We take a look at the freshly-announced Show Me Shorts 2023 programme.
Show Me Shorts, Aotearoa’s biggest short film festival, returns with a brand new collection of tiny but mighty cinema. Now in its 18th year, the 2023 programme will take place with more than 100 screenings in 35+ venues nationwide, consisting of a total of 86 short films from New Zealand and beyond spread out across 12 themed sections.
The festival runs 6-30 October, with Opening Night celebrations taking place in Auckland on 6 October, Christchurch on 11 October and Wellington on 12 October.
Some noteworthy short films include 7 Minutes, a black-as-the-night comedy directed by Ricky Gervais, and Proof, the directorial debut of Kiwi comedy legend Jonny Brugh. As well as hosting 11 world premieres, this year’s festival will see a bunch of local and international filmmakers present to introduce their films for the first time: Stella (NZ), Ultraveloci (Italy), The Lost Courier (China), Just Kidding I Actually Love You (NZ), Ministry Of Jingle (NZ), Good Luck (NZ), Stag Hunt (NZ), Buttons And Dumplings (NZ), Malapan (NZ) & Spook (Norway).
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 cohort.”
See below for a robust breakdown of all the sections, their official descriptions, and a description of literally every short film. And, hey, if any screenings catch your eye, be sure to hit that Watchlist button to keep track of its release.
Ministry of Jingle
The Sampler
“Enjoy some of the top short films from this year’s Show Me Shorts Film Festival.”
Muscat: A 16-year-old Moroccan fisherman, Samir, discovers his attraction towards men when he meets a tourist traveling with his wife.
7 Minutes: A desolate train track seems the perfect spot to end it all, until someone else turns up with the same idea. Awkward.
Stella: Stella is out for a special date with her husband Stanley, whose mind is failing. She yearns for connection, capturing brief moments of lucidity before he slips away.
Las Visitantes: Three retired women travel on a bus on their way to Europe. They have been listening to people talking about the wonders of tourism all their lives and are dying to experience it firsthand.
Just Kidding I Actually Love You: A runaway fiancée breaks in to execute an ill-advised romantic gesture, and finds evidence her ex is happier without her.
The Life Of Lester Wink: A door-to-door pet insurance salesman with a phobia of talking with strangers must make a sale by 5pm or get fired.
Ministry Of Jingle: Melody is the new hire at a Government department in charge of creating public safety jingles about the nation’s most pressing issues: bathmats, scam calls, littering.
Swing to the Moon
Whānau Friendly
“Fast becoming one of the most popular sessions at Show Me Shorts, this annual collection of short films is for children and their families to enjoy together.”
Swing To The Moon: Living in the forest, little spider Temi dreams of catching the Moon. For that, she will do anything.
The Lost Courier: This film is inspired by the author’s real experience of losing a courier parcel. Follow a package as it goes through some incredible things along its journey.
The Polycees: After a run-in with his slimy deputy, the Prime Minister’s young daughter is shocked to find a magical creature living in Parliament under her Dad’s desk!
Apocalypse Dog: In a post-apocalyptic universe, Bob and his dog Pasha survive in a wasteland. They are hungry, thirsty and tired. When suddenly, they see a city in the distance!
Harvey: A poetic, luminous look at bereavement and coping with the loss of a parent, told through the eyes of an imaginative child.
Malapan: When two young children discover that their island is running out of the resource that keeps it afloat, they embark on a journey to collect more from the community.
Fraiha: Based on a true story about a 6-year-old girl who is helped to overcome her classroom literacy struggles by her loving mother.
Corvine: An eccentric boy has trouble fitting in at school due to his obsession with crows.
There is a second Whānau Friendly collection that will screen via Show Me Shorts On Demand, best suited for kids aged 4 to 10-years-old.
Basri & Salma in a Never-Ending Comedy
Indonesian Focus
“Indonesia’s cinema reflects Indonesia itself: a rich melting pot of cultures, languages and world views.”
Basri & Samla Dalam Komedi Yang Terus Berputar (Basri & Salma In A Never-Ending Comedy): A husband and wife married for 5 years, work at the carnival together, spending their days entertaining other people’s children without any of their own. Meddling relatives and self-doubt leads to an explosive confrontation.
Nusa Antara (The Archipelago): This animated documentary captures thoughts and ideas from four directors related to memories, and what it means to live in the archipelago of Indonesia.
Dancing Colours: To please his parents, Dika hides his true self by dancing it out.
Ride To Nowhere: On a woman’s first day as a motorbike taxi driver she gets lots of cancellation of orders, but the male drivers don’t seem to experience this. She makes a plan.
Acung Memilih Bersuara (Acung Decides To Speak Up): Acung never thought of becoming an activist. However, he grew up witnessing the hatred that his ethnic Chinese descent continues to receive. In the end, he chose not to remain silent even though the price paid was his freedom.
Puisi Biru (Blue Poetry): A fisherman and his family consume the catch from the sea as daily food. Until one day he realises that what he had caught all this time was marine trash.
Jamal: A woman’s world is rocked when her migrant worker husband is suddenly returned to her in a lifeless condition.
There is a second Indonesian Focus collection that will screen via Show Me Shorts On Demand.
The Ballad of Maddog Quinn
Crime Spree
“This collection of short films will have you gripping your seat and reaching for more popcorn.”
Ultraveloci: Dodo, a 50-year-old man suffering from a form of partial paralysis that limits his motor skills, finds himself alone for the first time having to defend the family workshop.
Same Old: One bad night for a New York City delivery driver.
Stag Hunt: A kidnapped man is taken to a remote forest where he is taunted by his inept captor, and pushed to the brink.
The Ballad Of Maddog Quinn: An unlikely outlaw wreaks hell across a dusty dystopian wasteland on a wild quest to save what is held most dear.
Day Job – Soft Plastics: The daily grind of the nine-to-five breeds a murderous intent in this music video from Soft Plastics.
Spook: A frustrated man caring for his chronically ill mother vents his feelings by dressing up as a dead colonel to spook the local townspeople.
What Is Mine: Four terminally ill men travel through Sardinia, Italy pulling off one heist after another. They seek a legacy to leave behind.
Proof
When the Spirit Takes Flight
“Beyond this world is another. That is the place the characters in these short films are reaching for.”
American Sikh: The true story of a turban-wearing American Sikh, who after a lifetime of facing prejudice, self-doubt and violence, finally finds acceptance in a superhero costume.
Mako: 17-year-old Mako has the mental age of a small child, when he realises his father is ashamed of him he goes all out to make him proud, succeeding in the most unexpected way.
When You Went Away – The Transits: This music video reveals a love story that defies death, as two bodies in a morgue come back to life for one last dance.
Aikāne: A valiant island warrior, wounded in battle against foreign invaders, falls into a mysterious underwater world.
Pylon: A field. A gang. A gun. A frightened boy. His brave sister. Their determined mother. And a towering steel obelisk overseeing it all.
Eat Flowers: Every day photographer Cig sets out to capture images to bring color and life to her sick friend Mary through her camera. Every day Mary asks for more.
Proof: Determined to find evidence of an afterlife, an old man goes too far.
A Bird Called Memory: A bird called Memory has forgotten how to come back home. Lua tries to find Memory in the streets, but the city can be a hostile place.
Lao Lao Lao Le
Aotearoa Te Ōhākī
“Discover the rising talents of new and established directors in this collection of short films from Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Te Whakawhitinga: Hine re-accounts the story of her father, Pāpā, and his eagerness to join the army shortly after the end of World War II.
Find Where I Belong: Life on the streets of Auckland for two homeless men: The older seems used to this and at home here, while the younger, Marquesan, dreams of returning to his island.
Buttons And Dumplings: The heartwarming migration story of a Chinese family, takeaway food, mahjong and the Prime Minister of New Zealand.
Anu: When a recent widow moves to New Zealand from India, she’s forced to confront her grief by completing an ordinary ritual in an extraordinary circumstance: quarantine.
Plastic – A Love Letter To The Estranged: This short documentary explores the plastic identity crisis faced by the pacific diaspora.
Lao Lao Lao Le: A young boy is left home alone with his increasingly unwell grandmother and is forced to come to terms with her deterioration.
Daughter Of God: When an arranged marriage is sprung upon an Iranian-Kiwi daughter, she must either dishonour family tradition or lose the woman she loves.
What’s The Disabili-Tea: Misty Frequency: Drag icon Misty Frequency’s kaupapa is to celebrate autistic and takatāpui excellence. They are looking to storm the stage at the Drag Wars competition with a cash prize up for grabs.
Kingmaker – Tami Neilson
Women Rock the World
“Step into stories of queens, dreamers and vengeful angels.”
Piss On Patriarchy: Marie is driving on the highway and needs to pee urgently, but the toilet at the rest stop is broken. An increasingly absurd odyssey through a toxic male biotope begins.
F**K Me, Richard: A romance-obsessed loner finds herself swept up in a passionate long-distance love affair. Richard is perfect in every way, except that he may be a scammer.
Martingale: Océane has finally found a job for the summer and with it, the martingale (probability theory) to make the ideal man fall from the sky.
My Eyes Are Up Here: A disabled woman sets off on a mission to get the morning after pill. The only thing in her way is… everything.
House Of Whoreship: Brothel worker Violet returns to work post break-up only to find her recent ex-girlfriend hustling the same shift.
The Miracle: 40-year-old Irma goes on a vacation to an all-inclusive resort. Soon after her arrival she realises the place is meant for young families.
Kingmaker – Tami Neilson: This music video for Tami Neilson’s Kingmaker features a group of women, alive and powerful, rising from the ashes of the old colonial institutions that once oppressed them.
Familial – Daithi
Love Unconditional
“The bonds the characters in these stories share run deep, despite some testing times.”
Familial – Daithi: A narrative music video in which a father attempts to reconnect with his two estranged sons.
Tuī Ná: A 17-year-old boy struggles to reconcile his burgeoning queer identity with his filial duties and expectations from his Chinese immigrant mother.
Tu Niño (Your Kid): Gypsy flamenco dancer El Niño left his conservative community in Spain to immerse himself in the city of Los Angeles. Now he yearns to reconnect with his distant father.
NAI / Milk: A single Chinese woman struggles to bridge the cultural and societal expectations of motherhood in a western setting, until she finds release in the most unlikely way.
Blue: A father daughter relationship is tested as Dad drives Lucy to have her abortion and the two dance around what her future might hold.
Good Luck: The Ministry of Happiness presents its very first induction video for newborns. This introduction to life is mandatory viewing. We thank you for watching.
Faire Un Enfant (Making Babies): After many years together, a couple decides to have a baby. Throughout their relentless efforts, the partners try to maintain their love and unity.
Sibling
Taboos and Temptation
“Get comfortable with the uncomfortable truths revealed in this enticing collection of short films.”
Sweet Juices: Two genius cooks face eviction and incarceration. On a mission to clear their names, they leave a trail of saucy vomit, stolen bicycles, unhinged government officials, and squirting dumplings.
Offline: An advertising agency is meeting clients to agree on the final cut on a commercial promoting the company’s diverse profile. Problems begin when the client thinks two of the black actors look too much alike.
Horologist: Obsessed with time, Sand found a way to sell time itself. While his rich customers stay young, they never question Sand’s discovery and the source of their youth.
Sibling: A 16-year-old girl goes on a family skiing holiday with her half-brother who she doesn’t know well. Friendship blossoms into something more complicated between them.
Such A Lovely Day: A glorious, happy family gathering in a perfect English summer garden. There’ll be lunch under the mulberry tree and wine and games and dancing. And then there’ll be a surprise.
Yellow: In Taliban controlled Afghanistan, Laili walks into a store to buy her first full body veil from a Talib shopkeeper, and face a new future.
Our Males And Females: A father and mother are faced with the painful task of washing and shrouding their deceased transgender daughter, but no one will agree to help wash her.
Bolero
Turning Up the Heat
“This collection offers a masterclass in quietly building tension and populating an intriguing world with layered characters.”
Bolero: Fran is in his hometown to rest and visit his mother. This journey along the paths of memory and desire will lead him and the whole village to a joyfully chaotic climax.
Regular Rabbit: A Regular Rabbit battles a comically absurd onslaught of disinformation. The narrator is full of s#!t!! How is this so hard to believe?! Fake news!
Lamb: An ordinary day takes a sinister turn for a woman and her child when a stranger walks into their isolated rural home.
The Last Sunday: When a Samoan teenager realises the financial struggle in his household, an offer too convincing to decline will change his life forever.
Big Bang: Chico earns his living fixing ovens, in which he easily fits into thanks to his small size. Marginalised by a system that values him as a misfit, he begins to start resisting it.
Hello Muscles: A young girl develops muscles, but finds a different kind of strength.
Crack Shot: When a stranger offers a large sum to train with his son, a junior squash ex-champion must decide whether to release his repressed demons.
Show Me Shorts Film Festival will take place in the following locations during 6-30 October 2023:
Whangārei, Auckland (Avondale / Central / Devonport / Northcote / Great Barrier Island / Matakana / Titirangi / Waiheke Island), Thames, Hamilton, Katikati, Tauranga, Ōpōtiki, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Napier, Ōtaki, Wellington, Picton, Nelson, Tākaka, Christchurch, Akaroa, Selwyn, Alexandra, Arrowtown, Dunedin and Invercargill.
For more information, visit the Show Me Shorts website.
