The Shortest Nights is a BIFA-qualifying short film festival run by Short Sighted Cinema, a non-profit set up on the conviction that “British short film is an exciting art form that too often goes ignored”. The organisation began as a short film club and works to bring independent British cinema to new audiences, particularly those of working class and global majority backgrounds, reinvesting what it makes back into its exhibition events.
Now in its 12th year, the festival showcases the best in up-and-coming British filmmaking talent across programmes spanning comedy, drama, animation, horror and family films, each screening paired with a Q&A and jury award presentations. The 2026 edition runs across the weekend of 5–6 September at The Castle Sidcup.
