Newham Community Film Festival

Despite the size of the borough, Newham only has 2 cinemas and both of those are in Stratford. The New Black Film Collective (TNBFC) wants to bring the cinema to you with the first edition of the Newham Community Film Festival! 

The New Black Film Collective (TNBFC) is a Black female-led organisation working in Newham for over a decade. It has a nationwide network of producers, educators and programmers of Black representation on screen. We exist to cultivate a vibrant Black ecosystem in UK film and TV by championing Black-led film production, distribution, exhibition and preserving Black filmmaking. We manage a number of ongoing projects to engage diverse communities.

We are best known for delivering Black History Month at Stratford East Picturehouse since 2011 but we also run the popular Newham Community Cinema. TNBFC has a track record of delivering projects focused on social and racial justice. We have worked with marginalised communities such as the deaf/disabled, queer, faith and ethnically diverse populations e.g. African, Caribbean, South Asian and Eastern European.

The Film Festival will celebrate our wonderful cultures, communities and local talent and will be designed for and with Newham residents of all ages. Alongside the international film programme we will provide a platform for local artists, performers, musicians and of course filmmakers. And most importantly, we will give local residents the opportunity to gain new and transferable skills through training and hands-on experience of how to create and deliver a film festival.

The Newham Community Film Festival programme will have 3 strands:

• Black Cinema, highlighting films from African-Caribbean artists like All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White, Mami Wata, Goodbye Julia, Banel & Adama and Barrel Children.
• Asian Cinema, featuring films from South Asian filmmakers like Polite Society, Joyland and Sanaa, and films from South East Asian filmmakers like Joy Ride, Past Lives, Return to Seoul, In My Mother's Skin and Monster.
• Local Cinema, an opportunity for young filmmakers and event producers from East London to have their work exhibited on the big screen. We will work with local organisations to reach out to the next generation of local filmmakers and will provide training for young people interested in learning about event management and film exhibition.

After the screenings, we will hold panel talks and Q&As with filmmakers, producers and Newham residents to learn more about the films and the filmmaking process. We will also invite local food and clothing companies to provide stalls at the venue, to create our unique and celebrated market atmosphere and will host afterparty events with music from local performers.

Why do we want to do this?

Because we love film and we want to share it with our fellow Newham residents! Film is the most accessible of all the art forms and we know the difference watching and sharing films can make to people’s lives. It’s the best form of escapism and the best way to travel round the world from your armchair. Film really can broaden our horizons and foster empathy and understanding. There isn’t enough representation of our communities seen on the big screens across London and we want to change that, for our people, in our neighbourhood. 

We want to tackle the loneliness and isolation experienced by people across the borough, particularly after Covid by bringing people together to enjoy film and to provide the opportunity to talk about the films that we’re sharing. We will involve all communities across all stages of the development of the festival so that it’s as relevant and engaging as it possibly can be.

We will work with our fantastic venue partner Community Links (amongst others) in the ward of Custom House and Canning Town to bring the storytelling alive with music, food and artist performances.  

Given that Newham has one of the youngest populations across London, young people will also be a big focus for us. We have networks with Film London, the British Film Institute, young film collectives, schools and community groups across Newham. Offering training, volunteering and paid opportunities to young people to learn transferable skills to support future employability and thereby contribute to the local economy. 

Above all we want to have fun and collectively we have a huge amount of experience in delivering projects like this and can’t wait to get started!

Thank you.