The EAST END FILM FESTIVAL (EEFF) returns to London’s East End for its 12th edition this summer, for what will be its longest ever run. From 25 June to 10 July, EEFF will present two weeks of films and events that reflect its position as the festival of discovery for cutting-edge voices in cinema, questioning the status quo with a mixture of art, music and political discourse all relevant to the energy of London’s East End. With an emphasis on first- and second-time filmmakers, hot breakthrough bands and digital visionaries, the East End is London’s destination for revolutionary new film, music, the arts and technology.
As Olympic gold medals pumped the UK with pride last year, vast financial hauls from across the planet were being secretly processed within a few miles of the Olympic stadium. In the shadows of that stadium, one local resident took an equally daunting leap: to challenge one of the most powerful and clandestine institutions in the world. Journalist and filmmaker Mark Donne's second feature THE UK GOLD follows the dramatic battle of a vicar from a small parish in the London Borough of Hackney as he goes head to head with an ancient and mighty heavyweight, revealing its central status as the tax-haven capital of the world. From Zambia to Salisbury; from the Cayman Islands to Clapton, a huge, untold story unfurls which shakes our notions of nationhood and empire; a story seismic enough to shift perceptions of finance and flag forever. Narrated by actor Dominic West (The Wire, The Hour), and featuring an extraordinary new sound-score from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja, it incorporates the views and voices of British politicians, hedge fund masters of the universe, Vanity Fair investigative journalist Nicolas Shaxson, Private Eye’s Richard Brooks and Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow, to expose the fundamental role the City of London plays in the secretive network of tax havens and tax avoidance. Screening at the Art Deco Troxy, this unique red carpet gala screening will be followed by a very special musical performance.
