New Zealand’s leading international short film festival, Show Me Shorts, is about to come at us with the power of an untamed wildebeest. To prep up for this force of nature, they have announced six of the 48 short films and music videos they will be screening in competition this October (compiled from over 1,500 submissions from more than 60 countries this year – a massive 50% increase on 2015).
Shout at the Ground
“Among nine short films that will be making their world premiere during Show Me Shorts 2016 is NZ musician-turned-director Joe Lonie’s Shout at the Ground. This raucous road-trip comedy follows a rock band on tour, racing to the ferry crossing, while they deconstruct a heist that robbed them of the door-take from their gig.
“Like Lonie’s previous Show Me Shorts 2014 Best Film-winning Honk If You’re Horny, this film is a fun and fast paced ride. Warning: Get your sick-bag ready because this film has been described as a ‘vom-com’.”
Secret Lives of Furniture
“Ha The Unclear’s quirky song about a coffee table infatuated with its owner Secret Lives of Furniture will get a well-deserved outing on the big screen. Four other music videos in the programme will compete with this one for the NZ On Air Best Music Video Award.”
Home
“A sensitive, layered and complex exploration of the breakdown and rebuilding of trust and love amid the trauma of war and migration. This role-reversing portrait of an English family heading out on what appears to be a holiday is both timely and intimate. It delivers a powerful punch that reaches for the truth through an absurd premise.”
The Bathtub
“A German comedy [that] dives into nostalgia and hilarity as three brothers attempt to re-create a childhood photo for their mother. The film was initially inspired by an internet trend, which was started by Argentinian photographer Irina Werning with her photo series Back to the Future.”
Fabricated
“A stop-motion animation in which we journey through a darkly fantastic alien world which was once our own. This ambitious production was ten years in the making and worth every moment.”
Seide
“This short film comes to us after screening at high profile international festivals such as Venice and Sundance. It showcases the breathtaking beauty of Kyrgyzstan’s snowy mountains, only just eclipsed by a powerful performance as a girl tries to avoid her arranged marriage.”
The full programme for Show Me Shorts 2016 will be unveiled on Thursday 15 September. The festival begins with the Auckland Opening Night and Awards Ceremony at The Civic on 1 October. Tickets for this event and the Wellington Opening Night on 13 October are now on sale from Ticketmaster and The Embassy Website.
You can check out a number of shorts from previous Show Me Shorts festivals over at Lightbox, including last year’s winner The Tide Keeper.
