Awesome Short Films

Visual Suspect took advantage of the warped look of a 360º camera lens, and combined it with additional distortion effects to create this beautifully twisted perspective on the world around us. The film was shot in Hong Kong in stunningly crisp 8K resolution.

What Jeremy Schaefer’s animated short lacks in depth, it makes up for with action and style. The premise is simple, yet sets up some entertaining scenarios. Basically, there’s a mercenary who surprises his targets by hiding and popping out of all sorts of boxes. If cats were assassins, this is how they’d do it.

(PG-13: Language) A loss prevention officer encounters a thief in his store, and finds himself faced with a moral dilemma after realizing he has a past with the shoplifter. Alexander Etseyatse’s powerful short film offers a more human look at crime and law enforcement than the way they’re typical portrayed in TV and movies.

A man is walking through a park when a tree starts talking to him. He assumes there’s some reason that the wise plant has chosen him, and expects it to reveal some greater meaning. We loved everything about Stefan Hunt’s silly and surreal short film.

If you’ve lived with anxiety, you can probably relate to this short film from director Helen Takken, in which a young woman experiences a severe panic that can only be described as the sensation of drowning. The visual metaphor is brilliantly executed, and reminds us to keep an eye on the people around us.

(PG-13) After years of abuse and humiliation from her horrible husband, a woman has has enough of his demands, and decides to do something about it. This short from Deformed Lunchbox has its share of gross-out moments, and is the perfect bite-sized horror film.

“He understands how you feel. Probably better than you do.” Director Alex Widdowson’s documentary short film uses animation to tell the story of his brother Jamie, a man with a profound learning disability. It delves into his appreciation for the little things in life, and how his family has adapted to their situation.

“You want Earth? You can just take it.” After a fisherman is abducted by aliens, he explains to his captors how screwed up our planet is and how it’s not really worth their effort. Kevin James‘ short film offers a comedic but occasionally profound look at humans can be simultaneously the worst and the best things ever.

Filmmaker Robert Findlay transports us to a dystopian underground world where a network of robots and vending machines work together to deliver products and services, and tells the tale of two men who attempt to abuse the system. The sound design by Andrew Findlay really helps to build dramatic tension.

An ordinary guy loses his train of thought during a marketing meeting, then slips into a deep funk as he struggles to remember his point. Kevin James‘ and the Kinnane Brothers‘ short film does a great job turning an everyday occurence into something far more dramatic than it should be.

(PG-13: Language) An awkward and socially-inept woman invites a girlfriend over for a sleepover, but we quickly discover their friendship isn’t real, and things take quite an unexpected turn. Carlyn Hudson’s dark comedy short film could easily be the premise for an episode of Black Mirror.

(Flashing Lights) A woman takes a walk through a contemporary art gallery, and when she comes across an ordinary fork on display, she imagines the creative potential of the eating utensil and other ordinary objects. Optical Arts’ wild short film is packed with surreal and dynamic CG imagery. Behind the scenes here.

(PG-13: Language) Future Garbage presents an excellent short film about a time traveler who visits the exact location and time at which time travel itself was discovered. But will his trip disrupt the fabric of the universe and create a paradox? Written, directed, produced by and starring David Matthew Olson.

Matt Colglazier and Charles Benevento’s CG animated short film Spark drops us into a factory where robots do all of the work. After one robot is “retired” by some bullying boss bots, one of its components lives on, and brings joy to the warehouse – at least for a little while.

When a young man decides to sell his dad’s old taxi cab, he finds himself awash in memories both good and bad of his late father. Manu Lopez’s animated short film definitely tugs at the heartstrings with its emotional story and expressive character design.

Animator and illustrator Vier Nev describes A Mind Sang as “a short film about perception, rebirth and transformation.” But it’s also a wonderful exploration of optical illusions and the phenomenon known as Pareidolia, or humans’ tendency to see faces and other body features in places where they aren’t.