Enjoy dramatic genre films and dark comedies in this thrilling two-part programme.
We’ll take you to the cutting edge of contemporary British filmmaking with edge-of-your-seat thrillers and horrors, finished with a palate cleanse of delightfully dark comedies.

This screening includes a special introduction by actress and festival director, Gem Carmella (Gangs of London) and is followed by a Q&A with filmmakers, and an award presentation by Nicholas Vince (Hellraiser, Nightbreed).

The Intimacy Coordinator (18)
Dir. Louisa Connolly-Burnham (20:53min)
Kate is an intimacy coordinator. She is also a sex addict.

Latch (12)
Dir. Chelsea Walker (5:25min)
A woman who’s convinced she’s been followed home locks her front door - but is that enough to keep her fears at bay?

Skylight (15)
Dir. Barnaby Boulton (17:30min)
A young couple attempt to salvage their failing relationship on a weekend getaway, unaware that they’re walking into a cosmic nightmare.

Homonym (12)
Dir. Lily Howkins (17:05min)
Accused of murder, teenager Sam protests her innocence; claiming a malevolent presence in her family home is responsible.

When She Sings (15)
Dir. Paul Holbrook (24:34min)
In a dreary British seaside town, a talented artist is haunted by a sinister mermaid, and terrorised by a coven of strange locals.

INTERMISSION

Gristle (15)
Dir. James Alex Thomson (14:06)
A cult writer with an online following must confront a past she's tried to forget when her estranged ex-lover reappears…

Time's Up, I'm Afraid (12)
Dir. James Button (14min)
During a routine session a hypnotherapist discovers she may be the one who has been hypnotised.

Mr. Vapey Man (18)
Dir. Hugo Docking (1:15min)
He’s full of juicy flavours. You’ll never get enough, if you let him give you.. Just. One. Puff.

The Humbug (15)
Dir. Cole Paviour (9:09min)
Two elderly women in a care home grapple with magical mint humbugs, setting off an absurd journey through pleasure and peril.

The Devil Is In Me (12)
Dir. Tia Salisbury (11:45min)
Late 18th-century England. A nightmarish teenager and a rookie Reverend lock horns over Sunday school attendance.

Short Sighted Cinema CIC // The Shortest Nights film festival
BIFA qualifying 'The Shortest Nights' Film Festival returns 5-8th September 2026