Ten Short Film Creators You Should Be Watching

From heart-wrenching and beautiful features to musicals and explorations of gender, here are the short film creators you NEED to be watching.

YouTube is filled with creative people and is arguably the perfect platform to create on and upload to, whether your passion be music, comedy, or books. This week, we’re focusing on short films and the creators who are stealing our hearts – and minds – with them. After a weekend of excitement at Summer in the City, it’s the perfect time to kick back and relax with some of our faves.

Bertie Gilbert

What can we say about Bertie Gilbert?

Actor, director, AND writer, Bertie is one hell of a talent. (Seriously, how do we get even half of his ability?) His latest short Playground, which was co-written and directed with Sammy Paul, is about escaping the grips of grief and moving forwards. It also stars Chris Kendall and a host of incredible child actors, so what more could you want?

Sammy Paul

Sammy Paul’s latest short film One Another starts out with a comedic vibe, as to the lack of knowledge of cisgender men surrounding periods – and quickly becomes much more complicated. Think Freaky Friday complicated.

The audience are drawn in as they attempt to put together how the two characters – played by Daniel J. Layton and Emma Richardson – relate to one another as they tell their stories through two intercut monologues. One Another is a brilliantly executed, stunning depiction of how gender roles continue to affect people in the modern day, and we highly suggest giving it a watch.

Sam Saffold-Geri

Sam Saffold-Geri‘s Comfort Food not only makes us feel a lot of emotions, but also makes us SUPER hungry for popcorn! Ant Lightfoot and Antoinette Belle star as an unnamed couple going through the various stages of a relationship. In a complete reverse of Sammy Paul’s One Another, Sam’s film is devoid of any speech between the characters, instead utilising music and sound to create the evolution of the couple’s relationship from awkward to loving to distant.

We can’t wait to see more creations from Sam!

PJ Liguori

Oh, PJ Liguori, how charmingly bonkers your films always are, Hair and Brimstone being no exception!

Chris Kendall plays Simon Hades who, alongside Andrea Valls as Aubrey and Dean Dobbs as Robin, runs a hair salon, which caters to some… otherworldly guests. Not only is the casting exceptional, but the shots are stunning and the script is absolutely… wait for it… bodacious!

Hazel Hayes

Hazel Hayes has a history of making amazing short films, including Super Brainy Zombies and Septem, and her latest short is no exception. Who knew only five minutes of video could give so much character exposition?

The acting is brilliant, the lighting is beautiful, and the script is funny. Although, we’re still concerned about those fish…

Elisa Spigariol

Writer and director Elisa Spigariol‘s Paperkids tells the relatable story of three friends who, after secondary school, are struggling to find their place in the world. (Aren’t we all?) Set against the atmospheric backdrop of the Alps, their friendship is tested throughout.

It’s amazing how vividly the characters are brought to life with the wonderful scriptwriting!

Eilidh Gow

Eilidh Gow‘s latest short film Peter, His Cat and the End of the World, is a cinematic masterpiece. It tells the story of Peter, a young boy who feels he’s never really achieved anything with his life, and embarks on his final to-do list upon learning the end of the world is only a week away.

Eilidh’s exploration of mortality is perfectly combined with beautiful shots and well-timed humour, and this film is most certainly one of our faves of the year.

Tim Hautekiet

We’ve been loving Tim Hautekiet‘s films since the days of Project: Library, which we feel is still one of the most iconic YouTube series of all time! (We dare you to fight us on that one.)

Tim’s latest film Your Old Man tells the story of an 18-year-old girl who must tell her father he’s adopted, despite their strained relationship. A beautiful film that’ll have you tearing up before the end, it’s the perfect showcase of Tim’s incredible ability as a filmmaker.

Ewan McIntosh

Ewan McIntosh‘s latest short film RUBIX opens with a monologue on the common myth that you get straight As if someone at your school dies – which becomes the motivation for murder.

The film confronts political issues and ethics with its incredible writing while still managing to be fast-paced through its direction. The darkness, complexity, and intensity blow us away each time we watch it!

The Midnight Beast

While most know The Midnight Beast for their music, others might know them for their musical All Killer, made after the trio caught the film bug working on their Channel 4 sitcom.

It tells the story of a glee club that holds dark secrets that newcomer Stef Harris becomes entangled in. What else can we say other than: prepare for hilarity, revelations, and some hella catchy tunes!

Marathon over!

Rewatching all these films has left us feeling super inspired – and appropriately creeped out at times, too! However, one thing’s for sure: all our faves are super talented and we can’t wait to see more shorts from them. (As well as future blockbusters!)

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