The Kingdom of Norway to be honoured at Show Me Shorts 2026

News

31 Aug

Norway named Show Me Shorts Country of Honour for 2026

Show Me Shorts Film Festival is delighted to name the Kingdom of Norway as its Country of Honour for 2026, with a special collection showcasing seven films from some of the country’s most distinctive filmmakers.

The Norwegian Short Film Focus takes audiences on a journey through a land of beautiful fjords, mountains, rivers and trolls. Blending dark humour and drama with thoughtful satire, dreamy landscapes and an overcrowded tunnel of the future, the collection offers a fascinating window into contemporary Norwegian filmmaking.

The programme is proudly supported by the Norwegian Film Institute and the Norwegian Embassy.

Festival Director Gina Dellabarca says Aotearoa and Norway share a natural affinity.

“Aotearoa and Norway have much in common. Both are lands famous for majestic mountains, rivers and fjords. Where we have legends of taniwha and Māori warriors, they have tales of trolls and Vikings.

“The films we have chosen blend dark humour and drama with thoughtful satire and dreamy landscapes from the creative minds of top Norwegian filmmakers. I’m excited to share this collection with Kiwis.”

Show Me Shorts is also delighted to welcome filmmakers Odveig Klyve and Natalia Malykhina to Aotearoa for the festival. They will be joined by Arna Marie Bersaas from the Norwegian Film Institute, taking part in screenings, educational events and networking opportunities.

The Norwegian Short Film Focus

Det Siste Norske Trollet (The Last Norwegian Troll)
Animation, 13m, Norway

In the old days, Norway used to be a safe haven for trolls, but not anymore.

Dir/Writ: Pjotr Sapegin
Prod: Gry Nøstdahl

Tunnelen (The Tunnel)
Science Fiction, 12m, Norway

An overcrowded future. A terrible solution. A family stuck in a traffic jam.

Dir/Writ: André Øvredal
Prod: John Einar Hagen

Vind (Wind)
Documentary, 8m, Norway

Wind turbines appear as technical constructions in a landscape where birds, animals and people move. A reflection on energy production and nature.

Dir/Writ/Prod: Odveig Klyve
Prod: Bjørn Leiv Gulbrandsen

Smulene (The Crumbs)
Drama, 13m, Norway

Erik is the second most important person in his stepson’s life, but he wants to be number one.

Dir/Writ: Michael Mellemløkken Renjo
Writ: Erik Fernandez Lundberg
Prod: Deepti Rao

Ego
Satire, 14m, Norway

Molecular gastronomy, pretentious self-realisation, and the weird choice of having children are all ingredients in this semi-apocalyptic double date from hell.

Dir/Writ: Vegard Dahle
Prod: Jon Vatne

Trio
Comedy, 4m, Norway

A man is trying to find his place among friends.

Dir/Writ/Prod: Fridtjof Stensæth Josefsen
Dir: Morten Borgestad
Prod: Jan Inge Bekken Stakvik

På Grensa (Borderline)
Comedy, 12m, Finland, Norway

A Norwegian customs officer, a Finnish poacher, and a mysterious Swedish woman meet at the border between their homelands, becoming entangled in a conflict.

Dir/Writ/Prod: Johannes Vang
Writ: Wilhelmina Silba
Prod: Saara-Maria Salonen

An eighth Norwegian short film, Natalia Malykhina Bratli’s animation Bug’s Story, will screen as part of the festival’s Whānau Friendly collection, travelling to 19 cinemas nationwide.