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… 

I have a secret — please try not to sigh or roll your eyes.

At the end of last year we hosted the second of our filmmaker / festival organiser Town Hall events at the Women X Film Festival.

Our aim in hosting this series (which will be ongoing) has been to encourage a fair and open dialogue between filmmakers and festival organisers - which will improve relationships between both groups, and better fest experiences for all.

To wrap up 2024, we reached out to some of our friends across the industry to find out about their most memorable short films and we’re excited to present the official list here for you today.

Last weekend, I binge watched horror movies from Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, and Peru, here’s what I found…

East Asian entertainment has provided us with unforgettable cultural moments, and now people in the Western World want to see more. The dive into foreign language film doesn’t exist in a vacuum – so what now?

In July of this year, the Pixar-produced “Inside Out 2” sprinted out of the gate to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Meanwhile, some are predicting that a strike by animators in the USA is potentially looming. 

So how does this come to be? How do we explain the huge discrepancy between box office success and layoffs? And what are the issues faced by animators working in Hollywood? 

Talking animals and moving objects, it seems like science flies out the window when it comes to animation – or does it? Anthropomorphism dominates animated films and it turns out there’s a good reason for this.

A starter’s playlist of all of the obscure animated films - both shorts and features - recommended by people who actually know what they’re talking about.

Proof of concept shorts are are a relatively low-cost way of showing potential partners what a filmmaking team is able to accomplish, but how can you do this and also strike a tone that will resonate with film festivals?

The block - it comes for every artist at one time or another.

FF’s Jess Sweetman is no stranger to the heartache of not being able to get on and write.

Luckily she’s willing to explore a raft of techniques from witchcraft to cat gurus, via Brian Eno, as well as inspiration from Werner Herzog to Jackie Collins, to help you find your creative mojo.

The new obsession is sweeping through every industry and film is no exception. Some swear by its efficiency, while others condemn its slippery slope. I’m looking at AI in the film industry and the controversies and headway it’s making.

Biggest fan, mortal enemy… or feeling neutral? It’s time to discuss AI in screenwriting, so sit down with a nice cup of tea as these industry professionals give us their opinions on the matter.

We are living in tumultuous times. Sometimes it feels almost normal to find out that another filmmaker is in hiding, or facing arrest for making a film that has upset a regime. And while this is not a new phenomenon, according to experts, there has been an increase in crackdowns globally on freedom of speech, affecting filmmakers alongside activists, journalists, and anyone else with a platform.

And just to be clear, this isn’t a far-away thing that can be ignored with the casual ennui that comes from living in the West. From Iran to the UK, filmmakers are threatened for speaking truth to power. This article summarises just a few of the places and filmmakers who have been silenced in recent years and it ends with a few glimmers of hope.

In a world where human rights are being violated, hope feels scarce – but that’s not entirely the case. With film festivals and organisations across the globe highlighting these issues, the flicker of hope is growing. I’m exploring these platforms and talking to filmmakers to find out what we, as an audience, can take away from human rights films.

This year at the London Short Film Festival, we took the opportunity to host a ‘town hall’ style meeting where we invited both filmmakers and festival programmers/directors to come together for a frank discussion about the film festival experience.