Subscription
Shorts
If you’re a subscriber who’s pressed for time or simply a lover of the short-form format, you’ll find something to enjoy in these perfectly formed brevities.
Encompassing early gems from future filmmaking greats to cult items from the stranger corners of British cinema, these shorts will excite and inspire – in small doses.
The BurningThe Burning
Drama 1967 31 minsDirector: Stephen Frears
A white woman and her young grandson come face to face with a black uprising in Apartheid South Africa, in a tough short film by Stephen Frears.
CarousellaCarousella
Documentary 1965 26 minsDirector: John Irvin
A controversial, well-made documentary that follows the lives of three young striptease artistes working in Soho.
The Castle of OtrantoThe Castle of Otranto
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1977 18 minsDirector: Jan Svankmajer
Czech animator Jan Švankmajer's adaptation of Horace Walpole's Gothic novel.
Chelsea Bridge BoysChelsea Bridge Boys
Documentary 1965 31 minsDirector: Peter Davis and Staffan Lamm
Made for Swedish television, a look at a gang of "Rockers" who meet at a tea-kiosk on Chelsea Bridge.
The ContraptionThe Contraption
Horror 1977 33 mins
Darkly humorous short in which a man builds a sinister contraption, the dreadful purpose of which is only revealed in the final shot.
The Fall of the House of UsherThe Fall of the House of Usher
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1982 16 minsDirector: Jan Svankmajer
The first of Švankmajer's 'tactile experiments', chosen partly because the title was on an official list of 'approved' texts. In this version there are no humans, just a glimpse of a live raven as the camera roams around an eerie derelict house.
The Fight Against CancerThe Fight Against Cancer
Documentary 1947 11 minsDirector: Carl Th. Dreyer
Carl Theodor Dreyer’s film for the Cancer Society exhorts Danish citizens to listen to their doctors.
Flames of PassionFlames of Passion
Romance 1989 17 minsDirector: Richard Kwietniowski
An ingenious gay homage to Brief Encounter.
The Forgotten FacesThe Forgotten Faces
Documentary drama 1961 19 minsDirector: Peter Watkins
A gripping newsreel style account of the 1956 peoples' uprising in Hungary directed by celebrated innovator of the docudrama form, Peter Watkins.
Forgotten the QueenForgotten the Queen
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2017 11 minsDirector: Andrew Kötting
This short animation intended to accompany Andrew Kötting’s feature-length Edith Walks explores the same themes around the life of Medieval queen Edith Swan Neck.
Good Mothers Good Mothers
Documentary 1942 12 minsDirector: Carl Th. Dreyer
Carl Theodor Dreyer’s first short film honours the work of the Mother’s Aid Institution, a state-funded organisation offering services for new mothers.
The Great Steam FairThe Great Steam Fair
Documentary 1964 18 minsDirector: David Gladwell and Derrick Knight
The Great Steam fair is a documentary filmed at Shottesbrooke Park, Berkshire in 1964, at an event which brought together many traditional fairground rides and steam engines.
Hands of DestinyHands of Destiny
Drama 1954 52 minsDirector: Tony Young
The strange prophesies of Dr Josef Ranald, palm reader of choice to Nazi war leaders.
The Home-made CarThe Home-made Car
Comedy 1963 28 minsDirector: James Hill
In this charming short film directed by James Hill, a man restores his dilapidated Bullnose Morris under the watchful eye of a curious young neighbour.
IncidentIncident
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1959 13 minsDirector: Norman J. Warren
The debut short film of British exploitation director Norman J. Warren is an enigmatic story about a girl who meets a boy at a fairground.
Kill the DayKill the Day
Drama 2000 18 minsDirector: Lynne Ramsay
An ex-drug addict reflects on life in and out of prison in this short by BAFTA-winner Lynne Ramsay, based on real accounts.
The Last ChapterThe Last Chapter
Drama 1974 29 minsDirector: David Tringham
Dark tale in which a best-selling author (Denholm Elliot) is unbalanced by an assured young fan (Susan Penhaligon) who questions the move into easy commercialism displayed in his recent work.
Man in FearMan in Fear
Thriller 2011 11 minsDirector: Will Jewell
Luke Treadaway stars as a paranoid man convinced he is destined to be the victim of a conceptual art 'accident'.
Miss Thompson Goes ShoppingMiss Thompson Goes Shopping
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1958 23 minsDirector: David Gladwell
From the visionary British director David Gladwell, this 1958 short contrasting rural and urban life is based on the poem by Martin Armstrong.
OstiaOstia
Crime 1987 26 minsDirector: Julian Cole
Ostia is a fascinating short film directed by Julian Cole and starring Derek Jarman, which reconstructs the events leading up to the murder of Pier Paolo Pasolini.
The PartyThe Party
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1962 16 mins
The Party is a time-capsule short film about an art school get-together where a boy blows his chances with his date.
The Pendulum, The Pit and HopeThe Pendulum, The Pit and Hope
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1983 15 minsDirector: Jan Svankmajer
Švankmajer's second adaptation of the work of Edgar Allan Poe, in which a prisoner is forced to undergo trials of torture.
A Portrait of EdenA Portrait of Eden
Documentary 2011 22 minsDirector: Gideon Koppel
A week in the life of 22-year-old Eden Kötting, who has Joubert's Syndrome. A moving, tender film by Gideon Koppel (Sleep Furiously).
PubPub
Documentary 1962 15 minsDirector: Peter Davis
Short documentary originally made for Swedish television which opens the doors a typical working-class pub in East London.
RecluseRecluse
Crime 1979 29 minsDirector: Bob Bentley
Based on the true story of a tragic murder and suicide that took place on the Luxton farm in Devon in the 1970s.
Road to Saint TropezRoad to Saint Tropez
Drama 1966 31 minsDirector: Mike Sarne
Director Mike Sarne's debut film is an 'anti-travelogue', starring Udo Kier.
RosebudRosebud
Drama 1991 14 minsDirector: Cheryl Farthing
A lesbian couple arouse the interest of their new neighbour in this erotic tale of voyeurism, power dressing and fantasy.
Rose RedRose Red
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1994 19 minsDirector: Simon Pummell
Simon Pummell's (Bodysong) visually ravishing sci-fi thriller exploring the future of virtual reality and the desire to transcend human limits.
Summer DiscordSummer Discord
Amateur film 1955 17 minsSilentDirector: David Gladwell
A Summer Discord is silent, amateur short film directed by David Gladwell which is set in the countryside and tells the story of a little girl who is reprimanded by her mother.
To Have and to HoldTo Have and to Hold
Drama 2000 13 minsDirector: John Hardwick
A woman finds that death will not part her from her deceased lover.
The Village ChurchThe Village Church
Documentary 1947 14 minsDirector: Carl Th. Dreyer
Carl Theodor Dreyer recounts the history of churches in Denmark, in this hypnotic and powerfully realised short.
Visions of EcstasyVisions of Ecstasy
Drama 1989 20 minsDirector: Nigel Wingrove
Nigel Wingrove's experimental depiction of the erotic imaginings of the 16th Century Carmelite nun remains the only film ever to banned under Britain's blasphemy laws.
You're Human Like the Rest of ThemYou're Human Like the Rest of Them
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1967 17 minsDirector: B.S. Johnson
William Hoyland stars in this legendary, multi award-winning short film directed by the modernist writer and film-maker BS Johnson.