London, 1 September 2010 - Winner of the Welcome to the Extraordinary film competition announced

The hunt for the world’s most extraordinary filmmaker in the Welcome to the Extraordinary film competition has ended today, with the winner having been selected from an array of entries by a panel of industry experts.

Actor Mathew Horne fronted the campaign along with Raindance, the UK’s largest independent film organisation, and sponsors InterCasino, one of the world’s first online casinos. Filmmakers were invited to submit a short film bringing to life their perception of ‘the extraordinary’ for the Welcome to the Extraordinary film competition.

Amongst the entries was the winning film, titled ‘Clown Showdown’ and created by Kevin Curtis from the UK. The film sees a little girl stand up to a clown in a quiet cul-de-sac, and received a united positive response from the judges, awarding Kevin with the prize of having his film screened at the Raindance Film Festival in September and a trip to the 2011 Cannes International Film Festival.

With the simple brief of demonstrating what ‘the extraordinary’ meant to them, filmmakers submitted a variety of creative and imaginative entries, including the New York Skyline and a film in 360.

A separate YouTube competition also took place, where the film 'Extraordinary Toys' created by Toby Dale received the highest number of views as one of the shortlisted films by the industry panel, winning tickets to the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) after-show party.

Judges for the competition included actor Mathew Horne, film journalist Joe Utichi, founder of Raindance Elliot Grove, and a spokesperson for InterCasino.

Actor Mathew Horne commented on the competition, “The level and quality of entries we received for the competition was astounding. The winning entry, however, particularly stood out for me. The way in which it was filmed grabbed my attention and it really put across what he found extraordinary.”

A spokesperson for InterCasino, also added, “We’re delighted to have joined forces with Raindance and Mathew Horne to have inspired filmmakers to bring to life their interpretation of the extraordinary. We’d like to thank everyone who entered the Welcome to the Extraordinary competition for making it such a great success.”

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About Raindance
Raindance exists to discover, foster and champion new talent and audiences, the lifeblood of the industry. Since 1992 it has promoted all aspects of independent cinema in the UK, from guerrilla style low-budget shorts to international indie blockbusters.

Raindance Film Festival is Europe’s largest independent film festival. Premières have included Memento, Ghost World, Blair Witch Project, and Pulp Fiction. We satisfy the public’s thirst for bold, original filmmaking through diverse international programming. The 18th Raindance Film Festival takes place in the West End of London from 29 September to 10 October 2010

Created in 1998, the British Independent Film Awards celebrate excellence and achievement in independently funded British films, honour new talent and are dedicated to maximising promotion of British independent cinema here and abroad.

Raindance Film Training takes filmmakers from first principles to post-production and beyond. Our intensive masterclasses and evening classes are taught by working industry professionals. Thousands of students each year leave informed and inspired, with the confidence and knowledge to embark on their first film or script.

Raindance.tv is our latest venture, hosting over 500 films and providing quality content for over a dozen partner platforms. As well as promoting filmmakers and their films, we support them through viewing royalties.

For more information please contact Natalie Wheeler (Natalie@hellounity.com / 020 7440 9819) or Paul McNicholl (Paul@hellounity.com / 020 7440 9820 )