Vue Piccadilly

This year's 33rd edition of indie film festival Raindance isn't just a pitter-patter, it's an absolute thunderstorm of new cinema. After a few straitened post-pandemic years, the line-up is back up to speed, and a whopping 90 percent bigger than in 2024. Check out the full programme here. There's more change afoot when it comes to the venues. In previous years, it's been hosted by much-loved indie cinemas across London. But for 2025, it'll be hosted exclusively by West End venue Vue Piccadilly, with an opening gala at Vue Leicester Square and a party at the Waldorf Hilton’s swish Palm Court. The opening film is Christopher M. Anthony’s debut feature Heavyweight, a boxing drama starring Nicholas Pinnock. The fest closes on Camilla Guttner’s The Academy, set at an art school. In between, there's a teeming line-up of international feature films and documentaries. And aspiring film-makers and camera heads are catered to by the festival's industry hub, Canon Lounge, which will have talks, workshops and panels galore.