PictureEast Film Festival 2026 showcases powerful films, local voices and creative talent across East London.
Welcome to our special screening of-
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FEATURE FILM - Mother Vera
From the thick snow of the Belarusian forest to the heat of the reeds in the French Camargue, Mother Vera is the story of a young Orthodox nun; her turbulent past, and fragile future.
Dir: Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson
Cert: 12A
Dur: 1h 35m
Q&A: Cécile Embleton (Director)
Cécile is an award-winning documentary director. Her directorial debut, The Watchmaker, screened at Hot Docs, Dok Leipzig, SXSW and Sarasota, won the Grand Jury prize at Boston International Film Festival, was nominated for best UK short at Open City Docs Festival, won the Audience Award in the Future Shorts Winter 2017 season and was published online on The Atlantic, Aeon and Giloo. She photographed the documentary feature film The Cuban Wives about the imprisonment without trial in the US of “The Cuban Five” and the campaign for their release fought by their wives. The film won the Malvinas Award at the Trieste Film festival and has screened at Film Festivals across the world. She recently directer her first feature length art-documentary in Belarus, Mother Vera. She is driven to explore creativity and excluded voices.
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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