Walthamstow International Film Festival

04/06/2026

✨ WIFF Trivia 2010 to 2026 ✨

🎬 Films from around the corner, Films from around the world 🌍

The Walthamstow International Film Festival has a massive heart and a brilliant history. As we celebrate our journey, here are a few secrets behind the magic:

🪑 From a furniture shop to the world: Founders Fletch and Liza started the festival back in 2010. Our very first inaugural festival was actually hosted inside a furniture shop in Walthamstow Village!

💪 Powered by passion, not funding: WIFF has never received official funding. Every single year, we deliver a jam-packed programme purely down to the incredible hard work of volunteers, partners, university interns, and local sponsors.

🚇 The Victoria Line connection: Our very first volunteer met Liza in a cab one night after the Victoria Line suspended service before the end of the line! Talk about fate.

🎨 Our longest-serving judge: Artist Barry Bliss has been on board with us since the very beginning in 2010! While the former feature film director can mostly be found behind the easel these days, he still finds time to support our film festival and champion young talent from the borough.

🚀 The ultimate launchpad: Our Emerging Talent panel of young advisors all started out as filmmakers submitting to the festival. They gave back to the creative community by volunteering their time, and they’ve gone on to land incredible storytelling careers at ITV News, the BBC, Arsenal FC, and beyond.

💬 In their own words...
We love our team. Here, Arabella, Adam, Josh, Ryan, and Xaymaca tell us exactly why they chose to dedicate their time to a passion project right on their doorstep in Waltham Forest. 👇

04/06/2026

🎬 PAST WINNER SPOTLIGHT 🎬

As we gear up for this year’s festival, we’re looking back at some of the incredible filmmakers who have graced our screens. Today, we’re celebrating the brilliantly bold French director and artist, Adrien Gystere Peskine! 🇫🇷✨🇧🇷

His short sci-fi drama WOMXN was a Highly Commended runner-up at the Walthamstow International Film Festival (WIFF), and it completely blew us away.

What makes Gystere’s work so special? He proves you don't need a Hollywood budget to break boundaries. Using a wonderfully low-tech camera setup and DIY editing techniques, he created something genre-breaking, visually ecstatic, and fabulously unique. It’s a masterclass in pure, unfiltered creativity. 🚀👁️

Gystere reminds us that the best special effect is a completely original idea.

👉 Filmmakers: Let this be your sign to pick up whatever camera you have, embrace the limitations, and tell your story. 📲

04/06/2026

03/06/2026

It's Volunteering Week! 🙌 To celebrate, we caught up with Josh, Xaymaca, Arrabella, Ryan, and Adam to hear all about their favourite moments volunteering for The Walthamstow International Film Festival over the years. 🎬✨

Our founders, Liza and Fletch, simply could not run the festival without the incredible dedication of our volunteers, judging panel, sponsors, and partners. This is a massive thank you to absolutely everyone who has helped us deliver the magic of cinema to the community since 2010! ❤️🍿

We also want to give a huge shout-out to Claudette, Ekaterina, and Natali—our brilliant interns from UCL East—who captured these wonderful interviews at our Emerging Talent meeting last week. 🎥📸

Volunteers

03/06/2026

✨ Meet Our Judge: Janet Awe! ✨
We are absolutely thrilled to introduce the brilliant Janet Awe as a judge for this year’s competition! 🎬✍️

Janet is an exceptional development producer and script editor working across TV, film, and audio. Over the last decade, she has produced award-winning shorts and worked on top-tier shows for the BBC, ITV, Sky, and UKTV, alongside leading production companies like Merman and CPL. 📺✨

Through her own production company, Awethentic Tales, Janet champions diverse creators and stories. She also continues to freelance, helping writers and broadcasters bring their unique visions to life.

🎭 The Power of Comedy
Janet specialises in comedy, viewing it as the ultimate tool for exploring challenging, thought-provoking stories in an accessible, engaging way.

🌱 Championing New Talent
While she loves working with established names, Janet is deeply passionate about supporting emerging storytellers. Her incredible industry contributions include:

Board Director (Non-Exec) at Funny Women 👩‍🎤

Breakthrough Leader 2025 (The TV Collective) 🚀

WFTV Mentee 2022 🤝

Regular speaker and assessor for the NFTS screenwriting courses 🏫

BIFA voting panel member 🏆

She is also a proud member of PACT, BECTU, RTS, Women in Film and TV, and BAFTA Connect.

We are incredibly lucky to have Janet’s expertise, passion, and sharp comedy eye on our judging panel this year! 🙌

02/06/2026

Martin Adams

🎬 Artist Spotlight: Martin Adams 🎨
We are very happy indeed to introduce the brilliant Martin Adams—a celebrated local animator, artist, and activist who has become a true cornerstone of the Walthamstow International Film Festival

Martin’s work beautifully proves that art really can save the world in innumerable small ways. From blending creativity with local activism to screening his brilliant short films, his contribution to our community is unmatched.

Here is a glimpse into Martin’s incredible world:

Award-Winning Impact: His incredible dedication to community filmmaking recently earned him a well-deserved Special Commendation from the WiFF organisers. 🏆

On the Screen: Martin is renowned for his sharp Limited Scope Animated Advertising series and his brilliant animated shorts focusing on political leaders. 🗳️

The "Stowie" Project: He is currently working on a highly anticipated local animation project tied to the Walthamstow Art Trail, and WiFF audiences have been lucky enough to get exclusive, behind-the-scenes glimpses into his creative process. 🖌️

WiFF has been a proud fixture of the E17 community since 2010, and creators like Martin are exactly why we love what we do.

Thanks to Claudette, Ekaterina and Natali, our UCL BA Media interns who made this film in June 2026

02/06/2026

Martin Adams

🎬 Artist Spotlight: Martin Adams 🎨
We are very happy indeed to introduce the brilliant Martin Adams—a celebrated local animator, artist, and activist who has become a true cornerstone of the Walthamstow International Film Festival

Martin’s work beautifully proves that art really can save the world in innumerable small ways. From blending creativity with local activism to screening his brilliant short films, his contribution to our community is unmatched.

Here is a glimpse into Martin’s incredible world:

Award-Winning Impact: His incredible dedication to community filmmaking recently earned him a well-deserved Special Commendation from the WiFF organisers. 🏆

On the Screen: Martin is renowned for his sharp Limited Scope Animated Advertising series and his brilliant animated shorts focusing on political leaders. 🗳️

The "Stowie" Project: He is currently working on a highly anticipated local animation project tied to the Walthamstow Art Trail, and WiFF audiences have been lucky enough to get exclusive, behind-the-scenes glimpses into his creative process. 🖌️

WiFF has been a proud fixture of the E17 community since 2010, and creators like Martin are exactly why we love what we do.

Thanks to Claudette, Ekaterina and Natali, our UCL BA Media interns who made this film in June 2026

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