Short filmmakers in Australasia have a reputation for striking images and technical excellence. The range of films that have come into the festival so far this year is demonstrative of bold story choices, and mastery of genre. We expect Show Me Shorts 2010 will showcase some exciting second and third films from our brightest filmmaking stars, complimented by engaging new works from first-time entrants.
Short filmmakers who haven’t yet entered can still do so. The deadline for this year has just been extended by a week, to Monday the 12th of July.
Show Me Shorts plays the 40 best Kiwi and Australian short films in cinemas nation wide every November. The films must be between three and 30 minutes long, and made within the last three years.
The winners of last year’s Show Me Shorts awards took home over $10,000 worth of prizes. Previous Best Film winning shorts have featured misfits (Ray), sunken ships (A Very Nice Honeymoon), animated chickens (Noise Control) and school children (Just Like the Others). Other popular films shined a light on shoe addiction, animal human hybrids, dating etiquette, possessed hamsters, pick-up artists and of course post-apocalyptic zombies.
For those looking for inspiration or just entertainment the ‘Best of Show Me Shorts’ DVD is available for sale at http://arklesentertainment.com/smsnz/.
The Show Me Shorts Film Festival is now calling for entries. The deadline is 5pm Monday the 5th of July.
This annual national short film festival plays Kiwi and Australian short films between three and 30 minutes long, made within the last three years.
Show Me Shorts will screen in cities and towns throughout New Zealand from the 4th of November. This year organisers are expanding the locations to include Tauranga & Waiheke Island. The successful short filmmaking seminars of last year will also be repeated with the addition of a short film development lab, details of which will be announced in the coming months.
Festival Director Gina Dellabarca who programs the festival says, “The whole team is always really excited at this time of year because we know those shorts are about to start rolling in. We all have our favourites, but the festival is open to any genre and we encourage both established and emerging filmmakers to send us their work. We are particularly looking for striking films with high production values and a strong central idea that will capture the audience’s imagination.”
Last year’s Kodak Best Film winner was Kiwi ex-pat Jacqui van Beek for the insightful childhood drama ‘Just Like the Others’. The other big winner was the CGI motion capture animated war drama ‘Poppy’, which took home three of the eight Show Me Shorts awards. The 2009 selection of films demonstrated the versatility of short filmmakers, covering a wide range of subjects and including a record number of world premieres.
