Raindance Executive Director David Martinez Steps Down After a Decade

Raindance Film Festival executive director David Martinez has stepped down after more than a decade with the organization, Variety has learned exclusively.

Martinez joined Raindance in 2012 as festival producer and programmer for Latam territories. He became executive director five years ago.

What did Martinez say about his departure?

In a statement, Martinez framed the move as a continuation of his mission for independent film. "I stepped into leadership at Raindance because I believe passionately in the power of independent film to challenge, inspire and connect people," he said. "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."

What changed at Raindance under his tenure?

Martinez significantly expanded the festival's international reach. He established new programs and partnerships with filmmakers and industry partners across Mexico, Chile, Catalonia, Cyprus, Germany and beyond. Audience attendance doubled compared with previous years.

He also broadened Raindance's industry and professional development activities, launching:

• House of Raindance
• Raindance XR
• The Raindance Script Competition
• The festival's LGBTQ+ strand
• The Cannes Villa Party

Martinez strengthened strategic sponsorships and partnerships and elevated Raindance's global profile and its support for filmmakers.

Raindance founder Elliot Grove credited Martinez with a decisive role in the festival's growth. "David has been instrumental in Raindance's evolution over the past decade," Grove said. "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."

Where is Martinez going next?

Martinez is not leaving the independent film world. "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," he told Variety.

Martinez and former Raindance producer Jacky Orozco launched the boutique festival agency Casa Leo PR earlier this year. Its first campaigns included work 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."

Casa Leo PR currently represents 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.

The 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.

The 24th Morelia Film Festival runs Oct. 16–25 — the first stop in Martinez's post-Raindance chapter, and an early test of whether his advocacy for filmmakers can translate from inside a festival to representing them from the outside.