Christmas and New Year are done and dusted but the nights are still cold and long. I feel your pain. But don’t despair! In London there’s always something to warm the cockles and wile away those wintery hours.

Starting this weekend is the London Short Film Festival, returning for a 12th year of creative and thought-provoking entertainment, in short and sweet form. As The Guardian eloquently put it, with short films “"You [can] experience 20 things in the time it takes to watch The Hobbit. Take that Bilbo!"

This is an exciting event that showcases new talent in the British film-making world, covering all genres, from documentary to comedy, horror films to love stories. This year there are 34 programmes, the most intriguing of which are Lo-Budget Mayhem, F*cked Up Love and Teenage Girls Go Crazy!

Running until 18th Jan there are plenty of opportunities to catch a screening, and there are numerous venues across London. So whether cutting edge documentary is your thing, or you’re just seeking some good old fashioned escapism in a horror-thriller fest, you’ll find something to entertain.

Check out the full programme here