The prevailing wisdom is this: don’t do it. “It’s insane,” they’ll say. “A waste of money and time and resources,” they’ll whisper. Don’t make that short film. Don’t go to film festivals. Don’t pour ...

Features might get all the glitzy attention, but short films are the backbone of the cinematic world. From Martin Scorsese (“The Big Shave,” 1967) to Wes Anderson (“Bottle Rocket,” 1994) to ...

There is no one way to break into the movie business. But one of the most dependable routes for decades has been to make a short film, submit it to festivals, and then hope someone with money or power ...