Where to Watch Oscar Shorts for Free

Complete guide to where to watch oscar shorts for free at the Academy Awards.

You can watch 164 Academy Award–winning and nominated short films free and legally right now — streaming on YouTube official channels, Archive.org, and the National Film Board of Canada. Verified as of October 11, 2026.

Each year, the Academy Awards bring attention to exceptional short films, but finding these hidden gems can be a challenge. Fortunately, there are several online platforms that offer free access to Oscar-winning and nominated short films, allowing viewers to experience the best of short filmmaking without a cost. From official Academy channels to public libraries and streaming services, a wealth of options are available for those looking to watch these acclaimed shorts. By exploring these resources, film enthusiasts can discover and enjoy the most celebrated short films of the past and present.

Short Film, Animated

Beautiful Men (2025)

Nicolas Keppens · YouTube

Letter to a Pig (2024)

Tal Kantor · YouTube

War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko (2024)

Dave Mullins · YouTube

My Year of Dicks (2023)

Sara Gunnarsdottir · Vimeo

Ice Merchants (2023)

Joao Gonzalez · YouTube

The Flying Sailor (2023)

Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby · YouTube

Bestia (2022)

Hugo Covarrubias · Archive.org

Genius Loci (2021)

Adrien Merigeau · Vimeo

Sister (2020)

Siqi Song · YouTube

Kitbull (2020)

Rosana Sullivan · YouTube

Hair Love (2020)

Matthew A. Cherry · YouTube

Weekends (2019)

Trevor Jimenez · Vimeo

One Small Step (2019)

Andrew Chesworth, Bobby Pontillas · YouTube

Late Afternoon (2019)

Louise Bagnall · YouTube

Animal Behaviour (2019)

Alison Snowden, David Fine · NFB

Bao (2019)

Domee Shi · YouTube

Negative Space (2018)

Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata · YouTube

Garden Party (2018)

Victor Caire, Gabriel Grapperon · YouTube

Blind Vaysha (2017)

Theodore Ushev · NFB

Me and My Moulton (2015)

Torill Kove · NFB

Paperman (2013)

John Kahrs · YouTube

Wild Life (2012)

Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby · NFB

Madame Tutli-Putli (2008)

Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski · NFB

Madame Tutli-Putli (2007)

Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski · NFB

The Danish Poet (2007)

Torill Kove · Archive.org

Ryan (2005)

Chris Landreth · NFB

Harvie Krumpet (2004)

Adam Elliot · YouTube

Strange Invaders (2002)

Cordell Barker · NFB

For the Birds (2002)

Ralph Eggleston · YouTube

Strange Invaders (2001)

Cordell Barker · NFB

When the Day Breaks (2000)

Wendy Tilby, Amanda Forbis · NFB

My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts (2000)

Torill Kove · NFB

The Old Man and the Sea (2000)

Aleksandr Petrov · Archive.org

When the Day Breaks (1999)

Wendy Tilby, Amanda Forbis · NFB

My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts (1999)

Torill Kove · NFB

A Close Shave (1996)

Nick Park · Archive.org

Bob's Birthday (1995)

Alison Snowden, David Fine · Archive.org

The Wrong Trousers (1994)

Nick Park · Archive.org

The Cat Came Back (1989)

Cordell Barker · NFB

The Cat Came Back (1988)

Cordell Barker · NFB

The Man Who Planted Trees (1988)

Frederic Back · Archive.org

A Greek Tragedy (1987)

Nicole Van Goethem · Archive.org

The Big Snit (1986)

Richard Condie · NFB

Anna & Bella (1986)

Cilia van Dijk · Archive.org

The Big Snit (1985)

Richard Condie · NFB

Tango (1983)

Zbigniew Rybczynski · Archive.org

Crac (1982)

Frederic Back · Archive.org

The Fly (1981)

Ferenc Rofusz · Archive.org

Every Child (1980)

Derek Lamb · Archive.org

Special Delivery (1979)

Eunice Macaulay, John Weldon · Archive.org

Sand Castle (1978)

Co Hoedeman · Archive.org

Great (1976)

Bob Godfrey · Archive.org

Closed Mondays (1975)

Will Vinton, Bob Gardiner · Archive.org

The Crunch Bird (1972)

Ted Petok · Archive.org

Documentary Short Subject

Instruments of a Beating Heart (2025)

Ema Ryan Yamazaki · NYT

Incident (2025)

Bill Morrison · Vimeo

The Barber of Little Rock (2024)

John Hoffman, Christine Turner · YouTube

The ABCs of Book Banning (2024)

Sheila Nevins, Trish Adlesic · YouTube

Stranger at the Gate (2023)

Joshua Seftel · YouTube

Haulout (2023)

Evgenia Arbugaeva, Maxim Arbugaev · YouTube

The Queen of Basketball (2022)

Ben Proudfoot · NYT

Hunger Ward (2021)

Skye Fitzgerald · Pluto TV

Do Not Split (2021)

Anders Hammer · YouTube

A Concerto Is a Conversation (2021)

Ben Proudfoot, Kris Bowers · NYT

Colette (2021)

Anthony Giacchino · YouTube

St. Louis Superman (2020)

Smriti Mundhra, Sami Khan · Plex

In the Absence (2020)

Yi Seung-jun · YouTube

A Night at the Garden (2019)

Marshall Curry · YouTube

Lifeboat (2019)

Skye Fitzgerald · YouTube

Black Sheep (2019)

Ed Perkins · YouTube

Period. End of Sentence. (2019)

Rayka Zehtabchi · YouTube

Traffic Stop (2018)

Kate Davis, David Heilbroner · Plex

Knife Skills (2018)

Thomas Lennon · New Yorker

4.1 Miles (2017)

Daphne Matziaraki · NYT

Educating Peter (1993)

Thomas C. Goodwin, Gerardine Wurzburg · Archive.org

The Johnstown Flood (1990)

Charles Guggenheim · Archive.org

Witness to War: Dr. Charlie Clements (1986)

David Goodman · Archive.org

Flamenco at 5:15 (1984)

Cynthia Scott · YouTube

Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist (1980)

Saul J. Turell · Archive.org

Universe (1977)

NFB

Czechoslovakia 1968 (1970)

Robert M. Fresco, Denis Sanders · Archive.org

Why Man Creates (1969)

Saul Bass · Archive.org

The Redwoods (1968)

Mark Harris, Trevor Greenwood · Official

To Be Alive! (1966)

Francis Thompson · Archive.org

Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak (1965)

Kathleen Shannon, John Spotton · NFB

Nine from Little Rock (1965)

Charles Guggenheim · Official

Chagall (1964)

Simon Schiffrin · YouTube

Universe (1961)

Roman Kroitor, Colin Low · NFB

The Living Stone (1959)

Tom Daly · NFB

The True Story of the Civil War (1957)

Archive.org

The Alaskan Eskimo (1953)

Archive.org

Neighbours (1952)

Norman McLaren · Archive.org

The Rising Tide (1950)

St. Francis-Xavier University · NFB

Why Korea? (1950)

Archive.org

The Rising Tide (1949)

NFB

Seeds of Destiny (1946)

Archive.org

Hitler Lives? (1945)

Don Siegel · Archive.org

With the Marines at Tarawa (1944)

Louis Hayward · Archive.org

December 7th (1943)

John Ford, Gregg Toland · Archive.org

War Clouds in the Pacific (1942)

National Film Board of Canada · NFB

Churchill's Island (1942)

Stuart Legg · Archive.org

War Clouds in the Pacific (1941)

NFB

Short Film, Live Action

A Lien (2025)

Sam Orti · Vimeo

Red, White and Blue (2024)

Nazrin Choudhury · YouTube

Knight of Fortune (2024)

Lasse Lyskjaer Noha · YouTube

Invincible (2024)

Vincent Rene-Lortie · TV5MONDE+

Night Ride (2023)

YouTube

On My Mind (2022)

YouTube

Feeling Through (2021)

YouTube

Nefta Football Club (2020)

Vimeo

Brotherhood (2020)

YouTube

Fauve (2019)

YouTube

Detainment (2019)

Tubi

Skin (2019)

Guy Nattiv · Archive.org

DeKalb Elementary (2018)

YouTube

The Shore (2012)

Terry George · Official

Six Shooter (2006)

Martin McDonagh · YouTube

Angel and Big Joe (1976)

Archive.org

Short Subject, Cartoon

Walking (1970)

Ryan Larkin · NFB

Walking (1969)

Ryan Larkin · NFB

The House That Jack Built (1969)

Ron Tunis · NFB

The House That Jack Built (1968)

Ron Tunis · NFB

What on Earth! (1968)

Les Drew, Kaj Pindal · NFB

What on Earth! (1967)

Les Drew, Kaj Pindal · NFB

A Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double Feature (1967)

John Hubley, Faith Hubley · Archive.org

The Dot and the Line (1966)

Chuck Jones · Archive.org

Christmas Cracker (1965)

Norman McLaren · NFB

Christmas Cracker (1964)

Norman McLaren · NFB

My Financial Career (1964)

Grant Munro, Gerald Potterton · NFB

The Critic (1964)

Ernest Pintoff · YouTube

My Financial Career (1963)

Gerald Potterton · NFB

The Hole (1963)

John Hubley, Faith Hubley · Archive.org

Moonbird (1960)

John Hubley · Archive.org

Knighty Knight Bugs (1959)

Friz Freleng · Archive.org

Birds Anonymous (1958)

Friz Freleng · Archive.org

Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (1954)

Ward Kimball, Charles A. Nichols · Archive.org

Romance of Transportation in Canada (1953)

Colin Low · NFB

The Romance of Transportation in Canada (1952)

Colin Low · NFB