2023 Programme Announcement
Show Me Shorts Film Festival launches in cinemas nationwide this October! This will be the 18th edition of New Zealand’s largest and most important short film festival. More than 100 screenings will take place in 35+ venues nationwide, presenting 86 short films from Aotearoa and around the world.
Opening Night celebrations will take place in Auckland on 6 October, Christchurch on 11 October and Wellington on 12 October.
Highlight films include 7 Minutes directed by Ricky Gervais with his trademark awkwardness; the powerful directorial debut of British actor Simon Woods (Pride & Prejudice) with Such a Lovely Day; and the directorial debut of New Zealand actor Jonny Brugh (What We Do in the Shadows) with a quirky story about aging and faith – Proof starring David Fane and Morgana O’Reilly.
Proof starring Morgana O’Reilly, Directed by Jonny Brugh
Eleven world premieres will take place during the festival, where many local and international filmmakers will be present to introduce their films for the first time: Stella, Ultraveloci (Italy), The Lost Courier (China), Proof, Just Kidding, I Actually Love You, Ministry of Jingle, Good Luck, Stag Hunt, Buttons and Dumplings, Malapan and Spook (Norway).
The Whānau Friendly collections of short films are fast becoming one of the most popular sections of the programme. This year there are two collections, that have been curated with the help of tamariki. Whānau Friendly 1 is aimed at 7-12-year-old children, and will be screening at 13 cinemas. While Whānau Friendly 2 has been curated with age 4-10-years in mind, and this collection is available through Show Me Shorts On Demand.
Swing to the Moon, part of Whānau Friendly 1
The Filmmaker Talks are always a highlight for aspiring filmmakers wanting to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes in making movies. This year these are expanded to include Christchurch for the first time, alongside Auckland and Wellington. For those in Auckland the opportunities to learn have further increased with the launch of Industry Day: A full day of interactive professional development workshops, panel discussions, networking and screenings of short films at The Hollywood on 8 October. Guest filmmakers, programmers and festival strategists will be attending from Indonesia, Australia, the UK and Norway.
To help make our shorts even more accessible Show Me Shorts is this year providing collections of short films with Audio Descriptions and Closed Captions as part of the Show Me Shorts On Demand offering.
Show Me Shorts Festival Director Gina Dellabarca says, “Short films are a magical art form that enrich all of us with clever and powerful storytelling. This year’s programme is ablaze with talent on display. I’m certain the next break-through major stars working in front of and behind the camera are here among our 2023 co-hort.
Just Kidding, I Actually Love You
Some trends we noticed putting the programme together were bravery of voices, and confident use of technology. The Women Rock the World section could easily have contained twice as many films, as a plethora of feminist stories abound right now. Likewise it’s refreshing to see so many LGBTQI+ stories coming through. There was a time until very recently where we worried this community wasn’t getting access to the tools they needed to tell stories on film. Happy to have that overturned this year with nine Queer stories in the programme, and even more directors who identify with this community.
Short films are a great place to experiment with ideas and technology. We’re happy to see filmmakers doing just that. Don’t miss Malapan made by Wellington-based Fox & Co animation using Unreal Engine (real-time 3D computer graphics programme that was developed for video games).”
Tickets are now available to book for all screenings nationwide!
