Quick! Name the five most beloved short films in history.
Tasking myself with my own question, I came up with two:
“The Red Balloon” and “Winnie The Pooh and the Blustery Day.” (If that’s even
the right title.) I’m sure there are some revered avant garde films that I’m
forgetting (the Bunuel/Dali film, Un Chien Andalou,” I suppose), but they are
probably more respected than loved.
So. What is the state of the short film today? One could
argue that it is thriving. In 2013, a record 8,102 short films were submitted
to the Sundance Film Festival. The Cannes Film Festival has hosted, since 1998,
its Cinéfondation, which is dedicated to short and
medium length films and is designed to support the next generation of
filmmakers.
Every film festival on the planet has a short
film program, and of course there is a plethora of events dedicated exclusively
to the art of short filmmaking. In the last decade or so, short film
anthologies (Oscar winners, for example) have been issued on DVD, and there are
uncountable numbers of obscure and well-known shorts available on YouTube and
other online formats.
So why does it feel like short films don’t
matter? Rarely does a short film enter the public discussion.