Netflix isn’t known for short films and they don’t make them easy to find, but you shouldn’t sleep on the quality of their catalog, which contains some true gems.

Sure, these are not free-to-view films like our normal picks, but if you’re one of the 125M people who subscribe to the global service, or one of the uncountably greater number of folks who have access to an account, it sure feels free doesn’t it?

Below we’ve gathered our ten favorite shorts that are currently available worldwide. Netflix’s catalog is in a constant churn as titles cycle in and out, so if you spot something interesting, you better watch it soon: already notables like 2016 Oscar nominee Chau, Beyond the Lines, acclaimed independent animator Don Hertzfeldt’s World of Tomorrow and S/W 2016 Short of the Year Kung Fury have departed from the platform. 

As titles depart and new ones arrive we’ll occasionally update this list, so be sure to check in periodically.

1. The White Helmets

Dir: Orlando Von Einsiedel; Grain Media

If you’re looking to satisfy a short film fix on Netflix, hopefully you love documentaries. Netflix’s acquisitions to-date are highly focused on sourcing Oscar contenders (they’ve received 6 nominations in 4 years), and with this Syrian War film Netflix finally scored a win. 

2 years after being nominated for the feature film Virunga, von Einsiedel took home an Oscar, beating out fellow Netflix pickup Extremis. A deserved win, we have been captivated by media coming out of the Syrian conflict, and this film is wrenching portrait of the bravery of a corp of non-aligned citizens dedicated to pulling survivors out of the rubble in the wake of bombing attacks. Relevant and affecting.

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2. The House of Small Cubes

Dir: Kunio Katō; Robot Communications

Another Oscar-winner is this 2008 Japanese animated film. While animated short films aren’t generally Netflix targets, the company’s large anime collection might have something to do with The House of Small Cubes finding a home on the platform. That said, independent animation in Japan is often pretty different than anime, so if you’re afraid of big eyes, never fear! Katō’s work is more at home on the animation festival circuit where it won the top prize at Hiroshima and Annecy, than it is selling figurines in Akihabara shops. As his town is flooded by water, an aged widower is forced to add additional levels on to his home in order to stay dry. As he manages the escalating situation, he dives into the memories of his life. Nostalgic, poetic, and beautiful, the film is one that hardcore animation lovers have repeatedly returned to in the decade since its creation. 

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3. Zion

Dir: Floyd Russ

The film that spurred the creation of this list, Zion was a favorite of mine at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and premiered on Netflix last week. A portrait of Zion Clark, a teen born without legs and raised in foster care, who finds confidence through competitive wrestling, the film is a visually dramatic, hi-energy, hi-inspiration affair—practically the platonic ideal of an internet profile doc. Yes its arc is a bit rote, and can be accused of being more flash than substance, but if you love these kind of pop docs (like I do) you’ll be hooked—and at only 11min, it is a welcome relief from the 40min docs that are the usual Oscar short subject fare. Will be interesting to see if Netflix gives this an Oscar push alongside another pair of Sundance doc pickups that are more traditional contenders: The Trader (Sovdagari) & End Game.

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4. The Gruffalo

Dir:Jakob Schuh and Max Lang; Magic Light Pictures, Studio Soi

Based on the best-selling picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, it was no surprise that this 2009 27min animated film adaptation instantly became children’s classic. Featuring big stars like Helena Bonham Carter and James Corden as voice talent, the UK/German co-production was originally broadcast by the BBC and seen by over 10M households. The Gruffalo went on to win numerous festival awards, and spawned a sequel, becoming a holiday perennial favorite. 

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5. Heroin(e)

Dir:Elaine McMillion Sheldon

Nominated at the most recent 90th Academy Awards, this topical 39min doc centers on the opioid epidemic, specifically its effect on Huntington, West Virginia, where the overdose rate is 10 times the US average. Conventional in execution, the film is still to be commended for bringing a far-reaching perspective to a vital social issue, grounding its point of view in 3 central female characters who experience the epidemic in differing spheres: first response, the courts, and charitable outreach. 

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6. Long Shot

Dir: Jacob LaMendola; Hayden 5

A 40min short documentary film with a premise that can scarcely be believed. When Juan Catalan is arrested for a murder he didn’t commit, he builds his case for innocence around raw footage from a popular TV show. The intersection of true-crime and Curb Your Enthusiasm, this unique doc produced by S/W alums at Hayden 5, is a fun, unique subject, that nonetheless reminds you how horrifying the criminal justice system can be. 

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7. Golden Time

Dir: Takuya Inaba; Robot Communications

From the same studio as The House of the Small Cubes, though unfortunately less-heralded, this 2013 effort did win an Award of Excellence at the Japan Media Arts Festival. Starring anthropomorphic electronics, in Japan’s economic bubble years during the 1980s, a long-serving furniture-style television set made in the 1960s is abandoned at a junkyard, but refuses to accept it’s fate. The ability to sustain attention over a dialogue-less 20min is really quite an achievement, and the sound design is unparalleled. A hidden masterpiece. 

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8. Little Witch Academia

Dir: Yoh Yoshinari; TRIGGER

A modern success story in the sometimes inscrutable world of anime, Little Witch Academia was birthed via The Young Animator Training Project, a government-funded program. Yoshinari was a a staff animator at TRIGGER, a fledgling studio that nonetheless had pedigree, being an offshoot of GAINAX (Neon Genesis Evangelion) founded by the influential animator Hiroyuki Imaishi (Dead Leaves, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagaan). The success of this 26min short lead to Kickstarter campaign for a sequel (which reached its $150k goal in 5 hours!), and the franchise has blossomed since, leading to a manga series and a 25 episode run as a Netflix Original. Sort of a sci-fi Harry Potter, the film imagines a teen girl protagonist enrolled in a school for magic, whose goal is to follow in the footsteps of the legendary witch Shiny Chariot. Unlike our previous Japanese picks this is unabashedly anime, and suffers from some of the same trope-heavy patterns that afflict the modern state of the form, but it is nonetheless fun and super-pretty. 

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9. Resurface

Dir: Josh Izenberg and Wynn Padula

From S/W Award-winner Josh Izenberg (Slomo), this sensitive doc explores the role of surfing as a therapeutic tool for helping returning veterans. Struggling with trauma and depression after his military service, Iraq war veteran Bobby Lane wanted to cross surfing off his bucket list before taking his life. His experience in the ocean ended up saving him however. Izenberg was drawn to the story through his experience with Slomo, as the subject of that film posits that something about the motion of rollerblading puts him in a “zone” of peacefulness and connection. Looking into this theory, Izenberg was surprised to find a host of literature on the positive effects of surfing in treating PTSD. A year of research and filming birthed this film which featured at the 2017 Tribeca Film festival. 

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10. Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Film Collection

Dir: Various; The Walt Disney Company

This compilation is something of a cheat, and our cursory research shows that it may not be available in all countries, but, when you talk about animation you’re crazy if the name “Disney” doesn’t cross your mind. This isn’t a historically-minded collection, but instead focuses on the modern, 21st century output of the studio, with 12 contemporary short films and assorted behind-the-scenes content. It was marketed as the the debut of Frozen Fever, a short film companion to the smash hit feature film, but for our money the gems are the non-franchise work like Paperman. 

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