8 January 2026
London Short Film Festival at Metroland Cultures
Wildest Grief (+ collective remembrance ceremony)
Start Time: Saturday 24th Jan 15:00
Location: Metroland Studios
Runtime: 68 min
Free/Pay what you can, book here
London Lives
Start Time: Thursday 29th Jan 19:00
Location: Metroland Studios
Runtime: 94 min
Free/Pay what you can, book here
More details about the film programmes…
Wildest Grief (+ collective remembrance ceremony)
Start Time: 24th Jan 15:00
Grieving is a ritual, solitary or communal. We invite you into a space where time is held for grief to be felt with intention and care. With the context of Judith Butler’s theory of grievability, we ask: who is considered grievable in our societies, and who is permitted the space to grieve? A grieving ritual can allow expression and alchemy, and the clarity to name what we mourn, and what we hope to seed.
There will be a presentation of short experimental films exploring grief and ritual, followed by poetry, herbal tea, and the co-creation of a collective altar to honour our dead. Guests are welcome to bring offerings (incense, flowers, letters, leaves, photographs, art).
Contains scenes of injury, animal cruelty, and flashing images.
Please note this is a relaxed screening.
This programme is curated by Gamze Şanlı.
Full programme details here
London Lives
Across its streets, buses, basements, and bars, London holds countless acts of self-invention. From a viral myth about a ‘Jewish bus route’ to the radiant memory of a trans dancer reclaiming her story, each film engages with London as a site of friction and becoming.
Some films flow through the city like a cyclist mapping its contours; others linger in forgotten corners like the ghosts of community spaces lost to development. Together, they ask, who gets to belong, to move, to make meaning here?
Featuring new work from LSFF alumni Teva Cheema [Highgate 214] and Rhea Storr [New Territories (Spectacle is King)].
Contains flashing images, and themes of homophobia and transphobia.
Please note this is a relaxed screening.
Programmed by Akinna Aquino.
Start Time: Thursday 29th Jan 19:00
About LSFF
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.
Explore the full programme and book tickets: shortfilms.org.uk
LSFF is taking place with the support of BFI National Lottery funding