Spare Time

Starting out as a relatively small date in the film calendar in 2001, today the East End Film Festival has grown to encompass Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Newham, and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority.

The aim is to give a voice to local filmmakers and issues, and this year’s line-up includes a short that celebrates the life of the landlady of Spitalfield’s iconic Golden Hart pub and two documentary programmes looking at the Olympic site in Stratford.

Saxon is a film by Greg Loftin

There will also be a screening of shorts about guerrilla street gardening in Hackney, graffiti, and portraits of Ilford, Walthamstow, and the Greenwich Foot Tunnel.

The festival opens with the London premiere of romantic comedy, ‘The Waiting Room’, on 17 April at Rich Mix in Bethnal Green. Set in London, it is directed by Roger Goldby and starring Anne-Marie Duff and Ralf Little.

Also being shown is Indian film, Mahek, about a daydreamer who meets her fairy godmother of sorts. East End filmmaker Greg Loftin is also screening his film, Saxon, about a ghost town filled with grim flats.

There will also be opportunities for networking and workshops to help nurture the talents of future East London filmmakers.

The festival runs for a week from Thursday 17 April 2008. Let BBC London know what you think of the films by emailing angela.saini@bbc.co.uk