East London LGBTQ+ Film Festival

East London LGBTQ+ Film Festival is an independent film festival founded in 2023 by festival director Carrie Kendall in partnership with Kaleidoscope. The festival is designated to showing independent and studio cinema made for and by members of the LGBTQIA+ community, encouraging and inspiring the youth community in the local area, raising important funds and awareness for the charitable organisation Kaleidoscope. The festival takes place annually in Romford, United Kingdom and is hosted at Premiere Cinemas inside The Mercury Mall.

The festival celebrates the showcasing of the best LGBTQIA+ independent British and International films. The festival provides a platform for established and emerging filmmakers in showcasing their work, discover new talent, and network with industry professionals. The festival also bring a variety of talks and stalls as well as giving the audience opportunities to engage with those filmmakers through live Q&A's. The festival includes screenings from first-time filmmakers to some of the most established names on the independent film circuit with features, short films and music videos. The festival recognises the achievements of filmmakers through awards in multiple categories.

History
In 2023, it was announced that Carrie Kendall in partnership with Kaleidoscope was developing the festival and began taking submissions prior to the event. The festival was supported by The Mayor of London's community fund. The fund was used to increase positive and accurate representation of LGBTQ+ people on screen and celebrating the local LGBTQ+ community. The event was to be one day event showing films all day for £15. As part of the event Kinky Boots would be screened. The festival award categories for the first festival was; Best Feature Film. Best Short Film. Best Documentary. Best Performance. Best Music Video. Kendall, festival director, referenced how important films are to the LGBTQIA+ Community, “Cinema has played a pivotal role for acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. It normalises and demystifies same-sex relationships, it's also just nice to see someone like yourself on the big screen.” The first event took place at Premiere Cinemas inside The Mercury Mall on 4 November 2023, the funds raised helps support young LGBTQIA+ people in Havering. Special guests David McGillivray and Sarah Jane Potts attended the festival. McGillivray was presented with a lifetime achievement award. Potts virtually introduced Kinky Boots, followed by an award ceremony for the best films, selected by the audience.

In 2024, the 2nd festival will be held 9–10 November 2024.

Awards
The East London LGBTQ+ Film Festival recognises the achievements of filmmakers in the following awards.


 * Best Feature Film
 * Best Short Film
 * Best Music Video
 * Best Documentary
 * Best Performance
 * Lifetime Achievement