Stardust, a David Bowie biopic starring Johnny Flynn as the late rock icon, will open London’s 2020 Raindance Film Festival.
The movie, which follows Bowie on his first road trip to America in 1971 – during which time he found the inspiration for his alter ego Ziggy Stardust – will open the U.K. independent cinema event on October 28, with a premiere and Q&A with director Gabriel Range.
This year, Raindance has gone partly online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to socially distance in screenings.
Announcing the hybrid program, event founder Elliot Grove said in a press release: “This year more than ever, we need the medium of film to unite us, inspire us, and help us to feel empowered and not isolated. No matter where you are in the UK, as long as you have a screen you can be a part of the Raindance Film Festival. There’s no stopping us.”
Other eye-catching movies among the more than 50 that will premiere during the event include Citizen Penn, a documentary on Sean Penn‘s relief efforts following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe‘s follow-up to Lost In La Mancha, He Dreams of Giants, which returns to follow Terry Gilliam‘s final successful attempt at filming his movie The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.
There’s also a star-studded short set to screen at the festival in the shape of The Hat – which stars Jude Law and his son Rafferty and was shot during lockdown. The film is made by Darren Strowger, the current beau of Jude’s ex Sadie Frost, and also features an original music score by The Who‘s Pete Townshend,
Jurors for the event, which concludes on November 7, include Jeremy Irons, Vanessa Williams, Elizabeth Henstridge, Jessica Brown Findlay, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ariyon Bakare, and Lily Cole.
