I am a long time lover of short films. Poignant, succinct, and bite-sized, short films allow the viewer to escape into a world of emotion and fantasy for a few minutes at a time. Occasionally I find a rare gem that transcends language and culture to deliver a powerful experience, so today I want to share an eclectic selection with you. There are so many excellent short films out there that I cannot hope to share them all, so here are 10 short films every cinephile needs to see before they die:

1. The Reward (2013)

Adventure, Animation, Fantasy 
An epic bromance made as a graduation film. Read more about The Reward on io9.com or IMDB.

2. The Red Balloon (1956)

Family, Fantasy
La ballon rouge is about a Parisian boy who finds a sentient balloon that follows him. Read more about The Red Balloon on Wikipedia or IMDB.

3. La Jetée (1962)

Drama, Sci-Fi
In the aftermath of World War III a few survivors attempt to time travel back to a time before the earth was decimated. “The Jetty” is a French experimental film unfortunately I could not find a version with English subtitles. Read more about La Jetée on Wikipedia or IMDB.

4. Splitscreen: A Love Story (2011)

Romance Shot using a camera phone, this creative short wordlessly literally brings two people together. Read more about Splitscreen: A Love Story on Slate.com.

5. The Wrong Trousers (1993)

Animation, Comedy Link: A claymation short about a man and his intelligent dog who face off against a malicious bank-robbing penguin. The follower trailer hardly does the full short justice. Read more about The Wrong Trousers on Wikipedia or IMDB.

6. The Black Hole (2008)

Sci-fi A sleep-deprived office worker accidentally discovers a black hole – and then greed gets the better of him. Although the only free version of The Black Hole is a trailer, you can download the full version at Warpfilmstore.com.

7. The Chubbchubbs! (2002)

Animation, Comedy, Sci-fiAn Oscar-winning comedy short rife with sci-fi spoofs about a janitor whose dream of becoming a singer comes true. Read more about The Chubbchubbs! on Wikipedia or IMDB. here.

8. Paperman (2012)

Comedy, Romance Link: [ need to find ] An Oscar-winning short in which Disney proves that they still have some magic up their sleeves and they don’t need Pixar to make it happen. Paperman originally played in theaters at the opening of Wreck-It Ralph (2012). Read more about Paperman on Wikipedia or IMDB.

9. Election Night (1999)

Comedy An idealistic voter discovers that abstract ideas don’t always match up to reality. Read more about Election Night on Wikipedia or IMDB.

 

10. Bad Motherf*****r (2013)

Action/Adventure Although a music video, Bad Motherf*****r is a short film in its own right as well. Watch a James Bond-like hero escape from capture in a blood pumping POV sequence. Like it’s less spectacular prequel, Bad Motherf*****r was filmed using a Go Pro camera. Warning: graphic violence and language. Read more about Bad Mother*****r on Awsm.com or IMDB.