Raindance Film Festival Exec Director David Martinez Steps Down (EXCLUSIVE)

Raindance Film Festival executive director David Martinez has stepped down from his post after more than a decade with the organization.

Martinez joined Raindance in 2012 as the festival producer and programmer for Latam territories before his appointment as executive director five years ago.

“I stepped into leadership at Raindance because I believe passionately in the power of independent film to challenge, inspire and connect people. My aim was always to support filmmakers and broaden our international scope. I am incredibly proud of the achievements we made during my time at Raindance, with immense gratitude to the partners who believed in our cause, the entire team at Raindance— and, above all, the filmmakers and audiences who make Raindance what it is now,” he said.

During his tenure, Martinez significantly expanded Raindance’s international reach, establishing new programs and partnerships with filmmakers and industry partners across Mexico, Chile, Catalonia, Cyprus, Germany and beyond. Audience attendance doubled compared to previous years.

He also broadened the festival’s industry and professional development activities, launching the House of Raindance, Raindance XR, the Raindance Script Competition and its LGBTQ+ strand, as well as the Cannes Villa Party, while strengthening strategic sponsorships and partnerships and elevating Raindance’s global profile and support for filmmakers.

Said Raindance founder Elliot Grove: “David has been instrumental in Raindance’s evolution over the past decade. His passion for independent cinema, his advocacy for filmmakers and his collaborative leadership have broadened Raindance’s outlook and left the festival in a strong position for the future.”

About his plans for the future, Martinez told Variety: “I will carry on championing independent filmmakers through my new agency, Casa Leo PR, sharing the expertise needed to navigate the film festival circuit and awards season, while also continuing my work as an awards consultant at London Flair PR.”

Martinez and former Raindance producer Jacky Orozco launched the boutique festival agency Casa Leo PR just this year. Among its first campaigns were with Netflix on the London screening of Maite Alberdi’s “A Child of My Own” and support for Humberto Busto on his Venice Biennale College title “Tijuana todavía.” It is representing Mexico’s Santiago Maza (“State of Silence”) and his latest work, the documentary short “Black Shine” (“El brillo negro”), which world premieres at the upcoming Morelia Film Festival in Mexico.

Short follows the families of the 65 miners killed in the 2006 Pasta de Conchos disaster as they fight, decades later, to recover their loved ones. Through their grief and persistence, the film explores memory, resistance and a wound left open by institutional neglect.