Netflix isn’t known for short films and they don’t make them easy to find (a search for 'short films' won't bring them all up), but you shouldn’t sleep on the quality of their catalog, which contains some true gems.

Sure, these are not free-to-view films like our normal picks, but if you're one of the 195M people who subscribe to the global service, or one of the uncountably greater number of folks who have access to an account, it sure feels free doesn't it?

Below we've gathered our ten favorite shorts that are currently available worldwide. Netflix’s catalog is in a constant churn as titles cycle in and out, so if you spot something interesting, you better watch it soon: already notables like 2016 Oscar nominee Chau, Beyond the Lines, acclaimed independent animator Don Hertzfeldt's World of Tomorrow and S/W 2016 Short of the Year Kung Fury have departed from the platform.

As titles depart and new ones arrive we'll occasionally update this list [Current update: Nov. 2020], so be sure to check in periodically.

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1. The White Helmets

Dir: ORLANDO VON EINSIEDEL

If you're looking to satisfy a short film fix on Netflix, hopefully you love documentaries. Netflix's acquisitions to-date are highly focused on sourcing Oscar contenders, and with this Syrian War film Netflix finally scored a win.

2 years after being nominated for the feature film Virunga, von Einsiedel took home an Oscar, beating out fellow Netflix pickup Extremis. A deserved win, we have been captivated by media coming out of the Syrian conflict, and this film is a wrenching portrait of the bravery of a corp of non-aligned citizens dedicated to pulling survivors out of the rubble in the wake of bombing attacks. Relevant and affecting.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

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2. Anima

Dir: PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON

Released in 2019, alongside Thom Yorke's album of the same name, this silent movie homage sees the Radiohead frontman strut, stutter and swirl through a well-choreographed universe of drone-like humans. Directed by one of the most famous names on this list, Anima isn't included solely on reputation alone, as its grand production, unique premise and hypnotizing choreography make it one of the most exciting short films in recent years. A strange little island in a sea of documentary, it's a real standout piece in the Netflix short film catalog.

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3. Zion

Dir: FLOYD RUSS

The film that spurred the creation of this list, Zion was a favorite of ours at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival before it premiered on Netflix later that year. A portrait of Zion Clark, a teen born without legs and raised in foster care, who finds confidence through competitive wrestling, the film is a visually dramatic, hi-energy, hi-inspiration affair—practically the platonic ideal of an internet profile doc. Yes its arc is a bit rote and the film can be accused of being more flash than substance, but if you love these kinds of pop docs (like I do) you'll be hooked—and at only 11-mins, it is a welcome relief from the 40min docs that are the usual Oscar short subject fare.

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4. Ghosts of Sugar Land

Dir: BASSIM TARIQ

A favourite of the festival circuit from 2019, Tariq's Sundance-winning doc invites you into the lives of a group of young Muslim's and they attempt to understand the disappearance of a close friend. With a story that plays out like a true-crime narrative, as the interviewees try to unravel whether their friend was an extremist or an informant, Ghosts of Sugar Land finds the perfect balance between entertainment and insight, making it one of the most accessible short docs on Netflix (the 21-min runtime - short for Netflix standards - helps).

Alongside its Sundance win for Short Film Jury Award: Non-fiction, Tariq's doc was also nominated for the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at the festival and awards at SXSW and Sheff DocFest in the same year. With his debut feature Mogul Mowgli making a splash on the festival circuit in 2020, Tariq's filmmaking stock is rapidly rising.

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5. Heroin(e)

Dir: ELAINE MCMILLION SHELDON

Nominated at the 90th Academy Awards, this topical 39-min doc centers on the opioid epidemic, specifically its effect on Huntington, West Virginia, where the overdose rate is 10 times the US average. Conventional in execution, the film is still to be commended for bringing a far-reaching perspective to a vital social issue, grounding its point of view in 3 central female characters who experience the epidemic in differing spheres: first response, the courts, and charitable outreach.

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6. Long Shot

Dir: JACOB LAMENDOLA

A 40min short documentary film with a premise that can scarcely be believed. When Juan Catalan is arrested for a murder he didn't commit, he builds his case for innocence around raw footage from a popular TV show. The intersection of true-crime and Curb Your Enthusiasm, this unique doc produced by S/W alums at Hayden 5 (The Exit Room, We Live This), is a fun, unique subject, that nonetheless reminds you how horrifying the criminal justice system can be.

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7. What Did Jack Do?

Dir: DAVID LYNCH

Another example of a prestige director with a short film on Netflix, but where PTA felt like he was breaking new ground with Anima, Lynch goes full Lynchian in this 17-min short that surprise dropped on Netflix earlier in 2020. With the director taking a starring role in his film, alongside a monkey in a suit, that he's subjecting to a stern line of questioning about a murder, What Did Jack Do? is steeped in Lynch’s trademark non-sequiturs and absurd sense of humor. Like most of the director's work, this won't be for everyone and you'll get as much from it as you’re willing to put in.

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8. Fire in Paradise

Dir: ZACKARY CANEPARI and DREA COOPER

Documentary filmmakers Canepari and Cooper made a name for themselves with their series California is a place - a collection of short films (of which we featured Aquadettes and Uppercut) celebrating the Golden State. While their Netflix doc Fire in Paradise shares a familiar location, the tone of their latest short couldn't be more different from their earlier work.

A devasting and often shocking account of how the deadliest wildfire in California, in over a century, swept through the titular town of Paradise, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Constructed from distressing first-hand footage filmed from those struggling to escape the fire, alongside talking-head interviews with survivors and responders, this 40-min short is an emotive and impactful watch. It's the kind of scenario you'd see in a feature-length disaster film and find difficult to believe, except this time the tension and risks are real.

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9. Resurface

Dir: JOSH IZENBERG and WYNN PADULA

From S/W Award-winner Josh Izenberg (Slomo), this sensitive doc explores the role of surfing as a therapeutic tool for helping returning veterans. Struggling with trauma and depression after his military service, Iraq war veteran Bobby Lane wanted to cross surfing off his bucket list before taking his life. His experience in the ocean ended up saving him however. Izenberg was drawn to the story through his experience with Slomo, as the subject of that film posits that something about the motion of rollerblading puts him in a "zone" of peacefulness and connection. Looking into this theory, Izenberg was surprised to find a host of literature on the positive effects of surfing in treating PTSD. A year of research and filming birthed this film which featured at the 2017 Tribeca Film festival.

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10. Period. End of Sentence

Dir: RAYKA ZEHTABCHI

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) in 2019, Zehtabchi's 26-min short transports its audience to a rural village outside Delhi as it attempts to tackle the stigma associated with menstruation in India. An eye-opening watch that often leans more towards insight over entertainment - unlike her previous S/W feature (SHn(y)o͞of) - Period. End of Sentence is the second Oscar-winning short on this list, but probably won't be the last we see on the streaming giants platform. This one's a must-watch for documentary fans and for those looking to broaden their understanding of the world and all of its different cultures.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

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Short Film Anthologies

1. Love, Death + Robots

Dir: Various

With Blur Studio co-founder Tim Miller (Deadpool) as creator and David Fincher as an Executive Producer, this high-profile animated anthology of science fiction short films is far too significant to leave off any list of short films on Netflix. Though the quality of the shorts varies throughout, and the series received criticism for its representation of women, the highs in this 18 film collection are stunningly high, and, importantly, as an exciting and popular anthology for Netflix with a 2nd volume already in the works, the series is proving to be an important milestone for mature-themed animation in television.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

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2. Modest Heroes

Dir: YOSHIYUKI MOMOSE, AKIHIKO YAMASHITA & HIROMASA YONEBAYASHI

Founded in 2015 by ex-Ghibli producer Yoshiaki Nishimura (Studio Ghibli halted production in 2014 after Miyazaki temporarily retired), Studio Ponoc released their first feature - Mary and the Witch's Flower - in 2017. For their second release they deliver this trilogy of short films, featuring stories centred around a tiny family who live underwater, a boy with a serious egg allergy and an invisible man. This almost hour-long anthology, all directed by ex-Ghibli employees, feels like a solid showcase of what we can expect from this exciting new animation studio on the Tokyo block.

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3. Homemade

Dir: Various

Probably the most topical and recent entry in this article, the Homemade anthology features COVID-19 stories from a host of recognisable names, all created during a period of lockdown. Curated for Netflix by Jackie director Pablo Larraín, who acts as producer for the anthology, episodes are helmed by acclaimed directors (Paolo Sorrentino, David Mackenzie), famous actors (Maggie Gyllenhall, Kristen Stewart) and recognisable names that have recently graduated from the world of short film and into features (Ladj Ly, Rungano Nyoni).

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4. Six Windows in the Desert

Dir: Various

A collection of six short films from Saudi directors, this anthology collection looks to depict life in Saudi Arabia through a number of different lenses. From a science-fiction set around the survivors of a plane crash to a story about a theatre play attacked by extremists (inspired by real-life events), Six Windows in the Desert presents a diverse mix of Middle-Eastern films.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

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Updates: Nov 26 2020

This article was last updated on the above dates, the following changes were made:

Removal: The House of Small Cubes (Offline)
Addition: Anima
Removal: The Gruffalo (Offline)
Addition: Ghost of Sugar Land
Removal: Golden Time (Offline)
Addition: What Did Jack Do
Removal: Little Witch Academia (Offline)
Addition: Fire in Paradise
Removal: Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Film Collection (Offline)
Addition: Period. End of Sentence
Addition: Short Film Anthologies section

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Previous Top Ten

Below is the previous Top Ten, before the article was updated on Nov XX 2020:

The White Helmets
The House of Small Cubes (Offline)
Zion
The Gruffalo (Offline)
Heroin(e)
Long Shot
Golden Time (Offline)
Little Witch Academia (Offline)
Resurface
Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Film Collection (Offline)