Connor Storrie, Kit Harington, Jane Fonda, Robert Englund, music icon Eddie Cochran and other big names will feature in the lineup of the 34th edition of the Raindance Film Festival in London – whether as stars, behind-the-scenes talent or subjects of movies.

But organizers unveiled the 2026 program on Monday with commentary on the state of the world. “In an increasingly divisive and polarized world, the power of storytelling has never been more crucial,” they said. “Raindance is privileged to be a platform for sharing stories from emerging filmmakers: the new voices in cinema who won’t wait for big-time producers or major studios to greenlight their projects, because some films can’t wait.” And they added: “That urgency might be to share important truths about headline-making topics ranging from Ukraine to AI, fracking to deforestation, refugees to bride slavery.”