How can I search for documentary short films?

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  • Updated 7 years ago
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One example would be the famous Roundhay Garden Scene.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0392728/?...

I tried a bit with the advanced search function, but I seem to come short.

http://www.imdb.com/search/title?genr... (no results at all)

http://www.imdb.com/search/title?titl... (shows all documentaries and short films, but doesn't combine the events)
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Horst

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Posted 7 years ago

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7 years ago
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gromit82, Champion

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This was a more difficult question than I thought it would be, but I think I've found an answer.

Go to http://www.imdb.com/search/title to do an Advanced Title Search.
Under Title Type, check Documentary only.
Then, much lower on the page, under Runtime, select 0 to 44 (based on IMDb's definition which says that a short can be up to 44 minutes long).
Add any other criteria or ordering you prefer.
Then click "Search".

The result should be documentaries with a running time of no more than 44 minutes.

However, note that Roundhay Garden Scene does not have a running time listed in IMDb, so it does not show up in this search.

I hope this helps. Good luck!
7 years ago
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Dan Dassow, Champion

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gromit82 was very close. However, the search he suggested excludes documentaries without run times.

This search should show you what you requested. Unfortunately, you cannot get to it directly, since it involves altering the link.
Earliest Documentaries With Running Time not between 45-10,000 Minutes
http://www.imdb.com/search/title?!run...
7 years ago
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Horst

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Very nice. Thanks, folks.
7 years ago
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Horst

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Dan Dassow, I guess your link also includes longer documentaries that have no running time specified, doesn't it? Anyway, it's pretty close to what I was looking for.
7 years ago
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Dan Dassow, Champion

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Horst, that is correct. If there is no running time recorded for a title, there is no way to determine the actual running time.

The search that I provided also include television episodes.

I suspect that most of the documentaries before 1900 are rather short. I was rather surprised how many short duration films are classified as documentaries.

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