Favorite Short Films
Ranging from classics to pet pleasures, these remain my prime choices of the short film medium.
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- DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsPierre BatcheffSimone MareuilLuis BuñuelLuis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí present 16 minutes of bizarre, surreal imagery.
- DirectorChuck JonesStarsMel BlancThe short-tempered Daffy Duck must improvise madly as the backgrounds, his costumes, the soundtrack, even his physical form, shifts and changes at the whim of the animator.
- 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.
- DirectorErnest PintoffStarsMel BrooksMel Brooks is an old man watching abstract animations. He doesn't understand them, so he heckles with strange commentary, to the annoyance of those around him.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsPeter BernuthIn the process of shaving, a young man cuts himself. A lot.
- DirectorTerry GilliamA bizarre comedy short by Terry Gilliam telling various absurdly comic stories.
- DirectorLes BlankA short film made for the world's second-largest poultry produce to promote the modern assembly-line approach to mass-manufacturing food. Music recorded by Les Blank of a local group playing all the chicken songs they knew.
- DirectorLenny BruceJohn MagnusonStarsLenny BruceTells how the Lone Ranger hooks up with Tonto. With Lenny Bruce doing all the voices, this animation of a Bruce routine begins with local folks upset at the Lone Ranger because he won't stay around to be thanked after a good deed. So, he stays and finds he likes hearing "Thank you mask man." When their attention starts to shift elsewhere, he shocks and disgusts the townspeople with a final request.
- DirectorCaroline MourisFrank MourisStarsFrank MourisOne soundtrack features the animator narrating an autobiography; the other features him reading a list of words beginning with the letter 'F'. The images on screen tie these two soundtracks together.
- DirectorEunice MacaulayJohn WeldonStarsSandy SandersonJean MarchandA hapless husband neglects to clear the icy walk, which leads to the mailman slipping and breaking his neck. A comedy of errors results from his attempts to hide the body.
- DirectorJohn LambStarsTom WaitsDonna GordonWaits sings on the streets.
- DirectorLes BlankStarsWerner HerzogTom LuddyMichael GoodwinA short documentary in which directors Werner Herzog and Errol Morris make a bet which results in Herzog being forced to eat his own shoe.
- DirectorJohn PaizsStarsJohn PaizsDean DackoRobert WaksdaleNick has a hard time fitting in with his suburban life and conforming to the macho stereotypes expected of him, unlike his rival, Corny Blower.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsFrank BirneyDavid WordenKen ShapiroGus Van Sant's early short film about "The Discipline of D.E.," which is an extremely efficient way of doing things.
- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsSydney ArnoldGuy BertrandAndrew BicknellA group of down-and-out accountants mutiny against their bosses and sail their office building onto the high seas in search of a pirate's life.
- DirectorBryan GordonStarsJohn AchornTim ChoateJoe D'AngerioIn this short film, our unemployed hero finds that getting that great job depends a lot on whom you choose to dance with at Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall.
- DirectorBill PlymptonStarsMaureen McElheronA man's head transforms and contorts bizarrely as he sings "Your Face," an original song.
- DirectorDean ParisotStarsSteven WrightRowan AtkinsonLaurie MetcalfDennis Jennings is an introverted daydreamer, sleepwalking through life. He is a professional waiter and has an equally-dull girlfriend, Emma. In an attempt to release his pent-up feelings of isolation, he begins seeing a psychiatrist, only to discover that the doctor is somewhat less than interested in what he has to say. After finding his doctor sharing his intimate secrets with a group of fellow psychiatrists at a bar, he then learns the doctor has a another more unprofessional involvement in his life.
- DirectorMike LeighStarsAlison SteadmanSylvestra Le TouzelDavid ThewlisA short comedy by Mike Leigh about the romance between a young woman and a man who communicates only through jokes and humor. The story is told as a series of very short vignettes between her and the man and her and her doting mother, a hairdresser.
- DirectorNick ParkStarsJulie SedgewickA humourous and thought provoking view of what animals in zoos might be thinking about their captivity and surroundings.
- DirectorJean-Pierre JeunetStarsDominique PinonChick OrtegaMarie-Laure DougnacA 9 minute comedy starring Dominique Pinon (Delicatessen). Featuring muted colors with a sepia black and white, Pinon takes the viewer through various examples of what he "likes and dislikes". The music is by Carlos D'Alessio and Special Thanks is given to Claudie Ossard.
- DirectorBill PlymptonStarsChris HoffmanAs a brave couple demonstrates, the narrator uses quotes, examples and advice to help us all reach the highest heights in the art of kissing.
- DirectorAlison MacleanStarsTheresa HealeyPeter TaitAnnagretta ChristianA woman finds something quaint in her kitchen sink and feels strangely captivated towards it.
- DirectorAdam DavidsonStarsScotty BlochClebert FordBernard JohnsonA woman misses her train and buys lunch in a café. When she returns to her table, a man is eating her salad.
- DirectorDavid AndersonStarsRussell HobanBy turns comic and scary, the film documents activities in a floating globe filled with doors, keys, and a bickering couple whose actions appear to lead to what Hoban's narrator calls "the end of snivvelyzashuns" (civilisation).
- DirectorJorge FurtadoStarsPaulo JoséCiça ReckziegelDouglas TraininiThe ironic, heartbreaking and acid "saga" of a spoiled tomato: from the plantation of a "Nisei" (Brazilian with Japanese origins); to a supermarket; to a consumer's kitchen to become sauce of a pork meat; to the garbage can since it is spoiled for the consumption; to a garbage truck to be dumped in a garbage dump in "Ilha das Flores"; to the selection of nutriment for pigs by the employees of a pigs breeder; to become food for poor Brazilian people.
- DirectorPeter CattaneoStarsFiona VictoryTerence WiltonRemy BeardRosie becomes a best-selling author after the publication of her diet tips, but the success comes at a price.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsWilliam S. BurroughsAn indictment ballad of all the different political groups in America.
- DirectorKim ThompsonStarsKim ThompsonA bored goth girl briefly animates and narrates 8 operas (with no music), catalogs the scandalous actions, and counts the deaths (36). The operas included are La Traviata, Carmen, Don Giovanni, Aida, Tosca, Tristan and Isolde, Madame Butterfly, and The Ring of the Nielbelung.
- DirectorJoan C. GratzStarsJean G. PoulotTwo-dimensional clay animations melding and merging the work of 35 famous artists.
- DirectorNick ParkStarsPeter SallisPeter HawkinsGromit butts heads with a mysterious penguin lodger, who hatches a sinister scheme involving the ex-NASA Techno Trousers that have been modified by Wallace for walkies.
- DirectorPhilip HuntStarsWilliam S. BurroughsA disturbingly organic-looking figure speaks to us of life, politics and death as the symbol of the common man toils away.
- DirectorAnton CorbijnStarsDon Van VlietSue VlietDavid LynchDon van Vliet, alias "Captain Beefheart", is one of the most influential, misunderstood, talked about, admired, copied, treasured, loved and quoted musicians and yet he is still an obscure and mysterious artist.
- DirectorBill PlymptonA man plucks a hair from his nostril. The hair wants back in.
- DirectorGeorge HickenlooperStarsBilly Bob ThorntonMolly RingwaldJ.T. WalshTwenty-five years after commiting a double murder, Karl Childers is going to be released from an institution for the criminally insane. A local reporter comes to talk to him, and after some fussing about her gender, the institution's director lets her talk to Karl (after all, he'll have to talk to women after his release). Karl talks about his life leading up to the crime, and the reporter listens in horror.
- DirectorDavid StotenTim WattsStarsFrank GorshinIn a witty homage to Kirk Douglas's films, all three characters ARE Kirk Douglas at various stages of his career. The short action takes place in a news room. A young reporter looking for his big chance pleads with his editor to give him a breaking story.
- DirectorGodfrey ReggioStarsAngelica PreziosiA haunting look at children watching television.
- DirectorPeter CapaldiStarsRichard E. GrantCrispin LettsKen StottWhile trying to decide what Gregor Samsa wakes up as, Kafka's constantly being interrupted by knife-selling strangers, party noise, girls, fancy dress costumes, and other strange, dreamlike visions.
- DirectorVin DieselStarsVin DieselLewis SteidlCara GaffenA short film about the problems that accompany an actor as he auditions, due to his multi-ethnic appearance.
- DirectorGriffin DunneStarsKate CapshawChris ChavkinElliott GouldMother takes her teenage son to a party to make sure he will not be at home when father leaves the family for good.
- DirectorErin CramerStarsJames BulleitDavid RakoffBecky Ann BakerFive intertwined interviews for an administrative assistant position go very badly for both sides.
- DirectorKris IsacssonStarsMatt GunnLukas HasselAli DurlinAfter a terrible alcohol fueled night, a young New Yorker gives up drinking.
- DirectorDavid KaplanStarsChristina RicciTimour BourtasenkovEvelyn SolannA black comedy version of the classic tale.
- DirectorVincent BalStarsVeerle van OverloopFrank FocketynGene BervoetsMylene and Werner are going to make their flat up for Christmas. Then Sam comes with a bottle of Veuve Cliqot. Sam tells Werner that he knows Werner has stolen money at work. Werner murders Sam. Soon afterwards, Sam is alive again and it looks as if somebody else would have to die. Who's fooling who?
- DirectorChris LandrethStarsDavid KodeskiPhil RidarelliDiana SlickmanA wildly surrealistic computer-generated animation in which a young man is psychologically brutalized by circus characters into believing he is a clown.
- DirectorBruce McDonaldDon McKellarMichael OndaatjeStarsDon McKellarTracy WrightMichael TurnerElimination dances are illegal, because they cause uprisings of the people and governments just do not like that. The announcer reads, from cards, various embarrassing incidents and all those dancers who have experienced the incident must leave the floor, along with their partners. Disbelief must be suspended here because to leave the floor is to reveal, publicly, one's secrets. The reactions of those who leave the floor tell the story.
- DirectorDon ScardinoStarsJoe GrifasiLarry PineTwo businessmen try to negotiate a deal.
- DirectorPaul ArdenStarsAnnie Lees-JonesHerminio MoleroArnold PearceA normal life is out of our hero's grasp in this surreal parable on what it is to be different.
- DirectorDavid AgostoStarsGwendolyn WhitesidePat HealySean O'DonnellWhen Dwayne and Debbie aren't busy cruising around the Midwest selling bogus phone cards, they spend their time counting their cash and playing a game called Worst Case Scenario. In this game, the young lovers take turns dreaming up a series of increasingly difficult life-or-death situations, from which the other must try to devise an escape. Eventually, their phone-card scam catches up with them, as they find themselves trapped in a real life "worst-case scenario" from which there seems to be no escape.
- DirectorLuis CámaraStarsGabrielle GalanterIan AbercrombieBobby GaylorAn ordinary chess game between a man and a woman turns into a battle of the sexes.
- DirectorJohn Lloyd MillerStarsMark CollieJoe GattonDennis MartinThis short film captures a moment in time from the early career of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Johnny Cash. Memories are recalled through a drug induced haze as Johnny pops pill after pill. The Reporter interviews Johnny as Johnny alternately becomes angry, friendly, distant, reflective and abusive. Johnny ultimately communicates with his long dead older brother and finally finds some peace.
- DirectorGeoffrey CawthornStarsAndrew LaingTony BarryLouise Watt
- DirectorDaniel LoflinStarsKarl MooreKurt D. ChristensonKris IngersolBored with his extensive collection of tattoos and piercings we follow Jerome on his trek across Dallas for the next form of body modification as he seeks meaning, identity and acceptance from this harsh world in the form of a new scar.
- DirectorTricia NolanStarsRobert T. BogueGuy BlumbergRobert GoddardAfter accidentally killing a woman's dog, Rusty, the good samaritan from hell, tries too hard to make things right.
- DirectorGuy MaddinStarsLeslie BaisCaelum VatnsdalShaun BalbarA scientist chooses a wealthy man over her two lovers but must heal the earth's core to save humanity.
- DirectorSteve SullivanStarsAndrew SchofieldPaul Dean TaylorKathryn DimeryCan the residents of a small housing estate survive the arrival of an unorthodox parade of men?
- DirectorTom SchroederAnimation about a guy riding his bike 50 miles to see his girlfriend, getting dumped, and riding home.
- DirectorDavid Von AnckenStarsTom NoonanDean WintersCecelia AntoinetteOutspokenly critical writing teacher allows his criticism to extend to his everyday life and soon learns why that is not a good idea. While the titular "Bullet in the Brain" does its work, we learn by example a bit about the art of writing.
- DirectorVirgil WidrichStarsJohannes SilberschneiderElisabeth Ebner-HaidUnknowingly, a copy shop employee sets off a bizarre series of events with utterly unforeseen consequences.
- DirectorOla SimonssonJohannes Stjärne NilssonStarsJohannes BjörkMagnus BörjesonMarcus HaraldsonA gang in a Volvo have staked out a flat; when its occupants leave to walk their dog, the six break into the place. One keeps his eyes on a stopwatch: they have only ten minutes before the couple returns. Instead of stealing things, the gang goes from room to room making fascinating percussive music with found objects: first in the kitchen, then the bedroom, the bathroom, and the salon. Cabinet doors, pot lids, light switches, a pill dispenser, a lamp, books, and a vacuum cleaner hose all add to the suite in four movements. The drummers keep the first three rooms tidy, but what will the flat's occupants make of the hurricane that hits the living room?
- DirectorRay McKinnonStarsRay McKinnonWalton GogginsEddie KingThe O'Dell farm is on the rocks. A non-traditional accountant comes with a variety of ways to save the farm.
- DirectorDick JarmanStarsBarry Otto
- DirectorChris ShepherdStarsIan HartChris FreeneyDallas MessiasOur narrator looks fondly back at his childhood in Liverpool and the antics of his best friend Johnno. Well known for being a showman and a keen one for joking and the like, Johnno starts to change for the worse after he announced that his father has died.
- DirectorDirk BeliënStarsTom Van DyckEllen Van CutsemAza DeclercqOn a cold winter evening a young manager gets stuck in traffic on his way home from work. He takes his brand new mobile to call his wife, not knowing that by doing so he is about to cause irreparable damage.
- DirectorSteve PasvolskyStarsAnele VellomLizo C. MakambiDanny KeoghUsing a Xhosa boy as a pawn, a farmer teaches his puppy to be white man's best friend. Ten years later, both their lives hang in the balance at the mercy of the dog.
- DirectorLes 12 PoissonsJean-Sébastien BaillatStarsJean-Louis RouxAnne-Marie CadieuxDenis Lavalou-Miss Laïka, trumpet player on record, is preparing for the concert of her life on Eddy D. Dexter's boat.
- DirectorOury AtlanBreakbotDamien FerriéThe story of a troupe of small Kermit-like puppets who find their creator lying on his bench and have to eventually come to understand his death. To begin with, the puppets refuse to accept the death of their puppet-master.
- DirectorJ. JolyStarsJeremy ElzingaMartha ChristiansonDayna Guy
- DirectorEd Gass-DonnellyStarsBarnita Domenico-RunningsSophie TraubIn 1970s South Africa, 10-year-old Lucy's black nanny is killed during a peaceful protest march. The insidious nature of racism is put on full display as the child attempts to convince the nanny's spirit that apartheid is good for her people.
- DirectorJamie TravisStarsPatti WotherspoonColton BoreenKatherine EatonThree seven year-olds endure the culinary abuses of their mother. When Mother's aversion to brown eggs gets out of hand, young Chester, Eliza and Godfrey take a stand.
- DirectorChris LandrethStarsRyan LarkinChris LandrethFelicity FanjoyThe movie talks about the life of Ryan Larkin, a gifted Canadian animator of the late '60s and the early '70s.
- DirectorMartin McDonaghStarsBrendan GleesonRúaidhrí ConroyDavid WilmotA black and bloody Irish comedy about a sad train journey where an older man, whose wife has died that morning, encounters a strange and possibly psychotic young oddball....
- DirectorGabriel HardmanStarsSandeep BhojakSara GibbonsChet GrissomMatt and James try to smuggle a box of endangered tarantulas across the border into the United States but an encounter with the border patrol and an accident on a winding desert road turn their lives the wrong way up.
- DirectorMiguel ArtetaStarsJohn C. ReillyMiranda JulyMike WhiteA man with a clipboard asks passersby a survey question: "Are you the favorite person of anybody?" He has a scale, from "very certain" on down. His manner is open. He offers oranges to one respondent. He talks, one at a time, to three people. Their answers, however brief, are revealing.
- DirectorDavid RussoStarsDavid RussoIngrid IngersonDavid GehrmanIn glorious stop motion pixilation an artist (David Russo) applies for a grant to make the film that we are watching. It unfolds as he describes it. The grant committee is not impressed.
- DirectorKeith BeardenStarsJohn BaderWynn TingleyChase GoldsmithTwo geeky teenage boys follow the story of a superhero who doesn't really do much.
- DirectorRun WrakeA girl sees a rabbit running across a field. Thinking it would make an excellent muff, she pursues it with a knife. It escapes her, but her brother kills it. She slices it open, and out pops an animated idol that, when bothered by insects, turns them into feathers, bottles of ink, and jewels. Thinking of the riches of royalty, the boy and girl put the idol outside in a vat of plum jam and proceed to eviscerate various farm animals to draw hundreds of wasps and flies. The idol complies, and soon they've filled a bedroom with boxes of jewels. Off they go to town to trade the feathers and ink for more jam, but while they're gone, the idol is busy. Comeuppance may await.
- DirectorLisa ChangNewton Thomas SigelStarsSelma BlairElias KoteasRichard KindA bittersweet tale of Alice, her vagina and the infinite nature of the tundra.
- DirectorJohn CanemakerStarsEli WallachJohn TurturroMary BringleThe Moon and the Son, a 30-minute autobiographical animated film by John Canemaker, explores the difficult emotional terrain of father/son relationships as seen through Canemaker's own turbulent relationship with his father. Featuring the voices of noted actors Eli Wallach and John Turturro in the roles of father and son, The Moon and the Son combines memory, fact, conjecture, trial transcripts, audio recordings, home movies, photos, snapshots, and original animation to tell the story of an Italian immigrant's troubled life and the devastating consequences of his actions on his family.
- DirectorStephen O'ReganStarsTom NoonanBen BaileyGbenga AkinnagbeAfter years of investigation, an alien meets with his partner in a diner to discuss an unbelievably shocking discovery.
- DirectorLeah MeyerhoffStarsSarah Bradley-KingPeter CorrieEmma Adele GalvinTwitch portrays a young girl's conflicted relationship with her disabled mother and her irrational fear that the disability is contagious. Slamdance Grand Jury Prize winner and Student Academy Awards finalist.
- DirectorBen TelfordStarsM.C. GaineyAlexandra GizelaBilly BriggsDorothy Willard, East Asian-American offspring of the Viet Nam War, takes a dream mission to "terminate" a renegade U.S. Army colonel - code-named 'The Wizard'.
- DirectorDon HertzfeldtStarsDon HertzfeldtA series of dark and troubling events forces Bill to reckon with the meaning of his life - or lack thereof.
- DirectorJonas OdellStarsMichael BrolinHanna EklöfRebecca HaridiFour people get to tell the story of their "first time", an animated film based on documentary interviews. Contemporary stories and some even from the 1920's range from comedy to tragedy and are remembered with nostalgia, embarrassment or even horror.
- DirectorBob OdenkirkStarsSimon HelbergDerek WatersAnge BillmanIs the best place for a first date really the Holocaust Museum?
- DirectorLars HenningStarsPeter KurthSuzana RozkosnyBecker works as a security guard in a supermarket. He catches Marina, a young Polish woman, shoplifting. Instead of calling the police Becker lets the woman escape through the back door. But Marina takes advantage and few days later she is back at the supermarket, stealing. Becker's once easy-going life goes into a tailspin. A short by Lars Henning, produced by Veit Helmer.
- DirectorJosh RaskinStarsJerry LevitanJohn LennonThe animated illustration of a 14-year-old's interview with John Lennon in 1969.
- DirectorNash EdgertonStarsNash EdgertonMirrah FoulkesChum EhelepolaA young man tries to make things right again in his relationship after he and his girlfriend get in a fight.
- DirectorTrevor CawoodStarsRob CarpenterTrent OpalochStephanie McKenzieAfter inadvertently offending a strange entity that accosts him on his way to work, a 1970s businessman quickly finds himself in the midst if a bizarre predicament. What follows is a rapid descent into madness, a journey both eerie and darkly humorous. The exact nature of the businessman's tormentor is purposefully ambiguous, lending itself to a variety of interpretations. Is "Terminus" a surreal critique of human alienation in the modern urban environment? or is the protagonist's struggle an internal one, his mysterious stalker a manifestation of his repressed subconscious mind? Either way, "Terminus"'s innovative visual effects and distinctively vintage atmosphere make it a highly engrossing experience.
- DirectorMichael FrostStarsStacie AbramChristy BallSuzete BelouinThree short stories of very black comedy, about family, the media and children's beauty pageants.
- DirectorChris NelsonStarsAmanda AlchOwen BeckmanJordan CapraCara is auditioning for a network television role. She's definitely not as experienced or as beautiful as the other actors she's up against, yet all that changes when she takes matters into her own hands.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsSimone ChevalotLuc-Martial DagenaisKenneth FernandezDuring an opulent banquet, eleven pampered guests participate in what appears to be a ritualistic gastronomic carnage. In this grotesque universe, an unexpected sequence of events destabilizes the endless symphony of abundance.
- DirectorJustin NowellStarsJoe UrlaMallory JuneEugene BarnesAn acting class. First up: the orgasm scene from "When Harry Met Sally."
- DirectorSean DunneStarsPaul MawhinneyA brief look at the world's largest vinyl record collection and the current state of the American record industry.
- DirectorKara BlakeStarsJon BrooksDelia DerbyshireDick MillsA Genie Award winning documentary about electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire, primarily remembered for the original realization of Ron Grainer's theme for Doctor Who and her work with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
- DirectorJoseph PierceStarsSarah McVicarRobert BathurstDanica MooreA family portrait goes horribly wrong as jealousy and suspicion bubble to the surface under the photographer's relentless gaze. As the session reaches a disturbing conclusion, it's clear that this truly will be a day to remember.
- DirectorDoug KarrStarsDavid AlpayDavid HubandCatherine BlackDavid Karr, husband, father, White House press reporter, film producer, powerful millionaire, defense contractor, Corporate CEO, renaissance businessman. . . Soviet agent? A fast paced, introspective look at the enigmatic life of a most influential ancestor. Taking a clear-eyed, comedic look at the life of this complex character and the events surrounding his untimely demise, the film reaches to understand the forces that push an individual to immerse himself in a nefarious web of danger and infamy.
- DirectorRob ConnollyStarsLinda BarberMariann V. CarothersNaomi ConnollyBob Underwood's mundane life manufacturing plastic lawn-ornament deer is disrupted by an enchanting Georgian (the country) refugee whom Bob decides to rescue--whether she needs it or not.
- DirectorDavid O'ReillyStarsJulian BarrattPearl BrilmyerAdam BuxtonIn a funny looking yet very bleak world, a boy learns to play piano while a cat and various other animal characters encounter all sorts of drugs, sex, violence and profanity, with numerous references to pop culture phenomena.
- DirectorAndrew S. AllenStarsKevin CoxRichard DusatkoMichael FalconeProfessor White, cryptographer extraordinaire, is on the trail of the notoriously uncrackable Thomas Beale cipher, a century-old riddle hiding the location of a fortune in gold. But White is not alone-shadowy forces are tight on his tail.