Survivalshort films

Everything sharpened to one question: what would you do to make it through? Shorts that run on pure pressure.

Hand-picked· Curated· Free to watch
Filter by genre
Thriller
Vessel

A young disabled girl tries to escape the control of her religious mother

17 min · atmospheric · intense
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
Sci-fi
Botching

A heist film. With Robots.

5 min · atmospheric · futuristic
Drama
Sprache ist Leben

A deaf boy flees from Syria to Switzerland and faces the challenges ahead

5 min · emotional · inspiring
Drama
Stray Dog

A Swiss street drama where loneliness, crime, and drugs tighten their grip

11 min · atmospheric · controversial
Documentary
The Afghan Plasterer

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

5 min · heartwarming · inspiring
Drama
The Nightingale

A singer battles through PTSD after a sexual assault

35 min · dark · emotional
Sci-fi
Wired

A woman is gaslit by her AI wellbeing smart hub

18 min · dark · futuristic
Dark Comedy
Wendy & Vee

A daughter decides to do something about her mother's abusive boyfriend

20 min · dark · hilarious
Sci-fi
Decksdark

In a dystopian surveillance state, a solitary rebel bonds with his neural implant

16 min · atmospheric · dark
Drama
The World Beyond Me

Trapped in Mumbai’s red-light district, a woman dreams of freedom

15 min · dark · emotional
Drama
Crack Shot

A former squash champ gets caught in a toxic father-son relationship

14 min · dark · intense
War
Hawker

A true story of WW1 fighter pilots at the dawn of Aviation Combat

23 min · epic · historical
Thriller
Little Games

A little girl reveals her sinister plan to a stranger

14 min · atmospheric · dark
Horror
The Red City

When his blood supply runs dry, a vampire is forced back into the hunt

10 min · atmospheric · dark
Crime
Mascagni’ Symphony ♱ Inno all’Infamia

Two criminals confront their inner demons in a lawless, unforgiving world

8 min · cinematic · dark
Documentary
The Leap Beneath

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

5 min · cinematic · entertaining
War
Deserteurs

An encounter forces two enemies to remain human in inhumane times

22 min · historical · reflective
Thriller
Fugue

In a city of outlaws, survival means vanishing from a deadly hunter

23 min · atmospheric · cinematic
Horror
What’s in the Forest

Psychedelics blur reality as friends are hunted by unseen horrors

18 min · dark · mysterious
Dark Comedy
A Certain Method

A struggling actress kills at the audition of her life

13 min · gory · satirical
Drama
The Burning Blue

Lost in a desert, a couple's relationship is tested when they discover they're not alone

13 min · atmospheric · emotional
Drama
Egg and Chips

A young daughter steals a chicken to help provide for their family

13 min · emotional · intimate
Drama
The Unexpected Expectant Father

A grandfather struggles with his abandoned grandson

14 min · emotional · heartwarming
Horror
Out To Run: A Tale of Blood Velvet

A gay couple is attacked. Why? Because they taste the best

10 min · dark · gory
Crime
Touch

A psychic is called to a homicide scene

7 min · atmospheric · mysterious
Sci-fi
Time Spent

A man struggling with the cost of living is offered an impossible choice

12 min · intense · mysterious
Sci-fi
Bliss

A mysterious video appears, carrying a life altering message

28 min · mysterious · suspenseful
Comedy
Gnome Alone

A man is harassed by an unexpected adversary: a garden Gnome

7 min · mysterious · satirical
Drama
Requiem

Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us, GoT) fighting for forbidden love

23 min · cinematic · emotional
Drama
Shadow Boxer

One man's fight to break out of his father's shadow

9 min · emotional · inspiring
Sci-fi
Darkside

An astronaut in search of a lost crew on an interstellar mission

10 min · cinematic · emotional
Comedy
The Core of Monkos Anthology

A very dark, stupid and surreal anthology

19 min · comic · quirky
Drama
Zafar

An immigrant tries to help his family while a pandemic is breaking out

14 min · atmospheric · emotional
Documentary
Babyface

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

6 min · entertaining · feel-good
Comedy
Debt Valley

A rendezvous in the middle of the desert can't be good news

10 min · entertaining · suspenseful
Crime
True Value

A student engages in an unusually deadly part-time job

13 min · dark · mysterious
Drama
Tsunami

A young girl becomes witness to an unfolding school shooting

15 min · emotional · intense
Drama
Lost Souls

A visual take on characters hitting rock bottom and deciding what to do next

2 min · atmospheric · reflective
Horror
Retch

A young woman's disturbing illness is turning her into something unexpected

4 min · gory · intense
Animation
The Corridor

A man struggling with his mental health is trapped in an endless corridor

5 min · dark · reflective
Horror
Negatives

A photographer captures a monster in his dark room

2 min · mysterious · scary
Drama
Samaritan

A Muslim doctor stumbles upon the body of a right-wing politician

11 min · atmospheric · cerebral
Horror
The Relic

Adventurers make the worst discovery they can possibly imagine

13 min · gory · intense
Comedy
Appetite

A predatory dater always runs off when the bill comes

13 min · entertaining · quirky
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
Drama
Struck

A female jogger returns to the scene of a crime looking for closure

14 min · intense · intimate
Drama
Two Sides

The lives of a homeless man and a property developer become intertwined

10 min · meaningful · 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

Survivalshort films

Everything sharpened to one question: what would you do to make it through? Shorts that run on pure pressure.

Hand-picked Curated Free to watch
Filter by genre
Thriller
Vessel

A young disabled girl tries to escape the control of her religious mother

17 min · atmospheric · intense
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
Sci-fi
Botching

A heist film. With Robots.

5 min · atmospheric · futuristic
Drama
Sprache ist Leben

A deaf boy flees from Syria to Switzerland and faces the challenges ahead

5 min · emotional · inspiring
Drama
Stray Dog

A Swiss street drama where loneliness, crime, and drugs tighten their grip

11 min · atmospheric · controversial
Documentary
The Afghan Plasterer

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

5 min · heartwarming · inspiring
Drama
The Nightingale

A singer battles through PTSD after a sexual assault

35 min · dark · emotional
Sci-fi
Wired

A woman is gaslit by her AI wellbeing smart hub

18 min · dark · futuristic
Dark Comedy
Wendy & Vee

A daughter decides to do something about her mother's abusive boyfriend

20 min · dark · hilarious
Sci-fi
Decksdark

In a dystopian surveillance state, a solitary rebel bonds with his neural implant

16 min · atmospheric · dark
Drama
The World Beyond Me

Trapped in Mumbai’s red-light district, a woman dreams of freedom

15 min · dark · emotional
Drama
Crack Shot

A former squash champ gets caught in a toxic father-son relationship

14 min · dark · intense
War
Hawker

A true story of WW1 fighter pilots at the dawn of Aviation Combat

23 min · epic · historical
Thriller
Little Games

A little girl reveals her sinister plan to a stranger

14 min · atmospheric · dark
Horror
The Red City

When his blood supply runs dry, a vampire is forced back into the hunt

10 min · atmospheric · dark
Crime
Mascagni’ Symphony ♱ Inno all’Infamia

Two criminals confront their inner demons in a lawless, unforgiving world

8 min · cinematic · dark
Documentary
The Leap Beneath

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

5 min · cinematic · entertaining
War
Deserteurs

An encounter forces two enemies to remain human in inhumane times

22 min · historical · reflective
Thriller
Fugue

In a city of outlaws, survival means vanishing from a deadly hunter

23 min · atmospheric · cinematic
Horror
What’s in the Forest

Psychedelics blur reality as friends are hunted by unseen horrors

18 min · dark · mysterious
Dark Comedy
A Certain Method

A struggling actress kills at the audition of her life

13 min · gory · satirical
Drama
The Burning Blue

Lost in a desert, a couple's relationship is tested when they discover they're not alone

13 min · atmospheric · emotional
Drama
Egg and Chips

A young daughter steals a chicken to help provide for their family

13 min · emotional · intimate
Drama
The Unexpected Expectant Father

A grandfather struggles with his abandoned grandson

14 min · emotional · heartwarming
Horror
Out To Run: A Tale of Blood Velvet

A gay couple is attacked. Why? Because they taste the best

10 min · dark · gory
Crime
Touch

A psychic is called to a homicide scene

7 min · atmospheric · mysterious
Sci-fi
Time Spent

A man struggling with the cost of living is offered an impossible choice

12 min · intense · mysterious
Sci-fi
Bliss

A mysterious video appears, carrying a life altering message

28 min · mysterious · suspenseful
Comedy
Gnome Alone

A man is harassed by an unexpected adversary: a garden Gnome

7 min · mysterious · satirical
Drama
Requiem

Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us, GoT) fighting for forbidden love

23 min · cinematic · emotional
Drama
Shadow Boxer

One man's fight to break out of his father's shadow

9 min · emotional · inspiring
Sci-fi
Darkside

An astronaut in search of a lost crew on an interstellar mission

10 min · cinematic · emotional
Comedy
The Core of Monkos Anthology

A very dark, stupid and surreal anthology

19 min · comic · quirky
Drama
Zafar

An immigrant tries to help his family while a pandemic is breaking out

14 min · atmospheric · emotional
Documentary
Babyface

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

6 min · entertaining · feel-good
Comedy
Debt Valley

A rendezvous in the middle of the desert can't be good news

10 min · entertaining · suspenseful
Crime
True Value

A student engages in an unusually deadly part-time job

13 min · dark · mysterious
Drama
Tsunami

A young girl becomes witness to an unfolding school shooting

15 min · emotional · intense
Drama
Lost Souls

A visual take on characters hitting rock bottom and deciding what to do next

2 min · atmospheric · reflective
Horror
Retch

A young woman's disturbing illness is turning her into something unexpected

4 min · gory · intense
Animation
The Corridor

A man struggling with his mental health is trapped in an endless corridor

5 min · dark · reflective
Horror
Negatives

A photographer captures a monster in his dark room

2 min · mysterious · scary
Drama
Samaritan

A Muslim doctor stumbles upon the body of a right-wing politician

11 min · atmospheric · cerebral
Horror
The Relic

Adventurers make the worst discovery they can possibly imagine

13 min · gory · intense
Comedy
Appetite

A predatory dater always runs off when the bill comes

13 min · entertaining · quirky
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
Drama
Struck

A female jogger returns to the scene of a crime looking for closure

14 min · intense · intimate
Drama
Two Sides

The lives of a homeless man and a property developer become intertwined

10 min · meaningful · 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

Short films about survival.

Survival sharpens everything down to a single question: what would you do to make it through? Short films thrive on that pressure, no slack, no second act, just a person and the thing that wants them gone. The films below are hand-picked, complete, and free to watch. Stories about staying alive.

Darkside follows an astronaut searching for a lost crew on an interstellar mission, and Debt Valley sets a desert rendezvous that can't be good news. A Certain Method watches a struggling actress kill at the audition of her life, while Appetite trails a predatory dater who always runs off when the bill comes.

The best short films about survival keep the stakes inches away. Chasing The Vein is a doc exploring a woman's addiction to heroin from the age of 15, and Botching is a heist film, with Robots. Our editors selected each one, free in 190 countries with nothing to sign up for. Press play, and hold on.