What is a 40 minute film called?

What Do You Call a 40-Minute Film?

Ever watched a film that wraps up in under an hour and wondered what to call it? If it runs 40 minutes or less—including credits—it’s officially a short film.

While there’s no universal rule for the exact length, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the Oscars, draws a clear line: anything with a runtime of 40 minutes or less qualifies as a short. That definition isn’t just arbitrary—it’s what determines eligibility for categories like Best Live Action Short or Best Animated Short at the Academy Awards.

Short films have long been a creative playground for filmmakers. Without the pressure of filling 90+ minutes, directors can experiment, take risks, and tell compact, powerful stories. Many now-famous directors, like Christopher Nolan and Damien Chazelle, got their start with short films that showcased their vision in just a handful of minutes.

Unlike feature films, which typically start around 80 minutes and go much longer, short films thrive on brevity. They’re often screened at festivals, included as extras on DVDs, or shared online. Platforms like YouTube and Vimeo have given short films a global audience, making it easier than ever for emerging talent to be seen.

So whether it’s a 3-minute animated piece or a 40-minute dramatic narrative, if it clocks in at or under that 40-minute mark, it belongs to the vibrant world of short filmmaking. It’s not about length—it’s about impact, and sometimes, the most powerful stories come in the smallest packages.