24 January – 1 February 2026
The UK’s leading short film festival, the London Short Film Festival (LSFF), returns for its 23rd edition from 23 January – 1 February 2026, bringing films and events to London’s iconic cinemas alongside community and creative spaces.
LSFF presents the best in independent, boundary-pushing filmmaking from around the world. Showcasing 300 works from new voices, acclaimed directors, and underground discoveries drawn from the archive, the festival spans the full emotional range of short-form cinema. From raw DIY confessionals to bold, cinematic stories, these are films that surprise, unsettle, comfort, and stay with you. LSFF’s special events combine curated programmes with conversations and unique experiences.
Cinema Remembers What We Forget, the underlying current in this year’s programme, explores how artists confront memory and identity – the fragments that linger beneath the surface: the messy, the emotional, the defiant and the unfiltered.
The UK’s leading short film festival, the London Short Film Festival (LSFF), returns for its 23rd edition from 23 January – 1 February 2026, bringing films and events to London’s iconic cinemas alongside community and creative spaces.
LSFF presents the best in independent, boundary-pushing filmmaking from around the world. Showcasing 300 works from new voices, acclaimed directors, and underground discoveries drawn from the archive, the festival spans the full emotional range of short-form cinema. From raw DIY confessionals to bold, cinematic stories, these are films that surprise, unsettle, comfort, and stay with you. LSFF’s special events combine curated programmes with conversations and unique experiences.
Cinema Remembers What We Forget, the underlying current in this year’s programme, explores how artists confront memory and identity – the fragments that linger beneath the surface: the messy, the emotional, the defiant and the unfiltered.
Programme
Saturday 24 January, 3pm
Trans Sister Seventies! + panel discussion
Strut into history: uncover the fierce, fabulous, and revolutionary trans-feminine stories of the 1970s on newly unearthed archival film!
Saturday 24 January, 6pm
The Colonial Present in Cinema and Sound (+ reflective listening soundscape)
Stories of national liberation brought to life through film and a shared music listening experience.
Saturday 24 January, 9pm
A CoreCore Mixtape + pre-recorded Q&A
Come with us on an absurd and eclectic journey into the world of CoreCore - a chaotic, heartfelt, and strangely beautiful reflection of our times.
Sunday 25 January, 3pm
the silent image of a woman + Q&A
Reclaiming feminist space, these films project femme identity through TikToks and digital collusions, tracing queer rebellion and oral histories.
Sunday 25 January, 5.45pm
This Is a Switchboard for Conjuring Dimensions + Q&A
Six films set their gaze upon possessions that hold the power to possess us in return.
Tuesday 27 January, 6.30pm
Forms of Truth: Rising Non-Fiction Filmmakers + Q&A
Shortlisted filmmakers for The Arts Foundation Futures Awards 2026 in Film present and discuss their work.
Tuesday 27 January, 8.50pm
Wonders and Disasters: Nature, Architecture, and Colonialism in Central Asia
(+ panel discussion)
Earth, water, air and fire. Experimental, collaboratively made shorts exploring the entanglement of nature, architecture, and colonialism in Central Asia. Each film corresponds to a natural element.
Wednesday 28 January, 6.30pm
International Competition: Visions and Voices + Q&A
Rehearse, Resist, Repeat.
Wednesday 28 January, 8.50pm
International Competition: Talk About The Passion + Q&A
Obsessions and passions unite global stories.
Thursday 29 January, 6.30pm
In Order Not To Be Here + Q&A
You will be captured by London CCTV cameras up to seventy times today.
Thursday 29 January, 9pm
Emo Tapes + panel discussion
I'm not Okay: Investigating emo.
Friday 30 January, 6.30pm
Express Yourself + Q&A
Films that put the artists and the creators at the forefront.
Friday 30 January, 9pm
Eye to Eye + Q&A
Observing the hilarity and horror of technology's place in our lives - how deeply our inventions shape the fragile worlds we build around their glow.
Saturday 31 January, 3pm
Documentary: Tracing What We Inherit + Q&A
How do I see me, when I see you?
Saturday 31 January, 6pm
Documentary: Then, Now, Becoming + Q&A
Celebrating life in all its forms.
Sunday 1 February, 12pm
Documentary: Fragile Landscapes + Q&A
The soil and wind are whispering, I'm here, listening.
Saturday 24 January, 3pm
Trans Sister Seventies! + panel discussion
Strut into history: uncover the fierce, fabulous, and revolutionary trans-feminine stories of the 1970s on newly unearthed archival film!
Saturday 24 January, 6pm
The Colonial Present in Cinema and Sound (+ reflective listening soundscape)
Stories of national liberation brought to life through film and a shared music listening experience.
Saturday 24 January, 9pm
A CoreCore Mixtape + pre-recorded Q&A
Come with us on an absurd and eclectic journey into the world of CoreCore - a chaotic, heartfelt, and strangely beautiful reflection of our times.
Sunday 25 January, 3pm
the silent image of a woman + Q&A
Reclaiming feminist space, these films project femme identity through TikToks and digital collusions, tracing queer rebellion and oral histories.
Sunday 25 January, 5.45pm
This Is a Switchboard for Conjuring Dimensions + Q&A
Six films set their gaze upon possessions that hold the power to possess us in return.
Tuesday 27 January, 6.30pm
Forms of Truth: Rising Non-Fiction Filmmakers + Q&A
Shortlisted filmmakers for The Arts Foundation Futures Awards 2026 in Film present and discuss their work.
Tuesday 27 January, 8.50pm
Wonders and Disasters: Nature, Architecture, and Colonialism in Central Asia
(+ panel discussion)
Earth, water, air and fire. Experimental, collaboratively made shorts exploring the entanglement of nature, architecture, and colonialism in Central Asia. Each film corresponds to a natural element.
Wednesday 28 January, 6.30pm
International Competition: Visions and Voices + Q&A
Rehearse, Resist, Repeat.
Wednesday 28 January, 8.50pm
International Competition: Talk About The Passion + Q&A
Obsessions and passions unite global stories.
Thursday 29 January, 6.30pm
In Order Not To Be Here + Q&A
You will be captured by London CCTV cameras up to seventy times today.
Thursday 29 January, 9pm
Emo Tapes + panel discussion
I'm not Okay: Investigating emo.
Friday 30 January, 6.30pm
Express Yourself + Q&A
Films that put the artists and the creators at the forefront.
Friday 30 January, 9pm
Eye to Eye + Q&A
Observing the hilarity and horror of technology's place in our lives - how deeply our inventions shape the fragile worlds we build around their glow.
Saturday 31 January, 3pm
Documentary: Tracing What We Inherit + Q&A
How do I see me, when I see you?
Saturday 31 January, 6pm
Documentary: Then, Now, Becoming + Q&A
Celebrating life in all its forms.
Sunday 1 February, 12pm
Documentary: Fragile Landscapes + Q&A
The soil and wind are whispering, I'm here, listening.
no. 236848.