Raindance Film Festival has announced a new partnership with Israeli AI creative development platform IMGN, launching an initial £10,000 ($13,394) film fund to support independent filmmakers, along with a dedicated development hub in conjunction with the Raindance Screenwriting Competition.
Announced at the 34th Raindance Film Festival in London, the IMGN/Raindance Film Fund is aimed at emerging independent authors and filmmakers, with future editions expected to grow as collaborations expand.
This effort is centered around the new Raindance – IGN Development Hub, which will be officially integrated into the 2027 Raindance Script Competition. Selected writers will be invited to develop their projects through IMGN as part of the script development process, using the platform’s tools to refine their scripts, build visual materials, and package their projects before submission.
“Raindance was founded to give independent filmmakers a home – a place where their bold, ambitious stories can get the support they need,” said Raindance Film Festival founder Elliott Grove. “By working with IMGN, we are strengthening our support at the earliest stage of scriptwriting. Launching the IMGN/Raindance Film Fund with £10,000 and a clear intention to grow the fund is to turn that commitment into something tangible for the next wave of independent filmmakers.”
The IMGN/Raindance Film Fund is open to eligible applicants for the 2027 competition, who are invited to submit material developed through IMGN as part of their application. Projects selected through this process will receive financial support from the Fund in addition to creative and strategic development through the Hub.
The collaboration is positioned as a way to bridge the access gap for independent talent who may lack traditional industry networks and development resources, aligning Raindance’s long-standing support of independent film with a new technology-enabled development model.
“This partnership with IMGN is a natural extension of what Raindance has always strived to do: take filmmaking out of the hands of a select few and place it in the hands of those with the stories they want to tell,” added David Martinez, Raindance Film Festival Executive Director.
“For a new generation of independent filmmakers learning and working outside of traditional systems, these tools can make a big difference. At IMGN, we’re focused on using AI to support and empower screenwriters, rather than replace them. We give filmmakers a practical and ethical way to use these tools as creative accelerators, while keeping control, copyright, and independence firmly in their hands, not gatekeepers.”
IMGN co-founder Oz Vidal said, “IMGN exists to help creators move from idea to screen-ready project as efficiently and creatively as possible. Partnering with Raindance allows us to incorporate that process into one of the world’s most respected independent film platforms, and connect it directly to actual funding through the IMGN/Raindance Film Fund.”
Raindance – The IMGN Development Hub invites selected writers from the 2027 Raindance Screenplay Competition pipeline to use IMGN as a central tool for script and project development, generate supporting materials such as visual references, character work, and pitch decks within the IMGN ecosystem, and submit these IMGN-developed materials as part of a formal competition entry to be eligible for consideration by the IMGN/Raindance Film Fund.
“For IMGN, partnering with Raindance felt like a natural fit from day one,” said Vidal. “From our first conversations with David and the Raindance team, we knew we shared the same mission of helping more filmmakers develop their projects and bring their stories to audiences. That’s why we believe this is the beginning of a long-term partnership that will continue to grow and expand into other areas of the filmmaking process. The Development Hub is just the first step.”
Martinez said that while the Raindance-IMGN Development Hub program primarily uses AI-powered tools, it “focuses on production planning, not script changes. The £10,000 production fund is only looking at how writers use IMGN’s production planning and workflow tools. Everything else on the platform is completely optional and up to each writer. And if someone wants to use IMGN If you don’t want to use it at all, that’s fine. There’s no obligation to enter. This script will still be fully eligible for the Raindance Screenwriting Competition and all its prizes, but it won’t be eligible for the £10,000 production fund.”
While views on the use of AI in the film industry remain deeply divided, Martinez is optimistic about the program’s prospects and acceptance. “Even if opinions about AI are mixed, we’re really looking forward to a very positive response. The Raindance-IMGN development hub and £10,000 production fund are designed to give filmmakers something that can help them right now – practical production planning support that saves time and money without compromising creative ownership.”
Vidal said there is a “clear shift across the industry.” “The conversation is increasingly less about whether AI belongs in filmmaking and more about how it can be used responsibly to solve real-world production challenges. We believe this collaboration with Raindance reflects that shift. It’s about putting creative decision-making in the hands of filmmakers while providing them with practical tools that enhance the creative process.”
Raindance and IMGN plan to announce further details regarding eligibility, submission schedule, and evaluation criteria for both the Raindance-IMGN Development Hub and IMGN/Raindance Film Fund for the 2027 Raindance Screenplay Competition.
This year’s Raindance Film Festival strongly emphasized the use of artificial intelligence in film, including a new AI-assisted short film project “Lost Canon” in collaboration with CapCut and Moonmax. This showcase featured 10 short films created using CapCut Video Studio that explore forgotten history, mythology, and alternate realities.
Also featured was an AI filmmaking masterclass hosted by Moonmax. Moonmax is partnering with Grove on one of its new feature film projects currently in the works, “James,” based on JM Barrie’s famous pirate villain Captain James Hook from “Peter Pan.”
