Show Me Shorts has revealed the country of focus for this year’s short film festival will be Germany. Two collections of German short films have been specially curated in collaboration with Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg and shorts/salon. In addition to the twelve German films in these two programmes, another two German shorts will feature in other sections of the programme, taking the total to fourteen.

A delegation of three German guests will attend Show Me Shorts, to take part in screenings, events and networking opportunities with local filmmakers.

1. Anna Feistel is a programmer from Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg, who has co-curated the German Focus section of the programme, and will be joining the jury for the Show Me Shorts awards.
2. Director Hans Jakob Harms will present his science fiction short film S/N:05, which will screen on opening nights in Auckland and Wellington.
3. Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck is one half of Berlin-based shorts/salon, who create playful events that evoke curiosity, exchange of thoughts and ideas. She will present a special event called Hallo Stranger.

The films in the German Focus invite viewers to take part in an ancient tradition, experience crushing bureaucracy, be lulled by luminous animation, kindle an obsession, and learn why a population of frogs disappeared overnight.

1.     Intro – Dir: Anne Isensee
2.     Lange nicht gesehen (Long Time No See) – Dir: Kevin Biele
3.     Porzellan (Porcelain) – Dir: Annika Birgel
4.     Somni – Dir: Sonja Rohleder
5.     Forever Yours – Dir: Elliott Louis McKee
6.     The Waiting – Dir: Voker Schlecht
7.     Superbuhei – Dir: Josef Brandl

This section of the programme will screen in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

To compliment the German Focus, Berlin-based shorts/salon present Hallo Stranger. This special event includes five short films about people connecting with each other although they don’t speak the same language, are separated by space and time, or never had the chance to meet.

1.     Oiseau de passage (Wandering Bird) – Dir: Victor Dupuis
2.     Killing Four Birds With One Arrow – Dir: Elisa Jule Braun
3.     So Viel Von Mir (That's All From Me) – Dir: Eva Könnemann
4.     Mwanamke Makueni (A Woman in Makueni) – Dir: Valeri Aluskina, Daria Belova
5.     Pohledy na Vëru Bechyńovou (The Still Life of Věra) – Dir: Greta Stocklassa

The event will take place at 12:30pm on Saturday 12 October at Academy Cinemas, Auckland. After the screening audience members are invited to join a postcard writing session upstairs at the Auckland Central Library.

Gina Dellabarca, the Festival Director for Show Me Shorts, says: “Germany has a rich cinematic history and vibrant modern artistic scene. The German short films we have selected showcase richly creative stories that touch on the human condition and our world, through a German lens. Kiwi film lovers will find many points of connection.”

Nicole Menzenbach, the German Ambassador to New Zealand, says: “The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany is delighted to support the Show Me Shorts Film Festival this year. Through showcasing a range of German short films, Show Me Shorts will share exceptional insights into the world of German cinema with Aotearoa New Zealand. I look forward to watching the short films selected this year as part of Show Me Shorts’ German Focus.”

Anna Kalbhenn from the Goethe-Institut of New Zealand says: “The Goethe-Institut New Zealand is delighted to welcome an exquisite selection of recent films and guests from Germany to celebrate short films in Aotearoa New Zealand together with our long-standing partner Show me Shorts. Germany has a vibrant short film scene and world-renowned festivals and with this focus we are proud to bring a glimpse of all of this to the local audiences and foster relationships between people, festivals and our countries.”

Anna Feistel from Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg says: “We are thrilled to collaborate with Show Me Shorts Film Festival, introducing a fine selection of current German short films to New Zealand. Being part of the jury is an exciting opportunity to discover the talent and diversity of filmmakers in New Zealand and experience the vibrant creativity of Kiwi cinema. Partnerships like these foster a dynamic exchange of creative ideas between our two international short film festivals across the globe.”

Show Me Shorts Film Festival will take place in 40 cinemas and community venues across Aotearoa during 10-28 October 2024. Tickets for the opening night events, German Focus and Hallo Stranger are now available from the Show Me Shorts website. The full festival programme will be announced on 16 September, when tickets for all screenings will go on sale.