Why Watch? It’s the story about a snowman with no arms on an adventure to find some. It echoes Rankin & Bass, and it’s pleasantly low-budget the way the first South Park Christmas videos were. Plus, it’s delightful and only a little bit creepy. Enjoy the ending! Happy holidays! What does it cost? Just 8 minutes of your time. Trust us. You have time for more short films.

Why Watch? Because everything falls away in the face of your own death. This student short film shows some of the pitfalls of student filmmaking, but it also displays a clever use of a gimmick, some impressive camerawork, and a mystery that unfolds into a greater story. Told in reverse, a young man tries to tie up all of his loose ends before shuffling off his mortal coil. The words flashing over different parts of the story are a bit unnecessary, but overall, it’s a sci-fi-feeling drama without the science fiction that asks a question about what’s important in our own lives. What does it cost? Just 4 minutes of your time. Check out Tick Tock for yourself:

Why Watch? Because some student films lead to iconic careers. We posted the trailer for the feature-length THX 1183 a few days ago, and it seemed only natural that we’d post up the student short film that led to its creation. As far as student films go, George Lucas defies all expectations. It’s strange sci-fi blended with experimentalism and a healthy dose of what seems like somehow anachronistic futurism. Looking back on this story trying to predict our dark future carries with it the kind of nostalgia that bubbles up when watching something like War Games. How quaint those computers, how little that generation might have realized where we’d be in a few decades. And yet THX 1183 4EB is timeless, even in its technology. See if you can spot all the style influences (because there are dozens). And for those wondering, the “EB” stands for “Earth Born.” More importantly, see if you can connect the student that made this short to the man who made Star Wars. The early alien seeds are there. What does it cost? Just 15 minutes of your time. Check out Electronic Labyrinth THX 1183 4EB for yourself: