The launch of the Christchurch season of Show Me Shorts features a specially curated selection of Christchurch-centric films and some of the best and most fun films from this year’s programme. Meet local filmmakers and hear from the festival team as they introduce the night. Celebrate short films and the people who make them! Tickets include a glass of wine and snacks, plus introductions from filmmakers.

Films Screening:

• Bob & C-Nut: A Good Way to Start the Day (filmmaker intro)

• Ciggie

• 113 Words for You Today

• The Old Lady and the Eternity

• Let’s Settle This (filmmaker intro)

• Kiloran Bay

• Hai Davai

Rating: M - Violence, domestic violence & offensive language.

Wed 14 Oct, 8:30 pm (drinks reception at 7:30 pm)

Alice Cinemas, 209 Tuam Street, Christchurch

$29.00

Run time: 96 min

Proudly supported by: Christchurch City Council, Kōawa Studios, Screen CanterburyNZ

Taste a selection of highlight short films from Show Me Shorts Film Festival. These inspiring and thoughtful stories include long-distance love on a distant planet, precocious children up to mischief, a whole town waiting for bad luck to pass, and a man stuck in a time loop. Comedy, science fiction, romance, and coming-of-age classics abound.

This session is also screening with open captions at select locations. For details on The Sampler (captioned) click here.

Run Time: 99 min

Rating: M - Domestic violence, drug use, offensive language

In this collection of short films for children and their families, cute animals and inquisitive insects spring to life in vibrant stories. Characters learn about kindness, curiosity, and heart as they defeat negativity and overcome bullying by working together—with a dose of magic and explosions for good measure! Find out why this is one of the most popular sections of Show Me Shorts.

Run Time: 61 min

Best for: ages 7-12 years

Rating: G

Beautiful stories of our land and our people. The movies in this collection showcase the work of talented New Zealand short film makers. Bold coming-of-age films sit alongside thoughtful drama, silly comedic fun, inventive fantasy, and warm-hearted documentary. We explore unlikely friendships, face our past, and step into the unfolding future.

This session is also screening with open captions at select locations. For details on Aotearoa (captioned) click here.

Run Time: 96 min

Rating: M - Drug use, offensive language, sex scenes & mental health themes

Travel to the Kingdom of Norway, a land famous for beautiful fjords, mountains, rivers—and trolls! This short film collection blends dark humour and drama with overcrowded fictional tunnels, thoughtful satire, dreamy landscapes, and the creative imaginings of Norway’s most iconic filmmakers.

Run Time: 80 min

Rating: M

What is love? Placed into a variety of pressured situations, the characters in these short films still manage to find their humanity, their heart, and their compassion—exposing their bravery. If only we all had their courage! Drama, romance, coming-of-age, and of course musical romance can be found here, exploring exactly what tugs on our heartstrings.

Run Time: 91 min

Rating: M - Offensive language.

The robots are already here. The filmmakers behind these short films have created ambitious near-future worlds for us to explore, exposing the existential threat automation poses to us all. Poke fun at the impending apocalypse with us, or take it as a serious warning as we explore possible futures and what they all mean.

Note: This collection includes one AI-generated film presented within the context of this theme.

Run Time: 85 min

Rating: M - Violence, offensive language & content that may disturb.

In this collection of short films, we explore intriguing worlds that are just one step from reality. We look through lenses of strangeness and meet amusingly unusual characters in odd settings: a puppet having an existential crisis, two Kung Fu masters on a date, an artist searching for the perfect thrift-store find, and a poet trapped in a society that frowns on talking. It’s an inventive reverie you won’t want to wake from.

Run Time: 99 min

Rating: R16 - Violence, offensive language, sex scenes, nudity & suicide themes.

Prepare to fear. The zombies are coming. A worm is giving you dark orders. And the coyotes are out there. Do not open the door or drink from that chalice. Strange creatures lurk, and our deepest fears can be brought to life in this decidedly frightful collection of short films.

Run Time: 89 min

Rating: R16 - Bloody violence, graphic injury detail, offensive language, suicide references & content that may disturb.

Show Me Shorts is proud to present this collection of new short films, commissioned and supported by Day One Hāpai te Haeata. The shorts are made by talented young filmmakers who are interested in exploring stories about building resilience, ancestral memory, connection to others and finding their place in the world. They are boldly taking story risks, pushing the envelope, and looking to the future.

Run Time: 106 min

Rating: M - Offensive language, sexual references, horror & mental health themes.

This screening is captioned and accessible for people with hearing impairments.

Highlight short films from the festival are collected in this tasty package.

Taste a selection of highlight short films from Show Me Shorts Film Festival. These inspiring and thoughtful stories include long-distance love on a distant planet, precocious children up to mischief, a whole town waiting for bad luck to pass, and a man stuck in a time loop. Comedy, science fiction, romance, and coming-of-age classics abound.

Run Time: 99 min

Rating: M - Domestic violence, drug use, offensive language

This screening is captioned and accessible for people with hearing impairments.

Beautiful stories of our land and our people. The movies in this collection showcase the work of talented New Zealand short film makers. Bold coming-of-age films sit alongside thoughtful drama, silly comedic fun, inventive fantasy, and warm-hearted documentary. We explore unlikely friendships, face our past, and step into the unfolding future.

Run Time: 96 min

Rating: M - Drug use, offensive language, sex scenes & mental health themes

Nominees will be announced in late September.

Winners and film line-up will be announced on 14 October.

Show Me Shorts is a competitive film festival with prizes for filmmakers who have achieved excellence. Watch all the Show Me Shorts award-winning movies in one collection, and enjoy the very best in local and international short film making.

The films shown will be the winners of these award categories: 

1. Best NZ Film Award (Oscar qualifying)

2. Best International Film Award (Oscar qualifying)

3. DEGANZ Best Director Award

4. DEGANZ Best Editor Award

5. Script to Screen Best Screenplay Award

6. Toi Whakaari Best Actor Award

7. Kōawa Studios Best Cinematographer Award

Run Time: TBC

Rating: TBC

Presented by Yoobee Colleges

Learn more about making short films in this moderated discussion with three top short filmmakers. Watch their short films, hear candid stories from their experiences, and have the opportunity to ask questions. Stick around and meet others interested in filmmaking after the event with networking drinks hosted by Yoobee Colleges in the cinema foyer.

Speakers & films screening:

• Anna Frances Pearson writer/director & Connor Gritt star of Bob & C-Nut: A Good Way to Start the Day

• Isaac Giles writer/director of My Journey with FASD

• Samantha Jukes writer/director of Our Glass

Moderator: Hannah Herchenbach - Show Me Shorts Community Manager

Mon 19 Oct, 6:20–7:50 pm

Alice Cinemas

Rating: M - Offensive language & mental health themes.

Proudly supported by: Christchurch City Council, Yoobee Colleges, Screen CanterburyNZ