Raindance Indie Film Festival, London

The 17th Raindance Film Festival kicks off on 30th September and runs until 11th October. Raindance celebrates independent cinema from around the globe and there are some interesting East Asian films being show. Jasper Sharp is curating the festival, you may remember he was on my radio show when Anna Chen hosted, discussing Anna May Wong. He actually specialises in Japanese cinema and is co-editor of web site Midnight Eye and the author of the recently published Behind the Pink Curtain – The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema.

For a full list of the Japanese films showing at this year's festival take a look at Jasper's site. This year there is a special focus on women directors, Sachi Hamano will be in attendance (Japan's most prolific female director who has worked mostly in the genre of the erotic pink film). She will be presenting her 2001 non-pink title Lily Festival, a comedy drama in which the inhabitants of a residential home for elderly women find their passions rekindled when the first male resident moves in amongst them.

Other titles to look out for in the Japanese section are:

Miki Satoshi’s comedy Instant Swamp (he directed the very funny Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers).

and

Lalapipo which was written by Tetsuya Nakashima (the brilliant director of Kamikaze Girls and Memories of Matsuko) and directed by Masayuki Miyano (his first film). The story is set in the heart of Japan’s outlandish sex industry.




With regards to Chinese films showing in the festival, The Pandy Candy is showing on Saturday 3rd October. The film was banned in China (it depicts a gay relationship between two young women) and is directed by musician Peng Lei of the electro band New Pants.

As a vinyl junkie I'll also be checking out the documentary I Want That Record!, which examines why over 3,000 independent record stores have closed across the U.S. in the past decade (boo).

For more details and to book tickets (the box office is now open) visit:
www.raindance.co.uk