We have succeeded in effectively stopping the propagation of basal stacking faults in (1 1 22) semipolar GaN films on sapphire using an original epitaxial lateral overgrowth process. The growth conditions were chosen to enhance the growth rate along the [0 0 0 1] inclined direction. Thus, the crystal expands laterally until growth above the a-facet of the adjacent crystal seed, where the basal stacking faults emerge. The growth anisotropy was monitored using scanning electron microscopy. The faults filtering and improvement of crystalline quality were attested by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and low temperature photoluminescence, which exhibits high intensity band-edge emission with low stacking faults related emission. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.