The Show Me Shorts team had a fantastic time with the Programme Launch event. Congratulations to the selected participants for the Short Film Lab and a big thanks to all the applicants who made it such a hard decision. The event was held in the beautifully renovated Capitol Cinema in Auckland and the team is excited about the buzzing atmosphere that it and the surrounding area with restaurants, bars, and coffee shops in Balmoral and Mt. Eden will bring to the festival this year.
Without further adieu, we are pleased to announce the festival Programme for 2011. Our number of venues is growing steadily, and in November 2011 we arrive in more locations than ever. A warm welcome to the people of Kaikoura and Taumarunui who increase our number of cinema locations to 12, and to everyone else, welcome back!
In response to audience demand, this year for the first time we include a selection of the best international short films for your viewing pleasure. Films from France, Ireland, Germany, South Africa and the USA complement our selection of the top films from New Zealand and Australia. You will find these films scattered throughout the themed sessions, of which there are now seven in order to accommodate the extra films.
The 2011 session theme titles are: Unexpected Adventure, Master Chef, Love You to Death, Extreme Measures, Small Pleasures, Unlikely Bedfellows and Hitting the Road. A common thread this year is the exploration into decadence and pleasure, particularly of the gourmet variety.
Attending one of our sessions delivers a package of about seven short films tied together by a common theme. The sessions run for around 80 minutes each, and the average length of the films is about 11 minutes.
If you live in Auckland or Wellington you can attend the Opening Night events to see all the award winning films as they are announced. If you’re new to Show Me Shorts or have trouble deciding which session looks the most tempting, you will find this a great way of sampling the festival. For those interested in the creative and technical process that goes into making some of New Zealand’s great short films, we are proud to again present the StarNow Short Film Seminars, featuring top industry experts in Auckland and Wellington. In some of our locations, a package of highlight films will feature in place of themed sessions.
There is something for everyone in our line-up, and I can’t speak highly enough of the strong talent that is evident in the short filmmaking arena at present. We are pleased to feature several films this year that have already racked up awards at high profile film festivals like Toronto and Cannes. Not only are our filmmakers continuing to make striking and moving stories, they are excelling in this field and receiving recognition for their efforts both at home and abroad.
Don’t miss your chance to see the films this year. Show Me Shorts is here for a good time, not a long time!
