In any grass-roots campaign, building an ongoing base of support is as important as winning the ultimate goal.
But short films are not inferior, just different. I think the short gives a freedom to film-makers. What's appealing is that you don't have as much responsibility for storytelling and plot. They can be more like a portrait, or a poem.
I'm not complaining about doing 20-hour days. It's a joy to be able to work on yet another film.