The East End Film Festival showcases hot new talent and homegrown films alongside larger independent releases and special events, informing and inspiring a new generation of filmmakers and audiences from across London and beyond, and raising the profile of this vibrant and diverse area - London’s East End.
Full Festival Programme - Click on image to enlarge
Pdf version of the Festival Programme:
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The East End Film Festival’s Olympic project ‘Vault’ saw its first five films Premiered at the Barbican Centre on 27th July, attended by all the young people involved in the project as well as The 1948 Olympians who contributed to the films making it a very fine night indeed. And news hot of the Press; we have had confirmation of funding for the next Phase of Vault so Big Congratulations to everyone involved, particularly the young people who really did put their heart and soul into making these films and many of whom have already gone on to bigger and better things. Well done!
The vault films will soon be available to watch online - we will keep you posted.
East End Film Festival are presenting a special programme of shorts curated from winning and shortlisted films over the past few editions of the festival.
An eclectic mix of animation, drama and documentary, the programme builds up a profile of East End Characters and filmmaking talent that make up this wonderful quarter of London.
Films included in the programme are Alex Taylor’s multi award winning Kids Might fly and Lucia Ashmore’s Best Short Jury Prize 2008 Eric’s Secrets.
Screening programmes will take place on the big screen at Shoreditch Park on Saturday 17th at 2.30-3.30pm and on Sunday 18th at 4.30-5.30pm
For more information and how to get there please go to http://www.shoreditchfestival.org.uk. All programmes are FREE!
The East End in 3D; Time-lapse Installation commissioned last year for the East End Film Festival was part of this year’s London Festival of Architecture. Five films made by artist Brian McClave and Gavin Peacock, in collaboration with Mila Lipowicz and Site Eye, the time-lapse film company were this time shown in Canary Wharf.
The East End in 3D; Time-lapse Installation offers a completely new way of looking at the East End. Shot using pioneering 3D time-lapse technology, a whole day’s activity from dawn to dusk has been compressed into 5-7 minutes. Filmed in five very different locations, including Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge, Victoria Park, Columbia Road Flower Market and the A102 Blackwall Tunnel Approach, the films reveal the range of urban landscapes and human activities that make our city so vibrant.
Danny Boyle has been named as the artistic director of the opening ceremony to be held on July 27, 2012 just up the road from EEFF Headquarters in Stratford. The announcement was made at 3 Mills Studios, long time supporter of the festival and favored location for many of Danny’s films including 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks later and Sunshine and where 2012 production and rehearsals will take place. Danny will be joined by Stephen Daldry Hamish Hamilton, Mark Fisher, and Catherine Ugwu - all big names in the world of Film, Music and Sport. Normal film, TV and rehearsal activity will continue at 3 Mills Studios at the same time as the Ceremonies team develop and rehearse the London 2012 Ceremonies.
EEFF would like to congratulate Danny on taking the helm on this immense and challenging project and we really look forward to what you come up with. Oh and Danny, if you’re looking for more local filmmaking talent we’ve got lots right here!!
Pdf version of the Festival Programme:
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If you have missed the screening of Bronco Bullfrog at this year’s festival you will be able to watch it from 11 June in various cinemas nationwide.
This leading cult film and one of the finest records of Mod culture in British cinema, Barney Platts-Mills’ tale of teenage lovers with no money and nowhere to go was largely improvised by a non-professional cast of young East Enders.
Bronco Bullfrog is a wonderful time capsule of London in the late 1960s - from the brutalist tower blocks and bomb sites of the East End to the trashy glamour of the West End - this is filmmaking with a spontaneity, wit and endearing humanity that still feels strikingly fresh.
Special Preview screenings + director Q&A:
BFI Southbank, Thur 3 June, 20:40 http://www.bfi.org.uk/go/broncoreleaseeastendf
Curzon Soho, Sat 19 June, 16:30 http://www.curzoncinemas.com/events/qanda/bronco_bullfrog_qanda_barney_platts_mills
For more info and to watch the trailer, visit
http://www.bfi.org.uk/go/broncoeastendff/
BEST INTERNATIONAL FIRST FEATURE
Jury: Andrew Kotting, Director; Riina Sporing Zachariassan, Director CPHPix Festival Copenhagen; Jason Wood, Journalist & Programmer, Curzon Cinemas
BANK ROBBERY – Estonia / Dir: Andrus Tuisk
BE CALM AND COUNT TO SEVEN – Iran / Dir: Ramtin Lavafipour
FOR A MOMENT FREEDOM – Austria / Dir: Arash T. Riahi
FRANCESCA – Romania / Dir: Bobby Paunescu
I KILLED MY MOTHER – Canada / Dir: Xavier Dolan
LOST TIMES – Hungary / Dir: Áron Mátyássy
MALL GIRLS – Poland / Dir: Katarzyna Roslaniec
TAQWACORE: THE BIRTH OF PUNK ISLAM – Canada / Dir: Omar Majeed
TIBET IN SONG – US / Dir: Ngawang Choephel
WE DON’T CARE ABOUT MUSIC ANYWAY – France /Dir: Cédric Dupire / Gaspard Kuentz
BEST UK FIRST FEATURE
Jury: Jaime Winstone, Actor; Arvind Ethan David, CEO Slingshot Studio: Mary Burke, Producer Warp Films
ANA BEGINS – Dir: Ben O’Connor
THE COST OF LOVE – Dir: Carl Medland
ERASING DAVID – Dir: David Bond/Melinda McDougall
LAND GOLD WOMEN – Dir: Avantika Hari
LEAVES – Dir: Ian Waugh
SHED YOUR TEARS AND WALK AWAY – Dir: Jez Lewis
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Jury: Simon Chinn, Producer Red Box Films; Charlie Phillips, Marketplace Producer, Sheffield Doc/Fest; Lina Prestwood, Current TV
THE BORDER – Dir: Jaroslav Vojtek
COWBOYS IN INDIA – Dir: Simon Chambers
LONELY PACK – Dir: Justin Peach / Lisa Engelbach
MEN OF THE CITY – Dir: Marc Isaacs
PRESUMED GUILTY – Dir: Roberto Hernández / Geoffrey Smith
SHED YOUR TEARS AND WALK AWAY – Dir: Jez Lewis
TAQWACORE: THE BIRTH OF PUNK ISLAM – Dir: Omar Majeed
TIBET IN SONG – Dir: Ngawang Choephe
TODAY IS BETTER THAN TWO TOMORROWS – Dir: Anna Rodgers
BEST FEATURE SOUNDTRACK
Jury: Grant Showbiz, Producer; Barry Adamson, Musician, Artist, Filmmaker; Lucy Bright, Music Sales Film & TV
ERASING DAVID – Michael Nyman, composer
FIRAAQ – Rajat Dholakia / Piyush Kanojia, composers
FOR A MOMENT FREEDOM – Karuan, composer
LAND GOLD WOMEN – Amar Mohile, composer
MEN OF THE CITY – Michel Duvoisin, composer
BEST UK SHORT
Jury: Zorana Piggot, Producer 011 Productions; Simon Savory, Peccadillo Pictures; Jesse Vile, Open Cinema
CHEESE ROLL – James Cronin
CITY WITH A DIRTY FACE – Pete King
FATHER – David Leon / Marcus McSweeney
FORGIVING YOUR P.E. TEACHER – Warren B Malone
MY DAD THE COMMUNIST – Lab Ky Mo
NO WAY THROUGH – Alexandra Monro / Sheila Menon
SCENT – Darren Bolton
SHAME – Paul Makkar
SMALL GIFTS – Brady Hood
STAND AND DELIVER – Gus Alvarez
STORAGE – David Lea
THINGS WE LEAVE BEHIND – Andrew Brand
TORTOISE – Andy Bloom
WHORE – Fyzal Boulifa
An emotional and slightly hungover day, as we wrap up what has been the most successful East End Film Festival to date. We’ve danced, gasped, applauded, drank, pedalled, cried, made lots of new friends and most importanly - enjoyed every last minute of it. Although we are sad to see the festival come to an end, there is an excitement in the office as already we are planning next year’s bigger and better festival (is that possible?). Our Filmmakers programme finished with a Shorts to Features workshop from Lifesize Pictures, and a Casting Workshop presented by Casting Scene. With all this new knowledge and inspiration, we are sure to see some of hundreds of budding filmmakers that passed through the centre’s doors screening at next years festival. The end of the festival, wouldn’t be complete without a party, and what a party - I’m surprised I’m able to type. Hosted by Shutterbox and held at Whitechapel Gallery, we joined award winners, filmmmakers and guests to dance the post-festival blues away to sets from Some Velvet Morning, The Colour Movement, The Dromomaniac, 2 hot 2 sweat and Don’t Die Wondering, and marvel at audiovisual duo Sculpture, and VJing from Noriko Okaku. A big thank you from everyone here to all those that have supported, sponsored, collaborated, screened, performed, and attended the festival this year. It really wouldn’t have happened without each and everyone of you!! Hope to see you all again next year!
The penultimate day, and two films from our Human Rights programme dominate the day; Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam, and Presumed Guilty. Both films and their post-screening panel discussions, leave audiences debating into the early hours. It’s with sadness that we saw the last of our movie-going audiences finish off their popcorn, pull on their coats and leave the last films of the festival; Buben, Baraban; Leaves; I am Yours and Russia 88. It was like saying goodbye to old friends. See you next year!
As the festival goes from strength to strength, so did our filmmakers taking part in the Kino London Film Challenge. In just three days they surpassed expectations and produced a visually arresting array of shorts, proving that London is brimming with creative talent. At the Filmmakers Centre, the overwhelming response to our industry-led training and events continued, with participants engaging in script development, new technology, and 3D workshops. Cinemas up and down the East End continued to pull in new audiences for an inspiring collection of shorts; New UK Talent 3, and East End Tales; and UK premieres; Now and Forever, and We Don’t Care About Music Anyway. And Barry Adamson (Bad Seeds, Magazine), a man with seemingly endless talents, enthralled fans with his directorial debut The Therapist, and a candid chat about his enviable career.
The East End Film Festival would like to invite you to join us for our stonking Closing Night Party this Friday, but hurry!
The results are in (almost). The East End Film festival is gearing up for its closing nights awards ceremony on Friday 30 April, in what promises to be a an event of glitz, glamour, victory speeches and riotous applause. Having offered up the strongest programme that we have ever had this year, with a line up including a breathtaking array of new and established talent from every corner of the globe, and taking in short films, features and documentaries of every variety, the juries have some tough decisions to make. To reflect this diversity, we are presenting a host of awards that will honour the best feature debuts from both the UK and overseas, as well as the finest documentary from an incredibly challenging and thought provoking selection, and the best short film to emerge from the UK. We will also be honouring the importance of sound on film for the first time, and are giving you the audience the chance to decide what is your favourite short film of the Festival (remember to fill in those voting slips, now). Judged by juries featuring new patron Jaime Winstone, filmmaker Andrew Kotting and legendary Bad Seed Barry Adamson, as well as many other luminaries from the world of celluloid, it’s going to be emotional, and we want you to join us, the awards winners, filmmakers and celebrities at our closing night party that will immediately follow the ceremony. You can’t refuse that!
The East End Film Festival team have thought long and hard about how best to end what has been a momentous nine days of premieres, discussions and live events, taking in venues from Limehouse to Stratford and everywhere in-between. With it’s commitment to showcasing past masters and future world beaters from the East End to the Far East, we decided that there was no better venue to see out the festival than the spectacular Whitechapel Gallery. Representing the East End’s long relationship with the arts, the recently revamped gallery brings art both classic and contemporary to a whole new generation of the East End and its visitors. A bit like us really.
For the festival’s closing night The Whitechapel Gallery will host a night of live music, DJs, VJs, film and art across a staggering 4 floors, offering you a colossal, ever-changing night of partying. We are thrilled to be hosting performances by the brilliant, soon to be huge Some Velvet Morning, who film fans will recognise as one of the sonic highlights of recent mega-hit Kickass, and stomping rockers The Colour Movement. They will be joined by DJ sets from Nicola Robinson, Twiggy Garcia and 2 Hot 2 Sweat, playing every type of danceable tune you could ever hope for, as well as a special performance by EastEnd Cabaret, the ginsoaked duo that has already been wowing East End Film festival crowds with their musical tales of love, sex and communism, taking in everything from Brecht to Britney Spears and throwing in some wicked humour, accordions and puppetry to boot. But this isn’t just a musical shindig; we are a film festival after all. We will be creating a corneal cornucopia with the help of AV animation duo Sculpture, who create live works by filming stills rotating on turntables, which has to be seen to be believed, and Noriku Okaku, the VJ extraordinaire who has created visuals for Basement Jaxx, among others. And these are just the snippets that we have space for here, with the event taking in a whole host of other acts, events and jubilation, including free massage mattress piles (as brilliant as it sounds), complementary welcome drinks and retro candy to keep your energy levels up. Join us for the best possible send-off for a brilliant festival.
We know you’re sad to see it go. We are too. But not as sad as we’ll be if you don’t come celebrate with us. And remember, this isn’t where the east ends, but where it begins….
For tickets, please visit: www.wegottickets.com/eeff
For more information, please visit: http://www.shutterbox.tv/east/closing.php
East End Film Festival Closing Night Party, 8pm-1am Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, Whitechapel E1 7QX
Where else on a Sunday would you have the chance to ease yourself out of a Saturday late-night coma and explore the world from the comfort of a cinema chair? And audiences up and down the East End did just that, sat back, relaxed and took in some amazing stories from around the globe. Lonely Pack, a documentary on the street children of Nepal; Francesca, a tale of Romania immigrants working in Italy; Tibet in Song, capturing the music and spirit of a generation on Tibetans; Mall Girls, from Poland, Cowboys In India and Bilal, from India, Metastases, from Croatia, and a selection of shorts entitled Focus on East Europe and World Cinema Shorts. The biggest excitement of the day came as we welcomed legend of Russian cinema, director Alexei Balabanov, to discuss his career, and two of his films showing at the festival, Cargo 200 and Morphia. Grits n’ Gravy, provided deep-southern-American cinema, alongside a hog roast and bloody-mary cocktails; and Visionaire’s pop-up cinema took us to New York to explore the 70s explosion of art, music and film. For some homegrown entertainment and inspiration, Tom Harper and Ivana MacKinnon (Scouting Book for Boys) gave us an insight into their working relationship and highs and lows.
Inspiration breeds creativity - Saturday (Day Three)
Saturday really told the story of what this year’s festival is all about - inspiration with a mix of bold creativity. Kino London returned to the Festival, but this time with a twist, calling upon budding film-makers to take part in a three-day challenge to create sight-unseen, open-mic, Guerilla shorts. All The Years Of Trying, Patrick Fitzgerald’s biopic, re-ignited the punk-poetry flame, complete with a host of live sessions. Acclaimed sound-scapers Minima, wowed an outdoor audience with their innovative live accompaniment to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1927 silent film The Lodger. A political tale of institutional racism, SUS, sparked debate, and inspired a heavy-weight human rights panel to join in the discussion including Liberty’s Shami Chakrabarti. We also welcomed new festival patron, and genius-composer-musician-producer, Nitin Sawhney, to discuss his views on music and film. Throughout the day there was an amazing array of UK and international features and shorts, including; the flawless directorial debut from Nandita Das, Firaaq; the UK premiere of For a Moment of Freedom; UK first features from Ben O’Connor (Ana Begins) and Carl Medland (The Cost of Love), and from our Russian strand, the hallucinogenic I am (ya), and creepy horror Julia.
Underground cinema and alternative music will blend seamlessly together at new pop-up cinema outfit VISIONÄRE’s debut event this Sunday and Monday at Village Underground in Shoreditch.
On Sunday, experience the European Premiere of DOWNTOWN CALLING, documenting late 70s’ New York downtown art and music scene and narrated by DEBBIE HARRY (Blondie). Make sure you also check out the two matinee screenings, which cover the Graffiti and New Wave music scene during that era. Following the screenings, exotic and balearic tastemakers QUIET VILLAGE will premiere the visual side of their Silent Movie LP on a 20 feet screen. Don’t miss the JIGOKU live audiovisual show case, aka the Lovely Jon and Cherrystones, inspired by classic exploitation cinema, progressively leading into the party section of the event: a rare 4 hr post punk/New wave DJ set from the seminal DJ Andrew Weatherall. You have been warned!
Monday brings an evening dedicated to David Byrne with the first UK screening of David Byrne’s True Stories and Îlé Aiyé (The House of Life) on the large screen. To round up the evening, there will be live music, with Django Django, who are headlining this years Stag & Dagger festival, plus other great bands and DJ’s.
All this and a bespoke lounge and cocktails experience brought to you by the ‘East Room’ members bar at the amazing Village Underground venue in Shoreditch http://www.villageunderground.co.uk
For more information visit http://www.visionare.co.uk for tickets to both days go to http://www.wegottickets.com/visionare or contact Andrew/Johnny on 0780 1106023
Another amazing day!
Yesterday’s festival fun starts at the interactive film installation, Local(eyes), where we watch a queue of people pedal-power their way around East London without leaving Spitalfields!? At the A Riot of Our Own exhibition, we view the amazing photographic story of the historic Rock Against Racism live events. Next up, the much-anticipated premiere of The Rime of the Modern Mariner. We joined an excited crowd in the atmospheric surroundings of St Anne’s Church, and a few minutes in and everyone is instantly mesmerised by this heartfelt documentary, and the haunting soundtrack performed live by composer Anthony Rossomando (Dirty Pretty Things) and special guests. And if that wasn’t enough, a whole range of features, shorts and docs lay ahead…Pras from The Fugees going homeless on the streets of L.A. in Skid Row; local tales in East End True-Life Stories and East End Lives 2; foot fetishes to grapple-fests in Peccadillo Shorts; and gritty human struggles in PangarööV (Bank Robbery), Świnki (Piggies), and J’ai Tué Ma Mere (I Killed My Mother).
ITS HERE!!!…and we still can’t quite believe, that after months of nail-biting, keyboard-rattling, not-sleeping fear and excitement, we’ve have ourselves a festival! And...it’s going to be amazing! As a packed out Genesis crowd cheered in our opening night gala, Bronco Bullfrog, we got a little teary-eyed as our director’s mantra ringed in our ears...”if we build it they will come” (I think she stole that from somewhere...). From the reactions of last night’s audience, after 40 years, Bronco Bullfrog has not lost its appeal, but in fact gained a whole new generation of fans. We were delighted to welcome to the stage, some of the film’s original cast and crew, who gave some entertaining insights into how this now cult East End tale made it to the screen. A few too many cocktails and some delicious food later, and we were hitting the dance floor, shaking off any anxieties we may have had!
The East End Film Festival Trailer 2010 from Alan Miles on Vimeo.
Fee-free booking has ended, but you can still buy tickets via http://www.wegottickets.com/eeff, and http://www.wegottickets.com/visionare today!
Riot, Race and Rock & Roll. With only two weeks before the next General Election, EEFF presents a series of films concerned with protest, politics, subculture and the impact of grassroots action, particularly cultural resistance and music, including:
A RIOT OF OUR OWN EXHIBITION - FREE
Vibe Gallery, 23rd April -30th April. Daily 12-6pm
launch night Friday 23rd April 6pm
Exhibition of the now iconic images from original Rock Against Racism founders
WHO SHOT THE SHERIFF
Vibe Live, E1 Wednesday 28th April, 7.30 pm £8.50
World Premiere re-edit of the Rock Against Racism Documentary by Alan Miles followed by live music from Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly and special guests.
Buy tickets here: http://www.wegottickets.com/eeff
ROCK AGAINST RACISM - A ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION
Vibe Live, Monday 26th April, 7.30 pm £7.50
A panel discussion exploring which is more effective in the fight against the right – Culture or Politics. Hosted by comedian Mark Steel with guests including Jerry Dammers , Tom Robinson and Gurinder Chadha
Buy tickets here: http://www.wegottickets.com/eeff
SUS
Rich Mix, London E1 Saturday 24th April 8pm £7.50
World Premiere of Robert Heath’s film set on the eve of Thatchers election and based upon the 1979 play by Barrie Keefe (The Long Good Friday).
Buy tickets here: http://www.richmix.org.uk
ALL THE YEARS OF TRYING
Whitechapel Gallery, Saturday 24th 3pm
Dom Shaw’s documentary exploring the world of lost 70s punk poet Patrick Fitzgerald followed by live music and performance.
Buy tickets here: http://www.wegottickets.com/eeff
Latest line-up confirmed for All the Years of trying! Following the screening Dom Shaw will be in discussion, followed by a series of live performances bringing punk rock and poetry together.
* Scrappy Hood from Milk Kan brings his busking talents out of the bedroom following the bands signing to the Blang indie label in 2007 (where they’ve been known for their superb song titles God With an i-pod and Bling Bling Baby)
* Tim Clare, poet, author (We Can’t All Be Astronauts), Channel 4 presenter (How To Get A Book Deal) and musician, brings his ukele to Whitechapel (Look out for his debut solo show, Death Drive, in the Edinburgh Fringe this summer.)
* Tim Wells cultivates a laugh that’s more like a caress. He walks properly. He does not slouch, shuffle or stumble about. He knows that wide, floating trousers are only good for wearing on a veranda with a cocktail in your hand. His latest collection, Rougher Yet, is published by Donut Press
* Steve Micalef is the ‘lost’ editor of Sniffin’ Glue magazine, who worked alongside Mark Perry and Danny Baker in the late 70s, and is the self-styled “most prolific poet in the country”.
* Resident East End Film Festival and Hackney-based poet Jan Noble (and drummer with The Cesarians) will host the event, as well as perform from his own body of work which includes his time with the Brick Lane Poets..
This film is part of the Festival’s ‘Riot Race and Rock & Roll’ programme strand. For a full list of screenings and events, please see Riot Race and Rock & Roll under programme themes.
To book tickets online, please visit wegottickets.com/eeff
After much anticipation, East End Film Festival were thrilled to finally unveil the 2010 programme at a press launch yesterday at The Brickhouse in East London. Among the attending press was Brenda Emmanus and a TV crew from BBC London, who interviewed festival director Alison Poltock, director of THE RIME OF THE MODERN MARINER Mark Donne, and actor Clint Dyer and writer Barrie Keeffe of SUS. A preview piece on the festival then ran during last nights BBC London News, including clips from festival films such as opening night film BRONCO BULLFROG, SUS, and Luke Snellin’s BAFTA nominated short MIXTAPE.
If you haven’t seen ‘Inside Out’ on BBC1 on 8th March you can do that now. In the show, details of what promises to be a truly magical evening of film and live music, set in the historic setting of the Hawksmoor Church of St Anne’s at Limehouse. The East End Film Festival is delighted to be premiering a uniquely atmospheric screening of a new artist documentary ‘The Rime of the Modern Mariner’.
On Friday 23rd April at this year’s East End Film Festival, we’re proud to premiere a new documentary film about the London Docks in the uniquely atmospheric church setting of the Hawksmoor Church of St Anne’s at Limehouse. ‘The Rime of the Modern Mariner’. directed by journalist Mark Donne and narrated by musician Carl Barat, focuses on what happened to the culture, community and folklore of the London Docks - for hundreds of years the watery capital of a maritime nation and the largest port on earth until its closure in the late 1960’s left an entire way of life sucked into a vacuum. The film’s unfurling narrative reveals the decaying architecture, music and native language of the port that remains etched into the masonry and bloodstream of this unique quarter of London.
The film’s astounding score samples bell-ringing from East London dockside churches and field recordings that include a creaking hull, hammering cargos and engine room rhythms from a container ship voyage. All these sounds will serve to supplement the live music score as performed by composer Anthony Rossomondo accompanied by an ensemble including Rose Elinor Dougal and very special guests.
For further details Watch ‘Inside Out’ on BBC1 tonight at 7.30pm.
Full booking details will be announced on March 23rd during the East End Film Festival programme launch.
The Festival is proud to welcome two of Russia’s hottest film properties to visit East London and present their work alongside Q&As.
Russia’s most famous young actress Oksana Akinshina, best known in the West for her lead role in Lukaas Moodysson’s masterpiece LILYA 4 EVER and for her support in Paul Greengrass’s BOURNE SUPREMACY, comes to the East End Film Festival to present her gritty new film I AM, described as a ‘psychedelic drama’. Since her defining role in Moodysson’s cult film in 2001, Okshina has spent a number of years making her way to the top of Russia’s home-grown cinema, mixing comedy, drama, and even musicals, but it’s in Igor Voloshin’s I AM (YA) where she excels in this story of post-Glasnost Russia and how the youth were trying to find themselves following the collapse of Communism.
We also welcome another different giant of Russian cinema, a director who has also emerged since 1989, the uncompromising Aleksey Balabanov, here at the Festival to present his two last films CARGO 200 and MORPHIA. Using the code-word for the boxes which bring dead soldiers back from the war in Afghanistan, CARGO 200 is the darkest of black comedy set in the rural Soviet Russia of 1984 with no nostalgia whatsoever for that time, as we follow a corrupt police chief carrying out unspeakable deeds and doings. MORPHIA takes us further back to the 19th century, based on the book by Mikhail Bulgakov (best known for THE MASTER AND MARGARITA), as a young doctor in Siberia descends into drug addiction. Both films pull no punches whatsoever in their depiction of violence and human nature, and are not for the faint hearted, but anyone with an interest in powerful contemporary European cinema without compromise, should be queuing up to buy their tickets as soon as possible...
Our friends at the London Short Film Festival return with a programme of the best and brightest UK shorts, live music events and special retrospectives from 8th-17th January 2010...10 days / 12 venues across London / 16 programmes of new UK short film talent, with 200 shorts / live music & film events / industry & networking.
Once again we are pleased to support the LSFF and the East End Film Festival will be awarding a prize to our pick of the ‘Trick of the Light’ short film programme, screening on
Wednesday, January 13th at Rich Mix. The winning filmmaker will receive a VIP pass to this year’s East End Film Festival.
Check out the full Festival schedule here: http://lsff.bside.com/2010/schedule/week
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Alison Poltock - Festival Director choosing the Early Bird Winner. Almost 400 filmmakers had a chance to win our special prize. Well done guys! The winning person will be notified very soon. |
Hurry up if you haven’t submitted your film yet. Our submissions are closing at midnight on 15th January 2010. All you need to do is to fill in our online form and send us your DVD screener as soon as you’ve received your unique reference number from us. We accepts all UK and International fictional, documentary, music, animation and experimental films of short or feature length. All submissions need to be completed after November 2008.
‘Tis the season to be jolly! With Christmas nearly upon us, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best this holiday season and a very Happy New Year! Remember to keep checking back with us in January 2010 as we unveil the delights and surprises of our 2010 programme - bigger, better, longer, brighter than ever before.
We are continuing to accept submissions throughout the holiday period and will be back in the office on Monday the 4th of January.
VAULT Project update
Our VAULTers have been very busy over the last few weeks exploring London’s Olympics past and present. Four out of five groups have completed the filming. Read more about that on: http://www.thevaultproject.com
Shortwave Cinema, Bermondsey
12th December, 4pm
http://www.straight8.net
Straight 8 have teamed up with the East End Film Festival for the long awaited straight 8 ‘art’ 2009 premieres. Showcasing a selection of the finest artier films of 2009 - many of them never seen before even by the directors that made them.
The films are going to be screened back to back with the 8 films premiered at cannes film festival earlier this year. Each film was made on a single, 3 minute cartridge of super 8 film without any editing or post production.
One super 8 cartridge no editing. It all goes on at http://www.straight8.net
Our young filmmakers have been busy documenting the action in East London as filming for the VAULT project kicked off.
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1948 Olympian George Weedon put 2012 hopeful Peter Bakare (both pictured) through his paces, taking him through the training exercises of yesteryear down at Newham Leisure Centre, while Rikki Fifton (GB Sprinter) and John Parlett (800m competitor in 1948) compared notes on long and short distance running. But it’s not over yet, the VAULT film crews will be out again this weekend putting London’s Olympics in the frame... |
We’re delighted to annouce EEFF 2009 Best International First Feature Award winner Valeriya Gai Germanika for her film Everybody Dies but Me (2008) is on board to be our director in residence for EEFF 2010. She will help us to present emerging trends in contemporary Russian cutting-edge cinema with a selection of quality independent films by the Russian ‘new wave’ of film directors. A group of award-winning directors and actors will be invited to join us and present a collection of Russian short and feature film screenings alongside participating in a series of panel discussions.
VAULT training
Last week a group of young people from across the five East London Olympic boroughs took a part in stage one of our VAULT film making project.
They interviewed, filmed, recorded, listened, commented, planned, brainstormed and certainly made the most of every moment - What a great week it was!
On the Friday afternoon we were lucky enough to enjoy an extremely candid Q&A session with locally based International filmmaker Joe Wright, director of Pride & Prejudice, Atonement and The Soloist . For some more photos click here.
NME has announced one of our next festival’s premieres. It will be a documentary film about the death of the London Docks, ‘No Place/Good Place: The Rime Of The Modern Mariner’.
Read more: http://www.nme.com/news/carl-barat/47822
Big THANK YOU to everyone who came along to the Brady Centre on 27th September for our VAULT launch. Everyone working on the project thoroughly enjoyed the day and we hope you did too.
We were really impressed with the level of skill and imagination you showed and were delighted to see such enthusiasm and commitment to the craft of filmmaking!
Some more photos and the pilot film are awailable on http://www.thevaultproject.com
The East End Film Festival is proud to announce VAULT. VAULT is a youth film training project open to all young people aged between 14-19 from across the London boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Waltham Forest, Greenwich and Tower Hamlets. It’s a cross-generational project funded by the London Development Agency, Tower Hamlets 2012 Unit and the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and is aimed at developing key film-making skills whilst exploring life in London during the 1948 Olympic Games and in the run up to the 2012 Games.
For more information visit VAULT website: www.thevaultproject.com
East End Film Festival 2009
Closing night gala, SOUNDS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT
30.04.09
East End-based, BAFTA, Broadcast and Grierson nominated film-maker Jamie Jay Johnson took us behind the scenes of the teenage Eurovision song contest in his rollercoaster documentary film, SOUNDS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT last night at the EEFF closing night gala. Audiences were treated to an intimate glimpse of a fiercely dedicated group of individuals as they prepared for the European finals and that coveted Eurovision prize…
The screening was followed by a night of glitter and dancing in EEFFs very own Euro Teen Party at the Rhythm Factory - the perfect opportunity to wind down from a mind-blowing week of films and events and enjoy live performances from some of our favourite Eurovision stars of the film!
Networking
29.04.09
Yesterday saw some more relaxed networking and general creative mayhem at our RIGHT PLACE RIGHT TIME event with film-makers, festival goers and East London’s young creative community rubbing shoulders and enjoying a drink and live music. Wednesday also saw a fantastic panel discussion on how the increased production of stereo 3D films will impact on the wider film industry. Novelist and cultural commentator Michael Bracewell discussed his obsessions while Will Self and Iain Sinclair joined us in a panel exploring the city’s fringes following THE LONDON PERAMBULATOR. DOCUMENTS showcased a varied programme of short documentaries from across the UK and beyond, including the gay village of Vauxhall and the illegal coalmines of Eastern Europe. HOMECOMING, the story of a Serbian man returning to his home village but obsessed and tormented by his memories, also had its UK premiere.
There are still a few tickets remaining for tonight’s closing night gala, SOUNDS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT and afterparty.
East End Docs
28.04.09
Getting straight to the heart of the East End, DALSTON DOCS showcased a triple-bill of documentaries - Save Our Heritage, Life on the Grave Side and Handsome Bastard - followed by an in-depth panel discussion with the film-makers. Iain Sinclair and Dave McKean teamed up for MAGGID STREET / DIARY FILM: HACKNEY 1969, a re-imagining of Sinclair’s unique diary film of late 60/early 70s Hackney. The work of Artists Against the War was movingly explored in NOT IN OUR NAME. Topping off the events for Tuesday was OPTIMISTIC IMMIGRANTS, a night of film, live music and discussion centred around migration. Looking at new techniques and technologies in film-making, the New Pathways Film Fund 2009 explored some altnerative routes of exhibiton and distribution. The raw and authentic RENE recorded the fate of a repeat offender over twenty years. WMD provided a gripping fictional account of what intellignce circles knew in the build-up for war. Audiences were treated to a sneak preview of FIRE BURN BABYLON, the story of a crew of Rastafarians evacuated to London in the aftermath of the volcanic erruption in Montserrat. Tuesday also saw the very special world premiere of ON/OFF: MARK STEWART FROM THE POP GROUP TO THE MAFFIA, Tony Schifer’s documentary about musical pioneer and godfather of the Bristol Sound, Mark Stewart (featuring interviews from Nick Cave and Massive Attack). Following the film, Mark hosted a live gig at the Rhythm Factory featuring The Bug and other special guests! Squeezing in at the end of the day, ELEVATOR tells the story of a teenage boy and girl who get stuck in a cargo elevator, and WORLD CINEMA SHORTS 1 offered the chance to sample some international delights.
Music and Video
27.04.09
Monday blues were most definitely lifted by the fusion of creative music videos and short films showcased in our special MUSIC AND VIDEO event, followed by music from one of London’s brightest new bands, Bretton LIVE. Shorts programme EAST END TRUE LIFE STORIES proved a heady mix of personal stories and social issues from new documentary film-makers. Elsewhere, LODOS explored alienation and domestic violence in Turkey. TRAIL OF THE SPIDER brought the classic Western to East London with a large cast of actors and non-actors (many of whom are themselves East London residents) and was followed by a discussion panel with film-makers and cast. PARK painted a stark and fascinating portrait of our urban parks and all who spend their time in them. Meanwhile, Estonia’s Oscar entry I WAS HERE followed the story of a boy spiralling out of control. There was also plenty of film, art and animation to be had in our ADVENTURES IN EXPERIMENTS programme. Lastly, directorial debut RAMACHAND PAKASTANI explored the tensions between India and Pakistan, and social-realist drama THE SHAFT showed ordinary lives at the harsh coalface of modern China.
The Sounds of The East
26.04.09
Day two of the Iain Sinclair weekend brought a great audience to HACKNEY: THAT ROSE-RED EMPIRE, a cinematic trawl through the borough via classic cinema clips and documentary pieces. Elsewhere CINEPHILIA took on ‘problem-length’ films in ten-hour their mid-length film jam at Vibe Live. Described catchily as “anarchy-punk-groove-electronica-free improv upsetters”, Polar Bear bid us farewell in POLAR BEAR LIVE AT THE SPITZ, followed by a Q&A with the film-makers and tied in with Rich Mix’s Sunday afternoon jazz sessions. Another musical treat came in the form of VASHTI BUNYAN: FROM HERE TO BEFORE, a documentary about the “Godmother of Freak Folk” directed by acclaimed film-maker Kieran Evans. Questions of identity and loneliness were raised in HELEN, followed by the elegiac WHO KILLED BROWN OWL and JOY. Finally, TWO LEGGED HORSE, a stunning but troubling film about a father who hires a poor boy for a dollar a day to carry his disabled son around on his back, was a powerful dissection of the injustices that society inflicts on the individual.
Young London
25.04.09
Saturday was jam-packed with events. Highlights included The Iain Sinclair Weekend, kicking off with a double bill of the cult classics CRIMINAL and MR ARKADIN. In the evening we enjoyed an atmospheric silent cinema screening of NOSFERATU with live music from Minima. The busiest day yet for films, Saturday saw the screening of THE DAY AFTER PEACE, the remarkable journey of film-maker Jeremy Gilley on his quest to establish an international day of non-violence. 60 X 60, a series of 60 one-minute films from the South Asian diaspora left our heads in a spin, while TALES FROM THE YOUTH SIDE, a series of drama and documentaries, gave some new angles on some serious issues. Meanwhile, EAST END LIVES provided a vivid snapshot of the area from long-term, culturally diverse residents. More fresh talent and powerful drama was showcased in THE HARD STUFF, and a good old fashioned Russian school disco was the order of the day in EVERYBODY DIES BUT ME. Finally, our Saturday spectacular was brought to a close with ZLOTY SRODEK, a gripping tale of tested loyalties and tough decisions set in East Warsaw, followed by a Q&A with director Olaf Lubaszenko.
Surrealism in Spitalfields
24.04.09
Only the second day and already so much going on! Our 3D strand kicked off with five specially commissioned time-lapsed 3D films compressing a whole East London day into several dreamy minutes (screening daily from 10am -10pm in Spitalfields market). The Filmmaker’s Centre provided plenty of networking opportunities as well as the first in a series of daily film workshops and seminars (all aboard a classic Routemaster - what more could you want!?) The UK Premiere of AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION went down a storm, as did the after-party with music from Leveload. We also managed to squeeze in a special series of short films exploring black representation on screen, accompanied by a fascinating discussion on the themes surrounding this. On the international film front we had the wonderful SONG OF SPARROWS, a beautifully crafted and sometimes hilarious story about an ostrich farmer from Iran. Set in early 20th Century Calcutta, FOUR CHAPTERS (CHATURANGA) saw its European premiere and was followed by a lively Q&A with director Suman Mukhopadhyay. THE WORLD IS BIG AND SALVATION LURKS AROUND THE CORNER followed the story of a young man who loses his memory in car crash (also followed by a Q&A from director Stephan Komandarev). Finally, CITY RATS provided a stylish end to the night topped off with a very special star-studded party.
Check out tomorrow’s line up for more great events and exclusive films!
Opening night gala, THE END
23.04.09
Living up to its reputation for showcasing fresh home-grown talent, the opening night of the 2009 East End Film Festival got off to an explosive start yesterday with the premiere of an extended cut of documentary THE END. A debut from Director Nicola Collins and sister Teena, THE END explores the life of the sisters’ father and his friends, an infamous of gang East End criminals operating in the war-torn 1950s. Unashamed, brash and unapologetic, the men live their lives by a brutal code of honour in a violent underworld. Through a series of exclusive interviews, we are given a revealing insight into the history and psyche of the cockney gangster. Dark, disturbing, yet somehow irresistible, this is a debut not to be missed. And if all that wasn’t enough audiences were treated to a post-screening guest appearance from all the (ex!) gangsters featured in the film and a monster of an East End party to boot!
Click here for The End Podcast
Podcasts live!
We are very excited to announce the arrival of our first two festival podcasts! Over the following week, the podcasts will bring you
more information about upcoming events, and reports on how some of the festivals biggest events have gone, almost as soon as they’ve happened.
Hope you enjoy them:
Opening Night Gala: The End
Click here for The End Podcast
More information, venue and screening times for The End can be found on our programme pages
Special Event: New Dimensions: 3D Time Lapse Commissions
Click here for The New Dimensions Podcast
More information, venue and screening times for New Dimensions can be found on our programme pages
Afro Samurai: Resurrection
Afro Samurai is back and hes coming to kick butt at the East End Film Festival 2009! On Friday April 24, Manga, SkepEvents and the EEFF present the UK premiere of Studio Gonzos AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION, ahead of its DVD and Blu-ray bow. This will be followed by a wild party into the early hours, featuring live performances from virtuoso J-Rock duo Levelload and flavoursome hip-hop DJs Haruka and Butcherd Beats. Throw in a mind-blowing VJ mix by The Photon Shepherds, playable demo pods of the exciting Afro Samurai videogame from Atari, specially commissioned aerosol art by End Of The Line, a goody bag worth £25 and much more and an unforgettable night is in the making.
Filming for the 3D project is now completed!
On the 18th March, our 3D guerrilla filmmakers completed shooting their 3D time-lapse installation due to be unveiled on 24th April as part of our 2009 festival. The last view they captured was this amazing sunset over the Thames seen from the Tower of London (pictured above). All five films are now in post production. Look out for our ‘making of’ podcast, coming soon!
3D time-lapse project
Five short 3D films are currently in production to be premiered at East End Film festival ‘09 as part of our cutting-edge 3D cinema strand. Local artists Brian McClave and Gavin Peacock have constructed a special camera for the project, which combines 3D technology with the time-lapse film method - compressing a whole day’s activity into several minutes to present a view of East London as never seen before. During the festival you’ll be able to visit our outdoor screen in Spitalfields Market, where you can don 3D glasses and marvel at these unique films which play with time, space and sound to create a whole new way of experiencing the city. Films shot so far feature Columbia Road Flower Market (pictured above), Victoria Park and Blackwall Tunnel.
2009 Submissions are now closed!
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Project Base
Project Base is a week long film business skills course aimed at improving producer development and managerial skills, increasing knowledge of new technologies, international markets and Knowledge of key players using a combination of producer training, project development and network creation. This course is being supported by Skillset’s Film Skills Fund.
Project Base is a 5 day intensive program developed for producers who are moving from short films to producing their first feature film. It seeks to actively recruit from groups currently underrepresented in the UK film industry workforce particularly from BAME backgrounds.
The VAULT Project
