There’s a magical time of year when lovers of independent cinema converge on Leicester Square in London to enjoy the best the world has to offer, thanks to the Raindance Film Festival. It’s the UK’s largest and longest-running independent film festival, and for good reason- Raindance are well and truly on the pulse of independent film. Past Raindance festivals have screened the likes of Pulp Fiction, Once, Memento, Old Boy, and the Blair Witch Project.
Funding from filmmakers and indie film lovers just like you help Raindance to remain independent, and the IndieGoGo campaign for the 2018 Festival is no different. This year, Raindance has some really worthy objectives they want to meet thanks to contributors to the campaign. These include:
- Keeping tickets discounted for under 25s, students, senior citizens, claimants, first responders and carers.
- Sustainability objectives like developing a Festival app to cut down on paper waste and printing the commemorative catalogue on eco-friendly (more expensive) paper. Better yet, even though this eco-friendly paper will be more expensive, they want to keep the commemorative catalogue FREE for festival attendees.
- Ensuring that filmmakers from disadvantaged backgrounds can attend the Festival via the 5×25 project in collaboration with the Independent Film Trust
- Making screenings and seminars accessible for people with hearing and visual disabilities.
In addition to these excellent objectives, Raindance also wants to keep the beating heart of independent cinema in London by allowing the Festival to remain in Leicester Square.
If these objectives weren’t enough to convince you to contribute, there are some truly excellent perks available through the campaign, including discounted early-bird passes to the Festival, VIP tickets to the Independent Filmmakers Ball at the Café de Paris on April 25th, branded Raindance t-shirts and more. There’s even a perk that would suit businesses or individuals keen to get some exposure for their brand- the ‘Adopt a Film’ perk where your logo/name will be put next to your selected film in the catalogue. Sweet!
Only 14 days remain in the campaign, however. If you can’t contribute financially- spread the word!
Raindance have provided some excellent sample tweets to copy and tweet that will help spread the word.
Let’s help Raindance achieve their objectives and assist them to continue making independent cinema accessible while also being sustainable.