Netflix Alternatives for Short Films

By Birgül Tombul

Short film is a genre with a highly selective and niche audience. Particularly on platforms, short film preferences are now more widespread. Feature-length films and long-running series are no longer preferred. The mobile and profound nature of short films is quite alluring.

Essentially, credit where it's due, Netflix has managed to gather many series and films on a single platform and has become a serious competitor to traditional television broadcasting. However, the series and films there have also fallen into repetition after some time.

What I find most interesting is how a streaming platform can play such a defining and transformative role. It's like a universe on its own. But it certainly has its own internal issues as well.

Alternative Platforms to Netflix

Vimeo: Paradise for Independent Producers

Vimeo is a popular platform where independent filmmakers can share their short films and connect with audiences. Vimeo's short film viewing experience is quite good and its content diversity is extensive. There's no subscription system.

YouTube: Endless Short Film Content

YouTube attracts users with millions of short films. YouTube is a discovery platform, and short film lovers can easily find content here. However, the biggest problem is deciding what to watch and staying focused among so much content. Subscription systems are available for YouTube Premium.

Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime continues its broadcasting life with a Netflix-style system. I can say it's more series-focused. The platform also has feature-length films, but the short film option is quite weak. It works with a subscription system.

Cineshort: Meeting Point for Independent Short Film Producers

Cineshort is a platform that supports short film producers and brings short films from worldwide festivals to viewers. Cineshort's history in the short film world is quite new, but its role is very effective. It supports filmmakers and offers both viewers and filmmakers an opportunity to exist on an independent platform.

It requires following constantly renewed films, which is exciting. Festival sponsorships provide an incredibly large contribution to the short film industry. This platform, which exclusively broadcasts short films at quite reasonable prices, I think holds a special place for itself in the sector.

Some Great Films Featured on Cineshort

The first film I would recommend is Flocky, a wonderful animation film that you can only watch on Cineshort. I must say, it's one of the best animations I've watched in a long time. It contains quite emotional elements. A mother, whether her baby is born alive or dead, always carries that special state of motherhood within her. We have a mother who learns she's going to have a baby, and a very special bond forms between her and her baby. Spending time with the baby is a wonderful feeling. They're having quite a lot of fun, indeed. Then she realizes she's lost her baby. That emotional detachment is beautifully conveyed in the animation. Another important and beautiful point is that we watch this entire film accompanied by a wonderful winter landscape. I recommend this wonderful animation film to anyone who wants to watch a beautiful animation accompanied by a train journey.

Migrants is a wonderful drama you'll watch with sadness. The issue of migration, which affects the world most deeply, is conveyed to the audience with great creativity, combined with environmental problems. Our heroes, a mother and cub polar bears, are forced to migrate due to global warming. In the place they go, other bears don't want them. The polar bears, who are subjected to exclusion and mistreatment, realize they are not alone while escaping. All polar bears are reported to border security and sent on a boat. In today's world, some people in the position of migrants and asylum seekers unfortunately face such problems. Every year, millions of people go to different countries due to wars and various other reasons. Among these, irregular migration is particularly risky. The image in the final scene was exactly the posture of baby Aylan who washed up on the Aegean shores, and it deeply shook me. With the wish to find the prosperous and free life we deserve in our own country and not to be subjected to any discrimination in the country where we are accepted. I definitely recommend the film to everyone.

Nuisible is an interesting and equally beautiful action-drama style film you'll watch with curiosity. It's a short film that beautifully combines the exciting dynamism of action and the depth of drama. Our heroes are a father and son, and it's the child's first hunting attempt. They track their prey with great excitement. Conditions are difficult, but they are struggling. The child's greatest desire is to prove to his father that he is now an adult man and to make him proud. In the end, the prey they encounter is extraordinary. Nuisible confronts us with the problem of racism in such a way that you better understand in what situations humans can dehumanize. By the way, I should also mention that if we contribute to people living peacefully in their own countries, I think the problem of migration will largely be resolved. It's definitely a film I would recommend watching, enjoy!

The Boogeywoman is a horror film you'll watch with interest. Our heroine is experiencing her first period. The approach of her friends around her to this topic and the confusion of our heroine during this special time, her inability to normalize the situation because she doesn't have a mother, the perspective of young men on this issue are all handled in a very impressive way. Another aspect of the film is how this special period has been treated throughout history in almost all societies with gender codes as filth, devilry, not being considered human, being a bogeyman, being removed from the table. However, it's just a biological difference between men and women that enables fertility. Different in men, different in women. That is, gender difference. But when social gender codes come into play, symbolic meanings and approach styles become a reason to place women in a lower position. Especially if you have legends about this topic. I recommend watching the film.

Bad Furniture is a quite beautiful drama you'll watch with pleasure. Our heroes are a couple who cannot maintain their relationship in a healthy way. They are no different from old furniture in each other's lives. This creates feelings of resentment, anger, and loneliness. Marriage continues in a healthy way with the harmonious togetherness of both sides. If one side is always and continuously giving, after a while, there's no difference from worn-out furniture in that relationship. I think both sides can be happy together by showing necessary care without drowning each other in a spiral of expectations. Images are used quite strongly in the film. For example, a woman with a good job but suffocating in the relationship. A very attentive and helpful man but not getting enough attention and unable to come to the forefront. While conveying this message to us, it used a quite different and impressive narrative style. Frankly, the film affected me. I definitely recommend watching it. Enjoy!

Kill Your Dinner is a wonderful comedy film you'll watch with laughter. Our heroes are a father and son. The duo goes to the house where they stay with the father's new wife. They're going to eat, but there's a problem. They chase after an escaped calf, and funny events develop afterward. I should also mention that the world is a very difficult place for sensitive hearts. If I'm honest, I probably couldn't eat a living being I've emotionally bonded with. Another aspect of the film is that things that are simply described as simple and normal for our children might make them feel safer. Perhaps the best thing we can do for them is to be a little calmer. The film is very entertaining. I definitely recommend it to everyone.

My Stuffed Granny is a beautiful animation you'll watch with pleasure. Our heroine's grandmother is quite appetitive, and her pension is the only source of income for the poor family. No matter what they do, it's not possible to satisfy the grandmother; in fact, the grandmother might even give her life on this appetitive path. :)) Economic hardship is such a big problem, especially if your family is crowded and you don't have the assurance of finding healthy food for them at every meal; one can really feel helpless. Returning to our film, the film has a quite entertaining perspective. It also has nice advice about being frugal. I definitely recommend watching it. You know what they say, "If life gives you oranges, make jam!" :))

Pine is a beautiful drama you'll watch with sadness. Our short film is honestly a beautiful example of Iranian cinema. Our hero is a father who works as a taxi driver and struggles with economic hardship. What happens if a close relative gets rich through illegitimate ways, and your family, seeing this, doesn't share your same values and, being tired of poverty, demands the same prosperity from you? The answer to the question is in the film. We experience various difficulties in our lives. And if we're not on the same plane with the people closest to us, with whom we share our lives, if we don't carry the same values, we have to bear this burden as well, and this is even more wounding. As the poet says, "Stones like roses rain on my head, especially the rose of a friend wounds me." Whatever happens, people should still have certain ethical values in their lives, and our lives should lean on those ethical values. I know it's harder to live this situation than to talk about it, but at the end of the day, that clear conscience is worth everything. I definitely recommend watching the film.

Strangers is a quite impressive thriller film you'll watch with interest. Our hero is a writer, and he meets his girlfriend at the restaurant where they'll have dinner, and events unfold. The director has used the elements of anger management and behavioral disorder quite well and impressively, in the right dose. We all have various faces that make us who we are. We have the equipment to interpret events, determine the reactions we'll give, and which action would be appropriate. But what if these faces of ours get mixed up and we can't decide which one is appropriate? I think there would be nothing but chaos. Another aspect of the film is the difficulty of living with a person in such an unstable state of mind. How will you decide where the limit of being understanding is? I definitely recommend watching it. Enjoy!

August Sun is a film that touches all our lives, which you'll watch with sadness. In the flow of time we think about, a child is born, grows up, leaves the nest, and starts their own family. Meanwhile, the parent left behind seems to always be like the day the child left. But outside our imagined flow of time, there are also the realities of life. Aging or ill parents and the responsibility of their care. This situation causes a disruption in the flow of our own lives. Especially if there's no one to share the responsibility with, financial impossibilities, social pressure, living in a different place from the parent, can make the situation even more inextricable. But in the end, it's family, and we are in a position to take this responsibility. The film has beautifully handled this topic and has very well conveyed this difficult situation to us. I wish everyone a good viewing.

Emotional Intelligence is a very beautiful science fiction-animation style film that you'll watch with curiosity, is quite enjoyable to watch, and makes one think. Our heroes are two technological products equipped with emotional intelligence. Being equipped with emotional intelligence will create big differences in their behavior and decisions. Honestly, the film reminded me of metaverse, the new socialization area of the recent period. Can we fit everything into a computer hardware, but what about our emotions and need to be face-to-face, is endless happiness possible, how will we understand happiness and be happy in a world where there's no unhappiness? Such questions have not yet found their answers. I definitely recommend watching this quite impressive film.

Inside is a wonderful thriller film you'll watch with excitement. Our hero is a patient with multiple personality disorder. He wants to leave where he's staying and I think he's found a solution for this. How? The answer is in the film as always. How many different aspects make us who we are, and how many social roles are we in during the process of our lives. If we live in the same house, we're both parents and children; if our child is in the same class, we're both parents and teachers; or maybe we're both police officers and parents, both siblings and bosses, etc. That is, many of our roles overlap from time to time and there are confusions. Our brain puts these in order according to the place and we determine how we should behave. In situations where we can't determine, I think there would be a great cacophony inside our heads. I wish everyone a complete state of health including mental, spiritual, and physical health, and I wish healing to those suffering from this disorder. I definitely recommend watching the film.

Nobu is one of the most sympathetic films in my opinion, which you can watch with enjoyment. Actually, the film is a migration story. Cultural differences and the adaptation process are beautifully handled. The need to find people from one's own culture in a different society and spend time with them is handled in a delicate way. Also, this film shows how a behavior that belongs to your culture can have a completely different meaning in a different culture. Our main hero seems to give tips on overcoming the difficulties of both leaving and adapting in the place you've gone to. The support he gives to his daughter's production and development is very special. There's a constant smile on his face, but his answer to his daughter's "are you happy?" question at the very end is like a mirror to his inner world. I strongly recommend it to those who haven't watched it, and wish those who will watch it an enjoyable viewing.

In Conclusion

It's a fact that some platforms dominate the industry and shape viewer orientation. This deterministic situation leads to imposition after a while. This is a situation that goes as far as "you will watch the films I offer, you will have the mindset I deem appropriate." Changing this thought and diversity can only be possible with alternative platforms, which will lead to both diversity and viewer satisfaction.

Short films continue to affect us in every environment and platform. Despite their short duration, the messages they give us are quite direct and impressive. Therefore, they definitely deserve to have their own special platform. It's good that short films are in our lives and it's good that short film platforms open the doors of this world wide for us.