Show Me Shorts 2024 Programme Announcement

Show Me Shorts Film Festival will screen 85 short films, including 26 local films, in cinemas across Aotearoa, New Zealand this October, curated from a huge 2,400 submissions.

Show Me Shorts is the premier short film festival in the Asia Pacific region, and this will be the 19th edition. The festival is Oscar-accredited and BAFTA-qualifying, providing a pathway to international awards glory for filmmakers. A massive 126 screenings will take place at 40 venues across Aotearoa.

Highlight films include My Week With Maisy featuring Joanna Lumley; Māori Time featuring Manu Bennet; Payback by acclaimed Kiwi actor Mia Blake; and Morning Hate the directorial debut of New Zealand actor Dean O’Gorman (The Hobbit, Shortland Street) with a powerful story set in the trenches of WWI.

Eight world premieres, both local and international, will be celebrated during the festival: Pack Rat, New Followers, Morning Hate, Cold Feet, My Dying Place, The Journey of Cooking, Trapped (Mexico), and Rock Paper Scissors (United Kingdom).

There are eleven themed collections of films, up to eight shorts and a run-time around the same as a feature film. The themes include a science fiction section – Dystopian Dreams, a section for fans of horror and gore called Slashers and Splatters and the ever-popular Whānau Friendly collection for children and their families to enjoy together.

Full list of themed sections of the programme:

1. The Sampler
2. Whanau Friendly
3. Aotearoa – Ka Awatea
4. German Focus
5. Dystopian Dreams
6. Deeper into Love
7. Generational Threads
8. Finding Your True North
9. Slashers and Splatters
10. Lives in the Firing Line
11. Defy Expectations

Germany is the country of focus this year, presented in partnership with the Goethe-Institut of New Zealand. There are two collections with a total of 12 German shorts screening. German guests attending the festival include director Hans Jakob Harms, who will present his science fiction short film S/N:05 on opening nights in Auckland and Wellington. A programmer from Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg – Anna Feistel – will speak at events and sit on the Show Me Shorts national awards jury. Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck of shorts/salon will present a playful event she has created called Hallo Stranger. The event includes a screening of German shorts about communication and encompasses the opportunity to write postcards to friends or strangers.

Aspiring filmmakers can take advantage of several educational industry events as part of the Festival. Filmmaker Talks provide an opportunity to hear how films were made directly from the creators and ask questions about their process. These take place in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. In Auckland, Industry Day provides a full day of interactive professional development workshops, panel discussions, networking and screenings on 13 October. Guest filmmakers and content curators will be attending from Australia, Germany, China, Norway, the United States and across Aotearoa.

To help make short films even more accessible the Festival will provide collections with Audio Descriptions and Closed Captions at Show Me Shorts On Demand. For the first time this year, select screenings with Closed Captions will also take place at cinemas in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Show Me Shorts Festival Director, Gina Dellabarca says: “I believe short films have a magic to them, distilling a story down to its essence. That is why this format is so popular and filmmakers continue to embrace it. This year’s festival provides a wealth of inspiring ideas, quirky characters and surprising bursts of laughter. I can’t wait to introduce audiences to the shorts, meet the filmmakers and share their stories.”

Hon Paul Goldsmith, Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, says: “Show Me Shorts recognises the importance of short films in the success of our screen industry. For the uninitiated, what a great introduction to the genre. And for the more serious film buffs, it’s a chance to get immersed in the latest and best of local and international short film, at venues throughout the country or online. Whether our preference is fiction, documentary or animation, we can all look forward to an exciting selection of short films this October.”

Show Me Shorts Film Festival will take place in 40 locations during 10-28 October 2024.

This will be followed by a three-day online Festival at Show Me Shorts On Demand during Labour Weekend.

Tickets for all screenings and events nationwide are now available to book at showmeshorts.co.nz for details.

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