Size doesn’t always matter. And at the Glasgow Short Film Festival, small means perfectly formed.
Glasgow Short Film Festival 18-22 March 2026
‘GSFF not only advocates the importance of short film in progressing future generations of filmmakers, but provides the meeting-place where collaboration can begin.’ – Glasgow Short Film Festival
Short Films are the seeds from which Film, as we know it, evolved. Silent films were around 20 minutes as standard. Over the years, Short Film has stood the test of time with masterpieces such as Laurel and Hardy’s The Music Box, the iconic The Red Balloon, and Richard E Grant in the Oscar winning Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life. And that’s before we even touch base with animated shorts. How can you choose a classic from Tom and Jerry – all of them, and one of Pixar’s very first animations, Luxo Jnr? Surely one of their best and (possibly) one of the most memorable shorts in movie history. And then there’s The Wrong Trousers…I could go on.
Suffice to say, that Short Film is here to stay. The beauty of them is the ability to be groundbreaking, explorative, thought provoking – and all in a focused time period.
Thank goodness then, that here in Glasgow we have our very own festival dedicated to Short Film. The Glasgow Short Film Festival (GSFF) was established in 2008. It is now Scotland’s leading competitive short film festival. Every detail of the festival and the films included is carefully created. As such, the diversity of international voices taking part in the festival is rapidly growing. Just like its big sister, The Glasgow Film Festival, GSFF is know for its Restrospective, The Jury Prize and lively panel discussions with Film Makers. The visual storytellers here do not shy away from social commentary, are curious and always inclusive.
So what’s in store this year at the festival?
Dim the Lights, it’s the Opening Night
The opening film, Downriver a Tiger, is presented in partnership with the Catalan Film Festival. This is the film’s UK premier, which is fitting as it’s set in Glasgow. Directed by Víctor Diago, the film tells the story of Júlia (played by Victor Diago’s twin sister), who has moved from Barcelona to Glasgow to start a new life. Julia has a passion for street photography, until her eyesight begins to fail. As the illness spreads, Júlia begins a search into the past, to the depths of Glasgow, into its history, and her own memory.
Main Features
As one would expect, there is plenty of home-grown talent on show at the festival. From the National Library of Scotland’s Moving Image Archive, Clyde Reflections tries to answer the question posed by the podcast series Who Owns the Clyde? by Louise Welsh and Jude Barber. The film comprises archive films from
different eras of the river, it’s changing uses, alongside new short images made by the film Makers. Film Makers and Photographer Chris Leslie. Jude, Louise and Chris will be in conversation after the screening.
Small Town Joy curates a selection of shorts, where close-knit communities are the focus. ‘These films offer portraits that are neither nostalgic nor cynical, but attentive to the bonds that hold us together – however fragile they may be,’ GSFF.
South of the border, Adam Lewis Jacob’s You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know, Do You? reflects the history of Bradford Resource Centre (BRC), a hub for community action in Bradford. From 1979 onwards, a wide
range of anti-racist, LGBTQ+, feminist, disability rights, and trade union movements could do the necessary labour that makes political struggle possible. The film explores BRC’s legacy in the aftermath of a 2024 flood, which damaged it and follows the people who had the task of sorting through the aftermath of the flood.
Closing Credits
The programme is eclectic to say the least, with submissions commenting on gender, race, asylum and war. But there are also some family fun shorts, animation and simply bonkers films to catch. The festival is closing with the awards ceremony, so it’s a chance to see the winners all on one screen – an evening you don’t want to miss. The winners will be announced; then it’s the screening of the Jury and Audience Award winners of the International and Scottish Competitions, plus the winners of the Young Scottish Filmmaker Prize.
The festival is an opportunity to engage in film, to learn, to discuss. But ultimately it’s a festival for the love of film, for film makers and for film audiences alike. You don’t want to miss it.
The Glasgow Short Film Festival is on from 18th-22nd March 2026.
For full details of venues and the programme visit:
