Documentaryshort films

Real people, real stakes, no filler. Short documentaries that earn every minute of their runtime.

Hand-picked· Curated· Free to watch
Filter by mood
Comedy
Big Cats

Vishnu explores masculinity, faith, and family through a special friendship

18 min · heartwarming · hilarious
Documentary
Breaking Glass

Three glass artists forge a new future for their craft

18 min · cinematic · inspiring
Documentary
Livestreams with GrandmaPuzzles

A lifelong hobby becomes a lifeline for an unexpected Twitch streamer

6 min · heartwarming · inspiring
Documentary
El Chapulin

After a decade in the U.S. and a fight with addiction, a man returns home to Mexico

16 min · heartwarming · meaningful
Documentary
Sometimes It’s Happened

An inspiring doc about an old man telling some of his stories

21 min · entertaining · inspiring
Documentary
My Journey to Switzerland

A doc about a search that lead a young Spanish to Switzerland

4 min · heartwarming · inspiring
Documentary
The Afghan Plasterer

A short doc about an Afghan finding work and goals in Switzerland

5 min · heartwarming · inspiring
Documentary
San Esteban: Freedom, Mysticism and Nopales

A doc about rural Mexico, where heritage and modern forces reshape coexistence

28 min · intimate · nostalgic
Documentary
The Tides That Bind

A doc about Clint who finds messages in bottles and tracks down the senders

21 min · heartwarming · nostalgic
Documentary
The Leap Beneath

A tiny springtail embarks on a quest for survival beneath the forest floor

5 min · cinematic · entertaining
Documentary
El Batán, Small and Pretty

An inspiring doc about a former small town fighting to preserve its soul

13 min · feel-good · heartwarming
Sci-fi
2099

In 2099, five of the oldest citizens are interviewed about the 21st Century

7 min · political · reflective
For filmmakers

Have a short film?
Share it with the world.

Klipist is where short films find their audience. Hand-curated, independently run, watched in 190 countries. If you’ve made something great, we want to see it.

Submit your film

Documentaryshort films

Real people, real stakes, no filler. Short documentaries that earn every minute of their runtime.

Hand-picked Curated Free to watch
Filter by mood
Comedy
Big Cats

Vishnu explores masculinity, faith, and family through a special friendship

18 min · heartwarming · hilarious
Documentary
Breaking Glass

Three glass artists forge a new future for their craft

18 min · cinematic · inspiring
Documentary
Livestreams with GrandmaPuzzles

A lifelong hobby becomes a lifeline for an unexpected Twitch streamer

6 min · heartwarming · inspiring
Documentary
El Chapulin

After a decade in the U.S. and a fight with addiction, a man returns home to Mexico

16 min · heartwarming · meaningful
Documentary
Sometimes It’s Happened

An inspiring doc about an old man telling some of his stories

21 min · entertaining · inspiring
Documentary
My Journey to Switzerland

A doc about a search that lead a young Spanish to Switzerland

4 min · heartwarming · inspiring
Documentary
The Afghan Plasterer

A short doc about an Afghan finding work and goals in Switzerland

5 min · heartwarming · inspiring
Documentary
San Esteban: Freedom, Mysticism and Nopales

A doc about rural Mexico, where heritage and modern forces reshape coexistence

28 min · intimate · nostalgic
Documentary
The Tides That Bind

A doc about Clint who finds messages in bottles and tracks down the senders

21 min · heartwarming · nostalgic
Documentary
The Leap Beneath

A tiny springtail embarks on a quest for survival beneath the forest floor

5 min · cinematic · entertaining
Documentary
El Batán, Small and Pretty

An inspiring doc about a former small town fighting to preserve its soul

13 min · feel-good · heartwarming
Sci-fi
2099

In 2099, five of the oldest citizens are interviewed about the 21st Century

7 min · political · reflective
For filmmakers

Have a short film?
Share it with the world.

Klipist is where short films find their audience. Hand-curated, independently run, watched in 190 countries. If you’ve made something great, we want to see it.

Submit your film
Curator’s note

The best documentary short films, free to watch.

The best documentary short films do one thing features rarely can: they hold a single life still long enough for you to really see it. No narration padding, no filler, just a real person and the thing that matters most to them. These docs are hand-picked, complete, and free to watch.

Start with The Number, which goes inside the myths and markings of prison gangs, and El Batan, Small and Pretty follows a former small town fighting to keep its soul. El Chapulin walks home to Mexico with a man returning after a decade in the U.S. and a fight with addiction, while Tanagokoro trails the Japanese chef who sparked a fish revolution in the UK.

The best short documentaries find the extraordinary in the overlooked. Games of Survival drops in on the annual survival games in Alaska, The Simplicity of Happiness goes looking for contentment that does not depend on anything outside yourself, and Babyface chases one man's childhood dream of becoming a pro wrestler. Every film here was chosen by our editors and streams free in 190 countries, with no subscription. Press play and meet someone real.