Gay zombie film among controversial Raindance choices

This year's Raindance festival is set to include a number of controversial films, including Bruce LaBruce's LA Zombie.

The picture was banned in Australia before it could be shown at the Melbourne International Film Festival amid fears it would have been refused classification.

LA Zombie, a film without dialogue, stars porn actor François Sagat as a zombie stalking Los Angeles.

It is set to join Srdjan Spasojevic's A Serbian Film, which was pulled from last month's FrightFest after the British Board of Film Classification and Westminster Council required its graphic scenes to be pared down.

Elliot Grove, Raindance's founder, said: "It's important to understand that these films weren't programmed because people have dubbed them as 'controversial'.

"In many cases we've been following these films throughout the year, and before anybody even mentioned them as causing any supposed offence. We feel audiences have the right to pass their own judgement, and people know exactly what they are seeing."

Judges at this year's festival include Charles Saatchi, the critic Derek Malcolm, Julian Barratt from The Mighty Boosh, Alfred Hitchcock's former sound producer, Ernie Marsh, Lemmy of Motörhead and Warp Films producer Mark Herbert.