Awesome Short Films

To promote its upcoming shooter RPG The Division, Ubisoft hired Corridor Digital, Devin Supertramp and RocketJump to create four short films about the agents of the game’s eponymous special forces.

“Every moment that he had ever seen, at the touch of a button could be played back on a screen.” The world becomes addicted to the perspective of a boy who had a camera for a face. Spencer Brown’s satirical fairy tale is this generation’s The Truman Show.

A secret agent is forced to make lethal lemonade out of lemons after she accidentally exchanges her bug out bag for some dude’s gym bag. She’s resourceful, strong and beautiful, but she doesn’t know how to run. The lesson here is that nobody’s perfect.

(PG-13) “Dude, think of all the potentialities!” Two men are going to test the limits of their friendship based on a cryptic clue that supposedly holds the key to mankind’s greatest secret. If only scams were this funny.

A factory worker has a happy, if plain life. But the daily grind gets to him, and one day, he snaps. Will he choose certain survival, or take a risk and find something new? Find out in Aaron Fisher’s modernist LEGO stop-motion film.

William Garratt’s humorous short film juxtaposes the look and behavior of audiences across different musical genres. And just when you think its novelty is wearing thin, William reminds you that you’re watching a cartoon.

(PG-13: Language) “So drunk power yeah, it’s a real thing.” A man’s alcoholism finally catches up to him. Adam Bowers’ dark comedy short fails to live up to its entrancing opening scenes, but it’s still worth a watch.

A poor policeman comes up with a bizarre plan to take advantage of a lonely old lady who feeds pigeons with good food. Even stranger is that his plan works. La vieille dame et les pigeons is Sylvain Chomet’s critically-acclaimed 1997 debut short film.

Muskoxen boast a resilience that’s been honed over millennia. But they are powerless against time and man. Wildlife cameraman Rolf Steinman traveled to the Arctic to shoot this powerful and heartbreaking film.

This neat short film from 1938 shows how voice actors and foley artists performed a radio show. The props and the “child actor” are interesting, but we’re most impressed by the fact that everyone’s all dressed up. And yes, the whole thing is actually a Chevy commercial.

Shows like The Deadliest Catch glorify the ridiculously long work days of fishermen, but the lack of rest can result in serious sleep disorders. Here, we meet Páll Pálsson, an Icelandic fisherman who now suffers from insomnia and apnea after 36 years at sea.

“It feels like an extension of yourself in a way. Like it’s your second skin.” In Pixillion’s short film, Cornwall-based boat builder Ben Harris talks about how he got into his profession and the unique feeling of riding a vehicle that you built.

(PG-13: Language) An up-and-coming stage actress starts dating one of her idols, an off-Broadway star. But her insecurity and desire for approval threaten to ruin their relationship. Jeremy Hersh’s critically-acclaimed short is sharp and efficient.

(PG-13: Language) Vice’s documentary on Phil Tippett, the stop-motion animator who helped create creatures for Star Wars, Jurassic Park and many other films. Today his studio mainly uses CGI, but his latest film, Mad God, is a stop-motion affair.

Videographer Robert McIntosh showcases the power of quadcopters and his After Effects video stabilization add-on ReelSteady in this beautiful one-shot tour of Venice Beach. Just a few years ago this short would have been impossible to make. Raw video here.

We’ve seen a short film that’s best watched on a smartphone screen. On the other hand, we imagine Jean-Charles Granjon’s meditative slow-motion film about a cliff diver would be awesome on a large monitor, turned on its side.

A documentary about James Cochran, whose job is to shut down a drive-thru holiday light show each night. He loves it. Like many adults, he doesn’t exactly hate Christmas, but there’s this resigned acknowledgment that there’s not much to be happy about.

Two neighbors engage in a war of Christmas lights. Jeroen Houben’s very short film will grab your attention and hold the smile on your face from star to finish, thanks to its superb production and editing.

Santa Claus tries to stay one step ahead of an apartment complex’s spooked but determined caretaker. This Pink Panther-esque 360º animated short film from Aardman is best viewed on a mobile device via the YouTube app, although Firefox or Chrome will do.

A triangle divides and combines itself into different shapes in time with a waltz. First released in 1966, Notes on a Triangle is one of four films about the basics of geometry by experimental filmmaker René Jodoin.

A schizophrenic comes up with a clever way to contain and eventually shut out her hallucination. But the painfully mundane cycle of adult life loosens her screws. But that’s not all. Nah, we’re just trying to laugh our tears off *closes fridge*.

An alien race treasures one of its planet’s minerals because of its faint glow. But one of them finds a strange object that outshines their precious rock. Maxim Zhestkov worked with artists from around the world for a year-and-a-half to create this short film.

(PG-13: Language) “I’m a let you in on some trade secret. Parenting? It’s 90% bullsh*t.” A jerk of a father and his daughter go out to have a serious talk on their own, but the old man lets too many cats out of the bag. Or perhaps not enough. A hilariously dark short by Joe Otting.