The East End Film Festival opens today with the gala premiere of documentary Arena: Amy Winehouse, which tells the story of the much loved singer and includes previously unseen concert footage. The screening will be held in St Anne's Church beore the festival expands across a range of other venues in London's East End.
Now in its 12th year, the festival has grown from a celebration of local talent into a place for discovering talented new filmmakers from across the world. Most of its films have a London connection and this year it's partnering with the London Olympics and World Pride to host strong sporting and lgbt strands. With patrons including Danny Boyle, Stephen Woolley, Michael Nyman and Asif Kapadia, it has a lot to live up to, but this year's line-up is already generating quite a buzz.
Alongside the films you can meet leading Romanian filmmakers, learn about the changing face of film in India and even make your own Wallace and Grommit style models with help from Aardman Animation designers. The final night will see a unique opportunity to find out what happened behind the scenes during the making of recent British hit Moon.
The festival will run until July 8. You can keep up with our coverage here.
