24 Short Films Wes Anderson Wants You to See

Perusing films is something that even the greatest filmmakers need to keep doing. Using other people’s art as a touchstone allows filmmakers to get familiar with their likes, dislikes, and personal motivations in their filmmaking. As true as it may be of any director, this rings true with Wes Anderson, whose love of movies is apparent in his work with actors and visuals in every production, no matter the runtime.

As a visual storyteller with features and shorts under his belt, Anderson’s taste is wide and varied. He has, of course, singled out a few that stand out the most to him. Anderson took to Letterboxd to list 24 short films that are on his must-watch list.

From an old-school cartoon that has charmed millions since the 1950s to various collections of shorts from directors across the ages, this list of works is well worth watching. Don’t take our word for it—take it from Anderson!

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‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’

Short Films Recommended By Wes Anderson

1. Simon of the Desert (1965) | Directed by Luis Buñuel, Written by Luis Buñuel, Julio Alejandro
2. The Postmaster (1961) | Written and Directed by Satyajit Ray
3. Vive Le Tour (1962) | Written and Directed by Louis Malle
   
4. The House Is Black (1963) | Written and Directed by Forugh Farrokhzad
   
5. The Gold of Naples (1954) | Directed by Vittorio De Sica, Written by Vittorio De Sica, Cesare Zavattini, Giuseppe Marotta
   
6. Christo’s Valley Curtain (1974) | Directed by Albert Maysles, Ellen Giffard, and David Maysles
   
7. The Girl Chewing Gum (1976) | Directed by John Smith
8. Ready… Set.. Zoom! (1955) | Directed by Chuck Jones, Written by Michael Maltese
   
9. Rue Saint-Denis (1965) | Written and Directed by Jean-Daniel Pollet
   
10. Powers of Ten (1977) | Directed by Charles Eames, Ray Eames
    
11. Boccaccio ’70 (1962) | Directed by Federico Fellini, Vittorio De Sica, Luchino Visconti, Mario Monicelli, Written by Federico Fellini et al.
12. Peter and the Wolf (2006) | Directed by Suzie Templeton, Written by Sergei Prokofiev, Suzie Templeton
    
13. Paris, Je T’Aime (2006) | Isabel Coixet, Christopher Doyle, Tom Tykwer, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, et al., Written by Isabel Coixet
    
14. Passionless Moments (1983) | Directed by Jane Campion, Gerard Lee, Written by Gerard Lee
    
15. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) | Written and Directed by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
    
16. New York Stories (1989) | Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Written by Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen, Sofia Coppola, Richard Price
    
17. Very Nice, Very Nice (1961) | Directed by Arthur Lipsett
18. The Responsive Eye (1965) | Directed by Brian De Palma
    
19. Six Shooter (2004) | Written and Directed by Martin McDonagh
20. Antoine and Colette (1962) | Written and Directed by François Truffaut
    
21. Aria (1987) | Directed by Jean-Luc Godard, Bruce Beresford, Robert Altman, Nicolas Roeg, Julien Temple, et al., Written by Bruce Beresford, Robert Altman, Nicolas Roeg, Julien Temple, Ken Russell, et al.
    
22. Toby Dammit (1968) | Directed by Federico Fellini, Written by Federico Fellini, Bernardino Zapponi
    
23. Le Plaisir (1952) | Directed by Max Ophüls, Written by Max Ophüls, Guy de Maupassant, Jacques Natanson
24. Mystery Train (1989) | Written and Directed by Jim Jarmusch
    

‘New York Stories’

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Not every short on this list has the same goal, style, or creative background. Some are closer to recognizable narratives, while others are experimental vignettes or bordering the line of documentary work. Those differences help to enrich a storyteller, and Wes Anderson—like other filmmakers—chooses to celebrate those enrichments, using them to inform and inspire his work.

If you are looking for something new, something fun, or something to inspire your filmmaking, start by sitting down with the shorts on this list!

Read More: Top 10 Wes Anderson Films (Features and Shorts)