29 Brilliant Short Films You Can Watch In 29 Minutes

    From award winners to festival hits.

    1. Tall Enough (2009) Dir. Barry Jenkins

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    An early short from Barry Jenkins, the director of Moonlight (2016), following a couple over the course of one Sunday in New York City. (7 mins)

    2. West Bank Story (2005) Dir. Ari Sandel

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    A musical comedy set in competing falafel stands on the West Bank. David, an Israeli soldier, falls in love with Fatima, a Palestinian cashier, despite the animosity between their families. Can the couple's love withstand a 58-year-old conflict and their families' desire to control the future of the chick pea in the Middle East? (21 mins)

    3. Wasp (2003) Dir. Andrea Arnold

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    An early short from the director of Fish Tank and American Honey. Zoë, a poor single mother who lives with her four children in Dartford, is asked out by her ex-boyfriend. This will be her first date in years. Starring Natalie Press and Danny "Descended from Kings" Dyer. (24 mins)

    4. Six Shooter (2004) Dir. Martin McDonagh

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    From the writer/director of In Bruges (2008) comes this dark comedy. On a train journey a man (Brendan Gleeson), whose wife has died that morning, encounters a strange and possibly psychotic young oddball. (27 mins)

    5. Bombshell (2013) Dir. Erin Sanger

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    A 10-year-old tomboy must weigh her loyalty to her trusted older brother as she becomes complicit in a hate crime to win his affection. (14 mins)

    6. Pitch Black Heist (2012) Dir. John MacLean

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    From the director of Slow West (2015). Liam (Liam Cunningham) and Michael (Michael Fassbender) are professional safe crackers who meet on a simple job to rob an office safe. The only problem is a light activated alarm system, meaning they'll have to pull the heist in the dark. (14 mins)

    7. The Door (2013) Dir. Ava DuVernay

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    Written and directed by Selma's Ava DuVernay, The Door follows a woman suffering from an unknown sadness, as she is visited by four friends, each helping to heal her in their own way. Starring Gabrielle Union and Alfre Woodard. (9 mins)

    8. I'll Wait For The Next One (2004) Dir. Philippe Orreindy

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    A man on a crowded metro train gathers the attention of the passengers to make an announcement: he is looking for love. French, with English subtitles. (4 mins)

    9. Pumzi (2010) Dir. Wanuri Kahiu

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    This Kenyan sci-fi short is set in a post-apocalyptic world where water scarcity has extinguished life above ground. Asha, a scientist, starts to investigate the possibility of life on the outside, but the repressive subterranean Nairobi council block her at every turn. (22 mins)

    10. The New Tenants (2012) Dir. Joachim Back

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    A nosy neighbour, a drug dealer and an angry husband make for a move-in day that two men will never forget. An Oscar-winning short starring Vincent D'Onofrio and Kevin Corrigan. (21 mins)

    11. I Am John Wayne (2012) Dir. Christina Choe

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    A young black cowboy struggles with the death of his best friend. (18 mins)

    12. The Gunfighter (2014) dir. Eric Kissack

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    In the tradition of classic westerns, a narrator sets up the story of a lone gunslinger who walks into a saloon. However, the people in this saloon can hear the narrator, and the narrator is fixing to cause trouble. Narrated by Nick Offerman. (9 mins)

    13. I Feel Stupid (2016) Dir. Milena Pastreich

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    From the writer of A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, I Feel Stupid is a short about Lein, an inexperienced 15 year-old, who is confronted with a sexually charged reality when Amber steps into the picture. (15 mins)

    14. Multi-Facial (1995) Dir. Vin Diesel

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    Written and directed by Vin Diesel, Multi-Facial is a short film about the problems that accompany an actor as he auditions, due to his multi-ethnic appearance. The film caught the attention of Steven Spielberg, who gave Diesel his big break in Saving Private Ryan (1998). (20 mins)

    15. That One Day (2016) Dir. Crystal Moselle

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    Rachelle, a rookie skateboarder intimidated by the more experienced boys at the skate park is defended from their teasing by a group of skater girls. (13 mins)

    16. The Most Beautiful Thing (2012) Dir. Cameron Covell

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    A young man, down on his luck, finds love in an unexpected way. (11 mins)

    17. Trevor (1994) Dir. Peggy Rajski

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    Set in 1981, this humorously wrought short follows what happens to 13-year-old Trevor, a passionate Diana Ross fan, when his crush on a hunky schoolmate named Pinky Faraday gets discovered. (16 mins)

    18. Room 8 (2013) James W. Griffiths

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    "Room 8" is the Russian prison cell into which an Englishman is dragged. His cellmate warns him not to open the box on the bed. However, curiosity gets the better of him and he must face the consequences. BAFTA-award winning short. (6 mins)

    19. Lick The Star (1998) Dir. Sophia Coppola

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    Four girls devise a plan to slowly poison the boys at their school by putting arsenic in their lunches, inspired by an obsession with the novel Flowers in the Attic. (14 mins)

    20. samuel-613 (2015) Dir. Billy Lumby

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    BAFTA-nominated short about Shmilu, a young Hasidic Jew who is torn between his Orthodox upbringing and the world of possibilities outside of it, especially those that come in female form. (16 mins)

    21. Small Deaths (1996) Dir. Lynne Ramsey

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    Three scenes from a young girl's life that leave her with a heavy heart. (11 mins)

    22. The Crush (2010) Dir. Michael Creagh

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    An eight-year-old schoolboy falls in love with his teacher, Miss Purdy. One day he gives her a toy ring to show his affection. When he bumps into Miss Purdy and her boyfriend having just bought a very real engagement ring, Ardal is devastated, and challenges Miss Purdy’s fiancé to a duel – to the death! (15 mins)

    23. About A Girl (2001) Dir. Brian Percival

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    In this BAFTA-award winning short written by Julie Rutterford (Shameless, Teachers) a young woman tells the story of her life and hopes for the future. (10 mins)

    24. Zari (2015) Dir. Courtney N. Marsh

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    An outdated and seemingly limited household robot attempts to communicate with the family dog. (20 mins)

    25. Antonio's Breakfast (2005) Dir. Daniel Mulloy

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    BAFTA-winning short following a night in the life of a teenager who tries to keep up his street cred while looking after his father, who is on a ventilator. (16 mins)

    26. Connect (2010) Dir. Samuel Abrahams

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    Fed up with the hostility of the city and its people, a young woman's view of the world changes when she makes a surprise connection with a stranger on a bus. Starring Tuppence Middleton. (5 mins)

    27. Dawn (2015) Dir. Rose McGowan

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    A provocative look at a young girl's budding sexuality in restrictive Kennedy era America. (17 mins)

    28. Thunder Road (2016) Dir. Jim Cummings

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    A hilarious monologue shot in a single take, Thunder Road follows Officer Jimmy Arnaud as he gives a eulogy for his mother. It won the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at the 2016 Sundance Film festival. (13 mins)

    29. My Wrongs 8245-8249 & 117 (2002) Dir. Chris Morris

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    In this BAFTA-winning short, Paddy Considine stars as a man taking care of a friend's Doberman Pinscher while she's away. The dog, Rothko, talks to him and convinces him he's on trial for everything he's done wrong in his life. (12 mins)

    H/T Short of the Week, Filmsshort.