Selecting content for an airline's in-flight entertainment system is not the same as programming for a streaming platform or a television channel. Context changes everything: the screen is smaller, the audience is involuntary, attention spans vary, and the content has to work for passengers from different cultures, ages and moods — at 10,000 metres above the ground.
Short documentaries — between 10 and 25 minutes — are one of the most effective formats for that environment. They are brief enough to hold the attention of someone who has just boarded, rich enough to offer a real experience, and versatile enough to reach diverse audiences without depending on the original language.
But not every short documentary catalog is ready for IFE. Here we share what we learned working in this segment.
What makes a short documentary work in IFE
The first filter is duration. The most effective range for IFE is between 10 and 25 minutes: enough to develop a full story, without demanding sustained concentration that the onboard environment does not always guarantee.
The second filter is thematic. The stories that work best in-flight share something: they are universal without being generic. Migration, sport, memory, environment, human bonds. Topics that need no prior cultural context to resonate.
The third — and the most underestimated — is technical.
The technical side is also part of the curation
A short film can be extraordinary and still be unusable for IFE if it does not meet delivery requirements. The most common video format in these environments is H.264. Audio needs a specific configuration according to each provider's requirements. And subtitles — a point that is rarely mentioned — require a position adjustment: seatback screens are smaller than any domestic monitor, and in our experience working with IFE providers, subtitles in standard position get cut off or overlapped by the system interface. They need to be placed higher and with specific side margins on both left and right, so they don't get clipped by the screen frame. It is a small adaptation that solves a real problem.
At AMASHORT we coordinate the preparation of technical materials adapted to the specifications of each IFE platform, including that subtitle adjustment and output formats according to each in-flight entertainment provider's requirements.
Curation criteria: beyond the topic
A curated IFE catalog is not a list of interesting shorts. It is a selection that takes into account specific variables of the environment:
Active cultural neutrality. Content cannot rely on local references to work. A story has to be watchable in Bangkok, Frankfurt or Buenos Aires and generate the same emotional impact. That does not mean shorts should be bland — on the contrary, stories with geographic roots and specificity are the most powerful — but they have to be constructed so the viewer needs no prior decoding.
Tone appropriate to the context. Not all quality cinema is suitable for IFE. There are excellent pieces that are too raw, or that demand a level of concentration the onboard environment cannot guarantee. Curation for airlines involves that additional filter: does this work for someone who has just boarded a plane?
Variety within the selection. A good IFE selection combines registers: a life story, an environmental piece, a sports story, a memory portrait. Not to tick categories, but because thematic diversity increases the chances that each passenger finds something that speaks to them.
English subtitles as a minimum. For international circulation, English is non-negotiable. Catalogs without subtitled materials are out of the process before it begins.
Licensing and rights criteria
IFE licensing has its own logic. A few points worth clarifying when evaluating a catalog:
IFE window vs. other windows. Rights for in-flight entertainment are a specific window, separate from TV, streaming or VOD. A title can be licensed on platforms and have its IFE rights fully available. It is worth asking before ruling anything out.
Territory and exclusivity. IFE licenses are negotiated by airline, not by country. That opens possibilities even for titles with regional rights committed in other windows. And unless specifically agreed, non-exclusivity means the same title can be available to different airlines simultaneously.
Contract duration. IFE contracts tend to be shorter than expected — generally around six months — which allows for agile content rotation and the possibility of incorporating new titles frequently.
Some titles from our catalog that work in IFE
Theory is easier to understand with concrete examples. These are some short documentaries from AMASHORT that meet these conditions:
Atardecer en América (17', 2025) follows Bárbara, a 15-year-old Venezuelan girl crossing the Andean plateau between Bolivia and Chile at night. A story of migration, adolescence and resilience that the Berlinale 2025 recognised with an Honourable Mention from the Generation Youth Jury. Acquired by France Télévisions.
EnriqueTa (13', 2022) is a portrait of Enriqueta Duarte, a 91-year-old Argentine swimmer who, while swimming, remembers her past achievements and the love she never dared to live. Thirteen minutes that work for any audience, in any language.
Beyond the Glacier (18', 2019) addresses the water conflict in Central Asia through the Sir Darya river, from the Tian Shan glaciers to the Aral Sea. Environment, landscape and urgency, with an award record across four continents.
Mein Buch (21', 2023) reconstructs a family relationship through archival footage and an imagined dialogue between father and daughter. Memory, emotional legacy, silence. A short that travelled to Thailand and works across cultural borders.
The catalog also includes short films for children with environmental themes, available as a package or individually — a natural complement for airlines looking to cover different audiences in a single selection.
What signals to look for in a curatorial partner for IFE
Beyond the content itself, the provider's experience matters. Some useful questions when evaluating who to work with:
Does the catalog have its technical materials ready, or do you have to request them and wait? Do they know the specific delivery formats used by the main IFE providers? Can they adapt subtitles to the platform's requirements without creating a bottleneck?
Prior experience in delivering for airlines is not a minor detail. It is what distinguishes a proposal that can be processed quickly from one that creates friction at every step.
How we work in this segment at AMASHORT
At AMASHORT we came to the IFE segment through short films. Over time, and through concrete agreements with in-flight entertainment providers, we came to understand what they ask for, how they ask for it, and in what formats. That allowed us to build a delivery process that creates no friction: technically adapted materials, subtitles correctly positioned for IFE screens, and rights that are available and ready to negotiate.
If you want to explore which titles from the AMASHORT catalog fit your airline's routes and audiences, write to us at Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser. or request access to the full catalog with your corporate email.
