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
Documentary
El Chapulin

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

15 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

27 min · intimate · nostalgic
Documentary
The Tides That Bind

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

22 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
Documentary
To Be Enjoyed

The unlikely story of a musician experiencing a life-changing opportunity

17 min · heartwarming · inspiring
Documentary
Karma Khazi

An artists becomes a connoisseur of toilet doors

12 min · inspiring · reflective
Documentary
Tanagokoro

How a Japanese chef sparked a fish revolution in the UK

30 min · inspiring · reflective
Documentary
Plantman

The intimately captured story of a humble gardener

9 min · heartwarming · intimate
Documentary
Babyface

A super fun doc about a childhood dream of becoming a pro wrestler

6 min · entertaining · feel-good
Documentary
Artificial Dreams

A documentary about a filmmaker's dilemma of being commercially successful

16 min · intimate · reflective
Documentary
The Simplicity of Happiness

An inspiring doc about finding happiness in yourself

10 min · inspiring · reflective
Documentary
The Last Reel

A doc about cinema projectionists and their future

9 min · meaningful · nostalgic
Documentary
The Night is Black and the Day is White

A doc about a family's experiences of living with an autistic child

7 min · emotional · intimate
Documentary
The Magicians… of the Merlin Magical Society

A doc that looks into the lives of a group of lovable magicians

28 min · entertaining · heartwarming
Documentary
Games of Survival

A doc about the annual survival games in Alaska

15 min · epic · heartwarming
Documentary
Chasing The Vein

A doc exploring the life of a woman's addiction to heroin from the age of 15

22 min · dark · intimate
Documentary
The Number

A doc that looks at the myths and markings of prison gangs

13 min · atmospheric · dark
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
Documentary
El Chapulin

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

15 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

27 min · intimate · nostalgic
Documentary
The Tides That Bind

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

22 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
Documentary
To Be Enjoyed

The unlikely story of a musician experiencing a life-changing opportunity

17 min · heartwarming · inspiring
Documentary
Karma Khazi

An artists becomes a connoisseur of toilet doors

12 min · inspiring · reflective
Documentary
Tanagokoro

How a Japanese chef sparked a fish revolution in the UK

30 min · inspiring · reflective
Documentary
Plantman

The intimately captured story of a humble gardener

9 min · heartwarming · intimate
Documentary
Babyface

A super fun doc about a childhood dream of becoming a pro wrestler

6 min · entertaining · feel-good
Documentary
Artificial Dreams

A documentary about a filmmaker's dilemma of being commercially successful

16 min · intimate · reflective
Documentary
The Simplicity of Happiness

An inspiring doc about finding happiness in yourself

10 min · inspiring · reflective
Documentary
The Last Reel

A doc about cinema projectionists and their future

9 min · meaningful · nostalgic
Documentary
The Night is Black and the Day is White

A doc about a family's experiences of living with an autistic child

7 min · emotional · intimate
Documentary
The Magicians… of the Merlin Magical Society

A doc that looks into the lives of a group of lovable magicians

28 min · entertaining · heartwarming
Documentary
Games of Survival

A doc about the annual survival games in Alaska

15 min · epic · heartwarming
Documentary
Chasing The Vein

A doc exploring the life of a woman's addiction to heroin from the age of 15

22 min · dark · intimate
Documentary
The Number

A doc that looks at the myths and markings of prison gangs

13 min · atmospheric · dark
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. The docs below 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.