Raindance, also picking up a Best Documentary award at the 2015 23rd Raindance Film Festival
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The Machine (2013)
Directed by Caradog W. James
Set in the near future, with a backdrop related to a cold war with China, The Machine focuses on the desire to create true artificial intelligence and a perfect killing machine for the military. In a time when science fiction is very much of the bigger-is-better-is-louder variety it's refreshing to have a film like The Machine to be reminded of the glory days. This is a thinking persons science fiction, a movie that will have you looking at your technology in a whole new way.
The Machine won the Best UK film award at the 2013 21st Raindance Film Festival, and was also was the closing film for the festival.
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Tesla – Master of Lightning (2000)
Directed by Robert Uth
Tesla – Master of Lightning presents the story of Nikola Tesla, the great scientist, visionary, and inventor who gave the world alternating current electricity, as well as being the father of radio. The film tells the story of this man's astonishing genius, his visions and inventions. Tesla's own scientific and autobiographical writings as well as archival photographs and reenactments are used, to inform, inspire and educate!
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Downloaded (2013)
Directed by Alex Winter
In a single sentence Downloaded is a documentary about the extraordinary rise and fall of Napster. But to sum up the film of actor-turned-director Alex Winter in one sentence, is to reveal how little one has understood what Napster signified and still signifies, which is certainly more than a bunch of geeky teens freely sharing copyrighted music via the internet. While Napster man be long gone, the technical revolution it initiated is still very much present.
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Human Capital (2014)
Directed by Paolo Virzí
The concept of Human Capital draws upon a persons life expectancy, earning capacity, and the quantity and quality of their emotional bonds. The film is gripping and intricately told; this neo-noir mystery questions the material and emotional value of both the living and the dead as it weaves a tangled web of greed, lust and accidental death. Set against the backdrop of the mounting global financial crisis, writer-director Paolo Virzí has adapted the 2004 novel 'Human Capital' by Stephen Amidon, switching the books affluent Connecticut enclaves for the more moody surroundings of northern Italy.
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Iceberg Slim – Portrait of a Pimp (2013)
Directed by Jorge Hinojosa
Jorge Hinojosa's triumphant documentary is so unexpectedly inspiring that you'll find yourself, against all odds, wanting to read Slim's book – books explaining his transition from scared kid to a big-time pimp and legendary figure of the Chicago underworld. Executive Producer and rap mogul Ice-T claims (as do others in the movie: Snoop Dogg, Chris Rock, Henry Rollins, Quincy Jones) that Slim's books gifted him the confidence to tell his own stories.
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Kung Fu Elliot (2014)
Directed by Matthew Bauckman and Jaret Belliveau
Kung Fu Elliot is a documentary exploring the life and activities of Elliot 'White Lightening' Scott and his dream of becoming Canada's first-ever action hero. A strange character with a penchant for filmmaking, he, his supportive partner Linda and his rag-tag group of friends and volunteers make truly awful action movies. As time wears on, more and more truth gets uncovered and the film becomes a fascinating exploration not of just Elliot's antics, but of his deeply weird – and slightly scary – character.
Kung Fu Elliot was nominated for best documentary feature at the 2014 22nd Raindance Film Festival
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The Culture High (2014)
Directed by Brett Harvey
You don't need to be a drug fan to understand that prohibition has never been a successful policy. It didn't work in the 1930's against alcohol and it's not working now against supposedly dangerous and illegal substances – especially the substance at the heart of this hard-hitting documentary, marijuana. Featuring interviews with some of the biggest players in the prohibition/ legalisation game, from professor David Nutt to Howard Marks, Snoop Dogg to Richard Branson, this eye-opening film is not to be missed.
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Doomsdays (2013)
Directed by Eddie Mullins
Billed as a pre-apocalyptic comedy, Doomsdays follows the adventures of Dirty Fred and Bruho - two friends who have made the conscious decision to drop out of society in favour of a more free spirited existence. It stands out amongst the crowd and over-saturation of bad comedies, thanks to its fantastic chemistry between the cast and a uniquely good humoured script. Doomsdays is a touching and wonderfully original debut by first time writer and director Eddie Mullins.
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