Show Me Shorts awarded BAFTA qualifying status

In recognition of their history, professionalism and demonstrated championing of filmmakers, Show Me Shorts Film Festival has been added to the prestigious list of BAFTA qualifying short film festivals. Show Me Shorts is New Zealand’s largest short film festival and a leader in the Asia Pacific region. The festival is an Oscar qualifying festival since 2012, and has been acknowledged as one of the top 20 short film festivals globally.

This is good news for British filmmakers. It means that every British short film that is selected for screening in competition at Show Me Shorts will be eligible to qualify for consideration at the following BAFTA awards.

BAFTA is a world-leading independent arts charity for the British screen industries, they champion talent, recognise exceptional storytelling and make the creative industries a fairer and more sustainable place. The British Short Film category exists to promote and support the best of British short film, and the aim of the Qualifying Festivals List is to aid BAFTA in identifying these titles. The 78th edition of the BAFTA awards will take place on 16 February 2025. Full entry details for the BAFTAs can be found here.

The team at Show Me Shorts are delighted to be associated with BAFTA, and to provide a pathway to BAFTA recognition for British short film makers. Festival Director Gina Dellabarca says: “New Zealanders have a great affinity for British cinema. We enjoy their wry sense of humour and self-deprecating characters. Many of the short films that I remember most vividly from 19 years of curating our short film festival hail from Britain. I am thinking of Wren Boys directed by Harry Lighton, 7 Minutes directed by Ricky Gervais and The Phone Call directed by Mat Kirkby. It’s an honour to play a part in highlighting and celebrating the best of British cinema.”

Guidelines for the BAFTAS require British short films to be selected for at least two festivals on the list of qualifying festivals in order to qualify to enter the BAFTA awards. The full rules and eligibility guidelines for BAFTA’s short film categories are available here. You can read the full press release announcing the updated list of festivals and other changes here.

The programme for Show Me Shorts Film Festival 2024 will be announced on 16 September. Key city dates are: Auckland 10-13 October, Wellington 16-23 October, Christchurch 11-23 October.