Raindance Film Festival Winners!

Sorry, another week without a THRILLER entry, and FINGERS OF FEAR was a pretty good episode starring hulking character actor Robert Middleton as a mentally challenged dishwasher who may also be a child killer. But my sleep patterns are all messed up and I didn't get the entry finished in time.

To the rescue: the RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL, where I am usually at this time of the year, announced it's winners on Sunday night.



Special Jury Prize for Short Film – Heart / Coeur
Best Documentary Short – Our Curse
Best Animated Short – Tea With The Dead
Best International Short – Rangzen
Best UK Short – Nosferatu In Love
Short Film of the Festival – Rangzen
Best Music Video – Subtunes
Best Documentary Feature – Days of Hope
Best Debut Feature – Kebab & Horoscope
Best International Feature – The Light Shines Only There
Best British Feature – Luna
Feature Film of the Festival – Take Me To The River

Hopefully I'll be back there next year!

Heart / Coeur
The story of two young women spending a night out in the small town of Kortrijk. This night will take them to different places, random conversations, and a confrontation with a man who has a dark secret.

Our Curse
This painfully sincere documentary portrays the parents of a baby boy born with a rare and incurable disease. Leo Hueckel-Śliwiński is affected by Ondine’s Curse. The illness causes the complete cessation of breathing while he is asleep, meaning he must be attached to a ventilator for the rest of his life.

Tea with the Dead
Frank is a gentle unassuming embalmer from a small town in Connemara. After Frank has washed, disinfected, removed and replaced fluids, applied cosmetics and dressed the deceased, he always makes two cups of tea: one for him and one for the dead.

Rangzen
A film about a 8 year old Tibetan boy, Tashi - growing up as a refugee in a small hill town in Indian - the exiled home of the Dalai Lama. The film maps a crucial day in his life when he stumbles on his exiled refugee identity. When he's told at school that there is an invisible 'R' written on his forehead - Tashi goes on a quest to unravel this mystery.

Nosferatu In Love
In a fit of rebellion against his director which masks his own dark demons, a tormented movie actor (Mark Strong) starring as Nosferatu runs away to a nearby small Czech town. Loss and failure lead to a redemption, of sorts.

Days of Hope
A close look at the shocking struggles of illegal immigrants travelling across the Mediterranean, from Africa to Europe.

Kebab & Horoscope
Two down-and-out men, Kebab and Horoscope, go on a quest to re-establish themselves as marketing experts.

The Light Shines Only There
Tatsuo and Chinatsu, two deeply wounded people, fall in love – but their trials are far from over.

Luna
Dave McKean’s lyrical blend of live action and animation in a stunning sophomore film.

Take Me to the River
A star-studded documentary telling the story of the musical and socio-economic history of Memphis.

Congratulations to all of the writers and directors and everyone else involved!

Bill