Short films may lack the scale and sweep of their feature-length siblings, but the best of them offer a promise of perfection in miniature and a reminder that cinema is often an art of patience, precision, and detail. These short documentaries raise awareness about important issues that sometimes prompt later feature-length explorations and go on to have a profound impact—here's your chance to see them first! 

All the Empty Rooms
D: Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones, US, 2025, 34m
Follows correspondent Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp as they embark on a seven-year-long project to document the empty bedrooms of children killed in school shootings.

Armed Only with a Camera: the Life and Death of Brent Renaud
D: Craig Renaud and Juan Arredondo, US, 2025, 37m
An intimate chronicle about documentary filmmaker Brent Renaud, the first American journalist killed while reporting on the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Children No More: "Were and are Gone"
D: Hilla Medalia and Sheila Nevins, US, 2025, 36m
Israeli peace activists hold silent vigils in Tel Aviv, displaying photos of Gaza's young victims. Despite facing public backlash, their wordless demonstrations powerfully highlight war's human cost.

The Devil is Busy
D: Christalyn Hampton and Geeta Gandbhir, US, 2024, 31m
At an Atlanta abortion clinic besieged by protesters, the director of operations takes necessary risks to safeguard staff and patients.

Perfectly a Strangeness
D: Alison McAlpine, Canada, 2024, 15m
In the dazzling incandescence of an unknown desert, three donkeys discover an abandoned astronomical observatory and the universe. A sensorial, cinematic exploration of what a story can be.