The best free short films to watch on YouTube

Image: Your Design / Shutterstock.com
Image: Your Design / Shutterstock.com

Thought YouTube was just cats, fail videos, and Gangnam Style? Think again. The giant video streaming site is a place where anyone can find fame and fortune.

Viral sensations, sketch shows, insanely talented folk, as well as vlogging stars like PewDiePie, Smosh, and Zoella, can upload videos which rack up thousands of views in the time it takes you to drink your morning coffee.

But it’s not just views these vloggers can receive, it’s actually a supportable living. Via product placement and banner advertisements, the aforementioned stars can earn tens of thousands of dollars every month, with PewDiePie in particular reported to earn up to a monthly sum of $1.1 million.

It’s worth learning more about how the arrangement works with regards to making money on YouTube, as the platform could easily become more popular than regular TV in years to come.

Despite all the millions of videos on YouTube (not to mention long-running TV series), you may have actually missed the fact that there are actually high-quality short films all over the site.

Ranging from around 10 minutes to 30 minutes, YouTube is proof that you don’t need Netflix to see some entertaining films. With that in mind, here are our picks for some short films that are equal parts humorous, poignant, or just straight-up bonkers.

Kung Fury

Want half an hour of 80s-inspired over-the-top action and comedy? Then look no further than Kung Fury. We’re talking about physics going out the window, a pounding electro soundtrack, snappy one-liners, gratuitous violence, oh and obviously dinosaurs, Thor, and Hitler.

Directed, written, and lead by David Sandberg (as Kung Fury himself), the movie is outrageous, hilarious, and never pauses for breath in its short run time. A major hit at Cannes, Kung Fury is a must-see if you love 80s martial arts or cop movies. Actually, it’s a must-see in general.

Connection

Place Jude Law, an unknown man from Belarus, and an airport, and you’ve got Connection. Not wasting any time, we immediately see Law help out a man (Nikolai Khalezin), who is looking for his transfer gate to Minsk. What starts out as a whimsical tale of passers-by gawping at Law and Khalezin chattering about their lives (despite not speaking each other’s language), quickly turns into a heartfelt and beautiful story about family, politics, and simply the idea of giving a helping hand, no matter who, where, or when.

Sunspring

Ever wondered what a movie would look like if written by AI? Probably not. Nonetheless, some filmmakers made it their goal to find out exactly what would happen if they created a short film from a screenplay written by a computer. Sunspring is a sci-fi flick that takes place in some sort of space station, but you’re definitely not going to see any aliens or space battles.

The short movie feels Shakespearean-esque, with sentences that almost make sense to our generation, yet not quite. Regardless of the peculiar phrases you’ll hear, the performances, music, and overall tension manage to hook the viewer to the point where you’re genuinely moved.

In spite of the shiny, gold jackets and bizarre dialogue, Sunspring is one of the most interesting short films you’ll come across for some time. The film also features Thomas Middleditch, star of the hit TV show Silicon Valley.

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