Research Into Short Films

Short films are considered to be an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including credits, these can be professional or amateur productions. They are usually screened at film festivals, and are often made by independent film makers for no profit, with a low budget and in many cases no budget at all.
The BBC film network,  in association with BBC Films are an example of a company that showcases over 300 of these short films, they promote the UK film industry and provide a selection of classic shorts.
Link to BBC film network site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/

Film 4 also showcases a range of these short films online, 'They may be small, but they're perfectly formed and prove size isn't everything' is a key motto that Film4 Shorts uses to promote these short productions.
Link to the Film4 Shorts website: http://www.film4.com/minisite/short-films