LSFF: The Colonial Present in Cinema and Sound (+ reflective listening soundscape)
Stories of national liberation brought to life through film and a shared music listening experience. Join us for an evening that foregrounds the people, memories, and movements that continue to shape our world. Through film and sound, we explore the Colonial Present, and resistances against imperial violence across time and geography. A journey that takes us from the African continent and Brazil, to Turtle Island, and the everlasting struggle in Palestine with the Oscar-nominated The Present by Farah Nabulsi. The film programme will be followed by a reflective listening soundscape exploring the power of music and audio in service of political cause. Together, these cinematic and sonic manifestos ignite vital questions: How can film, music, and culture at large, become weapons of political struggle, catalysts of solidarity, and a call for action? This programme is curated by Thawra Archive. Monangambé, dir. Sarah Maldoror, Angola 1968, 16 mins Children without Childhood, dir. Khadijeh Habashneh Abu Ali, Palestine 1979, 21 mins Há Terra!, dir. Ana Vaz, Brazil 2016, 13 mins Beneath the Concrete, the forest, dir. Lev Omelchenko, USA 2023, 12 mins The Present, dir. Farah Nabulsi, Palestine, Qatar 2020, 24 mins Content / Trigger Warnings: Contains scenes of graphic violence or injury, and of harm towards children. 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.PT1H30M182026-02-01LSFF: The Colonial Present in Cinema and Sound (+ reflective listening soundscape)"LSFF: The Colonial Present in Cinema and Sound (+ reflective listening soundscape)"Showtimes
February 1, 2:30 pm
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