Short Films

If there's a genre of movie that's lacking in exposure then it's that of Short Films. There aren't many outlets for this type of movie, as cinemas are of course typically for feature films, and there's rarely an appropriate slot on terrestrial TV either. Channel 4 did temporarily change that situation somewhat a few years back by giving airtime to some of the more interesting short films, and they have since transfered this approach to Film4.

Short films are often used by directors as a way of cutting their teeth in the industry. Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Memento) made a rather memorable short film called Doodlebug, Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner) gave us Boy & Bicycle. Neill Blomkamp produced a short version (Alive in Joburg) of his sci-fi smash District years before he wowed us with the feature length movie. It's interesting to glimse into the beginnings of top directors (and lesser known ones) via their work in short film.

There are a few short film collections on the market in the form of the 'Cinema 16' series of DVD's (with World, British, American and European versions available), so there is some interest in this form of film. Here at watch movies, we will be offering you a wide range of great short films absolutely free, so if you're not already a fan of them, you'll be able to get a taste of the genre for yourself.