Used shipping containers have been transformed into brightly colored miniature movie theaters for special screenings of eight short films.

The mini theaters, opened to the public Friday in New York, will be showing shorts commissioned as part of USA Network’s Character Project, a partnership with directors Ridley and Tony Scott.

The unique design of the 18-seat, air-conditioned “screening pods” complements the theme of the short films, which focus on interesting characters and personalities — some fictional and some real (like Jeff Dowd, who inspired The Dude character from The Big Lebowski).

The mini theaters are the latest novel use for shipping containers. The big, boxy steel transport units known as intermodal containers have been redeployed recently for purposes as varied as restaurants, art projects and high-end housing.

One of the most compelling Character Project films is The Dude, a short documentary from The Devil and Daniel Johnston director Jeff Feuerzeig that’s based on the now-infamous character from the Coen brothers’ Big Lebowski movie (see clip below).

Also in the short film collection is Duck, about a 10-year-old who gets over a phobia of being touched by taking boxing lessons, and Monster Slayer, which mixes live-action and animation to tell the story of a man whose psychiatric disorder causes him to be visited by imaginary friends each morning.

Another of the documentaries (clip below) comes from director R.J. Cutler (The September Issue). His short, Fish, examines the life of famed chef Jon Shook, following the co-founder of Los Angeles’ Animal Restaurant as he opens a new seafood joint.

Following the screenings in New York, the pods will be taken to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago (see the exact dates and locations).

But if you can’t catch the films in the pods, don’t worry. They’ll be available on USA Network’s website for the next year and will also be available from iTunes and other outlets.