Over 400 short films will be shown across the city from 17-26 January.
Today (29 November), London Short Film Festival has revealed the full plans for its 2025 edition, with over 50 programmes and events set to take place over ten days in January.
Spotlighting emerging filmmakers, independent cinema and the best new short films, the programme includes screenings throughout the city alongside a curated events schedule, which will focus on both the history of film and the industry today. Much of the discussions will be anchored by this year’s theme, Spaces – in light of recent rising cinema closures, the programme will explore the social and political landscapes of cultural spaces for creativity, and examine what we lose when those spaces close.
Opening at Curzon Soho with a retrospective celebrating the 22-year history of short films shown at the festival (followed by an opening night party at Farsight Collective), the festival will take place across a range of London’s iconic screens, venues and dedicated arts spaces, including the ICA, BFI Southbank, Rio Cinema, Rich Mix and SET Peckham. A free, restored 1960s Mobile Cinema Bus – which originally brought films to communities without cinemas – will also visit Walthamstow, Crystal Palace Park, and Hounslow, supported by the BFI awarding funds from the National Lottery.
Highlights include the Annual New Shorts competition, a selection of folk archive films from the Offbeat Film Club, and a series of shorts focused on female representation in the action genre presented by Babes with Blades, as part of the BFI Art of Action season. Other must sees range from Lauren Gee’s Everywhere We Are Islands – which will focus on new voices in Caribbean filmmaking – to the Nelly Ben-Hayoun-curated Alien Extravaganza, described as “a queer, colourful, experimental galaxy of new short-filmmaking”.
“LSFF has always been about giving space to new, unconventional voices in filmmaking, and giving a platform to new curators to help us shape each festival edition. As London’s independent cinemas face closures, the need for these “third spaces”, where community, creativity, and collective experience thrive, has never been more critical,” said LSFF co-directors Charlotte Ashcroft and Philip Ilson. “This year, we’re celebrating those spaces in every corner of the city, from the New Shorts screenings on our 1960s Mobile Cinema Bus to immersive walking tours that explore the history embedded in London’s neighbourhoods. LSFF remains dedicated to making cinema accessible, meaningful, and rooted in the communities it serves.”
View the full schedule and get tickets at London Short Film Festival’s website now.
