Founded in 2000, the East End Film Festival is one of the UK’s largest film festivals. An annual multi-platform festival held in London, the EEFF presents a rich and diverse programme of international premieres, industry masterclasses, free pop-up screenings and immersive live events. The EEFF’s mission is to discover, support, and exhibit pioneering work by global and local independent filmmakers, and to introduce viewers to innovative and challenging cinematic experiences.

Attracting an annual audience of more than 30,000, the EEFF has established itself as a major international film festival situated at the heart of London’s most dynamic quarter, hosting an active year-round programme as well as producing its own fringe festival in CINE-EAST, a day of completely free cinema across 100 East London venues. Committed to the work of first and second time directors, the annual EEFF showcases more than seventy features film screenings, several short film programmes, and a variety of cross-arts events and industry activities across a six day festival. The EEFF’s established awards system includes: Best Film (reserved for first and second features); Best Documentary; Best UK Short Film; and the EEFF Short Film Audience Award. Featuring in the jury for EEFF2012 will be industry experts Dexter Fletcher, Sandra Hebron, Adrian Wootton and Joe Wright.

The EEFF boasts large audiences, ever increasing industry support, high levels of international press coverage, and a large and incredibly diverse range of partnerships with organisations such as Amnesty International, Sheffield Doc/Fest, World Pride, Digital Shoreditch and Film London. As the only film festival operating in the Olympic zone during the Olympic period, the festival will be receiving unprecedented levels of attention in 2012, and will be showcasing films to diverse, engaged audiences in record numbers.

EEFF 2012 takes place 3rd – 8th July 2012.

HISTORY

Originally founded in 2000 as a platform for filmmakers living and working in East London, the EEFF has since expanded to represent and showcase the very best of contemporary British, European and World cinema whilst retaining its commitment to one of the world’s most vibrant filmmaking communities. A festival of discovery, several films from previous editions of the EEFF have gone on to win international awards.

Previous guests of the EEFF include filmmakers Ken Russell (The Devils), Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting), Richard E. Grant (Withnail and I), Julian Temple (The Great Rock n’ Roll Swindle, Oil City Confidential) and Shekar Kapor (Elizabeth); Composers Michael Nyman (The Piano, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover) and Nitin Sawhney; producers Stephen Woolley (The Crying Game) and Andrew Macdonald, (Trainspotting, The Last King of Scotland); writers Tony Grisoni (Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas) and Ayub Khan Din (East is East); musicians from The Libertines to Annie Lennox; and artists ranging from Gilbert & George to Tracey Emin.

Previous festival screenings include the second ever UK screening of the Director’s Cut of The Devils, with director Ken Russell and members of the cast in attendance; Danny Boyle’s Millions, Richard E. Grant’s Wah Wah, and the restoration of Barney Platts-Mills’s mod classic Bronco Bullfrog; award-winning British documentaries including Jez Lewis’ Shed Your Tears and Walk Away, Nicola & Teena Colins’ The End, Julian Temple’s Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten and Jamie Jay Johnson’s Sounds Like Teen Spirit; and hard hitting, challenging foreign documentaries, including Roberto Hernández’s Presumed Guilty and the Oscar-winning Born Into Brothels. The EEFF also has a strong history of connecting the East End with Eastern Europe with premieres of award winning Polish films Mall Girls and Lejdis, and a 2012 retrospective of infamous Russian director Alexei Balabanov with Balabanov himself in attendance.

The EEFF is also committed to excavating the boundaries between cinema and other art forms, regularly hosting exhibitions, installations, spoken word and live music events in support of the festival’s main programme.Past highlights include Mark Donne’s The Rime of the Modern Mariner, an elegiac ode to Docklands culture, performed in the beautiful Hawksmoor church St Anne’s with a live orchestral score; a 50th Anniversary screening of Polish classic Mother Joan of the Angels in the Sir John Soane designed St. John on Bethnal Green; a special screening of the Limehouse-set silent classic Broken Blossoms accompanied by pianist Neil Brand; and special live performances from artists such as The Guillemots and Saint Etienne.

The Film

Eden and Matilda, a young couple are broke and threatened to be evicted by their landlord. Their Housing Benefit and Jobseekers Allowance have been turned down and they struggle to become members of a Society they never wanted to be part of to begin with. They don’t have the job opportunities they are hoping for, and try in vain to become a part of a system where you can’t survive if you don’t want to meet the requirements of a “standard life”. 

Matilda eventually finds a job in a sleazy night bar called “Juicy Girls” making a small living through keeping company with middle-aged men who pay to have drinks and conversations with girls. She hates her job and the customers and working at nights puts a stress on their relationship, however things become worse when a brutal serial killer murders more and more girls working at the Bar. But when she buys a pet spider for Eden, the real troubles start!

About us

We are a team of experienced and passionate film makers, actors and artists committed to creating an outstanding high quality film on a low budget. Our cast includes well known and nationally renowned actors such as:

Rusty Goffe (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Star Wars, Harry Potter ) Actress and Alternative Model Sophia Disgrace (Three's a Shroud, Kung Fu and Titties, The Shadow of Death), Victor Sobchak (The Jackal, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Ghostboat) renowned Greek TV and Theatre actor Theofilos Vandoros (Singles, Ambitions, Vice Squad) plus Britain’s Drag Queen sensation, the fanatabulous Tiffaney Wells in her acting debut. The music was composed by acclaimed composer, author, actor and performer Jeff Kristian.

The Impact

Each member of our production team has put forward a large amount of time, money and personal investment to create this feature film. After accounting for the personal funds of more than $100,000 we have already contributed to the cause, and we have finished shooting most of our footage, but now our team needs to raise a further $25,000 to complete our goal in making our film. We cannot do it alone. We require the help of the independent filmmaking community and film lovers in order to finish our project.

The Perks

We have taken a lot of effort to create an assorted collection of donations and prizes to ensure that every individual who donates to our cause goes home a winner!

Please check out our list of donating options, as well as the rewards associated with each level!As an extra bonus, a huge number prizes used in the film will be put into a Prize Draw open to all contributors offering $20 and more. A list of the items can be seen at: http://www.spidarlings.com/ All items in the Prize Draw are original props used in the making of the film.

The Prize Draw will take place after the completion of production. Make sure to check often for new prizes and giveaways.

Note: Prizes do not stack up but are limited to the individual levels of contribution.

Other ways you can help

You can help us reach our goal by spreading the word to your friends and relatives and by posting our campaign link on your social networks. Thanks.

The Story

“October” is based on the true story of Olga Romanova. 

On the 24th of October, 2002, Olga put her life at risk by confronting 41 Chechen terrorists at the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow, in order to help 900 people, including more than a 100 children, who were held hostage at the auditorium.

Why this film?

When I heard about Olga Romanova and what she did, I knew I had to tell her story.A person who willingly confronts 41 terrorists, who puts her life at risk in order to save many others...Was she a hero? Was she crazy? Is this the story of an irresponsible person or was she a fearless idealist?It's been 5 months of intense research. And we have also interviewed Olga's mother and her best friend.Now, I know that I'm able to present accurately Olga and what happened that night, and then let the audience decide who Olga Romanova was.

Who are we?

We're a group of young filmmakers, with more than 4 years of professional experience, who have been working every dayfor the last 5 months to make this film happen.

Gonzalo Caride is the Writer and Director. He studied at the New York Film Academy, is an award winner cinematographer and in the last 4 years he has been working in more than 50 professional projects in the US, UK and Spain.

Kuba Gogolewski is our Producer. He has 6 years of professional experience, working in more than 40 projects in 8 different countries. Actually, he's also studying at the Polish National Film and Television School (PWFSTviT) in Łódź.

Oleksander Podznyakov is theCinematographer. After working for "New Materials" and "Reuters", he enrolled in the PWSFTviT in 2009. Since then, he has proved himself as an outstanding cinematographer, shooting more than 15 projects in 35mm.

Kamila Pściuk-Gogolewska is our Art Director and Set Designer. Since 2003 she's been involved in the production of more than 60 films, working with people as Ewa Braun (Academy Award Winner for "The Schnidler's List"), John Kent Harrison and Wojciech Marczewski, among many others.

So far, we’ve been able to assemble a crew of more than 40 professional filmmakers.And the list keeps on getting longer!

Where's your money going?

These are the prices for the 3 shooting days on location.

Renting the Equipment - RED EPIC, Lenses, Lights, Sound (you know how it works) | $2,400

Wages - For the Electricians and Drivers (they never work for free, do they?) | $800

Set Design - Dressing the auditorium, the apartment, and all other locations (it's going to look like the real thing) | $600

Production Costs - Food, Travel Expenses & Insurance (yes, we do have to feed the crew) | $1,700

Renting the Theater - For the films' last scene where she confronts the terrorists | $1,500

We will add it up for you: $7,000

We need your help

For the last 3 months, we have gotten in contact with many different companies and institutions that were interested in helping us finance this project. Many of them haven't made their final decision yet. The others, although interested in the project told us that they are "not comfortable backing up a film that deals with such a controversial subject matter".

We want to tell the story of a woman not to give any political statement or to talk about ideologies. We are not explaining what happened before or after Olga got in the Theater. Those are very important historical facts, but they don't belong to our film.

That's why we think that you, as an individual, not as a business organization with commercial or political interests can make a big difference.

Other ways you can help?

You don't have money? Well, welcome to the club!

But we all have friends, family, we know somebody who knows somebody who maybe knows "that" person. Exactly!

Let them know about our project!

Send them the link to this page!

Every dollar counts!

Check out our Official Website:

http://octoberthefilm.weebly.com

And also our Facebook Fan Page:

http://www.facebook.com/Octoberthefilm

Submissions for the festival are now open, with a special late entry deadline on the 1st of April. The East End Film Festival accepts all UK and international, fictional, documentary, music, animation and experimental films of short or feature length. Feature submissions must not have previously been released in the UK on any format. Without box members may submit online until April 15th. More details available here.

Participants have three weeks to submit their films at the East End Film Festival 2012! The East End Film Festival returns from 3rd-8th July for what promises to be the biggest and most ambitious EEFF to date.  Moving to the summer in Olympic year, EEFF 2012 will feature a huge programme of British and International cinema, talks and special multi media events across London’s most dynamic quarter. 

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This is a story told by a mother about how she was homeless in New York during the 1980s and about the act of kindness that she experienced in the days following Christmas.

MUBI Garage and SlickFlick are working together this year to introduce this upcoming year's most creative app for the filmmaker on the go. SlickFlick is an iPhone app that helps you make photo storyboards in seconds and publish them to a worldwide audience.

Images made from El Cosmonauta, Stray Dawg, Extreme Zero Gravity just a few of the thousands of films in the MUBI Garage library. 

We invite you all to create epic storyboards by adding captions to your photos or your favorite Garage films and distribute them to a worldwide audience using SlickFlick. Best SlickFlick wins an iPad and the three best of rest will get MUBI/Garage free subscriptions. Submit your entries before Feb 1st, 2011.

One of our favorite SlickFlicks made from the shortfilm 'Sexy, Lonely, Honest: Demone Gore & Shauna Aprecio' by Joriah Goad

Debbie Anzalone has spent the last few months making a 30 minute film commissioned by Deutsche Grammophon about Milos Karadaglic, a classical guitarist who has established himself as one of today's most gifted young guitar virtuosos. With a small crew she travelled around and filmed in Montenegro where Milos was born and grew up, and London where he now lives. The film is a portrait of the young musician and his journey, exploring his life and memories, alongside some exquisite performances to camera.

 NINA MENKES NY & LA FILM RETROSPECTIVES:

Her films have shown widely in major international film festivals including Sundance, Rotterdam, Locarno, London, Viennale, San Francisco, Edinburgh, Cairo, Toronto as well as at La Cinematheque Francaise, The British Film Institute, the ICA in London, the Beijing Film Academy in China, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, MOCA and LACMA in Los Angeles. Menkes’s many honors include a Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, two Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, an Annenberg Foundation Independent Media Grant, an American Film Institute Independent Filmmaker Award, three Western States Regional Media Arts Fellowships and two Senior Fulbright Research Awards--one to the Middle East/North Africa, and one to India. 

The retrospectives will feature eight of Nina’s films, including her two early short films--A SOFT WARRIOR (1981), documenting a serious illness suffered by Tinka as experienced by Nina – in which Tinka plays Nina– and THE GREAT SADNESS OF ZOHARA (1983), which traces the solitary, mystical journey of a Jewish girl , also played by Tinka, who leaves Jerusalem for Arab lands. The latter film won awards at the San Francisco and Houston International Film Festivals and was named "One of the Decade's Best Films" by director Allison Anders.

The sisters collaboration continued with MAGDALENA VIRAGA (1986), shot in East Los Angeles, about the inner life of a prostitute, imprisoned for killing her pimp.  The film received the Los Angeles Film Critics Association award for “Best Independent/ Experimental Film of the Year,” and was featured in the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Biennial and in over 40 other international film festivals. Filmed on location in Las Vegas, QUEEN OF DIAMONDS (1991) revolves around the life of an intense, alienated blackjack dealer, played by Tinka Menkes. The film was listed as one of the Year’s Ten Best in the Los Angeles Times and Film Comment.

THE BLOODY CHILD (1996) is a mesmerizing look at the desolation of violence. Inspired by a real event – a US Marine, recently back from the Gulf War, was found digging a grave for his murdered wife in the middle of the California Mojave. Her last film with Tinka and considered by many to be her most radical, The BLOODY CHILD was also the first Menkes film to get a theatrical release,

In 2002, she shot and co-created a feature length, experimental documentary in Beirut, Lebanon, MASSAKER, about the Sabra and Shatilla massacre, which premiered at the Berlinale in 2005 and received a FIPRESCI Award. Switching to black and white photography in a work that Variety described as “Pure cinema- not since Bela Tarr's Werckmeister Harmonies has black-and-white looked so stunning”, PHANTOM LOVE (2007) is a powerful psychodrama about a young woman trapped within a suffocating family.  

Loosely inspired by Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, shot in modern-day Tel Aviv, and also in black and white, DISSOLUTION (2010), Menkes’ most recent film, combines an almost surreal fairy-tale energy with brutal realism to explore the condition of violence which permeates contemporary Israeli society. The film marked her first work with the Israeli David Fire, a musician and philosopher, who played the lead role as well as collaborated with Menkes on writing and editing. The film won “Best Israeli Drama” at its premiere at the Jerusalem International Film Festival in July 2010.

After 18 months of pre-production and a 6 month break the feature film ‘In Search of Weather’ enters it final stretch of preparation before going into shooting in spring 2012.

Come on, come on... we are ready. Take your places. Let's see... you, the one on the font row, get down, we can't see the ones behind you. Come on, come on, let's go. Let me take a look....hmmm, you, the one on the back to the left, stick out a little, you're not in!. Let's see....Ok, very well. Now everyone smile: One, two....

Click!

Heidi Beaver is a NY filmmaker and with her new short “Trust” is one of the contributing filmmakers to “In Passing”, a collaborative feature film inspired by the Remodernist Film Manifesto. The film premieres on Sunday November 13th at 1:25 pm at the Quad Cinemas in NYC. She has written on the experience of making “Trust” on a Flip vs. her previous film “Lost”, made on 16mm back in the 1990’s.

Here are some questions I was thinking about- Is there something to be discovered in the moment, something that the script, storyboard, lighting set ups and run through might overshadow or squash? What will happen if I record an idea as it unfolds? Let motion lead to more motion. Will it produce any insights or even something worth watching? It was an experiment derived out of both a genuine interest in those questions and my limitations with time, logistics and money.

“Ffresh and Mubi/Garage share the same aim of promoting the best new work by up and coming filmmakers from around the world by providing them with a high quality platform to showcase and celebrate their work. We look forward to working with Mubi on developing a new global audience for work submitted to the Ffresh Awards”. FFresh Team

Iran has arrested at least six people who it claims were working clandestinely inside the country for the London-based BBC Persian television.

The International Student Film Organization is delighted to announce its partnership with the film website MUBI and the platform for independent film making talent, Garage. This partnership will include hosting the winning films of the ISFO’s monthly film making competition on Garage and the promotion of Garage and MUBI to the members of the ISFO.

The International Student Film Organization (ISFO) is a FREE online film network which aims to connect young film makers from all over the world to each other and the industry. Its targets are to increase the overall visibility and quality of student films and to support the next generation of international talent.

Registered in London, the ISFO is based at www.futureinfilm.com. The website serves as a gateway for students to access benefits such as a newsletter, their own customized profile ad portfolio, forums, competitions, discounts and internal messaging services. Companies are invited to publish information about competitions, festivals and products which are relevant to film students.

The ISFO feels that with the film industry ‘facing one of the most challenging periods of change in its 115-year history’ (Screendaily.com), it is more important than ever to encourage a new, outstanding generation of young film makers to believe in their talent and pursue a career in the industry. The transnational platform will enable students to discuss their ideas with people from other countries and support them in critically evaluating their skills on an international market.

Back in January, Meg Pinsonneault and Sabina Padilla, of Thirsty Girl Films, had the amazing opportunity to a make short documentary about a Filipino family's amazing journey to help their three kids with facial deformities. As a filmmaker, it was my goal to really capture the essence of the Filipino people and the dichotomy between our lavish culture. We spent a little over a week with the Bulobas, a very poor fishing family from the small island of Pitogo, off the coast of Bohol, Philippines. Violetta and Teodoros have 5 children and 3 of those children were born with severe cleft lip and palate deformities. It has been their dream to fix their children's deformities for as long as they can remember. Now, they might have that opportunity. For more information, please visit www.gwapafilm.com.

Look out for the short documentary, "Gwapa Beautiful," coming out soon. But for now, you can spread the word about this inspirational story by sharing the TEASER with your friends. Support this cause on Facebook too.

photo by Mike Plante: Bobcat in the Cinemad media wing.

You may know Bobcat from his long standup comedy career, his many acting roles from the 1980s and 90s, or that time he set a couch on fire. But Cinemad is more interested in the films he has written and/or directed over the past decade. Mixing a real underground, independent film vibe with some extreme plotlines, he provides a cutting insight to human nature that is hilarious but not all that absurd.

This is not a time-lapse. This is our actual speed of working: