Short Films

(PG-13) Goody two shoes Ed is tired of being pushed around by the office bully, who got the promotion that Ed was more deserving to have. So when our hero sees an opportunity to strike back, he gleefully takes it. A classic loser story directed by Antonio Oreña-Barlin.

An old man takes his time sampling the food at a supermarket, earning the ire of staff and his fellow customers. We’ve met many Dandekars, but they’re not all insidious. Sometimes people are just being people. A wonderfully shot and acted short film by Leena Pendharkar.

(PG-13 Language) Ariel Martin’s short film tells the story of a busy mother who leaves her children under the supervision of a cyborg surrogate. A disturbing vision of our growing reliance on technology, and proof that good science fiction doesn’t need to rely on VFX.

Now we know why Darth Maul is in such a bad mood. He doesn’t have a mouse and a keyboard. Seriously though if you’re into the Star Wars prequels’ flashy blade dancing, you’ll love Shawn Bu’s fan film.

An IT worker ends his answer to a coworker’s innocent question with the popular “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” But he’s not joking. He really means it this time. A darkly comic short film by Max Sherman, starring Ben York Jones and Tim Baltz.

Two friends come upon a statue man in the middle of their hike. Curious about the performer’s choice of territory, they indulge him with a donation. Things escalate quickly in Boat Comedy’s allegory of the hellish realm known as the real world.

Before thrilling us with his sci-fi movies Timecrimes and Extraterrestrial, writer and director Nacho Vigalondo showed off his mastery at combining the mundane and the surreal in this short film that elevates what would otherwise be a cheesy rom com scene.

A woman discovers that their new place has an incredibly peculiar closet. Anything she puts in there gets doubled when she re-opens its door. Lotta Losten and her husband David Sandberg made this awesomely minimal and taut short film in their new home.

(PG-13: Language) A young and small-time actor intends to unwind in the forest, but his job and his peers dominate his time and thoughts. Arnab Chanda’s character fared better than we would in Craig Ainsley’s pragmatic take on Man vs. Wild.

Australian brothers Jonathan and Josh Baker (aka TWiN) combined parkour, VFX, and sound effects to enhance the action and mystery in their short film about a man who discovers a pair of glowing shoes that give him superhuman powers.

A pair of old ladies meet at a public swimming pool for their usual swim. Nearly every scene of Tomek Ducki’s award-winning short film was made with a different kind of animation, contrasting reality and fantasy while maintaining the story’s ambiguity.

(PG-13 Language) Conan staff writer Aaron Bleyaert shares a series of tips to help guys lose weight. The typical advice of diet, portion control, and exercise are there, along with one other thing that’s even harder. Stars SNL’s Beck Bennett and directed by Ben Berman.

We’ve seen the heroes of Half-Life and Portal work together. This time they go up against each other in a battle to see who gets cake. A silly short film by YouTuber AndrewMFilms.

“Maybe if I could just accept the linear way we travel through time I could accept the present for what it is.” A paranoid man learns to let go. Paul Trillo’s short film doesn’t have a convincing denouement, but it’s a great example of visual storytelling.

A woman is sucked into a brutal video game. She masters the levels to save her boyfriend, who got sucked in before her. Guy Collins’ action-packed short film is an homage to platformers… and a game in itself. Interested in playing? Learn more here.

The god of love appears to re-ignite the spark between a couple, but he who lies dead but dreaming has other plans in Giovanni Braggio’s funny and warped animated short. H’ppy Valntaghn to our fellow two-legged beasties.

Things escalate when a man catches a pair of thieves red-handed. Winner of Tropfest Australia 24, Spencer Susser and Daniel Campos’ comedy short film has a ho-hum story, but it makes up for it with a fun implementation of stop-motion.

Benjamin O’Donnell’s short film is like the flipside of The Walking Dead – following the lonely existence of one of the undead as he roams the Earth seeking companionship. Who knew zombies could write emails? A finalist for the Tropfest Australia Film Festival.

Mike “BrolyLegs” Begum was born with arthrogryposis, which makes his hands and feet practically unusable. But that didn’t stop him from being a pro Street Fighter gamer and trainer. He is currently the best Chun Li player in Ultra Street Fighter IV.

Writer/director/animator Justin Nixon and team’s dystopian stop-motion short tells the story of a family of robots whose tragedy and desire for resolution leads them to the discovery of the dark secret behind the blind devotion of their fellow citizens.

(PG-13 Language) A moving documentary about a prison hairdressing competition in Scotland, and its current champion Francis Duffy, who’s about to be released. The skills and recognition he’s acquired give him hope that his future is still in his hands.

A glimpse at the life of Qu Maomao, who works and lives at a factory in China. His friends, his girlfriend and kickboxing help him endure his mind-numbing daily routine. Häns’ brief documentary stretches itself a bit too thin, but is still a treat to watch. Mirror here.

An abridged look at the life of a proud doorman in Dublin, Ireland, from his first day at work to his last. Damien O’Connor’s animated short film is a sad tale about how we sometimes miss out on certain opportunities because we’re so focused on others.

A mother gives her son what would normally be a welcome gift: a puppy. But the seemingly heartless boy rejects the dog. Jacob Frey’s award-winning animated short film is an adaptation of Fabio Coala’s comic strip about rolling with the punches.

A robot designed to be a temporary office worker is ignored by his co-workers, save for the new HR manager. Neill Blomkamp’s 2006 short film effectively uses a robot as a metaphor for someone who thinks that he is above his peers yet still craves human contact.