The London Short Film Festival is celebrating its 15th anniversary in style as it returns to big screens around London, with retrospectives of classic shorts which burst onto the scene during the festival's lifetime littering a packed schedule of bold, new talent.

But as well as celebrating the old, this year the festival will introduce its inaugural jury, including filmmaking heavyweights such as director Lucile Hadžihalilović, actress Katie Jarvis and Lili Hartwig, who will judge the competition entrants.

Aside from the competition will be screenings of films from a range of streams, including Brexit Shorts: Dramas From A Divided Nation, LGBTQ, International and Documentary, as well as specific programming to celebrate the work of auteurs such as Lucile Hadžihalilović, Chris Kraus, Ngozi Onwurah and music video maker Dawn Shadwell.

Many of the festival's previous entrants have gone on to make feature lengths starring big names in the British cinema world, such as Alice Lowe, Francis Lee, Hope Dickson Leach and Peter Strickland, all of whom will have their previous work shown as part of the programming.

Some of these works will also feature early-career cameos from rising stars of the time such as Michael Fassbender, and actors with long-spanning careers such as Maxine Peake, Abi Morgan, Kristen Scott Thomas and Penelope Wilton.

The LSFF is not only a festival for short film fans; filmmakers are also invited to network, discuss with their contemporaries how they can be better funded, and engage in Q&As with filmmakers who can provide insight on the way our culture is changing the landscape for young filmmakers on the rise.

The festival truly has something for everyone, and perfectly intermingles panel discussions and film screenings so those in the audience can get the most from their experience and take something away which they never expected.

London Short Film Festival runs from January 12-21 and opens with We Dare to Fail, a collection of shorts over the past 15 years at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Visit http://shortfilms.org.uk/lsff2018/events for information.