NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Indie filmmakers will gather at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater in Manhattan on Monday, November 4th for the second annual Raindance New York Shorts Night.
Raindance was established in 1993 by Elliot Grove and Suzanne Balentine is an independent festival and school based in London, and also operates in New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto, Budapest, Brussels, Guadalahara and Dubai.
"We've developed a reputation as the place to discover and be discovered," Raindance New York General Manager Tim Lorge tells 1010 WINS. "We're an advocate for new voices, first and second time filmmakers and edgy, under the radar films."
The lineup includes 22 short films in a variety of genres, including narrative, comedy, documentary, horror and animation. As for which genre is hot right now, Lorge says he's seeing more films that tell a personal story, including the changes of life, love lost, the asking of spiritual questions.
He also says indie film is having a moment, because of the state of flux of both the film and television industries in general, both post-pandemic and following the actor and writer strikes.
"Budgets are getting smaller and as a result, projects will need people who know how to work with smaller budgets. That's the perfect opportunity for indie filmmakers, because we work with smaller budgets all the time. It's the only way we can get projects done," says Lorge.
As part of Raindance's educational wing, the festival has partnered with filmmaker Noam Kroll who will conduct a session on micro-short filmmaking. Micro-shorts are 2-3 minute short films with very specific goals in a pressure-free environment, for example, to test out gear, software, story ideas or even working with actors.
This year's festival lineup is listed below. Tickets are $21 and can be purchased by clicking on the link at RaindanceNY.org.
Animation:
- ADVENTURES OF A PRODUCTION ASSISTANT, THE: THE GOLDEN RULE (dir: Nina Kropf) An on-set production assistant learns the most important rule in the world of production.
-GUEST FROM ELSEWHERE, A (dir: Ethan Anderson) A stop motion 1930s fairy tale follows a monster that yearns to be a part of civilized human society.
-STALKING THE BOGEYMAN (dir: Markus Potter, Jack Dorfman) The true story of investigative journalist David Holthouse who plots to kill the man who sexually abused him when he was seven years old.
-YASUKE THE AFRICAN SAMURAI (dir: Scott Palazzo) Tells the story of history's first foreign samurai, who lived and fought in 16th Century Japan.
Comedy:
-BIRD POOP (dir: Chase D Markoff)
PLAY LIST (dir: Caroline Parker Boyd) Some friends have more in common than you think.
-RAGING DOLL (dir: Ruthie Marantz) A delusional millennial from The Bronx gets in the ring with a junior boxing champion known as The Smoke.
-THE 60 SECOND OMELETTE CHALLENGE (dir: Tom Cavanaugh) Angela, a home cook records her 60 Second Omelette-making Challenge.
Documentary:
-A MAN WHO KNITS (dir: Ian Powell) Avid male knitting enthusiast Gene Throwe keeps the spirit of his late grandmother alive within the seemingly mundane practice of needlework.
-IF YOU SAY YES (dir: Antonello Velez, George Velez) Amputee Billy Davis prepares for a triathlon while raising money for charity.
-LEAVES OF THREE (dir: Julia de Guzman) Whimsical, fantastical, cheeky, and chilling love letter to the most maligned member of the forest: Poison Ivy.
-THIS IS IRA RICHER (dir: Rick Knief) Explore the mind, life, and influences of this visionary artist who landed in SOHO, NY in the 1980.
Horror/Thriller:
-EXIT (dir: Oriana Ng) A dangerous elevator ride tests a couple's bond
-KORPUS (dir Alexa De Hoyos, Sinhué F. Benavides) A writer can't sleep because she doesn't know how to start her next novel
Narrative:
-BE TRUE TO YOUR SCHOOL (dir: Frank Harts) Bronx Born Haitian American teen Ruby Saint-Fleur finds it takes more than being a genius to save her life.
-GRACELESS (dir: Marvin Van Buren) After Blair reveals to Zach a secret she's been harboring, their relationship is put to the test.
-LEGACY: CHANTELL (dir: Kaye France) One fateful night, Chantell, speaks with a stranger who seemingly has known her entire life.
-THE MARTYR OF HUDSON YARDS (dir: Kevin V. Doan) Wrought with a sudden relapse of anxiety attacks, a young Asian American artist traipses the recesses of his mind to figure out how to get back to his friends and family.
-TREASURE IMAGINATION (dir: Scott Rice) A city boy is distraught when his beloved tablet is taken away by his mom.
Raindance New York Fellowship Award
This year's Raindance New York Fellowship Award recipient is Bec Fordyce, an Australian actress and filmmaker based in Queens, New York. Her short "Killer Shoes" was presented at the first Raindance New York Shorts Night in 2023. This year, Raindance will present her most recent award-winning short, "The One Who Got Called In."