Created in 1996, the Portobello Film Festival aims to provide a platform for upcoming avant-garde film-makers and to give daring and ground-breaking directors a chance to get their films noticed. It’s the U.K.’s biggest independent film competition. The festival has had its share of setbacks, including not having an available cinema screen one year, but the secret to its success has been diversity, appealing to a wide variety of tastes, backgrounds, and people, screening movies in public parks, theaters, and clubs, and covering topics such as art, architecture, fashion, and identity. This year the festival will be held at a number of locations around the Notting Hill area including Westbourne Studios, Great Western Studios, and a pop up cinema on Acklam Road. With annual premieres of short films, documentaries and animations, and loads of discussions and workshops with top film directors, the Portobello Film Festival is a delight for any film aficionado. Entry is gratis.

http://www.portobellofilmfestival.com/