Thank you to all the filmmakers who participated in the 2025 London Lift-Off Film Festival!
The festival platformed hundreds of films, each project worthy of recognition and celebration. We want to extend a giant thank you to everyone who took part and a special congratulations to all the incredible talent that went into making these projects.
The judges' scores have been combined with the audience's choices, and after careful scrutiny, it's our pleasure to announce the London Lift-Off Film Festival winners!
Winners: London Network Round Shorts
Fighting Demons
Director/Writer: Simon Stock
Producers: Mehmet Kurtulus,Kirk Newmann
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Genre: Short Documentary
Synopsis: In one of the world’s most brutal and unforgiving sports, four fighters step into the ring—not just to battle their opponents, but to confront their own inner struggles. Fighting Demons is an in-depth exploration of the motivations that drive professional athletes to compete in Bare Knuckle Boxing, a sport where every punch carries the risk of severe injury, and only the toughest survive.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Short Documentary
When You Left Me
Director/Writer: Jevan Chowdhury
Producer: Michael Roe
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Genre: Short
Synopsis: When You Left Me is a tense short film exploring the breaking point of a father pushed to his limit. After a morning of escalating frustration, he does the unthinkable—leaving his young son behind on a London Underground platform. As the train doors close, the weight of his actions crashes down. A gripping exploration of loss of control and the thread that holds us together. How far can frustration push us before we snap?
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Short Narrative
A Memory Owed
Director/Writer/Producer: Martin Hemingway-Moseley
Producer: Zoe Lewin
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Genre: Short Film
Synopsis: Bound by unspoken grief, reclusive 91-year-old Stan and his young carer find unexpected solace on the windswept plains of a once-bustling WWII airfield, where memory still lingers.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Director, Best Acting Ensemble
Monsters
Director/Writer/Producer: Volodymyr Kudriachenko
Writer/Producer: Dmytro Kosyhin
Country of Origin: Ukraine
Genre: Short Film
Synopsis: The beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, due to constant attacks and the sound of missiles, causes panic attacks in little boy Ostap, which prevent him from sleeping. He associates rockets and drones with monsters that come at night. Every minute, every new alarm worsens the boy's health.
This film will let you feel what every Ukrainian family is feeling during this war.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best First-Time Filmmaker
A Great Love
Director/Producer: Aisha Schliessler
Producers: Carlos Crooks, Sy Turnbull,Jeremy Goold,Hannah Malpas
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Genre: Documentary, Experimental, Short
Synopsis: Acclaimed equine sculptor Charlie Langton delves into his lifelong fascination—a muse that has captivated him for decades with its powerful form and graceful presence. In his creative journey, from intense observation to the meticulous shaping of wax, clay, and bronze, Langton endeavors to capture the spirit of the majestic horse. Revealing a profound connection to his subject, he invites us to reflect on the role of beauty and awe in everyday life and the infinite pursuit of artistic expression.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Cinematography, Best Post-Production
Growing Pains
Director/Writer: Ellie Wildman, Conor Toner
Producer: Meghan Mc Ardle
Country of Origin: Ireland, United Kingdom
Genre: Short
Synopsis: It’s time to grow up! Bernie, a grumpy widower stuck in his solitary routine, finds unexpected companionship when he orders a bizarre "Grow Your Own Girlfriend" kit from a mysterious infomercial. Set against the backdrop of grief, aging, and late-in-life connection, Growing Pains is a darkly whimsical exploration of love, loss, and the absurd beauty of finding friendship in a lonely world.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Art Direction
Generational
Director/Writer/Producer: Joseph Galyean
Writer: Chris Grady
Producers: Alexandr Vozniuc,Zadok Pearlstein, Chris Grady
Country of Origin: United States
Genre: Drama, Narrative, Short
Synopsis: A single father wrestles with his responsibilities, past trauma, and being a present figure in his son's life.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Actor (JD Starnes)
BAZA
Director/Writer: Lewis Frederick Andrews
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Genre: Music Video
Synopsis: British filmmaker Lewis Andrews, inspired by Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, crafts a burnt-orange cinematic world of speckled planets and a monolith-like spaceship slicing through a hazy desert skyline. The video opens on drill artist Richard Akam, walking with purpose in a rusty-grey, floor-length hooded coat from cult label Demobaza, blending rugged, nomadic styling with futuristic design, evoking a tribal warrior from Blade Runner—perhaps a nod to another project Lewis was working on at the time.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Music Video
The Boy and the Goldfish
Director/Producer: Erin LEUNG
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Genre: Animation, Student, Short
Synopsis: A little boy is resting by his window when he hears his mother arriving home. He springs to his desk to begin studying. His mother arrives at the table and pushes his head down to keep him studying. Saddened by the mum’s actions, the boy noticed how the mum’s attention has fallen on a goldfish ornament. He then decides to get a little goldfish.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Animation
Winners: London Network Round Features
Penalty
Director/Writer: Ivan Francisco Barrera
Producers: Fernando De fuentes, Juan Sebastian Rojas
Country of Origin: Mexico
Genre: Feature Documentary
Synopsis: Two former World Cup soccer players, Germán Villa and Isaac Terrazas, have spent over five years visiting prisons across Mexico to deliver sports equipment, play with incarcerated individuals, and share a message of hope: "Sport is freedom."
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Feature Documentary
The Mentors
Director/Writer: Adrian Tapciuc
Writers: Edy Chereji, Radu Alexandru, Dan Frinculescu
Producers: Edy Chereji, Calin Cretu
Country of Origin: Romania
Genre: Feature narrative
Synopsis: To become a man his father respects , the childish heirs to a massive fortune fakes his way through self-improvement by hiring a team of alpha influencers.
Season Award #16 Shortlist: Best Feature Narrative
16th Annual Lift-Off Season Awards
The Lift-Off Season Awards is an annual event that celebrates the very best of indie film. Following each Lift-Off film festival, films that have excelled in their respective category are short listed for a Season Awards Nomination. At the end of the year, once all the 12 city-based festival have taken place, the shortlisted nominated films are reviewed again by the jury and Official Nominations are designated. Click here for more information about the Lift-Off Season Awards.