Weekend Watchlist: Unforgettable Short Films You Must Watch

Are you looking for a cinematic adventure that fits your busy schedule? Short films are the perfect solution!

These bite-sized masterpieces pack a powerful punch, delivering impactful stories, stunning visuals, and memorable characters in just a few minutes.

These short films offer a diverse range of stories, styles, and emotions, ensuring a captivating viewing experience. So grab some popcorn, get cosy, and enjoy your weekend movie marathon!

Here are 10 unforgettable short films we have curated for you to watch this weekend.

The Phone Call (2013)

A heartbreaking drama about a chance encounter between two strangers explores themes of loneliness and human connection.

Starring Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent, this Academy Award-winning short film will leave you moved and inspired.

“THE PHONE CALL tells a wrenching story of loss and depression that somehow, by the end, is so uplifting you’ll wonder how it can do in 20 minutes what some full-length features can’t in two hours.” – Casey Cipriani, IndieWire

Piper (2016)

Piper is a 2016 American animated short film produced by Pixar Animation Studios. Written and directed by Alan Barillaro, it was theatrically released alongside Pixar’s Finding Dory on June 17, 2016.

This charming animated story follows a flock of sandpipers hunting for food on a beach by looking for bivalves exposed by receding waves and fleeing when the waves return. This Pixar short film is a delightful treat for audiences of all ages.

It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 89th Academy Awards, becoming the first Pixar animated short to win the award since For the Birds in 2001.

The Karman Line (2014):

Clocking in at around 24 minutes, The Kármán Line is the story of a woman (Olivia Coleman), who is diagnosed with an extremely rare disease that sees her gradually float further and further from the ground. The initial shock of her disease slowly turns into grief as her husband and daughter struggle to cope with letting her go. It may sound hilariously abstract, but I assure you, this is a harrowingly accurate story of love and loss.

The Present (2014)

The Present is a 2014 animated short film directed and co-written by Jacob Frey and co-written with Markus Kranzler. It is based on “Perfeição,” a comic strip by Fabio Coala.

The short film tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who gets a three-legged puppy from his mom, eventually warming up to him. The short explores the challenging topic of disability and living with an amputated leg.

The film has won 81 awards from several film festivals and has garnered acclaim from critics and audiences alike.

Day & Night (2010)

Day & Night is a 2010 American animated short film written and directed by Teddy Newton in his directorial debut and produced by Pixar.

Day & Night follows two characters, Day and Night. Inside Day is a day scene with a sun in the centre, and Inside Night is a night scene with a moon in the centre.

Whatever goes on inside of Day or Night expresses normal events that typically occur within a day or night, respectively, and these events often correspond with actions or emotions that Day or Night express or receive.

For example, when Day is happy, he will have a rainbow inside him, and when Night is happy, he will have fireworks inside him.

This Pixar masterpiece uses stunning animation and clever storytelling to depict the hilarious rivalry between a day person and a night person living on opposite sides of a building.

La Luna (2011)

La Luna (Italian: [la ˈluːna], Italian for “The Moon”) is a 2011 American animated short film, directed and written by Enrico Casarosa in his directorial debut. The film is loosely based on Italo Calvino’s short story “The Distance of the Moon.”

This charming Pixar short follows a young boy, Bambino, who carries on his family’s generations-old tradition of sweeping away the moon each night. Heartwarming and visually stunning, “La Luna” is a delight for all ages.

The Neighbors’ Window

The Neighbors’ Window is a 2019 American short film written and directed by Marshall Curry.It won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2020. The film was inspired by a true story by Diane Weipert, which she recounted on the podcast Love and Radio.

It is a thought-provoking short film about a couple who spy on their neighbours, only to discover a profound connection. This Academy Award-winning short film explores themes of empathy and understanding.

The Silent Child

This is a British sign language short film written by and starring Rachel Shenton, directed by her husband Chris Overton, and released in 2017 by Slick Films.

It tells the story of Libby, a profoundly deaf six-year-old girl, who lives a silent life until a social worker, played by Shenton, teaches her how to communicate through sign language. The film won the Oscar for Live Action Short Film at the 90th Academy Awards.

New Boy (2007)

New Boy is a 2007 Irish short film based on the short story by Irish novelist, dramatist and screenwriter, Roddy Doyle. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film.

The film is about a young boy’s experience as he moves from a rural town in Africa to Ireland: a new country, a different school system and a whole new set of customs.

Joseph is a new student at a school in Ireland, having just moved to Ireland from an unidentified country in Africa. Throughout the film, he is silent, in deep contrast to the flashbacks of his life back in Africa, where he is bright and talkative. In these flashbacks, Joseph’s father is the schoolteacher, and it is revealed that his father was shot and killed for educating young children.

Wireless (2019)

For those seeking something truly unique, ‘Wireless’ is an award-winning short film that tells the story of James; a lonely man who arrives at a cell phone store past closing in hopes of finding closure.