Top 250 Short Films
My choice of the best short films, ranked. Continually updated.
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- DirectorMichael SnowStarsHollis FramptonLyne GrossmanNaoto NakazawaClaimed by some to be one of the most unconventional and experimental films ever made, Wavelength is a structural film of a 45-minute long zoom in on a window over a period of a week. Very unconventional and experimental, indeed.
- DirectorPeter TscherkasskyA woman goes to bed, falls asleep, and begins to dream. This dream takes her to a landscape of light and shadow, evoked in a form only possible through classic cinematography.
- DirectorJordan BelsonA pure Visual Music experience, Belson has distilled 60 years of visionary sound and images into this 12 minute videofilm, synchronized to a symphonic tone poem "Isle of the Dead Opus 29" by Sergei Rachmaninoff. The New York Times praised Epilogue's "lush and misty optics." Epilogue was commissioned by The Hirshhorn Museum (Smithsonian Institution) for its 2005 US "Visual Music" exhibition. The film was produced by Center for Visual Music, with support from The NASA Art Program.
- DirectorArtavazd PeleshianMonumental picture exploring the identity and fate of the Armenian nation.
- DirectorJan SvankmajerThree surreal depictions of failures of communication that occur on all levels of human society.
- DirectorArtavazd PeleshianPeople's struggle through Soviet mechanisation period. The film starts with homage to Peleshian's Armenian roots.
- DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsPierre BatcheffSimone MareuilLuis BuñuelLuis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí present 16 minutes of bizarre, surreal imagery.
- DirectorJordan Belson
- DirectorJordan BelsonAn experimental short film by Jordan Belson which combines various colors and shapes.
- DirectorJordan BelsonAn experimental short film by Jordan Belson which combines various colors and shapes.
- DirectorBill MorrisonStarsEddie PhillipsLola ToddA scene from The Bells (1926) is optically reprinted and edited to Michael Gordon¹s 7 minute composition. A meditation on the fleeting nature of life and love, as seen through the roiling emulsion of an film.
- DirectorPatrick BokanowskiStarsJean-Jacques ChoulJacques Delbosc d'AuzonClaus-Dieter ReentsA study of human anxieties about beauty, youth and objectification.
- DirectorArtavazd PeleshianPoetic essay about the beginning of life from labor pains and birth and about its symbolic meaning.
- DirectorGunvor NelsonStarsOona NelsonA 9-year-old girl approaches self-awareness in a hauntingly dreamlike frolic in the great outdoors.
- DirectorPeter TscherkasskyStarsClint EastwoodLee Van CleefEli WallachAn attempt to transform a Roman Western into a Greek tragedy.
- DirectorStan BrakhageStarsStan BrakhageJane WodeningThe prelude to Dog Star Man (1964), an experimental film wherein a man climbs a mountain along with his dog.
- DirectorDamon PackardStarsRonald LaceyMiles O'KeeffeDamon PackardEpic Super-8 short about a demon summoned to Earth who takes command of a souped-up 1970 Oldsmobile and goes on a road-kill rampage.
- DirectorRaymond DepardonStarsRaymond DepardonA contemplative look at New York's dazzling cityscape during the day and at night.
- DirectorFrançois OzonStarsFarida RahmatoullahAylin ArgunFabien BilletInnocence gives way to experience. Two girls and two boys, probably about 14 or 15 years old, play a game of truth or dare. The questions and the challenges deal with sex; it's innocent and harmless, but at each turn, each youth tries to raise the ante. Then, Paul gives a dare to Rose, and the result brings on a sudden and complete silence.
- DirectorBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonKathryn McGuireJoe KeatonA film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meagre skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.
- DirectorRichard BodenStarsRowan AtkinsonTony RobinsonMiranda RichardsonAfter a genial spirit shows the benevolent Ebenezer Blackadder visions of his unscrupulous ancestors, he resolves to mend his generous ways.
- DirectorRaoul ServaisStarsMarq RawlsA group of convicts slowly drag their balls and chains through a desolate landscape. One of them discovers a strange structure and decides to climb it.
- DirectorWladyslaw StarewiczMr Beetle seeks companionship from a statuesque dragonfly dancer, unaware that her ex-boyfriend, a slender grasshopper and an industrious cameraman, watches their every move. Will Mrs Beetle forgive him? Will he get away with adultery?
- DirectorBill Viola
- DirectorBruce ConnerStarsTheodore RooseveltClips of atomic explosions, pornography, and B-movies are spliced together to evoke certain emotions.
- DirectorKôji YamamuraStarsTakeharu KunimotoBruno MetzgerA sad rakugo of a stingy old man experiencing the unforeseen consequences of eating a few cherries whole, without throwing the pits away.
- DirectorFrancis ThompsonA day in the life of the city and citizens of New York as seen through the fantastic eye, and the incredibly distorted optic lenses, of filmmaker Francis Thompson.
- DirectorAlan ClarkeStarsGary WalkerBill HamiltonMichael FoyleA depiction of a series of violent killings in Northern Ireland with no clue as to exactly who is responsible.
- DirectorÉric DuvivierStarsJean Servais
- DirectorJirí BartaStarsFrantisek HusákZdenek MartínekIvan VojtekA sarcastic story about a thief who becomes the victim of his own victims. His victims come from the other world and take his most precious possession - his blood. The phantasmal atmosphere of the film is achieved through artificial animation coloring in a motion picture.
- DirectorArtavazd PeleshianA reflection on the relationship between wildlife and humans.
- DirectorGeorges FranjuStarsGeorges HubertNicole LadmiralAlfred MacquartBucolic scenes from the outskirts of Paris are contrasted with stark footage from slaughterhouses.
- DirectorRené ClairStarsJean BörlinInge FrïssFrancis PicabiaAn absolute dada movie. Somebody gets killed, his coffin gets out of control and after a chase it stops. The person gets out of it and let everybody who followed the coffin dissapear.
- DirectorDominique MonferyStarsDora LuzJennifer EspositoSalvador Dalí and Walt Disney's Destino features the tragic love story of Chronos, the personification of time, and a mortal woman as they seek each other out across surreal landscapes.
- DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsMichel BouquetReinhard HeydrichHeinrich HimmlerThe history of Nazi Germany's death camps of the Final Solution and the hellish world of dehumanization and death contained inside.
- DirectorRoy AnderssonStarsKlas-Gösta OlssonLennart BjörklundChrister ChristensenAfter witnessing an act of unprecedented violence without even flinching, an emotionally numb real-estate agent visits his ailing mother at the hospital, and then, the graveyard. Is there a speck of happiness in this cruel and short life?
- 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.
- DirectorJon KnautzStarsTrevor MatthewsKyle BrydgesJoe NewtonA pill-popping, over-caffeinated driver accidentally hits something. Panic-stricken, he searches for help in a strange and desolate town that offers very little in the form of human kindness.
- DirectorGaspar NoéStarsPhilippe NahonBlandine LenoirFrankie PainAfter a dreadful incident coupled with an ungovernable paroxysm of violence, a butcher will fall into a downward spiral that will burn to the ground whatever dignity still remained in him.
- DirectorGeorges MélièsStarsGeorges MélièsJehanne d'AlcyBleuette BernonA young woman becomes the eighth wife of the wealthy Bluebeard, whose first seven wives have died under mysterious circumstances.
- DirectorNorman McLarenStarsMargaret MercierVincent WarrenTwo ballet dancers perform a dance enhanced with surreal multi and after-image effect visuals.
- DirectorGuy MaddinStarsLeslie BaisCaelum VatnsdalShaun BalbarA scientist chooses a wealthy man over her two lovers but must heal the earth's core to save humanity.
- DirectorSuzan PittAn animated, surreal, visually stunning as well as rather uniquely imaginative candy-colored nightmare from indie artist Suzan Pitt.
- DirectorKonstantin BronzitAn Indian deity is disturbed by a mere fly.
- DirectorGeorges MélièsStarsGeorges MélièsVictor AndréBleuette BernonA group of astronomers go on an expedition to the Moon.
- DirectorRichard GaleStarsPaul ClemensBrian RohanMelissa PaladinoThe epic story of one man's encounter with what could be the most relentless murderer of all time.
- DirectorJacques DrouinAn artist creates a painting of the landscape he sees, then finds he can literally climb into the picture to see the fantastic world inside.
- DirectorMalcolm le Gricemanipulations of stock footage featuring a horse.
- DirectorChris MarkerStarsÉtienne BeckerJean NégroniHélène ChatelainThe story of a man forced to explore his memories in the wake of World War III's devastation, told through still images.
- DirectorArthur LipsettSnippets from discarded footage, and with footage shot on the streets of Montreal and New York City, combined to a collage with the underlying argument as to whether man is a complex machine or a creature with a soul.
- DirectorShirley ClarkeEssential, integral experimental work from the late 1950s is an incredible dance of montage and super-imposition starring none other than New York City's various bridges, transforming them into an urban jungle (jazz version) or an alien landscape (electro-acoustic version)
- DirectorLynne RamsayStarsAnne McLeanJames RamsayLynne Ramsay Jr.Captures three occurrences in a young girl's life that leave her with a heavy heart.
- DirectorShûji TerayamaStarsKeiko NiitakaYoko RanSueshi SasadaTwo men carry a portal door which leads to different realms.
- DirectorJordan BelsonAn experimental film which presents a variety of images of the light and color of galaxies, suns, and seas as experienced by individual awareness.
- DirectorHal HartleyStarsGeorge FeasterHannah SullivanRick GroelA day in the life of a young artist who longs for professional success and the attention of beautiful women, but who encounters only frustration and violence.
- DirectorDony PermediStarsPierre CoffinThe story of a Kiwi who spends his whole life working towards achieving his dream.
- DirectorAbbas KiarostamiStarsYoosef MoghaddamAli AsgariTeymourA deaf old man wearing a hearing aid is walking in the streets of Rasht. When the surroundings get too noisy, he turns off his sound. Unfortunately, when he returns home, he can't hear his granddaughter ringing the doorbell.
- DirectorRamin BahraniStarsWerner HerzogBarbara WeetmanA plastic bag, thrown out in the trash, attempts to find his way back to his owner and along the way discovers the world.
- DirectorLawrence Gordon ClarkStarsEdward PetherbridgePreston LockwoodBarbara EwingMan of leisure Sir Richard (Edward Petherbridge) receives notification that his Uncle has died, bequeathing him his stately country manor and all its lands. On his return to England he immediately sets about taking stock of all legal matters concerning his new property, but during these dealings Sir Richard seems to be more than a little distracted, he hears strange noises from the ash tree outside his bedroom window.
- DirectorJean VigoStarsJean DastéRobert le FlonLouis LefebvreIn a repressive boarding school with rigid rules of behavior, four boys decide to rebel against the direction on a celebration day.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogJörg Schmidt-ReitweinEdward LachmanHerzog takes a film crew to the island of Guadeloupe when he hears that the volcano on the island is going to erupt. Everyone has left, except for one old man who refuses to leave. Herzog catches the eeriness of an abandoned city, with stop lights cycling over an empty intersection.
- DirectorStan BrakhageA lateral descent through the midnight blues and blacks of ice and the refracted colors from absorbed oils.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsPeter BernuthIn the process of shaving, a young man cuts himself. A lot.
- DirectorGuy MaddinStarsJim KellerBrandy BayesCaelum VatnsdalA father and son ride the rails in their powerful locomotive. Witnessing a crash between two other engines, they rescue the lone survivor, Berenice, and make her a part of their family. All is well until the father and son become rivals for the girl's affections and perform a series of dare-devil feats to win her heart. She runs off with a zeppelin pilot, and, after Keller mounts a brief kidnapping attempt, the despondent men are left to their bizarre fates.
- DirectorTawfik Abu WaelThe painfully brutal tale of the sexual awakening of a young Palestinian man as influenced by the his libido and the violence around him. His encounter with an elderly Jewish man in Tel Aviv stirs memories and bring these feelings to a head.
- DirectorLewis Klahr
- DirectorShirin Neshat
- DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsAbel JacquinAlexandre O'NeillA surrealist film, a pseudo-documentary portrait of Las Hurdes, a remote region of Spain where civilisation has barely developed, showing how the local peasants try to survive without even the most basic utilities and skills.
- DirectorLen LyeWith the screen split asymmetrically, one part in positive, the other negative, the film documents the evolution of simple celled organic forms into chains of cells then more complex images from tribal cultures and contemporary modernist concepts. The images react, interpenetrate, perhaps attack, absorb and separate, until a final symbiosis (or redemption?) is achieved.
- DirectorHong Sang-sooStarsJung Yu-miOn impulse, a young woman drives from Seoul to see her best friend, but also meets up with her older professor, and then a former lover. Drinks ensue, and surprises are revealed for all four characters. Hong packs a lot into a 31 minute film.
- DirectorWalerian BorowczykA bizarre, semi-abstract animated film, based around the theme of angels being processed by a nightmarish factory. It has been interpreted as an allegory of the concentration camp experience and as a portrait of the industrialisation and collectivisation of the Soviet period.
- DirectorMaya DerenAlexander HammidStarsMaya DerenAlexander HammidA woman returning home falls asleep and has vivid dreams that may or may not be happening in reality. Through repetitive images and complete mismatching of the objective view of time and space, her dark inner desires play out on-screen.
- DirectorRobert EnricoStarsRoger JacquetAnne CornalyAnker-Spang LarsenIn 1862, during the American Civil War, a Southern civilian is about to be hanged for attempting to sabotage a railway bridge. When the execution takes place from the bridge, the rope breaks and he begins his escape toward home.
- DirectorDon HertzfeldtStarsRobert MayJennifer NyholmDon HertzfeldtA hilarious collection of animated television commercials that were rejected because of their creator's failing grip on sanity.
- DirectorGeorge Albert SmithStarsLaura BayleyGeorge Albert SmithA humorous subject intended to be run as a part of a railroad scene during the period in which the train is passing through a tunnel.
- DirectorDave FleischerTed SearsStarsBilly MurrayBimbo is seen late at night, trying to steal a chicken. He runs away from a policeman and enters a haunted cemetery. Various ghosts and monsters tell him that he will be punished for his sin.
- DirectorKamran ShirdelA documentary which explores what did or did not happen on a rainy night a young boy allegedly saved a train from crashing.
- DirectorJan SvankmajerStarsJan ZácekA horrifying, surrealist version of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum" directed by the masterful animator Jan Svankmajer.
- DirectorTakashi ItôStarsBin ShimadaHaunting light and haunted spaces, otherworldly movement and abstracted time. A ghost visits an apartment complex.
- DirectorJean GenetStarsBravoJean GenetJavaTwo prisoners in complete isolation, separated by the thick brick walls, and desperately in need of human contact, devise a most unusual kind of communication.
- DirectorRobert MorganStarsLivy ArmstrongDaniel Hogwood-KaneVictoria HayesThe dark, surreal story of a cat who wants to be human.
- DirectorJirí BartaUsing an array of gloves in different styles and from different historical periods, the film is a short history of the cinema - from silent movies via pastiches of Buñuel and Fellini and Close Encounters of the Third Kind to a futurist junkyard where tin cans become animated police cars in a city of urban decay.
- DirectorDimitri KirsanoffStarsNadia SibirskaïaYolande BeaulieuGuy BelmontA couple is brutally murdered in the working-class district of Paris. Later on, the narrative follows the lives of their two daughters, both in love with a Parisian thug and leading them to separate ways.
- DirectorRalph SteinerA study on water, the reflections and motions of the liquid that accentuates its ethereality and metallic beauty.
- DirectorIsamu HirabayashiStarsKeisuke HoribeA man carries out his "last rites" as he becomes one with nature
- DirectorVirgil WidrichStarsJohannes SilberschneiderElisabeth Ebner-HaidUnknowingly, a copy shop employee sets off a bizarre series of events with utterly unforeseen consequences.
- DirectorJan SvankmajerA human body gradually reconstructs itself as its various component parts crowd themselves into a small room and eventually, after much experimentation, sort out which part goes where.
- DirectorKenneth AngerStarsClaude RevenantAndré SoubeyranNadine ValencePierrot waxes romantic, entranced by the moon. Harlequin appears and bullies him, then uses a magic lantern to project an image of Columbine. Pierrot tries to court the illusory Columbine unsuccessfully, then enters a mystical moon-realm from which he returns dead.
- DirectorClio BarnardStarsSam GreyDermot KeaneyRebecca PalmerIn a remote village in the country, Polly, her dad and her brother and sister live together without their mother, who has been gone for almost ten years. Polly struggles to get out of the shadow of her mother, a problem made worse by her father clinging to his wife's memory and possessions.
- DirectorMan RayStarsKiki of MontparnasseJacques RigautA long series of unrelated images, revolving, often distorted: lights, flowers, nails. A lightboard appears from time to time carrying the news of the day. Then, an eye. A woman in a car drives along country roads. Farm animals. She descends from the car, again and again. Images: dancing legs, seashore, swimming fish, geometric shapes, cut glass. A man removes his starched collar. It rotates. A girl has garishly painted eyes. No, she's only fooling. Those were her eyelids.
- DirectorCharles EamesRay EamesStarsPhilip MorrisonBeginning with a shot of a couple enjoying a picnic, then zooming out incrementally by powers of ten, the film offers a glimpse of everything from the edge of the known universe to the molecules on a person's hand.
- DirectorDore O.
- DirectorIstván GaálThe first signs of autumn are seen in a landscape along a river. Some villagers are stacking a bed of stone blocks on the river-bank to avoid more eroding. Others are occupied by plowing, fishing or repairing. A small steamboat passes by. In the engine room a stoker is shoveling coal into the oven. Further down the river a small town is passed by the water. A rowing-team is training for coming races. Some biologists are looking at microbes from the water through a microscope. A group of workers are painting a new barge and push it into the river. When a small boy sees a racing boat, he leaves his sand-castle and runs along the river.
- DirectorArtavazd PeleshianStarsFelix DzerzhinskyVladimir LeninSergo OrdzhonikidzePhilosophical essay about the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia, its influence on the destiny of the world in the 20th century.
- DirectorRudolph CartierStarsDonald PleasenceNigel DavenportSarah BrackettThe News-Benders.
- DirectorKen KnowltonLillian SchwartzPixillation features computer generated abstract animations set to Moog-synthesized sound.
- DirectorKenneth AngerStarsKenneth AngerGordon GrayBill SeltzerA dissatisfied dreamer awakes, goes out in the night seeking a 'light' and is drawn through the needle's eye. A dream of a dream, he returns to bed less empty than before.
- DirectorEdouard SalierThe Empire unveils everything but sees nothing. Its enemies idealize everything but tolerate nothing. For some the earthly orgasm of virtual whores. For others the eternal orgasm of seventy virgins. What if it all came down to flesh?