New Zealand’s top international short film festival, Show Me Shorts, will screen 65 short films for audiences across Aotearoa during 7-31 October. The programme includes acclaimed short movies that have screened at some of the world’s most prestigious film festivals - Cannes, Sundance, Venice, Tribeca, Clermont-Ferrand, SXSW and Annecy.

Fourteen world premieres of homegrown short films will take place during the festival. Comedic drama Lucky Luke, directed by Jesse Griffin; body-swap comedy Six Minute Supplement, directed by Sinead Lau; and horror Thicker than Water, directed by Pavel Kvatch will make their debuts at Auckland Opening Night on 7 October. Animation for children Seedlings, directed by Seung-Woo Hong; heart-warming documentary Bob & C-Nut: A Good Way to Start the Day, directed by Anna Frances Pearson; and relationship drama Breakfast For Dinner, directed by Tū Māia Curtis and Te Waiarangi Ratana will headline Wellington Opening Night on 8 October. Eight more New Zealand films will make their world premieres in the Day One Shorts collection.

The 65 chosen short films were selected from almost 2,500 submissions. They have been divided into ten themed collections, spanning comedy, drama, animation, documentary, horror, science fiction, music videos and films for tamariki. The festival will include 120 screenings and events at 44 cinemas and community venues nationwide, making it one of the most widely available film festivals in Aotearoa.

LIST OF SHORT FILM COLLECTIONS

The Sampler: Highlights of the festival, with inspiring, thoughtful and fun films from around the world.
Aotearoa: Homegrown stories of our land and our people, showcasing talented upcoming creatives.
Whānau Friendly: Cute and charming films for children and families to enjoy together.
Norwegian Short Film Focus: Dark humour, dreamy landscapes and trolls. Showcasing iconic Norwegian filmmakers.
Heartstrings: Bold stories of humanity, heart, and compassion in pressured situations.
After the Robots: Lighthearted sci-fi, exploring possible apocalyptic futures when AI robots have taken over.
Oddballs & Absurd Calls: Explore intriguing worlds one step from reality and meet amusingly unusual characters.
Run for Your Life: Zombies give chase and killers stalk their prey. Thrills, scares, frights and fears brought to life.
Day One Shorts: Films by young filmmakers about identity, memory, connection and overcoming challenges.
Award Winners: All the winning films together - demonstrating excellence in craft and creativity.

“Short films are the embryo of the movie ecosystem, and I’m pleased to report thriving creativity in spite of ever reducing budgets,” says Festival Director Gina Dellabarca. “I invite you to come check out who the next top directors, actors, and other film creatives are. Every collection has been carefully curated to provide a thoughtful, entertaining and inspiring journey for viewers. Bring your mates or family for maximum enjoyment.”

Highlight films in The Sampler, the collection that travels most widely around the country, include Life Goes On, starring BAFTA winner David Bradley as a man who finds himself stuck in a time loop; 113 Words for You Today, a science fiction romance set on a distant frozen planet; and Socks, a coming-of-age story about a Māori boy who forms an unexpected bond with a Mormon missionary.

Internationally recognised performers and filmmakers feature strongly across the programme, such as Emmy Award winner Alan Cumming who stars in Kiloran Bay, about a gay man returning to Scotland with his partner after years away. Renée Zellweger makes her directorial debut with They, a colourful animation with a positive message for children. While Australian director Nash Edgerton (who Show Me Shorts regulars will know from his Spider/Bear/Shark trilogy of shorts) stars in quirky drama Mr Adidos, and his most recently directed short comedy Candy Bar features in The Sampler collection.

The Aotearoa collection showcases eight local films, including Ana Chaya Scotney’s Kurī, which had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, and Marina Alofagia McCartney’s The Return, a story of ancestry and self-acceptance.

The country of focus for this year’s festival is Norway. In the Norwegian Short Film Focus audiences will encounter trolls, dystopian futures, dark comedy, family tensions, environmental concerns and border disputes.

Technology and our uncertain relationship with it is a recurring theme this year. After the Robots is a collection that brings together eight ambitious visions of possible futures shaped by artificial intelligence, automation and machines. Among them are Please and Thank You, in which a virtual assistant attempts to save its polite human user from an AI apocalypse; The Old Lady and the Eternity, about an 86-year-old woman who refuses to be uploaded to a digital afterlife; and おか (Okage), the first ever AI film to screen at Show Me Shorts – this is the story of a robot dog that must rely on the kindness of humans to complete its journey.

The Whānau Friendly collection is always one of the most popular, with seven short films for primary school aged children and their families. The films in this collection were chosen for children, by children, with young film lovers from Parnell District School helping to select the shorts they most wanted to see on the big screen.

Aspiring filmmakers attending Show Me Shorts can take advantage of educational industry events. Filmmaker Talks provide an opportunity to hear how films were made directly from the creators and ask questions about their process.

Tickets for screenings and events are now available. Advance booking is recommended as some sessions will sell out quickly.

Some collections will also be available with captions to make them more accessible to people with hearing impairments.