Short films are considered a category of their own. They are the film equivalent of 'Micro-fiction', like the 60 Word Story. 'The International Festival of Very Shorts' is a festival based in Paris which shows only films less than three minutes long. 'Filminute', the international one-minute film festival, has presented and promoted a collection of one-minute films across multiple media since September 2006.
Such films can also be easily distributed via the Internet; Across the Hall, for example, was solely distributed on the Internet. Certain websites which encourage the submission of user-created short films, such as YouTube, Openfilm, BritFilms and Newgrounds have attracted large communities of artists and viewers, whereas sites such as BBC Film Network focus on showcasing curated British shorts.
Openfilm.com is a fast-growing online community where filmmakers and film lovers around the globe discover and distribute short and independent films. Through its Advisory Board, unique technology, live online chats, social network, extensive film festival database and unique member channels; Openfilm unites the best elements of the film industry in one place and provides unparalleled industry access and opportunities for short and independent filmmakers.
Examples of short films are most commonly found on YouTube, where users and independent/low-budget filmmakers can upload there footage for free and achieve millions of views, here are some examples:
The Life and Death of a Pumpkin (2008 Best Short Film Winner - Chicago Film Festival)
The Life and Death of a Pumpkin (2008 Best Short Film Winner - Chicago Film Festival)
The Black Hole
Mixtape (2009 Grand Prize Winner - Virgin Media Shorts)
