Portobello Film Festival 2026 – A Return to the Radical
For more than three decades Portobello Film Festival has been celebrating independent film making and festival culture at the original epicentre of the British Underground. Free to enter and free to attend, the festival is an annual reminder of a time when Ladbroke Grove was to London what San Francisco was to America. The area has provided the perfect conditions for a vibrant music and art scene with psychedelic rock developing alongside the Notting Hill Carnival.
One of this year’s highlights is a feature on Laura Del-Rivo, Britain’s first female beatnik author whose debut novel provided the inspiration for Michael Winner’s West 11. Supplementing her income by trading on the Market she was affectionately known as “The Tights Lady”.
The anti-establishment vibe of the Ladbroke Grove freak scene continued and led to the collision of punk rock and reggae. New subcultures developed with the construction of the Westway flyover which is widely considered the birthplace of the British street art scene.
One Foot in the Grove revived the spirit of psychedelia, punk and 80s graffiti with a spectacular display of murals, giant sculptures and fire-breathing robots under the Westway in 2009. While most traces have long since disappeared, a ceramic mural by Carrie Reichardt and the Treatment Rooms Collective remains as a permanent reminder. Members of the collective return with a group show at The Muse to run alongside Portobello Film Festival. The PV party on 10 September is accompanied by a screening of Vive Le Punk, Danny Garcia’s documentary marking 50 years of punk by following four bands still active today. The exhibition itself is open from 3 Sept.
Another half-century of free culture is celebrated down the canal at Meanwhile Gardens which was created from waste ground in defiance of urban development and commercialisation. It boasts one of London’s oldest skate parks. Rumours of an anniversary concert with bands who played at Meanwhile over the years are yet to be confirmed, provisional line up included in this brochure
Tomorrow’s cinema today
Credits
Many thanks to Muse Charities, Picturehouses, Trellick Tower Residents Association, Hope Share Care Foundation.
Cast & Crew: Jonathan Barnett (Director), Ray Myndiuk (Programmer and Projectionist), Damien Rayne (Coordinator), Dave Barnard (IT), Qalid Mahdi (Technician),Thomas Szabo (Website), Phil Underwood (Design), Meike Brunkhorst (Press), Janet Smith (Communications), Sophia Satchel, Baeza (Special Projects), Gosia and Penny at The Muse, Keith at Trellick Tower, and Kenny Gold.
Portobello Film Festival, Unit 4, 2 Acklam Road, London W10 5QZ
pff@btopenworld.com
www.portobellofilmfestival.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/24763799184/
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You Tube: Portibello People’s TV
Coming soon! Portobello People’s TV - the best of the past 30 years festival
submissions streaming on website and mobile app. Built using the latest in
Free Open Source Software, more info at www.pptv.co.uk
Insta: portobello_film_festival
ENTRY FREE TO ALL EVENTS.
3-20 September @ The Gate and The Muse with over 200 new indie movies and rare docs and music films. Regular updates on our Facebook page
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