Highly Recommended Shorts
Short films are cool. They're a snack-sized - sometimes even bite-sized - encapsulation of an idea. At their best, they provoke thought, convey profound meaning, and may even explore deeply archetypal themes. And/or, they simply entertain. Some overwhelm with charm and spirit, showcasing beautifully original animation or demonstrating skilful filmography. Here are 59 great ones I recommend watching! They're ranked in order.
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- DirectorChristoph LauensteinWolfgang LauensteinA group of fishermen on a precariously balanced platform fight over a trunk.
- DirectorGabriele PennacchioliRobert ValleyStarsKevin Michael RichardsonEmma ThornettThe renowned artist Zima recounts his mysterious past and rise to fame before unveiling his final work.
- DirectorMahiro MaedaStarsJulia FletcherDane A. DavisDebi DerryberryA tour is taken into the Zion archives, where the history of the real world and the rise of the machines is shown to viewers.
- DirectorMahiro MaedaStarsJulia FletcherDane A. DavisDebi DerryberryWith the robot city isolated and it's ambassadors ejected form the United Nations, a trade war begins to protect the human economy from superior products. When the trade war escalates into war the machines begin a seemingly unstoppable march across the globe. With solutions running out man darkens the sky to try and shut out the machine's main energy source, but the machines keep coming.
- DirectorNick ParkStarsPeter SallisPeter HawkinsGromit butts heads with a mysterious penguin lodger, who hatches a sinister scheme involving the ex-NASA Techno Trousers that have been modified by Wallace for walkies.
- DirectorLauris BeinertsStarsEleanor ByrneOrion LeeAbdiel LeRoyA funny business meeting illustrating how hard it is for an engineer to fit into the corporate world.
- DirectorDusan KastelicStarsMateja StaricDusan KastelicYou have probably heard of the phrase "To think outside of the box"? Well, this is a story about such a box. The box is full of miserable creatures. One of those creatures doesn't belong there. He's thinking outside of the box.
- DirectorJimmy T. MurakamiDianne JacksonStarsDavid BowieRaymond BriggsMel SmithOn Christmas Eve, a young boy builds a snowman that comes to life and takes him to the North Pole to meet Father Christmas.
- DirectorFederico HellerStarsMarcela Sandra BallesteroSteve KisickiIván SteinhardtA glimpse into a future where First Person Shooters have become a new drug for those disillusioned with society. The films examines the consequences of this on the global society.
- DirectorLeonardo MatsudaStarsTucker GilmoreRaymond S. PersiThe heart and mind of an office worker clash over sticking to a safe routine of work and daring to try new experiences in life to enjoy.
- DirectorChris StennerArvid UibelHeidi WittlingerStarsRainer BasedowMichael HabeckApparently, rocks are having conversations all around us, but they talk very, very slowly...
- DirectorJames W. GriffithsStarsTom CullenMichael GouldYuri KlimovA prisoner discovers a magical box with a baneful secret that he falls foul to.
- DirectorMark AndrewsAndrew JimenezTwo buskers engage in a petty feud over a child's donation.
- DirectorDayyan EngStarsBeibi GongChao WuYixiang LiOn the outskirts of a small town, a bus driver and her passengers encounter highway robbers.
- DirectorNick ParkStarsPeter SallisAnne ReidJustin FletcherWallace's whirlwind romance with the owner of the local wool shop puts his head in a spin; Gromit is framed for sheep-rustling in a fiendish criminal plot.
- DirectorTeddy NewtonStarsMuneer LyatiWayne DyerDay encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods. But their suspicions soon turn to curiosity, and they are delighted to find the joys of their budding friendship.
- DirectorKi-Yong BaeDae Woo LeeGabriele PennacchioliStarsElaine TanMatthew Yang KingGwendoline YeoThe son of a spirit hunter forges a bond with a shape-shifting huli jing.
- DirectorSantiago Bou GrassoPatricio PlazaA man prepares and goes to work in a bizarre world, where the meaning of human workforce is taken to another level.
- DirectorAlex WiddowsonStarsJamie WiddowsonAlex WiddowsonAnna WiddowsonAlex tries to understand his brother Jamie, who has Down syndrome and several learning disabilities. Despite being close to nonverbal, he demonstrates a lot of charisma, a sharp sense of humor, and emotional sensitivity.
- DirectorGary RydstromStarsSheb WooleyA teenage alien is trying to abduct a sleeping human, but doesn't know which switch to use.
- DirectorRalph EgglestonStarsRalph EgglestonA group of snooty birds roosting on a telephone wire get their just deserts when a goofy bird drops in.
- DirectorNick ParkStarsPeter SallisPeter HawkinsTo replenish their depleted supply of cheese, inventor Wallace and his dog Gromit travel to the moon in a homemade rocket-ship.
- DirectorJacob FreyStarsQuinn NealySamantha BrownPaul BürgerJake spends most of his time playing video games indoors until his mother decides to give him a present.
- DirectorDomee ShiStarsSindy LauKai LiSharmaine YeohA Chinese-Canadian woman suffering from empty nest syndrome gets a second shot at motherhood when one of her handmade dumplings comes alive.
- DirectorRu KuwahataMax PorterStarsAlbert BirneyEven though Sam's father is hardly ever home because he is often away on business trips, he is able to connect with his son by teaching him how to pack a suitcase.
- DirectorSteve Cutts500,000 years ago, the modern man appears. He treats the animals and nature as a consumer, with frivolity and cruelty, and pridefully turns the world into a dumpster. However, someone is watching.
- DirectorGabriele PennacchioliVíctor MaldonadoAlfredo TorresStarsJosh BrenerGary Anthony WilliamsChris ParnellLong after the fall of humanity, three robots embark on a sightseeing tour of a post-apocalyptic city.
- DirectorAdhiraj BoseStarsShernaz PatelNaseeruddin ShahShweta Basu PrasadA 13 minute film exploring two stories set inside a cafe in Kolkata, India.
- DirectorDoug SweetlandA stage magician's rabbit gets into a magical onstage brawl against his neglectful guardian with two magic hats.
- DirectorPhilip SansomOlly WilliamsStarsNapoleon RyanA sleep-deprived office worker photocopies a "Black Hole" late one night. Suddenly, the possibilities seem endless. Will greed get the better of him?
- DirectorJustin TaggStarsJulian NicholsonMouse-X is a mystery/sci-fi story about Anderson, a man who wakes in a building with no idea where he is or how he got there, before slowly discovering that in each of the rooms around him are a thousand clones of himself, all of whom woke into the same mysterious scenario. To escape he needs to outwit his 'selves' whilst overcoming the realisation that he is not the only Anderson...
- DirectorAdam ElliotStarsGeoffrey RushKamahlJohn FlausThe odd biography of a man who has Tourette's Syndrome, chronic bad luck, menial jobs, nudist tendencies, and a book of "fakts" hung around his neck.
- DirectorMatt BlackStarsJacob DanielsLarry WoodsJeremy OttensLate for the most important meeting of his life, a toxic executive finds himself trapped in a time paradox within a public restroom.
- DirectorDavid KarlakStarsRobert PicardoTom GulagerMeghan MarkleAn underhanded company man is offered assistance by a secret organization that immerses him in forces beyond his control.
- DirectorAl LougherStarsPerri LaurenSean MeehanDaniel Martin BerkeyA grieving mother latches on to a magical surrogate for her lost child. But small miracles come with big consequences..
- DirectorNick ParkStarsJulie SedgewickA humourous and thought provoking view of what animals in zoos might be thinking about their captivity and surroundings.
- DirectorStanislav SokolovDave EdwardsStarsMartin JarvisTimothy WestAlun ArmstrongExiled Prospero lives on a desolate island with his daughter, Miranda. When Prospero's usurping brother sails by the island, Prospero conjures a storm that wrecks the ship and changes all of their lives.
- DirectorTomasz BaginskiStarsArkadiusz JakubikMarcin KudelkaDariusz ToczekA volunteer soldier plummets to his death. A photograph is taken and sent by courier to a huge man, who adds it to his macabre collection.
- DirectorDirk BeliënStarsTom Van DyckEllen Van CutsemAza DeclercqOn a cold winter evening a young manager gets stuck in traffic on his way home from work. He takes his brand new mobile to call his wife, not knowing that by doing so he is about to cause irreparable damage.
- DirectorSteve CuttsAnimals and humans switched places. Now, animals are ruling the earth and humans are at the verge of extinction.
- DirectorTravis BibleStarsChris O'SheaRichard KohnkeDarnell TrotterA man in a time loop must work with his brother to prevent a catastrophic fire.
- DirectorSteve CuttsAn analogy to life on Earth, Happiness tells the story of a rodent's unrelenting quest for happiness and fulfillment.
- DirectorBrett FoxwellA stop-motion adventure ten years in the making, Fabricated is a journey through an alien world that was once our own.
- DirectorPaul BerryUpstairs, in the moonlit and empty room, a little boy scared of the dancing shadows, encounters a figment of his vivid imagination: the horrible Sandman.
- DirectorGottfried MentorAn animated short film about two flocks of sheep and their shepherds who are at odds with one another and attempting to keep them separated.
- DirectorSteve CuttsWhile watering plants, a man slips on a banana peel and falls from the rooftop of a tall building. As he's falling to his death, blackbirds appear and play him a movie reel that recapitulates his life, which makes him realize something.
- DirectorJacob StreileinStarsMichael HoA teacher struggles to control a rumor spreading around his elementary school by one greedy child.
- DirectorFranck BalsonJerome DenjeanJennifer Yuh NelsonStarsTroy BakerKevin JacksonFred TatascioreRelease the Thanapod! A ship's crew member sailing an alien ocean strikes a deal with a ravenous monster of the deep.
- DirectorMarcus AlqueresStarsNick SmythRick CordeiroJustin T. LeeA super powered vigilante defies the law using extreme violence to fight crime.
- DirectorEvan CooperStarsHannah BarlowKirk BaltzBradley RoseA struggling actress moves to Hollywood where she discovers a piece of furniture in her apartment is haunted by a malicious ghost.
- DirectorLiam VickersStarsJoelle Elizabeth JacobyTess RimmelLiam VickersMonsters and shootouts abound in this animated western comedy following an overconfident kid, his apathetic partner, and a spider-girl with some serious boundary issues. What will it take to save CliffSide from some rather unconventional evil in the surrounding cliffs, and will our hero ever actually learn anything?
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsVincent PriceYoung Vincent Malloy dreams of being just like Vincent Price and loses himself in macabre daydreams which annoys his mother.
- DirectorGabriele PennacchioliVíctor MaldonadoAlfredo TorresStarsMaurice LaMarcheAlexia DoxAfter scientists accidentally breed super-intelligent yogurt, it soon hungers for world domination.
- DirectorRosana SullivanAn unlikely connection sparks between two creatures: a fiercely independent stray kitten and a pit bull.
- DirectorGuy NattivErez TadmorStarsLiron LevoJoad Abed El GaniIdo MosseriOne fence, four fans, and the game of their lives. This is a story about 4 men and a radio.
- DirectorJoaquin BaldwinA voodoo doll must find the courage to save his friends from being pinned to death.
- DirectorAndrew ChesworthBobby PontillasTAIKO Studios presents the story of Luna, a Chinese American girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut.
- DirectorJoost LieuwmaWhen father decides Richard is old enough to leave his parental home, he sends him out into the world. Only Richard keeps returning home: everytime in a more bizarre way. Somehow he seems attached to the house. When an unfortunate alteration in life takes place, Richard is forced to stand on his own feet.
- DirectorFabien WeibelStarsTheo GononA man who is obsessed with clocks wakes up, going through his perfectly synchronized morning routine before stepping out and getting hit by a bus. He wakes up instantly to find himself back in bed but a few seconds behind the previous version of himself, with the potential therefore to save himself or fail and continue this same loop.