PEFF26 | YOUNG PROGRAMMERS SHORTS SHOWCASE + NETWORKING + Q&A

PictureEast Film Festival 2026 showcases powerful films, local voices and creative talent across East London.

Welcome to our special screening of-

------------------------

YOUNG PROGRAMMERS SHORTS –

Curated by our PictureEast Young Programmers with mentorship and support from Film London. A 1 hour shorts film programme, showcasing East London filmmakers and stories. These programmers, aged 16-24, have been working alongside the festival team, learning every aspect of what it takes to put on a film festival— from programming and film curation to PR, marketing, exhibition, and event management.

Short Films:

Toast (4 min 21 sec) by Mark Ryder

Adeeb, a barista-rapper caught in the throes of unrequited love

Essex Girls (15 min 14 sec) by Yero Timi-Blu and Busayo Ige

Navigating adolescence in Benfleet, Essex hasn't been straightforward for British-Nigerian Bisola. She's done her best to fit in, but even her two best friends Charlie & Saffron, who love her to bits, seem to be understanding her less and less recently. However, after an incident at her high school shunts her into the orbit of the only other Black girl in her year - the gorgeous, irrepressible Ashlee, who is everything Bisola wishes she could be - Bisola is plunged into a journey of discovering a whole new side of herself.

Skate (11 min 1 sec) by Kasey-Anais Blondell

Thea, a lonely 19-year-old girl, struggles to learn how to skateboard on her own. When Thea meets a welcoming community of skater girls at a house party, she is empowered to deal with her social anxiety through skateboarding. Kasey -Anais Blondell

Tony (9 min 10 sec) by Timi Akindele-Ajani

Malaya needs to pay her rent by the end of the working day now she has to make some phone calls she'd rather not have to. Timi Akindele-Ajani

Home (12 min 29 sec) by King Simpson and Luke Brookner

HOME is the story of a young man grappling with his past in care when he's faced with life-changing responsibility. It covers themes childhood trauma, foster care, loneliness, social injustice and identity.

Run Like We (13 min 25 sec) by Rhys Aaron Lewis

Set during the London 2012 Olympics, an awkward teenager finds himself caught between the expectations of his classmates and his ex-athlete Jamaican father when he is forced to compete at the school sports day.

This will be followed by networking and a Q&A with the filmmakers and young programmers.

-----------------------------------

Join us for PictureEast Film Festival 2026 (PEFF26)

A dynamic celebration of film, culture and community in East London! Curated by local creative voices and presented by The New Black Film Collective (TNBFC) in partnership with Film London, this festival champions bold cinematic storytelling and community engagement across Newham and Barking & Dagenham.

Admission is on a first come, first served basis.

Programme supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery. www.filmlondon.org.uk/film-hub-london