PictureEast Film Festival is a free, dynamic, community-led fortnight of cinema celebrating stories from East London and around the world through feature films, shorts and panel discussions, providing a platform for underrepresented voices and creating meaningful dialogue between filmmakers and local communities. The festival ran from 20 January to 1 February and was co-curated with residents of Newham and Barking & Dagenham, responding to local cinema closures by restoring the shared joy of the big screen and amplifying underrepresented voices and local histories.

Highlights of the festival included a preview of Wasteman with a Cinematographer, Producer, Production Designer, HMU, Costume Designer and Art Director Q&A, BAFTA-nominated Edem Kelman appearing at House for Artists on Saturday 31 Jan, the Young Programmers the Wilds showcase, the preview of My Father's Shadow with cinematographer Jermaine Edwards, and the Idil Ahmed Q&A with a screening of Lollipop at House for Artists.

The post-screening discussion saw Ahmed speak openly with festival audiences about her leading role in Lollipop, the film’s themes, and the creative journey behind the project. Audience members engaged in a wide-ranging conversation covering representation on screen, independent filmmaking, and the importance of telling nuanced stories rooted in lived experience.

The PictureEast Film Festival is hosted by The New Black Film Collective. Founded in 2013 following a Film London leadership programme, The New Black Film Collective (TNBFC) exists to cultivate a vibrant Black ecosystem across the UK screen industries - connecting every stage of the creative pipeline from talent to exhibition. Through its flagship initiatives PictureEast, TNB BHM (Black History Month) and TNB XPO, alongside strategic partnerships with organisations like BFI, Film London, Warner Bros. Discovery, Film and TV Charity, FDA and Channel 4, TNBFC continues to champion Black-led production, distribution, and preservation of Black film and television. More than a network, TNBFC is a movement - building visibility, resilience, and opportunity for Black creatives, while setting new standards for how inclusion and industry transformation can truly work hand in hand.

Click here for more information about PictureEast 2026.