The 34th Raindance Film Festival will open with the U.K. premiere of Michel K. Parandi’s sci-fi thriller “April X” and close with the European premiere of Kirsty Bell’s documentary “Eddie Cochran: Don’t Forget Me.”
“April X,” a multi-award winner on the international festival circuit, stars Connor Storrie (“Heated Rivalry”) and Lilly Krug (“Shattered,” “Plane”) as twins Bax and April. When April vanishes, her brother combs a post-Soviet cityscape in search of her, a journey that drives him toward psychological breakdown. Vertigo Releasing is set to distribute the film across the U.K. and Ireland in September.
“We’re honored for ‘April X’ to open Raindance,” producer Lavinia Postolache said. “It’s a festival that champions bold, independent voices, and it feels like the perfect home for a story rooted in identity, guilt, and the complexity of human connection.’”
The June 17 opening night at Vue West End in Leicester Square will also include the first and exclusive festival screening of the Gorillaz animated short “The Mountain, the Moon Cave and the Sad God,” directed by Jamie Hewlett, Timothy McCourt, and Jonathan Djob Nkondo. The film accompanies the English virtual band’s most recent album, “The Mountain.”
Bell’s closing gala documentary is the first official biography of rock and roll icon Eddie Cochran, produced with the blessing of the Cochran family estate. The film comes from the Academy Award-winning producers behind “Quant” and “Ronnie’s,” and traces Cochran’s trajectory from country music roots to rock and roll pioneer whose influence extended to artists including the Beatles, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, and Yungblud. Cochran died at 21.
“‘I’m incredibly honoured to bring ‘Don’t Forget Me’ to Raindance,’ Bell said. “This film was made with enormous love and respect for Eddie, his family and the generations of artists he inspired – so sharing it with a festival that truly champions independent voices means a great deal to me.”
Cochran will also receive a posthumous Raindance Icon Award, destined to join his other trophies on display at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
Bell’s feature debut, “A Bird Flew In,” had its world premiere at Raindance in 2021. “As a festival that champions emerging filmmakers, Raindance is thrilled to open the 34th edition with ‘April X,’ a bold and brilliant indie sci-fi from debut director Michel K. Parandi,” said Raindance founder Elliot Grove.
Additional program highlights are scheduled to be revealed at the festival’s Cannes event on May 17, with the full lineup announced the following day.
The festival runs June 17–26 in London.