Short films often serve as the launching pad for creative storytelling and a showcase for emerging talent. For screenwriters like you, these compact narratives can be a stepping stone to bigger projects. These stories show how your well-crafted short can captivate audiences and industry pros alike.
Here are five inspiring films that started as proof-of-concept shorts and evolved into feature-length successes.
“Shiva Baby” (2018) → “Shiva Baby” (2020)
Writer-director Emma Seligman’s 2018 short film about a girl running into her sugar daddy (and his family) at a shiva was her thesis project at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. After premiering at South by Southwest, Seligman adapted it into her directorial debut in 2020. The feature received critical acclaim and numerous awards, including the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award.
Watch the short online | Watch the feature on Max
“Madeline & Cooper” (2018) → “Shithouse” (2020)
Occidental College student Cooper Raiff spent his 2018 spring break on campus filming “Madeline & Cooper.” After catching filmmaker Jay Duplass’s attention on YouTube, it became “Shithouse,” Raiff’s first full-length feature. The film won the Grand Jury Award at South by Southwest in 2020.
Watch the short online | Watch the feature on AMC, Roku, YouTube
“Emergency” (2018) → “Emergency” (2022)
“Emergency” began as part of Film Independent’s Project Involve fellowship, directed by Carey Williams and written by K.D. Dávila. It won the Short Filmmaking Award at Sundance and the Grand Jury Award at South by Southwest in 2018. Williams and Dávila expanded it into a feature, which premiered at Sundance in 2022.
Watch the short online | Watch the feature on Amazon Prime Video
“Mr. Malcolm’s List” (2019) → “Mr. Malcolm’s List” (2022)
Suzanne Allain adapted her 2009 Regency romantic comedy novel into a short film in 2019, directed by Emma Holly Jones and starring Gemma Chan and Freida Pinto. After a successful run, it was expanded into a feature-length film, debuting in 2022 following a Bleecker Street pickup.
Watch the short online | Watch the feature on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube
“Obvious Child” (2009) → “Obvious Child” (2014)
Gillian Robespierre’s 2009 short film “Obvious Child,” starring Jenny Slate, explored young women’s experiences with pregnancy. The short’s success online and at festivals, and the conversations it sparked, inspired Robespierre to expand it into a feature. Funded by producers, grants, and a crowdfunding campaign, the feature premiered at Sundance and earned Jenny Slate a Critic’s Choice Award.
Watch the feature on YouTube (Cinemax)
Your Turn!
Turn your calling card script into an attention-grabbing short film with our $15,000 cash production grant!
As much as we love to read scripts, too many excellent shorts never progress beyond the written word, which is why we established the Short Film Fund to help take those compelling stories off the page and onto the screen. We will help finance and produce two short films in 2024.
Previous winners have gone on to gain representation, sold screenplays, and been staffed on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, & BBC shows as a direct result of winning and producing their shorts with us. Learn more about the Short Film Fund here.
Laura Huie is a writer and editor involved in comedy-drama screenwriting, fiction editing, and full-time marketing copy. Laura is also a freelance article writer for Shore Scripts and has worked with Script Pipeline on their live Symposium series. She is one-half of the screenwriting duo, Bloom & Huie. Together, they have written multiple television series as well as a feature-length film. Their mission is to write honest and witty female stories wrapped up in unbelievable worlds.
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