Now in its fifteenth year, Raindance has matured from a youthful dalliance as the edgy alternative to the LFF to become one of Europe's most highly respected film festivals, and a proving ground for both young Turks and established auteurs. Now-classic films such as Memento, Coffee and Cigarettes and Capturing The Friedmans have been championed at Raindance in previous years, making it the perfect place to catch a future cult flick before the hipster crowd have gotten wind of it.

Londonist likes the look of the following:

- Being Michael Madsen - Madsen plays himself as the victim of a paparazzo who decides to make a documentary on his telephoto-wielding tormentor. Sounds like Abbas Kiarostami's Close-Up re-imagined by Christopher Guest, and judging by Madsen's general brilliance in almost everything he appears in, this should be a good'un. The eponymous star will be in attendance to discuss the film.

- LiveAmmunition ? Raindance is a promoter of emerging talent, and to that end, LiveAmmunition invites filmmakers to pitch their ideas against a panel comprised of the muscle and the money in the Brit film landscape, including Ewan McGregor. Despite the reality show-like format, it has worked in the past, with Meet The Parents and 51st State emerging through this unorthodox method.

- Paranoid Park ? Gus Van Sant's latest was feted in Cannes, where it won the 60th Anniversary Award. The film, which tells the story of a teenage skateboarder who accidentally kills a security guard, is in keeping with Van Sant's preoccupation with adolescent trauma ( My Own Private Idaho and Elephant), and is showing as part of the festival's closing night gala on October 7th.

Raindance Film Festival, 25th September ? 7th October, various central London locations. For more information visit the website.

By Dean Nicholas

Image of Raindance poster created by Gee Vaucher and used courtesy of the Festival.