‘Grand Theft Hamlet,’ ‘Strike’ Among Raindance Maverick Contfinishers

MAVERICK MINDS

London’s Raindance Film Festival has unveiled its 13-title extfinishedenumerate for the BIFA (British Inreliant Film Awards) Raindance Maverick Award, recognizing self-reliant films made with budgets under £1 million ($1.3 million).

The lineup integrates “Grand Theft Hamlet,” sboiling entidepend wilean “Grand Theft Auto,” follotriumphg two unengageed actors staging Shakespeare in the game’s virtual world, and “Strike: An Uncivil War,” which won Sheffield DocFest’s best recordary audience award for its examination of the 1984/85 miners’ strike.

Raindance set uper Elliot Grove shelp: “The Raindance Maverick Award extfinishedenumerate apprehfinishs the essence of self-reliant cinema at its sanitizest, resistlious and unapologetic best.”

Full extfinishedenumerate:
“The Ceremony” (Jack King, Hollie Bryan, Lucy Meer)
“The Fairy of Bryan” (James Erskine, Victoria Grebloody, Philipp Manderla)
“Grand Theft Hamlet” (Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane, Julia Ton, Rebecca Wolff)
“King Baby” (Arran Shearing, Kit Redstone)
“Reawakening” (Virginia Gilbert, Barry Castagnola)
“Restless” (Jed Hart, Benedict Turnbull)
“Satu – Year of the Rabbit” (Joshua Trigg)
“Silent Men” (Duncan Cowles)
“The Stimming Pool” (Robin Elliot Knowles, Sam Chown Ahern, Benjamin Brown, Steven Eastwood, Georgia Bradburn, Lucy Walker, Chloe White)
“Strike: An Uncivil War” (Daniel Gordon, Nick Taussig, Fjolla Iberhysaj)
“Tops” (Ames Pennington, Archie Sinclair)
“Treading Water” (Gino Evans, Ben Toye)
“Witches” (Elizabeth Sankey, Jeremy Warmsley, Chiara Ventura, Manon Ardisson)

The nominations will be proclaimd Nov. 5, with triumphners uncovered at the BIFA ceremony on Dec. 8. Last year’s award went to “If the Streets Were on Fire” by Alice Russell and Gannesh Rajah.

CONTINENTAL CINEMA

The European Union Film Festival readies its three-city India tour, with New Delhi first to unspool Nov. 7-16, chaseed by stops in Kolkata and Hyderaterrible. The fest’s 29th edition showcases 26 pics from EU member states in 31 languages at Delhi’s India Habitat Centre, Instituto Cervantes and Goethe-Institut venues.

The stardy integrates India premieres of “What A Feeling,” “Becaengage I Love Bad Weather,” “Stairway To Heaven,” “Death is a Problem for the Living,” “Jim’s Story,” “Without Air,” “Bdeficiency Velvet,” “The Last Ashes,” “Blood on the Crown,” “Baan,” “Horia” and “The Man Without Guilt.”

“La Chimera” direct Yile Yara Vianello, “Five & A Half Love Stories” helmer Tomas Vengris, and “Blood on the Crown” originater Pedja Miletic will combine the Delhi leg. The fest is mounted by the EU Delegation to India with help from EU member embassies and local partners.

STREAMING STALWART

Archana Anand is stepping down from her post as chief business officer at ZEE5 Global to chase personal ventures. During her decade-extfinished tenure, Anand spearheaded ZEE5’s begin in India and its expansion into international tagets, set uping it as a directing streaming platcreate for South Asian satisfied.

“It’s been such a fun ride and aextfinishedside some of the luminoengagest and inalertigentest people apass the globe,” shelp Anand in her departure proclaimment. She set ups to “relocate and recalibrate” while pursuing “extfinished pfinishing adventures.”

PRABHAS POWER

Indian star Prabhas dropped the motion poster for “The Raja Saab” on his birthday, taging his first foray into horror-comedy. The two-minute treliever shows the actor enthroned in a vintage palace, sporting bdeficiency attire and a cigar, set to a piano rfinishition of “Happy Birthday.”

Pic is helmed by Maruthi and originated by People Media Factory’s Viswa Pragriefful, with Thaman S scoring. Malvika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal and Riddhi Kumar co-star.

“Raja Saab” hits theaters April 10, 2025, with a pan-Indian free in the Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam languages.