WALTHAMSTOW: Cannes, Sundance...Walthamstow (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

WALTHAMSTOW: Cannes, Sundance...Walthamstow

12:24pm Friday 9th July 2010 in Waltham Forest News By Ryan McCarthy

THE organisers of the first Walthamstow International Film Festival want to hear from talented directors.

E17 Films has announced details of the inaugural Walthamstow International Film Festival (WIFF), and Liza Fletcher, one of the organisers, is hoping the event will be a big hit and celebrate the rich history of film-making in the area.

In the 1920s Walthamstow Studios was one of the largest film studios in the UK, giving Hollywood hefty competition.

Before the Second World War, Walthamstow’s four major film studios produced over 400 films, including The Battle of The Somme in 1916, which sold 20 million tickets in the first six weeks - a world record that took over 60 years to be broken, by Star Wars.

WIFF will showcase short films made by independent film-makers from all over the world.

Directors from a host of countries all over the world have already signed up to have their short films shown.

The ten-day event, running as part of the E17 Arts Trail, will also include the work of local film-makers and submissions will be accepted up until the end of July.

Due to the loss of Walthamstow’s famous cinema, the films will be screened on a specially commissioned giant retro television in the heart of Walthamstow Village at retro furniture shop Beyca, at 83 Grove Road.

Boma Boma Blackduke-JaJa, who runs the shop, said: “Come and see the screen for yourself, it’s going to show our local films at their very best and watching the world cup games hasn’t been too bad either!”

Paul Fletcher, festival director and seasoned short film-maker, said: "The world knows Cannes and Sundance but Londoners can now celebrate cinematic excellence just around the corner.”

The panel of judges include Stella Creasy, Walthamstow MP, director Dominic Stinton, whose documentary on Walthamstow market was highly commended at Cannes in 2009, and Time Out film critic David Calhoun.

Ms Creasy said: "I am pleased to see that we have a cinematic element to the Arts Trail this year.

"This is a real opportunity for local film-makers to show their talent and compare it to what is being produced internationally.”

Sponsors include Time Out, the London listings magazine, and other industry organisations that are offering subscriptions to their film-production services.

For more details about the event and how to submit work, visit www.e17films.com/film-festival.