From horned, hairy beasts to mischievous poltergeists, there’s a lot of fictional monsters out there and not all of them are scary. In fact, these creatures can be romantic and it makes for an interesting story.

With a growing appetite for films that specifically explore sex, sexuality and fetishism, through artistic expression that makes audiences think as much as feel, more festivals are thrusting their way on to the festival circuit than ever before.

Why are there more depictions of fat women falling over on the big screen than women in the same body type enjoying pleasure?

Jess Sweetman explores the lack of representation of fat joy in cinema and explores the societal implications of such a lack of inclusivity.

To wrap up 2025, we reached out to our colleagues on the FF team to name their favourite short films of the year. Enjoy!

What is arthouse cinema and how do you watch it? Join me as I explore a new genre and challenge my preconceptions.

With Mark’s tongue placed firmly inside his cheek, he talks to some of the film festivals who truly do appreciate the subjective genre of arthouse film; including the UK’s London Short Film Festival, Raindance, and Norway’s Minimalen Short Festival.

As long as there has been cinema, there have been those who have experimented with the form in the name of social critique. In part one of a two-part series, Jess Sweetman explores the history of filmmaker cooperatives.

In part two of her two part series, Jess Sweetman talks to representatives from three film organisations who are committed to preserving, screening, and creating avant garde cinema.

Every generation thinks they do it best and it’s no different when it comes to humour, but how has comedy evolved through the generations and why?

Short comedy is one of the toughest nuts to crack in the short film world - and the audience will let you know in real-time whether it’s funny or not. How do you go get those laughs? And what’s the difference between a comedy film and a sketch?

After ten hours of searching online without a single, much-needed belly laugh, Jess wades into the world of comedy shorts: Where are online and IRL? Why aren’t they nominated for Oscars and high-level festivals? And where are they hiding online?

After a fruitless search for comedy, Jess chased down a bunch of in-the-know people to recommend their favourite comedy and comedy-horror shorts. Enjoy!

Now the Academy has finally offered some long-overdue recognition of the unsung heroes of film & TV, will we start to see an impact on short films and more stunts appearing in a medium where they previously couldn’t afford to tread/fall/somersault?

Beating world records and achieving the impossible; these heartwarming stories inspire us in many ways — but there’s many dangers with extreme sports, is it possible to make it safer?

As more and more stories emerge about burnout, injuries, and cult-like dynamics being inflicted upon creators, how come being a Youtuber seems to lead filmmakers to such extremes? And is there a safer way to make a living in the creation economy?

From picking up a new hobby to dangerous stunts, we’ve been influenced by film to try something new, or perhaps change our career - but is this safe? Is there a darker side to this?

With Amazon’s acquisition of MGM Studios, and therefore the rights to exploit the world’s most famous Martini drinker on any screen size they choose, is this a new era of product placement?

What is propaganda and what does it look like in our current society? Jess explores this question by seeing if any contemporary propaganda films will be able to brainwash her: From Mormon musicals to juice cleanses, will she succumb?

If you’re one of those people who feels that romance is dead, the annual celebration of just how right/wrong you are is just around the corner.

Exhausted cynic Jess Sweetman explores what the short film world has to offer, and discovers a universe of short films celebrating all kinds of love…