Liverpool Media Academy (LMA) has teamed up with the established Raindance Film Festival to stage the special weekend in Liverpool over the late May Bank Holiday next spring. Tony McDonough reports

Independent filmmakers from across the world will converge on Liverpool in 2019 to showcase their work in a new film festival coming to the city.

Liverpool Media Academy (LMA) has teamed up with the established Raindance Film Festival to stage the special weekend in Liverpool over the late May Bank Holiday next spring.

It will be the first time Raindance, one of the largest independent film festival brands in the world, has staged an event in the UK outside of London.

LMA collaboration

It follows on from an announcement in August of a collaboration between LMA and Raindance to introduce a year-long postgraduate MA course in film designed to inspire a new generation of Merseyside filmmakers.

The 2019 Raindance Liverpool Film Festival will be a collaboration across various Merseyside venues, showcasing the best of Raindance and screening work from LMA Digital Film & TV students, along with other opportunities for new entrants in a number of categories.

Track record

Raindance, which is devoted to independent filmmaking and emerging talent, celebrates its 26th anniversary this year. It has a track record of showing alternative, edgy films and premiered blockbuster hits including Pulp Fiction, Memento and The Blair Witch Project.

Jurors at this year’s festival, which runs from September 26 to October 7, include Ray Winstone, Adrian Lester, Jonathan Pryce and Laura Carmichael, while the 2018 programme features more than 80 feature films, 99 shorts, 22 music videos and 33 VR experiences, with 31 world, 21 European and 81 UK premieres​.

Free access

Students on the MA course, which is accredited by Staffordshire University, will get free access to all Raindance open courses worldwide, a number of Raindance industry events and free entry to the Raindance Film Festival itself.

They will also have access to world-class mentorship from professionals in their chosen field and the opportunity to work alongside experienced creators.

LMA, which has campuses on Duke St and Hope St in Liverpool city centre, celebrates its 10th birthday this year and has to date helped more than 3,000 students take their first steps into the creative industries, with 80% successfully securing employment in their chosen field.

Thriving talent

Principal Richard Wallace said: “We live in a great city with so much thriving talent. It’s a brilliant opportunity to show everyone what LMA and Liverpool have to offer.”

And Raindance Festival founder, Elliot Grove, added: “Liverpool has long been associated with creativity, innovation and excellence in the arts. LMA has proudly carried this mantra forward with huge successes in this country and America.

“It’s a pleasure to be deemed a worthy partner to bring our own unique and revolutionary Film Festival to LMA and Liverpool.”