Photo provided by The New Black Film Collective
Price: Free
PictureEast is a free weekend of films and cultural events celebrating the borough’s diverse communities of all ages, providing a platform for local artists and filmmakers.
The film festival will take place from Thursday 30th January - Sunday 2nd February 2025. Each day will be an all-round celebration of our varied backgrounds and lived experiences in the borough. The films will be shown at venues in Stratford, Beckton and the Royal Docks. Book tickets to all events through the link above, and explore the full programme below.
Individual tickets and the programme are live now! - this will allow free access to community screenings.
Programme
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Film: Hard Truths + Panel (Opening Gala)
7.30-10pm, Everyman Stratford International
A man quits work to care for his dying grandmother, motivated by her fortune. He schemes to win her favour before she passes. -
Film: How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies + Q&A
4:00–7:30pm, Stratford Library
A man quits work to care for his dying grandmother, motivated by her fortune. He schemes to win her favour before she passes.Film: PictureEast Young Programmers Shorts + Panel
4:30–6:00pm, The Source
Curated by the PictureEast Young Programmers with Film London. A 1-hour shorts film programme, showcasing East London filmmakers and stories.Film: On Becoming a Guinea Fowl + Panel
7:00–10:00pm, UCL East Cinema
A woman stumbles across the body of her uncle on an empty road in the middle of the night. As funeral proceedings begin, secrets of her middle-class Zambian family soon come to light. -
Film: Kensuke's Kingdom + Activity
11:00am–1:30pm, Good Hotel
Young Michael, shipwrecked on a remote island, must adapt to life alone. Over time, he feels another presence, learning that this world is home to both unimaginable danger and beauty.Film: Caribbean Shorts Programme + Panel
1:30–3:00pm, Good Hotel
Curated by Tamera Heron, an East London programmer, this programme features short films exploring themes of identity, culture, and traditions of the Caribbean diaspora.Film: The Wild Robot + Story Builders
2:30–4:00pm, Discover Children's Story Centre
Shipwrecked on a deserted island, a robot named Roz must learn to adapt to its new surroundings. Building relationships with the native animals, Roz soon develops a parental bond with an orphaned gosling.Film: All We Imagine as Light + Panel
4:00–7:00pm, UCL East Cinema
Prabha, a nurse living in Mumbai, looks for a place in the city where Anu, her roommate, and her lover can finally make love. The two women travel to a coastal town that becomes a space of freedom for their desires.Film: Crossing + Panel
7:30–10:30pm, St John's Community Centre
Lia, a retired teacher, has promised to find her long-lost niece, Tekla. Her search takes her to Istanbul, where she meets Evrim, a lawyer fighting for trans rights, and Tekla starts to feel closer than ever. -
Film: Green Border + Q&A
2:00–6:00pm, Beckton Community Centre
In the treacherous and swampy forests between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa are lured by government propaganda that promises easy passage to the European Union. Unable to cross into Europe and unable to turn back, they soon find themselves trapped in a rapidly escalating geopolitical standoff.Film: The Fire Inside + Q&A
4:00–7:00pm, UCL East Cinema
The story of Claressa "T-Rex" Shields, a boxer from Flint, Michigan, who trained to become the first woman in her country’s history to win an Olympic gold medal in the sport.Film: Girls Will Be Girls + Panel (Closing Gala)
7:00–10:00pm, Good Hotel
In a strict boarding school nestled in the Himalayas, 16-year-old Mira discovers desire and romance, but her rebellious sexual awakening is disrupted by her mother, who never got to come of age herself.
About PictureEast Film Festival
PictureEast is being curated by local residents, with their suggestions shaping the programme and activities over the weekend. A Steering Group of Newham residents aged 16+ have been meeting on a monthly basis to their contribute ideas, creativity and community values in co-producing the festival.
PictureEast will include short and feature-length film screenings enhanced by an amazing lineup of performers, speakers, market stalls and other exciting events.
Our film festival will expand on the long running Newham Community Cinema, established at the heart of Stratford for over a decade - programming Black History Month, South Asian Heritage Month, Islamophobia Awareness Month, LGBT+ History Month, Srebrenica Memorial Day, Windrush Day, Holocaust Memorial Day and International Women’s Day plus monthly family screenings at the Discover Children’s Story Centre.
PictureEast is proud to reflect the diversity of our neighbourhood and embrace our differences as our strength.
About the project
PictureEast is organised by The New Black Film Collective. Learn more about their organisation, project partners and the Film Festival on their Project page.
This event was commissioned as part of Shaped by Community. Learn more, and meet the rest of the projects on the Shaped by Community project page.
Upcoming events