2026 BAFTA NOMINEE SET TO TAKE PART IN PICTUREEAST FILM FESTIVAL
Black News 
2026 BAFTA NOMINEE SET TO TAKE PART IN PICTUREEAST FILM FESTIVAL
London, Thursday 29th January 2026: 2026 BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Edem Kelman, whose film Terence has this week received recognition in the EE BAFTA FILM AWARDS British Short Film category, is confirmed to take part in an exclusive filmmaker session at PictureEast Film Festival. PEFF is supported by Film London's Spotlight programme.
Kelman, whose additional directing credits include Hollyoaks, will take part in a Q&A during the Uncommon Voices session on Saturday 31st January at The House for Artists in Barking. The event will screen his BAFTA nominated short, Terence, which follows a London night-shift security officer who has a special healing gift he uses to help those in need.
The Uncommon Voices session is designed to challenge inherited ideas of what a “working-class film” looks like through contemporary short films that show how working-class Britain represents itself today. Through a curated selection of recent short films spanning documentary, realism and imaginative storytelling, the programme highlights how working-class filmmakers are capturing lived experience in the present rather than the past. Selected by filmmaker and curator Nia Childs, the session invites PictureEast audiences to explore how working-class Britain understands and represents itself now, opening up space for discussion, reflection and new ways of seeing.
The Festival continues through to 1st February, with events including:
- Screening of MOTHER VERA and Q&A with director Cécile Embleton
- Screening of BLUE HAS NO BORDERS and Q&A with director Jessi Gutch
- Screening of LOLLIPOP and Q&A with actress Idil Ahmed
- Screening of HOMEBOUND and Q&A
- Screening of FINDING OPTEL
- Young Programmers Shorts Showcase and Q&A with filmmakers’ director Mark Ryder (Toast)
- writer Busayo Ige (Essex Girls), writer/director Kasey-Anais Blondell (Skate), writer/director Timi Akindele-Ajani (Tony), co-directors King Simpson and Luke Brookner (Home), writer/director Rhys Aaron Lewis (Run Like We)
- Screening of NE ZHA 2 and activity
- Screening of NIGHT OF THE ZOOPOCALYPSE
- SHORTS – UNCOMMON VOICES and Q&A
- Local Creatives Showcase with filmmakers panel with Joelle Mae David (Boarders), Timi Akindele-Ajani, (Guests), Tyra Chuck (Hear My World), Dalila McFarlane Martin (Reload) followed by networking and DJ night
- Screening of DREAMERS and Q&A
- Festival Closing Film Screening: PALESTINE COMEDY CLUB preview and live comedy
Priscilla Igwe, Founder and CEO of The New Black Film Collective, said: “It’s incredible timing that Edem Kelman is joining us following his well-deserved BAFTA nomination this week. PictureEast Film Festival is about bringing filmmakers and audiences together through powerful cinema experiences and creating opportunities where our community can engage directly with exciting voices working today. Edem’s work exemplifies the kind of talent and storytelling we are proud to champion.
As PictureEast Film Festival 2026 enters its final days, there are still so many brilliant events to experience, from inspiring film screenings to engaging conversations with filmmakers and creatives. The closing programme continues to celebrate bold storytelling, community connection and the shared joy of cinema, offering audiences plenty of opportunities to discover new voices and come together before the festival draws to a close.”
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. Co-curated with residents of Newham and Barking & Dagenham, the festival responds to local cinema closures by restoring the shared joy of the big screen while amplifying underrepresented voices, local histories and the role of cinema in building community.
The PictureEast Film Festival Steering Group is made up of passionate individuals who live, work or play in Newham and have helped shape the festival’s programming, delivery and identity. Supported by The New Black Film Collective and Film London, the group brought lived experience, cultural insight and creative ideas, ensuring PictureEast is an authentic celebration of film rooted in the community it represents.
The return of PictureEast Film Festival for its second year marks another milestone in The New Black Film Collective’s mission to broaden its scope in welcoming suppressed voices and becoming a safe haven within an increasingly hostile environment in time of EDI rollbacks and backlash.
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.
PictureEast Film Festival continues until 1 February in Barking & Dagenham, East London.
Tickets are free and available to book HERE and:
Barking & Dagenham: PICTUREEAST FILM FESTIVAL 2026 (BARKING & DAGENHAM) | Eventbrite
For more information, please visit https://www.tnbfc.co.uk/peff26
