The 33rd edition of Raindance Film Festival opened on 18 June with a full house at Vue Leicester Square. The world premiere of Heavyweight, a new boxing drama directed by Christopher M. Anthony, set the tone for a week of fearless and personal storytelling. The film stars Nicholas Pinnock, Jordan Bolger, and Jason Isaacs, alongside Jamie Bamber, Sienna Guillory, and Blake Harrison. But the real emotional centre of the evening belonged to the two Raindance Icon Award speeches that followed, a celebration of not just talent but truth, humour and staying power.

This year, something in Raindance feels different in the best way. There’s a clarity in the curation. The selection is sharp, provocative and exciting to watch. It feels like Raindance being Raindance again. The legacy of founder Elliot Grove is alive in every screening, rooted in a belief that independent filmmakers deserve space, attention and care.

You can feel that spirit throughout the programme. From alumni reconnecting to new filmmakers arriving for the first time, there is a sense of reunion, of starting again, of growing something together. This isn’t just a festival. It’s a family that keeps evolving.

Screenings take place at Vue Piccadilly, Regent Street, with the Canon Lounge based at NEON, 194 Piccadilly.

Jason Isaacs: A tribute to the beautifully messed up

Jason Isaacs walked on stage with a grin and said it straight. “I fucking hate awards,” he laughed. “But I belong at Raindance because I’ve never shied away from following the story.”

The audience leaned in. Known for performances in The OA, Mass, The Death of Stalin, Awake and Harry Potter, Isaacs didn’t recap his career. He talked about being human. “Nobody becomes a storyteller because everything went right in their childhood. We’re all fucked up people, and I love fucked up storytellers.”

He described years of working on small films, some that barely made it to release. He reflected on luck, on timing and on the choice to keep going even when it feels invisible. “Be lucky,” he said. “Be as lucky as you possibly can. Follow the talent. That’s the only map you need.”

Then he turned to the people who made it possible. His brother. His wife Emma. His kids. “It’s not the people I worked with who helped me love life. It’s the people who didn’t care about my career. They just loved me.”

By the end, the room was quiet and full. He raised his glass. “Do life more passionately. Hold the people you love tight. That’s what matters.”

Celia Imrie: A star who never stopped being starstruck

Celia Imrie lit up the stage with one sentence. “I’m so mad that I’m delighted,” she said, eyes sparkling, voice full of joy. She didn’t give a speech. She told a story. Then another. Then another. And each one built a picture of a life led with wonder.

She remembered sitting with Geraldine McEwan in a dark theatre. “This is where I feel most at home,” McEwan said. And Celia realised, so did she. “I feel most at home on a film set.”

From early mornings in makeup to hotel corridors and late-night shoots, she described a life soaked in love for the process. She recalled escorting Bette Davis into her dressing room, then being shouted at across the hallway. She spoke about Gary Oldman showing up to her party in a lace dress and pearls because she told him he needed to wear a tie.

She laughed as she remembered meeting Steven Spielberg, and bringing him a photo of herself from decades earlier, sitting inside the mechanical shark from Jaws. “Thank you, Raindance,” she said. “Because now you’ll see a photo of one icon sitting inside another.”

A festival built like a family

Beyond the films, there’s something emotional running through Raindance 2025. You can feel it in the way people greet each other, in the joy of seeing familiar faces, in the warmth that lingers in the cinema even after the lights come up.

The Raindance Film School continues to anchor that feeling. As always, students and tutors created the official trailer, and the festival features programmes like Raindance House Shorts that showcase work from current students. It’s tradition, but it also evolves. This is a space where people begin their journey, and where they return to keep telling stories.

The programme this year is bold and full of heart. The LGBTQIA+ and queer selections across both features and shorts are some of the most vivid in recent memory. The full lineup brings stories from around the world, across genres and generations.

One of the most powerful entries comes from Ukraine. Children in the Fire, directed by Evgeny Afineevsky, combines documentary footage with animated sequences to tell the stories of children injured by the war. It is haunting, timely and necessary, a reminder of why these platforms exist in the first place.

Raindance 2025 closing film: The Academy

The festival will close on 27 June with the international premiere of The Academy, directed by Camilla Guttner. The film stars Maja Bons as Jojo, a young art student navigating the blurred lines of beauty, power and ambition inside an elite school. A fitting final note for a programme that has never been afraid to ask difficult questions.

How to attend Raindance Film Festival 2025

Raindance 2025 runs until 27 June in London.
All screenings take place at Vue Piccadilly, Regent Street.
Industry events and community networking are hosted at the Canon Lounge, NEON, 194 Piccadilly.

For tickets and the full programme, visit raindance.org

Moments from the Opening Night