Awesome Short Films

Tony Rettenmaier’s SpaceX tribute is too blunt for our taste. But to judge it purely for its merit as a work of fiction would be missing the point, because it’s really a visualization of a fantastic promise that, even more fantastically, appears to be within reach.

The cinematic trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic‘s latest expansion is about Vaylin, sister of Arcann and Thexan. As a child, she was so strong with the Force that the Emperor sent her away to be trained, a decision that her mother will forever regret not opposing.

Character designer and animator Patrick Schoenmaker spent a good part of his free time over the last five years to bring us his handmade trailer for the Indiana Jones cartoon we wish were actually a series. We’d tune in every Saturday morning to watch this one.

Danny Lacey’s short film follows a seemingly ordinary man who found notoriety after claiming he was abducted by aliens as a boy. In the end, there are more questions than answers, but we still appreciated Lacey’s style and storytelling approach.

“The armor. I just wanted to wear the armor.” Moments before taking part in the Battle of Jakku, three stormtroopers try to shake off their nervousness by telling each other what made them join the Imperial Army. A heartbreaking short by Benjamin Eck.

What men must know, a boy must learn. A young warrior remembers his training as he comes face to face with a mythical beast. RedGate Films’ adaptation of Penny Arcade’s eponymous miniseries doesn’t do its source material justice, but it’s still fun to watch.

(Gore) Colin loves to give teddy bears to his girlfriends. But when he inevitably breaks up with them, the stuffed toys are left to deal with the aftermath. Now they want payback. Comedy, horror, action and drama – this fun short film has it all.

(PG-13) An adolescent boy who just moved to a boarding school is trying to conceal his gynecomastia, which gives him enlarged breasts. But the school bully somehow found out about it. A solid coming-of-age short film by Alex Winckler.

Made by the NBA, Oculus and Missing Pieces for the Samsung Gear VR, Follow My Lead: The Story of the 2016 NBA Finals is a 25-minute virtual reality documentary that gives you an immersive look at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ road to their first title. More on Polygon.

(PG-13: Language) Anyone who’s ever had any exposure to multi-level marketing, pyramid schemes, or other sketchy businesses will get a kick out of Kevin Oeser’s dark comedy about a man who discovers he’s the only one in his hometown who hasn’t joined the corporate cult.

A group of friends head out to enjoy a night of fun in Remus & Kiki’s charming animated short. Despite the lack of dialogue, its characters and vignettes perfectly capture the mood of living in suburbia.

It’s been 20 years since all humans were killed in one final war. But the computers in military facilities and vehicles kept on fighting. Dima Fedotov’s CGI animated short is a post-apocalyptic look at nature’s endurance. Check out its prequel here.

The New York Times visits an employee parking lot near Los Angeles International Airport, which has become the primary residence for aviation workers who travel all the time (and probably can’t afford California real estate.)

Scott Portingale’s stunning short film is an abstract look at the evolution of matter and energy, created using a mix of time-lapse, high-speed, and stop-motion photography. Incredibly, the images were were made with fluids and handmade props, not CGI.

(PG-13) A worried mother goes on a surreal journey when her son disappears while they’re playing hide-and-seek. Graham Parkes’ cleverly shot short film is an ode to the thankless task of raising a child. Here’s to all good parents.

(PG-13) Profound, painful, pathetic. The cycle of an adult relationship distilled in five minutes. François Jaros’ quintessential male rom com will save you a dozen trips to the movie theater.

“Fury! What does he really know, and is “Fury” his real name?” Get a taste of Taika Waititi’s (What we Do in the Shadows) take on Thor in this short mockumentary, which shows what the god of thunder was doing while the rest of the Avengers were at each other’s throats.

Erasmus Brosdau and his friends have been working on this Warhammer 40k fan film for about 6 years, and the end is nearly in sight. This is the first 8 minutes of the short, introducing us to the cyber-gothic world and its main character, a young and cocky Inquisitor.

Krzysztof Kieślowski’s sublime collection of ten one hour-long short films has been remastered for its Blu-ray release. First released in 1989, Dekalog is Kieślowski’s philosophical take on the Ten Commandments. It will also have a limited 4K theatrical release.

(PG-13: Language) BriTANicK’s latest short film is about a socially awkward person who uses his time machine to ensure that every conversation he has goes perfectly well. If only he’d learn to shut up and nod.

(PG-13) A woman finds a device that lets her literally look into her heart. She confronts her insecurities about her body and her career and ends up being reborn. A beautiful short film by Seunghee Kim.

Overwatch‘s latest character profile is about Bastion. Manufactured by the artifically intelligent Omnics to fight humans, this unit was damaged and lay dormant for a decade. Will it follow its programming or realize that its directive is pointless? Twig OP, pls nerf.

Santiago Menghini’s short horror film defies conventions and cliches, and doesn’t have a single word of dialogue, but his effective use of composition, lighting, and sound will still end up scaring the bejeezus out of you by the end.