Welcome to Raindance, the UK's most exciting celebration of independent film, currently playing at The Rex Cinema and the Cineworld Trocadero in London.

Now celebrating its fifteenth year, the Raindance Film Festival perfectly embodies the capital's independent spirit and love of film and music to deliver a stunning catalogue of films from all over the world.

But most refreshingly, it's a catalogue that suits both the casual moviegoer and the hardcore film fan in equal measure. Not, as other festivals do, by programming both sorts of film, but rather by finding those breakout hits that'll work for both audiences. In past years Pulp Fiction, The Blair Witch Project and Memento have all screened at the festival, and this year seems certain to continue the trend with new films from Lars von Trier and Gus van Sant mixing with films from first time filmmakers like Alex Holdridge, whose film In Search of a Midnight Kiss is probably the best American Indie in years, and Charles Henri Belleville, whose film The Inheritance proves that guerilla filmmaking needn't be unpenetrable and abstract.

And for the first time we're proud to be in on the action, supporting the festival as a media partner and serving on the festival's jury, which this year includes Mick Jones of The Clash, Iggy Pop, directors Andrea Arnold and Penny Woolcock and critic Anthony Quinn.

The festival runs until next Sunday, 7th October, and so there's plenty of time yet to get in on the action. Continue onto the next page to get stuck in to our recommendations from the festival; films we've seen, films we want to see and films we want to see again. You'll find a full screening schedule and booking information on the Raindance website.