Boxing Drama ‘Heavyweight’ Opens Raindance, Art School Tale ‘The Academy’ Closes 33rd Edition

London’s Raindance Film Festival will kick off its 33rd edition with the world premiere of Christopher M. Anthony’s boxing drama “Heavyweight,” starring Nicholas Pinnock, Jason Isaacs, and Jordan Bolger.

The festival will close with the international premiere of Camilla Guttner’s art school drama “The Academy,” featuring Maja Bons as a student navigating the ruthless terrain of the art world.

“Raindance is always one to punch above its weight, so it’s appropriate that the festival’s 33rd edition should open with the world premiere of a British debut feature about a wildcard boxer,” said Raindance founder Elliot Grove.

The festival, running June 18-27 at Vue Piccadilly, marks a significant comeback with 70 narrative and documentary features — a 90% increase from last year and the first time since 2019 the festival will present so many films.

International competition highlights include “Dream!” (Paul Spurrier, Thailand), a Christmas-set musical following a young girl’s magical journey across Thailand; “Granny Must Die” (Yi Jung Chen, Taiwan), a dark absurdist comedy about three generations living in a tiny Taipei apartment; “Love Song from Hiroshima” (Hideyuki Tokigawa, Japan), a call to peace featuring a benevolent alien wandering present-day Hiroshima; “Nawi: Dear Future Me” (Vallentine Chelluget, Apuu Mourine, Kevin Schmutzler, Kenya), focusing on child brides in Africa; and “No Beast. So Fierce.” (Burhan Qurbani, Poland/France/Germany), an adaptation of Richard III with actress Kenda Hmeidan as the daughter of an Arab clan plotting to become boss of the Berlin underworld;

Competition titles also include “Paternal Leave” (Alissa Jung, Germany/Italy), following a teenage girl’s journey to Italy’s northern coast seeking her unknown biological father; “Shakespeare’s The Tempest” (Garret Replogle, U.S/), where “Star Trek” meets Shakespeare; “Srishti” (Paul Antar, India), about a photographer haunted by childhood guilt; “Tape” (Bizhan Tong, U.K./Hong Kong), a reimagining of Richard Linklater’s cult classic; “The Party’s Over” (Elena Manrique, Spain/Belgium), featuring an award-winning performance by Beatriz Arjona; and “Wet Monday” (Justyna Mytnik, Poland), about a teenage girl confronting trauma from sexual assault.

Documentary selections include “Beam Me Up, Sulu” (Timour Gregory, Sasha Schneider, U.S.), exploring the life of “Star Trek” actor George Takei; “Children in the Fire” (Evgeny Afineevsky, Ukraine), featuring war-wounded Ukrainian children sharing their stories; “God As My Witness” (Lindsay Q. Pitre, U.S.), exposing secrets within the Archdiocese of New Orleans; “I Hope This Helps!” (Daniel M. Freed, U.S.), exploring AI through Google’s first chatbot; “Saint Damian” (Gregorio Sassoli, Alejandro Cifuentes, Italy), an uncompromising look at homelessness and mental illness; and “The Social Trap: 5 Women vs The Big 5” (Elisa Jadot, France), examining social media’s impact on mental health.

U.K. selections feature “Breakwater” (Max Morgan), a romance between a young Oxford student and a retired angler; “Dali” (Mickey Angelov), about a Bulgarian-born American-raised rapper; “Emma: One Last Dance” (Maya Amin-Smith), documenting Emma Hayes’ final months at Chelsea Football Club; “In Symbiosis” (Helena Berndl, Francesco Maria Gallo), examining the food system; “Poised” (Toby Robson), following MMA in northeast England; “Row” (Matthew Losasso), a thriller about a failed trans-Atlantic rowing record attempt; and “The Rendlesham UFO: The British Roswell” (Roderick Godman, Mark Christopher Lee), an investigation into the 1980 UFO incident.

The horror strand includes “Deformelody: An American Nightmare” (Joshua Rivera, U.S.), “Dirty Boy” (Doug Rao, U.K.) starring Graham McTavish, “Dui Shaw” (Nuhash Humayun, Bangladesh), “The Run” (Paul Raschid, U.S./Italy), an interactive film where audiences vote on choices, “White Guilt” (Marcus Flemmings, U.K.), and “Zhaza” (Darkhan Tulegenov, Kazakhstan).

The festival also celebrates a decade of XR innovation with the 10th edition of Raindance Immersive, featuring 32 projects. Canon Europe joins as main sponsor, establishing the Canon Lounge industry hub at One Ninetyfour Piccadilly.

The festival’s jury includes industry figures such as Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Ashley Walters, Cristo Fernández, Emily Beecham, Iain Glen, and Jason Flemyng.