Long on variety

"In Rhino Full Throttle", a German romantic comedy, our hero, Bruno, roams the streets of the city.
"In Rhino Full Throttle", a German romantic comedy, our hero, Bruno, roams the streets of the city.
New Zealand's largest short-film festival, Show Me Shorts, celebrated its 2014 launch in Auckland this week before spreading its tentacles all the way to Stewart Island. As festival director Gina Dellabarca explains to Shane Gilchrist, it's become a bit of a beast.   

 

Those worried about the effects of extensive screen time might spare a thought for Show Me Shorts 2014 festival director Gina Dellabarca.

She had to sift through nearly 1000 entries, from more than 50 countries, before arriving at this year's programme, which comprises 41 short films and six music videos.

New Zealand's largest short-film festival, Show Me Shorts opened at Auckland cinema The Civic on Thursday and filters out into locations both large and small throughout the country, from Matakana, north of Auckland, to Stewart Island's Bunkhouse Theatre.

Dunedin, too, is on the list, although the city is host to only a one-off highlights package comprising eight of the best films, including three from New Zealand (Snowmen, Coconut and Ross and Beth).

Further afield, the festival offers a stylistically varied selection grouped into themed sessions (Art Will Save the World, Bromance, In the Neighbourhood, Listen Up, Time Travellers and My Generation).

In this regard, Oamaru is well served, the town's Limelight Cinema securing all six of the themed sessions as well as an ''audience choice'' selection.

''It's the first time Oamaru has had so many,'' Dellabarca explains.

''That's a little bit of an experiment.

''The reason there is only a highlights package for Dunedin this year is because the sessions weren't full in previous years.

''Last year we had just one screening in some places and that worked really well. It is more enjoyable for the audience if a cinema is full.''

At about 80 minutes, the highlights package comprises eight films that are ''good fun, films that people will talk about'', Dellabarca says.

''Snowmen is one of my favourites. It's about two guys who wake up hung-over in Antarctica, not knowing how they got there. It features two great Kiwi actors, Greg Johnson and John Leigh, and is a hilarious tale of these men trying to figure out how to get out of this situation.

''Likewise, Coconut has a strong 'bromance' quality. It's a road-trip film about two guys who have their friendship put to the test. It has been one of the most popular films at our test screenings.''

Dellabarca has been involved in the Show Me Shorts festival since it began as a three-day event at one location in Auckland in 2006.

''We added Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin the following year. It's just grown from there. Now, it's a beast of a thing.

''Two years ago we got Academy Awards accreditation, which has served as a vote of confidence. A lot of film-makers seek to have their films entered in accredited festivals ... not that there's a heap of competition in New Zealand for short-film festivals.''

One of the most notable changes in this year's programme is the introduction of music videos.

''We've always focused on films with a strong narrative, but we thought audiences would enjoy them, as well as highlighting the film-making ability within music videos.

''Music video directors use the same skills as they would to make a short film. And a lot of people in the screen industry work across different mediums. It made sense to us, but it is an experiment this year,'' Dellabarca says.

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