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Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Raindance Film Festival: ‘Nawi' Wins Best Int'l Feature and Debut Performance Awards
The 33rd Raindance Film Festival is wrapping up on Friday and has unveiled its jury awards. Nawi: Dear Future Me, which tackles child marriage and was Kenya's submission for the 2025 international feature film Oscar race, was honored as the best international feature. Its young star Michelle Lemuya Ikeny won the best performance in a debut feature award. The Kenyan-German coming-of-age drama was directors by the brothers Toby and Kevin Schmutzler, as well as Apuu Mourine and Vallentine Chelluget. The best documentary feature award went to Immortals, directed by Maja Tschumi, about 'strong-willed feminist Milo and ambitious filmmaker Khalili who, in the aftermath of the 2019 revolution, are the faces, eyes, and voices of an Iraqi youth that is relentlessly fighting for abetter future.' More from The Hollywood Reporter Polish Indie Kino Swiat Names New CEO 'Action Item' Treats Burnout as "Collective Condition, Silenced Crisis" (Exclusive Karlovy Vary Trailer) Comcast to Sell Sky Deutschland to Bertelsmann's RTL Group Matthew Losasso's Row won the best U.K. feature honor, while the discovery award for best debut feature went to Srishti, directed by Paul Antar. The Spirit of Raindance Award was presented to Alaa Aliabdallah's Palestine Comedy Club. Check out the full list of winners below. Best international featureNawi: Dear Future Me (directors Vallentine Chelluget, Apuu Mourine, Kevin Schmutzler, Kenya)Highlighting the plight of child brides in Africa, and acclaimed at multiple film festivals and at theAfrican Movie Academy Awards, Nawi: Dear Future Me follows a 13-year-old whose father is sellingher to a much older man for a herd of goats, and so she embarks on a journey to reclaim her dream ofjoining high school. Honorable mention: The Party's Over Best documentary featureImmortals (director Maja Tschumi, Switzerland/Iraq)An insight into a new generation that has known nothing but war since the US-led occupation,Immortals follows strong-willed feminist Milo and ambitious filmmaker Khalili who, in the aftermath ofthe 2019 revolution, are the faces, eyes, and voices of an Iraqi youth that is relentlessly fighting for abetter future. Honourable mention: Children In The Fire Discovery award for best debut feature (The Elisar Cabrera Award)Srishti (director Paul Antar, India)The story of a photographer, haunted by childhood guilt, who travels to remote Himalayan Sector K toinvestigate a mysterious phenomenon – this mystery/drama highlights the plight of children forced towork trawling through giant rubbish heaps in search of things that can be monetized. Best debut directorAlissa Jung, Paternal Leave (Germany/Italy)A champion at Berlin and BCN film festivals, Paternal Leave follows a teenage girl's journey to Italy'snorthern coast, seeking her unknown biological father. Best performance in a debut featureMichelle Lemuya Ikeny, Nawi: Dear Future MeHaving previously won the African Movie Academy Award for Best Promising Actor for herperformance in Nawi: Dear Future Me, teenage actress Michell Lemuya Ikeny now wins Raindance's'Best Performance in a Debut Feature' for her debut acting role, playing a schoolgirl in north-westernKenya forced to marry an older man. Best performance in a U.K. featureEdward Hogg, The Lonely MusketeerNominated for Most Promising Newcomer at the BIFAs in 2009 for his first film lead role in WhiteLightnin', and with further credits including A Good Woman Is Hard to Find and Imagine, English actorEdward Hogg now wins Raindance's best performance in a U.K. feature for his role in unique closed-room thriller The Lonely Musketeer. Best U.K. featureRow (director Matthew Losasso, UK)Shot on the open sea, and with a cast including Bella Dayne (Humans) and Sophie Skelton (Outlander),Row sees a woman wash ashore on a blood-stained rowing boat after a failed trans-Atlantic worldrecord attempt. With all her crewmates missing, presumed dead, she must piece together fracturedmemories of the ordeal to prove her innocence. Best director of a U.K. featureChristopher M. Anthony, HeavyweightStarring Nicholas Pinnock, Jordan Bolger and Jason Isaacs, Heavyweight follows a wildcard boxingcontender and his support team ahead of a title fight he doubts he can win. An intense & visceralexperience exploring a side of elite sport rarely seen. Honorable mention: Helena Berndl and Francesco Maria Gallo, In Symbiosis Best U.K. cinematographyBruce Jackson, The Lonely MusketeerShot in monochrome in one claustrophobic main location, The Lonely Musketeer is a taut, stripped-back mystery thriller and a masterclass in low-budget filmmaking. Spirit of Raindance AwardPalestine Comedy Club (director Alaa Aliabdallah, UK)When six Palestinian comedians hit the road to tour a stand-up show, their search for humour amidstthe injustice of everyday Palestinian life becomes a plea for humanity in the face of brutal war. Thisdocumentary feature is directed by Alaa Aliabdallah and produced by Raindance alumni CharlotteKnowles, previously CEO of the Independent Film Trust. SHORTS PROGRAMBest live-action shortLittle Rebels Cinema Club (director Khozy Rizal, Indonesia)Set in 2008, Doddy, a 14-year-old boy, tries to recreate an iconic scene of a zombie film with three ofhis best documentary shortThe Final Copy of Ilon Specht(director Ben Proudfoot, USA)From two-time Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot comes this intimate deathbed account of the unsungadvertising genius Ilon Specht who coined L'Oréal's iconic 'Because I'm Worth It' slogan in 1971, afour-word feminist manifesto that, against all odds, changed advertising animation short Larval (director Alice Bloomfield, UK)Living life in isolation, a girl dreams of luxury and beauty, fantasizing about possessing the looks ofher celebrity idol and winning the heart of her unrequited UK SHORT: THERE WILL COME SOFT RAINS (dir: Elham Ehsas, UK)Haunted by rising sea levels, a daughter digs up her father's grave to move his body to higher ground. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EastEnders star is worlds away from his Walford days as he is nominated at Raindance Film Festival for unique independent horror movie role
EastEnders star John Altman has been nominated for a top award at the Raindance Film Festival. The soap opera legend, famed for playing 'Nasty' Nick Cotton for 30 years, has taken on a very different role from his Walford days in horror movie The Last Grail Hunter. In a unique plot, the release follows failed grail hunter and alcoholic Johnny Calvi as he makes one last ditch attempt to find the Holy Grail - the cup that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper. Set in the 2031, society has been rebuilt and is controlled by a secret organisation called the Priory of Sion, with life being run in Arcadia 'as a mystical game'. It prompts the question about whether Johnny's life is controlled by a gamer and if his epic mission is simply a quest in the video game, titled The Last Grail Hunter. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The 70-minute independent movie was shot across just four days in London and directed by Mark Christopher Lee. And John's work has been recognised as he has been nominated for Best Performance in a UK Feature at the 33rd Raindance Film Festival. In the category, he is up against Daniel McNamee for Breakwater, Mickey Angelov's Dali, Graham McTavish for Dirty Boy, and Jordan Bolger for Heavyweight. Also among the independent nominees are Charlie Robb for Loney, Row's Bella Dayne, White Guilt's Temica Thompson and Edward Hogg for The Lonely Musketeer. Speaking about his nomination at the largest independent film festival in the UK, John said: 'I'm extremely happy to have been nominated for Best Performance. 'I've worked with Mark before on music but he called me one day and said he had an idea for a film and I like things that are different. 'It was an enjoyable four days filming the entire movie on location in London and St Albans.' Set to ominous music, the trailer follows Johnny as he parades around London to find the Holy Grail, before shots show him screaming on a table while a gamer appears to control his every move. The horror flick, which is available to stream, will premiere on June 19, 2025, at the Vue in Piccadilly, London, as part of the film festival. John agreed to take on the unique role after learning about the plot, while he is also a huge fan of horror as a franchise. Though it is worlds away from his Walford days, John is a horror aficionado having nabbed roles in Demons At Dawn, Repentance and 1981's An American Werewolf In London. He told BANG Showbiz: 'I love horror films. I like to be made to jump out of my skin, which a good horror should be able to do. 'I like it when the film controls you so that you're totally relaxed and not expecting anything and that's when you jump. I like that, the power of film.' John rose to fame among the original cast of long-running BBC soap opera EastEnders, entering the scene as 'Nasty' Nick Cotton. He was an integral part of the show's first big storyline - murdering elderly resident Reg Cox (Johnnie Clayton) and became the soap's biggest villain. But he left the soap in 1991 after refusing to accept a gay storyline for his character, with John claiming he was written out. John later returned to the soap, appearing in 1993, 1998 and between 2000 and 2001, 2008 and 2009 and finally from 2014 to 2015 - when he was killed off. He died in his on-screen mother's arms after a fatal reaction to heroin for which Dot (June Brown) did not seek medical help. Earlier this year, John made headlines once again for saying a racial slur live on air during an appearance on BBC Radio 4. The broadcaster was forced to apologise for his language after he had uttered an offensive term during a conversation about whether he had ever improvised any lines. 'We knew our characters so well. We wouldn't change it drastically. We'd put in words or a line here and there to make it comical. Just to liven it up a bit,' he shared. John then recalled an incident in the late 00s when show bosses changed a racial slur in the script to 'illegal immigrant', repeating the offensive term on air himself. He said: 'I suppose I can say it on air, if you don't mind, but Nick referred to someone who was living with Dot as a ****. They start filming and they said, ''Oh I don't think we can say that''. Interjecting, Sarah stated: 'No, I don't think we can [say that].' John then claimed that 'people do unfortunately still say it these days', to which Sarah insisted: 'They don't.' Later on, Sarah apologised for the language used, saying: 'Can I apologise. It wasn't appropriate in the old days, and it wasn't appropriate now, for what John Altman said.'
