By Joshua Kazemi
Throughout the history of filmmaking, the short film has remained an accessible way for young auteurs to try their hand at production and make something they can finally share with audiences. A short runtime means it takes less time, money, and resources to make your movie. But by the same token, these films also have to be efficient. Filmmakers must tell their story quickly and convey an event or a character’s arc with little screen time. What makes them accessible, what makes them difficult to master, is also what makes them special and what has allowed the short films to stand the test of time.
These are seven short films that put the medium on the map and that every filmmaker should watch.
LE VOYAGE DANS LA LUNE (1902)
Directed by Georges Méliès
What could have been a simple story about a trip to the moon became a groundbreaking short film teeming with ingenuity and creativity. The silent film relies solely on visuals, yet it also showcases what was possible at the time. With the use of costumes, paintings, set design, miniatures, and lively performances, Méliès creates something greater than the sum of its parts in order to tell this otherworldly story. It endures because it works. The visuals in this short film have become iconic and synonymous with filmmaking in general. That sort of long-lasting legacy will ensure this short’s relevance for at least another hundred years.
THE IMMIGRANT (1917)
Directed by Charlie Chaplin
What makes this immigrant story special is that Charlie Chaplin’s version could only exist as a short film. It utilizes every tool at its disposal to highlight the character at the center. The visual gags present throughout are a brilliant way to highlight inventive camera work and editing, all of which feel unique to the situation at hand. And while there is plenty more to say about the production, at the core of this short film is an incredible, universal performance by a cinema legend. His ability to convey such nuance with his body language carries the story and captivates the audience. They go with him wherever he goes. On paper, it may all seem simple, but its execution continues to compel audiences everywhere.
UN CHIEN ANDALOU (1925)
Directed by Luis Buñuel
Written by surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, Un Chien Andalou is a disjointed series of one evocative image after another. But what lies in Buñuel’s short film is endless interpretation and effectively creepy imagery. Whereas some modern horror films feel the need to ramp things up to generate new scares for jaded audiences, these striking visuals, created over 100 years ago, remain haunting to this day. Whether it’s the ant-infested hand reaching forward or the eye being sliced open, the simple unsettling nature of it all still makes audiences’ skin crawl. All these years later, audiences are still deriving meaning and eeriness from this short.
LA JETÉE (1962)
Directed by Chris Marker
La Jetée is about a man who has been chosen to travel back in time to explore his tortured past and help save humanity from its post-apocalyptic future. This short does an amazing job of making science fiction feel like non-fiction. The way the story is told makes it all feel grounded in reality, and allows for a big grand premise to become small and personal in a really effective way. The film tells an impossible story filled with futuristic technology, but the exclusive use of still photos and narration means that this film’s credibility wasn’t limited to what could believably be achieved on screen at the time. It’s a powerful short that has clearly influenced films in this genre.
BOROM SARRET (1963)
Directed by Ousmane Sembène
In Borom Sarret, or “The Wagoner,” a poor man attempts to earn a living with his horse and his cart. What follows is a short that fully immerses the audience in a difficult day in the life of this cart driver. The real exterior locations throughout the film are amazing and do so much to firmly ground this story in reality. At one point, a point-of-view shot from the driver shows people on the street walking past and looking up into the lens of the camera. This works so well to add realism while still working within the context of the story. The gorgeous cinematography, the textures, along with the overall storytelling, make this slice-of-life film that much more real. On top of that, this story doesn’t have a happy ending. Sometimes hard work and effort aren’t enough to solve systemic problems. And the final piece that lends credibility to the reality of this powerful short film is that it’s one of the first films made in Africa by an African filmmaker.
YŪKOKU (1966)
Directed by Yukio Mishima & Domoto Masaki
Yūkoku tells the story of a soldier who would rather die than be disloyal, and his wife who agrees to follow him whenever he goes. The film does everything it can to make a story steeped in political context, a personal one just about these main characters. All of the plot surrounding the coup d’état in 1930s Japan is told in text, while the short itself is entirely focused on how these people react and respond to such turmoil. While utilizing a consistent visual language comprised of static long takes and intimate close-ups, the film conveys beautiful and vulnerable moments of love between these two characters, but then the very same storytelling approach becomes visceral and brutal as we make our way through the violent story. The result is an incredibly powerful meditation on love, commitment, and, of course, patriotism.
LA CABINA (1972)
Directed by Antonio Mercero
The simplest premises can sometimes be the scariest; a father drops his child off and then accidentally gets trapped in a telephone booth with seemingly no way out. This is another short film that uses color to great effect and tells a dark, harrowing story that starts small and becomes unexpectedly epic. The scariest thing about this short film is that because of its simple premise, it’s not hard for audiences to see themselves in a situation like this, one that’s not hard to get yourself into and one where there is no way out of the same gruesome fate. It’s an idea that lingers past its short runtime.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
THE HOUSE IS BLACK (1962)
Directed by Forugh Farrokhzad
The House Is Black is a documentary short about the leprosy crisis in Iran. It’s a remarkable in-depth look at the human beings at the center of it all. The short is blunt and doesn’t pull its punches. The pain and the suffering are on full display for audiences. It’s heartbreaking and rightfully so. But what accompanies the film is narration that features quotes from the Old Testament, the Qur’an, and Farrokhzad’s own poetry. The result of which manages to find beauty, hope, and gratitude amongst the tragedy, the neglect, and the anger. It’s a balancing act that’s impressive, to say the least. While we know life is filled with contradictions, to convey it all so masterfully in a 20-minute short is what continues to make it relevant.
Watch The House Is Black on Dailymotion
LE BALLON ROUGE (1956)
Directed by Albert Lamorisse
Le Ballon Rouge tells a seemingly simple story of a boy chasing after a red balloon, but what unfolds is a story rich with magical realism and warmth. The young boy’s balloon reveals itself to have a sort of sentience that takes a one-sided pursuit and turns it into a meaningful relationship. What makes it all really work is the creative choices made from top to bottom. The real locations add depth; the use of color draws your eye and highlights a young boy dressed all in grey, chasing after his red balloon and chasing after whimsy and security in his life. This short utilizes that kind of movie magic that’s only possible in this medium. The illusion created here is exciting because its execution makes audiences feel the same whimsy and magic that the main character feels. It’s the power of filmmaking used to elevate the simple story being told.
MAKE YOUR SHORT FILM
Show off your best idea for a short film and add to the enduring legacy of the medium! Our Short Film Fund offers an opportunity for emerging screenwriters and filmmakers to receive much-needed financial support to get their work produced and distributed. Our partnerships with ARRI Rental, Oscar-nominated producer Maria Gracia Turgeon, and Tribeca short film programmer Kimberley Browning elevate the films that come through our Fund with free camera equipment, mentorship, and film festival strategy.
Joshua Kazemi is a Filipino-Iranian American screenwriter originally from Houston, Texas. After living in the San Francisco Bay Area for the better part of a decade, he moved back to Texas to study Radio, Television and Film at the University of Texas at Austin. From there, he went on to serve as a Content Creator/Director for Rooster Teeth Animation, a former division of Warner Bros. Discovery. Most recently, he was selected to participate in the 2024-25 Mentorship Matters program.
