List of short live-action films
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This is a list of live-action short films.
1880s
- Roundhay Garden Scene (1888) – directed by Louis Le Prince; this two-second film is the oldest surviving motion picture
- Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge (1888) – another early Louis Le Prince film
- Leisurely Pedestrians, Open Topped Buses and Hansom Cabs with Trotting Horses (1889)
1890s
- London's Trafalgar Square (1890)
- Monkeyshines, No. 1 (1890)
- Monkeyshines, No. 2 (1890)
- Monkeyshines, No. 3 (1890)
- Dickson Greeting (1891)
- Duncan and Another, Blacksmith Shop (1891)
- Duncan or Devonald with Muslin Cloud (1891)
- Duncan Smoking (1891)
- Men Boxing (1891)
- Monkey and Another, Boxing (1891)
- Newark Athlete (1891)
- Blacksmith Scene (1893) – first film publicly exhibited by Kinetoscope; sometimes listed as the first film to employ actors; selected for the National Film Registry
- Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze (1894) – first motion picture copyrighted in the United States
- Robetta and Doretto (1895)
- The Execution of Mary Stuart (1895) – sometimes listed as the first film to employ actors and the first film to use special effects
- Watering the Gardener (1895)
- The Kiss (1896) – first on-screen kiss; one of the first films to be exhibited commercially; selected for the National Film Registry
- Interrupted Lover (1896)
- In a Chinese Laundry (1897)
- The Milker's Mishap (1897)
- New Pillow Fight (1897)
- Young America (1897)
- The Inquisitive Girls (1898)
- The Minister's Wooing (1898)
- The Nearsighted School Teacher (1898)
- The Old Maid and the Burglar (1898)
- Little Willy and the Minister (1898)
- Armor vs. Armour (1899)
- An Exciting Finish (1899)
1900s
- I Had to Leave a Happy Home for You (1900)
- The Burglar-Proof Bed (1900)
- Above the Limit (1900)
- A Joke on Grandma (1901)
- A Trip to the Moon (1902) – first science-fiction film
- I Want My Dinner (1903)
- A Narrow Escape (1903)
- The Infernal Boiling Pot (1903)
- The Magic Lantern (1903)
- The Magical Tramp (1903)
- Raffles the Dog (1905)
- Everybody Works but Father (1905)
- Rescued by Rover (1905)
- The Little Train Robbery (1905)
- Dr. Dippy's Sanitarium (1906)
- College Chums (1907)
- A Dash for Liberty (1908)
- The Taming of the Shrew (1908)
- The Thieving Hand (1908)
- The Painter's Revenge (1908)
- A Calamitcus Elapment (1908)
- A Corner in Wheat (1909) – directed by D. W. Griffith; selected for the National Film Registry
- Tag Day (1909)
- The New Cop (1909)
- Cohen at Corey Island (1909)
1910s
- Making a Man of Him (1910)
- Davy Jones and Captain Bragg (1910)
- Money to Burn (1911)
- O'Brien's Busy Day (1912)
- The New Neighbour (1912)
- A Near-Tragedy (1912)
- Making a Man of Her (1912)
- Nursery Favorites (1913)
- Between Showers (1914)
- Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914) – first released film in which Charlie Chaplin plays his Tramp character
- The New Janitor (1914)
- Making a Living (1914)
- Twenty Minutes of Love (1914)
- A Busy Day (1914)
- A Woman (1915)
- A Night in the Snow (1915)
- Ragtime Snap Shots (1915)
- The Fireman (1916)
- Behind the Screen (1916)
- The Floorwalker (1916)
- The Immigrant (1917) – Charlie Chaplin film; selected for the National Film Registry
- Easy Street (1917)
- The Cook (1918)
- Good-Night, Nurse! (1918)
- O, It's Great to Be Crazy (1918)
- Short Hustling for Health (1919)
- The Hayseed (1919)
- Hoot, Moon! (1919)
- Back Stage (1919)
1920s
- The Garage (1920)
- One Week (1920)
- A Lucky Dog (1921)
- Now or Never (1921)
- The Idle Class (1921)
- Among Those Present (1921)
- Cops (1922) – Buster Keaton comedy; selected for the National Film Registry
- Mixed Nuts (1922)
- Glad Bags (1922)
- Our Gang (1922)
- Pay Day (1922)
- The Ballonaric (1923)
- Gas and Air (1923)
- Kill or Cure (1923)
- The Love Nest (1923)
- A Powder Romance (1923)
- Portage Due (1924)
- Duck Soup (1927)
- Love 'em and Weep (1927)
- Hats Off (1928)
- Big Business (1929) – Laurel and Hardy comedy; selected for the National Film Registry
- The Carnival Man (1929)
1930s
- Brats (1930)
- Shivering Shakespeare (1930)
- Teacher's Pet (1930)
- County Hospital (1932)
- The Music Box (1932) – Academy Award-winning Laurel and Hardy comedy; selected for the National Film Registry
- The Hollywood Handicap (1932)
- Running Hollywood (1932)
- The Voice of Hollywood No, 13 (1932)
- Busy Bodies (1933)
- Me and My Pal (1933)
- The Poor Fish (1933)
- Wrongorilla (1933)
- Smoked Hams (1934)
- Little Boy Blue (1936)
1940s
1950s
- The Bespoke Overcoat (1956)
- The Red Balloon (1956) – only short film to win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay; winner of the Cannes Short Film Palme d'Or
- Pull My Daisy (1959) – written by Jack Kerouac; features members of the Beat Generation; selected for the National Film Registry
1960s
- La Jetée (1962) – science-fiction film; directed by Chris Marker; remade in 1995 as Twelve Monkeys
- The Peaches (1964)
- Castro Street (1966) – selected for the National Film Registry
- The Dove (1968) – Academy Award-nominated spoof of Ingmar Bergman films
1970s
- The Resurrection of Broncho Billy (1970) – Academy Award winner; edited and with music composed by John Carpenter
- No Lies (1972)
- C'était un rendez-vous (1976)
- Dear Phone (1976)
- To Fly! (1976) – first film in IMAX format; selected for the National Film Registry
1980s
- Reasons to Be Glad (1980)
- Frankenweenie (1984) – directed by Tim Burton; stars Shelley Duvall and Daniel Stern
- Captain EO (1986)
- Precious Images (1986) – Academy Award-winning montage of classic movies; directed by Chuck Workman
- Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall (1987) – Academy Award winner; cast includes Sam McMurray, David Rasche, Fred Willard and Robert Wuhl
- The Appointments of Dennis Jennings (1988) – Academy Award winner; stars Steven Wright and Rowan Atkinson
- Smooth Criminal (1988) – Grammy Award winner; stars Michael Jackson and Joe Pesci
- Climb Dance (1989)
1990s
- Angry George Irons (1992)
- Omnibus (1992) – Academy Award and Short Film Palme d'Or winner
- The Crane (1994)
- Silver Surfer (1994)
- Requiem (1995)
- Curtains (1995)
- Spindrift (1996)
- Where's the Money, Ronnie? (final version) (1996)
- Yellow (1996)
- Michael Jackson's Ghosts (1997)
- Coven (1997)
- Little Red Riding Hood (1997)
- Visas and Virtue (1997)
- Waiting for Woody (1998)
- Random Acts of Intimacy (1998)
2000s
- Le Cheval 2.1
- Manic Ken
- Coming Out (2000)
- Shooter (2000)
- Mean People Suck (2001)
- My Other Wheelchair Is a Porsche (2001)
- Red Gourmet Pellzik (2001)
- Remembrance (2001)
- Sweetnightgoodheart (2001)
- On All Floors (2002)
- Tag 26 (2002)
- Day of Independence (2003)
- Eve's Dropping In (2003)
- Home Security (2003)
- Journey Through the Night (2003)
- Right Here, Right Now (2003)
- My Wrongs #8245–8249 & 117 (2003)
- Wrestled (2003)
- Saw (2003)
- A Cerebral Print Halloween Special (2004)
- The Anniversary (2004)
- Binta and the Great Idea (2004)
- Cashback (2004) – Academy Award nominee; remade as a feature film in 2006
- Der Blindgänger (2004)
- Lap (2004)
- Stand Up for Justice: The Ralph Lazo Story (2004)
- The Death of Salvador Dali (2005)
- Éramos Pocos (2005)
- Nicky's Game (2005)
- The Seed (2005) – directed by Joseph Hahn from the rock band Linkin Park
- West Bank Story (2005)
- A Cold Blood (2006)
- Credo (2006)
- Helmer & Son (2006)
- Ninja Star in the Eye (2006)
- A Brief Theory on Mankind (2007)
- A Thousand Words (2007)
- Deface (2007)
- Hotel Chevalier (2007)
- I Love You, I'm Sorry, And I'll Never Do It Again (2007)
- In the Name of the Son (2007)
- Negativity (2007)
- Testudo (2007)
- Out of My Intention (2008)
- Watch Your Own Heart Attack (2008) – produced by the British Heart Foundation
- Deviant (2008)
- Mime Control (2008)
- Purge (2008)
- Los Partyculares (2008)
- A Cop Killer (2009)
- A Day for a Dark Sky (2009)
- Amanecer (2009)
- Forgotten (2009)
- Kimjongilia (2009)
- Miracle Fish (2009)
- Winter Rain (2009)
- Wish 143 (2009)
- Snuff (2009) by the band Slipknot
2010s
- Anonymous (street meat) (2010)
- Lab Rats (2010)
- Red Balloon (2010)
- Ay, Pavloba (2010)
- Runaway (2010) – directed by Kanye West
- Admissions (2011) – directed by Harry Kakatsakis, produced by Gavin Behrman, written & Produced by John Viscount
- Dream Job (2011) – written and directed by Joe Lipari
- Zombie in a Penguin Suit (2011) – directed by Chris Russell
- Friends 4 Ever (2012) – written and directed by Shane Dawson
- Four Walls Sarajevo (2012) – written and directed by Nadim Güç
- Recoprem 10 mg (2012)
- Limerence (2012) – written and directed by Giuseppe Rossi
- Fortune's Favored (2012) – written and directed by Daniel Lahr
- The Boxer (2012)
- Tofael: The Tea Stall Boy (2013) written & directed by Minhazur Rahman Nayan
- Shock Theatre (2013)
- Alt (2013)