The site of blossoming romance and young lovers making eyes at each other. This selection of short films will bring a warmth to your heart on a cold January afternoon.

Burgeoning romances, fleeting flirtations, affairs for the ages and rose-tinted teen crushes: LSFF present a selection of syrupy shorts and left-field romcoms to melt your wintry heart.

ANNIE WAITS - Marnie Paxton-Harris (9 mins)
We’ve all waited for ‘the one’. The one who catches our eye, the one who keeps our interest, the one who won’t expect us to trudge down that conventional path. Annie Waits tells the story of lust and disappointment, as a twenty-something waits for her adult life to begin.

V.O. - Joe Mount (10 mins)
A sound engineer in London records a voiceover artist for a studio in New York.

CRUSH - Rosie Westhoff (8 mins)
A girl goes out of her way to pursue her crush, but as the two part ways at the train station, will she be able to finally reveal her feelings? This observational film draws us into the anxieties and uncertainties of a young girl as she comes into her own.

THE 31ST FLOOR - Tiani Ghosh (10 mins)
A young woman attempts to conquer her fear of heights to go on a first date on the 31st floor of a high-rise tower block.

MISSED CONCEPTIONS - Ruby Parker-Harbord 16 mins
A lesbian couple in 1990's London struggle to conceive a child of their own. Inspired by a true story.

CRUSH HOUR - Natalie Malla (7 mins)
The woman in the yellow hat and the guy in the purple jumper might just be soulmates, but will they talk to each other? Or will they leave that crowded tube carriage never knowing what might have been…

CHICKENS - George Wu (4 mins)
The friend zone... We have all been there! Wondering if that glance from your crush meant something and if you will ever muster the courage to do something about it? Meet Adam and Emma with their cute, but unavoidable, problem. Brought to life through the illustrations of Meng- Chia Lai.

ROBOT AND SCARECROW - Kibwe Tavares (15 mins)
A fairy tale set against the backdrop of a heady summer music festival, where a robot and a scarecrow meet and fall in love.

SCREWBALL! - Adam Tyler (13 mins)
Ryan is deep in the pressure-cooker of teenage virginity - wild with raw excitement and unspoken fear. Natalie is excited, nervous, excited again, nervous again, and - she thinks - just about ready to navigate a romantic evening alone with her boyfriend. Little do they anticipate the series of obstacles - both serious and ludicrous - that lie in their path.

……………………………………………………………………………………….
COMPETITION: Win 1x pair of tickets to attend LSFF: New Shorts - A Winter's Matinee of Romantic Films at Rio Cinema at 14:00 on Sunday 14 January. To enter the competition, send an email to vienna@run-riot.com with the correct answer in the ‘subject’ line. The winner will be randomly selected.
Q: The London Short Film Festival is about to celebrate which birthday?
A: .1) 14th .2) 15th .3) 16th .4) 17th