Raina Film Festival Distribution

08/03/2026

Inka Achte interviewed by Davide Abbatescianni for Business Doc Europe about her new film, SOAP FEVER, which premieres at Thessaloniki International Film Festival - International Documentary Competition.

Soap Fever explores how the US series The Bold and the Beautiful became an unlikely cultural lifeline in Finland during the economic downturn of the 1990s.

05/03/2026

Very proud to represent this Swedish-Finnish coproduction, directed by Sylvelin Måkestad, produced by Ina Holmqvist at Ballad Film in Sweden. World premiere at Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2026!

“That was inspiring to me - an elderly woman setting off on a secret mission like this. I thought this is something I can’t miss."

04/03/2026

Tampere Film Festival starts today! Make sure you catch Days of Wonder by Karin Pennanen and Puolanka P***y Rally by Inka Achté and Einari Paakkanen, both playing in national competitions! 🎬💥

28/10/2025

DOK Leipzig has just started, and we are pleased to announce that two of our titles will screen in competition!

In the International Documentary Competition, we have the WORLD PREMIERE of our brand new title THE THING TO BE DONE directed by SRĐAN KOVAČEVIĆ. ⚡️🔥

Synopsis: In the heart of Ljubljana, the Workers’ Advocacy Office stands as a beacon of hope for society’s most vulnerable: working men and women, the unemployed, the disabled, pensioners, and migrants. Far surpassing the traditional boundaries of union work, this extraordinary organization fosters solidarity, champions justice, and envisions a more equitable future for the working class. The film intimately follows the lives and struggles of three compelling protagonists: Laura Orel, a compassionate social worker; Goran Zrnić, a former electrician turned advocate; and Goran Lukić, a steadfast union activist.Through their tireless efforts, we witness the profound impact of their work as they assist countless individuals who turn to their office for help with a wide array of challenges, from unpaid wages to workplace abuses. This is where resistance begins. 💪

After screening at CPH:DOX and DOC NYC among many others, THE LIONS BY THE RIVER TIGRIS, by IDFA-winning director ZARADASHT AHMED, continues its festival journey as part of the Audience Competition.

Synopsis: In Mosul, a city devastated during the battle for liberation from ISIS, the fight to heal and preserve its identity, culture, and art is far from over.Three men refuse to let Mosul remain in ruins. Bashar, a fisherman, desperately tries to rebuild what was once his family’s home. Fakhri, a passionate collector, salvages remnants of the city’s past, determined to preserve its history. Fadel, a musician once silenced under ISIS rule, now inspires a new generation to embrace art over extremism. As Mosul slowly rebuilds itself, we witness a cultural reawakening—women reclaiming public spaces, theaters reopening, music schools emerging, ancient heritage restored. A city with 8,000 years of history, struggling to reclaim its soul through those who refuse to let it fade into oblivion.❤️💚🖤

Go check them out or get in touch to request a screener!

07/08/2025

Excited to introduce you to two of our new titles! 🔥 IMAGINARY YOUTH by premiered at in Romania. It immerses us into the lives of three Romanian teens—a rapper, an environmental activist, and a teen actress- who plan to leave their families and country after high school in search of a future that matches their ideals. Habet dreams of making it as a trap artist in London, Stefania wants to study climate issues across Europe, and Una envisions a creative life in Berlin. But with family ties, social pressures, and a pandemic in the way—will they go through with their plans? 🔥🔥SHARDS OF LIGHT by Marcus Lenz and Mila Teshaieva is a follow-up film to WHEN SPRING CAME TO BUCHA, and shows how Bucha residents are rebuilding their city from the rubble after surviving the horrors of Russian occupation.A newly married couple, a schoolgirl, a city official, and an elderly housewife have all endured the painful experiences of war, yet they manage to hold onto hope and solidarity. But how do you rebuild in the wake of growing trauma, especially with war still raging in your country? As time hopes for a peaceful life fade, they must grapple with mounting tensions within their communities. After the world premiere at we are now looking for more festival screenings for this vital film showing how a war torn place navigates trauma and reconstruction.

08/07/2025

We are beyond excited to announce that two of our films will have their world premiere at Semaine de la critique - Locarno! 😍

SILENT LEGACY (Finland, 88’) by Jussi Rastas and Jenni Kivistö tells the story of choreographer Sibiry Konate. Using contemporary dance and obsevational cinema, Silent Legacy explores identity, migration and colonial legacies, shedding light on complex societal pressures faced by African migrants and how European filmmakers presence alter their reality.

FLYING SCENTS -OF PLANTS AND PEOPLE (SWITZERLAND, 66’) by Antshi von Moos takes us to a female led research team studying the chemical alchemy that makes plants bloom instantly. As new insights unfold, the question remains: how will these revelations be applied and affect our vulnerable ecosystems, that all living organisms share?

The Raina gang send big hugs and congratulations to both teams! ❤️

27/06/2025

💥Celebration time! One of our new titles AMTEUR’S PARADISE recently won the Jury Prize at its home premiere at Skaldborg Film Festival in Iceland! 💥

The jury described the film as ”a sincere, interesting, humorous and memorable story” which looks at ”human stories and the need of different generations to work with visual records.” At Raina, we fell in love with how gently and lovingly the filmmaker Janus Jakobsson portrays the human need to be seen, while shifting between understated Nordic humour and tragedy.

We are currently looking for a strong international premiere for this title, so if your festival is looking for something along the lines of Roy Andersson meets social media, get in touch with us to request a screener.

Raina sends heartfelt congratulations to Janus and Tinna Ottesen and their whole team!

🇮🇸💥

30/05/2025

🔥 Dear friends and colleagues! 🔥
We have some sizzling new films to introduce you to for the summer and autumn festival seasons! Please read on 👉

💥The Lions By The River Tigris (2025, Norway/Netherlands/Iraq, 92 mins) directed by Zaradasht Ahmed premiered at and is ready to continue its journey. In Mosul, a city devastated during the battle for liberation from the Islamic State, the fight to heal and preserve its identity, culture, and art is not over. Three men refuse to let Mosul remain in ruins. A city with 8,000 years of history, struggling to reclaim its soul through those who refuse to let it fade into oblivion. As Mosul slowly rebuilds itself, we witness a cultural reawakening—women reclaiming public spaces, theaters reopening, music schools emerging, ancient heritage restored. A city with 8,000 years of history, struggling to reclaim its soul through those who refuse to let it fade into oblivion.

💥Amanda (2025, Ireland, 82 mins) directed by José Miguel Jiménez premiered at and can next be seen at in Belfast. After years of painting in solitude, Amanda steps out of the shadows, using her bold abstract paintings to confront a long-buried past. As she prepares for her first retrospective and gains national attention, she faces the raw vulnerability of turning personal pain into public expression. This intimate documentary captures Amanda’s transformation of silence into radiance and asks whether art can truly heal.

💥Amateur’s Paradise (2025, Iceland, 85 mins) directed by Janus Bragi Jakobsson is a journey into why we document our lives. Following four men from different generations, the film weaves together personal archives and contemporary reflections to explore the uneasy balance between memory and performance. From intimate home videos to carefully crafted digital personas, it reveals how the act of recording shapes who we are, how we connect, and how we make sense of ourselves—blurring the line between the private and the public. The film will premiere domestically at Skaldborg Film Festival in Iceland in June, and is looking for an international premiere next.

💥All The Light That Remains (2025, Finland, 25 mins) directed by M***a Pennanen is a short doc in which an old mining village’s ghosts of the past emerge when Ukrainian seasonal worker Oleksandr arrives. This hybrid doc produced by Illume explores the traces of war left on people and places. With a new mining project on the horizon, the film delves into how conflicts continue to haunt the landscape and its people. This film is on the lookout for a world premiere!

16/05/2025

Congratulations to Jaśmina Wójcik & the team of King Matt the First on being awarded a Special Mention in the Polish Comptition at Millennium Docs Against Gravity

The jury said: We decided to give a special mention to a film that immersed us in a beautifully photographed magical realist world, which is in fact the real world – the tragedy lies in that it gets so easily forgotten when we grow up. We're grateful for the reminder to cherish our inner child. Special mention goes to Jaśmina Wójcik for her film „King Matt the First".

Photo: Marcin Oliwva Soto

If you are a programmer and would like a screener, please contact us at [email protected]


Marta Dużbabel

05/05/2025

Our team will be at Millennium Docs Against Gravity at the end of the week taking part in the short film pitch and meeting filmmakers! To book a meeting, get in touch at [email protected] or [email protected]

🎬 The Short Pitch Program 2025 is almost here — taking place on May 10 at Millennium Docs Against Gravity in Warsaw!

Five outstanding short documentary projects from the CEE region will be presented — and one of them can win the Silver Eye Award! 🏆

Let’s meet the decision makers who will be joining us this year: Emilia Mazik, Mathieu Janssen, Young-woo Kim, Yorgos Krassakopoulos, Marina Thomé, Ania Trzebiatowska, Victoria Leschenko, Jasper Hokken, Yulia Kovalenko, Teresa Morales, Lucie Kon, Georg Gruber, Andy Norton, Tim Horsburgh, Anas Khalawy, Lea Maria Strandbæk Sørensen, Jan Rofekamp, Martijn te Pas, Mateusz Grzesiński, Marta Golba-Naumann, Joanna Ruta Baranowska, Ana-Maria Vîjdea, Eva Sinicaitė and Opal Bennet. 🎯

Read more: https://dokweb.net/articles/detail/1812/short-pitch-program-2025-selection-revealed

30/04/2025

King Matt the First is getting some well deserved attention. To request a preview screener please contact us at [email protected]

King Matt the First (2025) offers a charming, intimate look at the joys and heartbreak of childhood on the edge of growing up.

14/04/2025

🔥 We are excited to announce the world premiere of SANE INSIDE INSANITY- The Phenomenon of Rocky Horror by Andreas Zerr in the international music documentary competition at the 65th edition of Krakow Film Festival! 🔥

As The Rocky Horror Picture Show approaches its 50th anniversary, Sane inside Insanity — The Phenomenon of Rocky Horror offers an in-depth exploration of the iconic show, film, music, and the vibrant global community that has flourished around it. This documentary traces its journey from a modest 1970s stage production to the pop culture juggernaut it is today, celebrated by a diverse and devoted fan base. With insightful interviews from the cast, crew, and die-hard fans, it highlights the cultural ripple effects, from shaping mainstream pop culture to becoming a symbol of liberation within the LGBTQIA+ movement.

To request a review screener please contact [email protected]

A young Irish bard, an avant-garde artist, a mercurial musician and an enigmatic R&B star, alongside a cult musical, a legendary opera, trance-inducing dances, Andalusian sounds and concerts in exile. The International Music Documentary Competition DocFilmMusic is inhabited by artistic souls attuned...