This article focuses on the benefits of using short film in the German classroom at the secondary or post-secondary level. The article addresses a number of characteristics of short films that lend themselves well to the classroom, including their abbreviated length, artistic innovation, and compact storytelling. In addition to discussing specific examples of German films that can be used in various instructional contexts, we also demonstrate how German short films can be used as part of an overarching course theme that fits into the framework of the national Standards for Foreign Language Learning.