Dan Slevin checks out four of the 86 films programmed in this year’s Show Me Shorts Film Festival.
Still from the French animated short film Swing to the Moon, playing in the Whānau Friendly 1 session at Show Me Shorts Photo: Show Me Shorts
Short film programmes can offer some of the best fun you can have in a cinema.
When the length varies between five and fifteen minutes, you can be assured that if one title doesn’t take your fancy, there’ll be another along soon.
Shorts don’t take an age to get to the point. Like a smash-and-grab heist, it’s often a case of get in and get out before the audience knows what’s going on.
And, unlike a particular bugbear of mine in the feature film world these days, they aren’t attempting to create a franchise or leave you on the hook with a cliffhanger ending.
That’s not to say that short films always end tidily – they can often be ambiguous, leaving questions unanswered.
Shorts have their own grammar, their own pace. The best aren’t trying to be miniature feature films or long comedy sketches. They are themselves.
The longstanding annual celebration of short filmmaking that is Show Me Shorts returns this week with over 80 different films from all over the world. Roughly... counts fingers... one-third of them are from Aotearoa New Zealand.
These titles are programmed via themed sessions – especially helpful when you want family-friendly fare – so you end up with a feature-length experience.
I plucked four films from the programme at random – or rather had four films plucked for me – to get a sense of where the short film experience is at in 2023.
Stella
(from The Sampler) / 14 minutes
Photo: Show Me Shorts
A perfect distillation of what short films can do, even if the subject is one that is well-travelled.
Kiwi acting legends Elizabeth McRae and Ian Mune play an older couple on a day out to a local café. We soon realise that, even though this would have been a regular trip for them in the past, Mune’s character is struggling to be as present as he used to be.
Delicate direction from Alison Titulaer is magnificently supported by McRae and Mune who – despite their character’s appearances – seem to be at the peak of their powers. The choice of 'As Time Goes By' from the café’s pianist is perfectly melancholy.
Basri & Samla Dalam Komedi Yang Terus Berputar (Basri & Salma in a Never-Ending Comedy)
(from Indonesian Focus 1) / 15 minutes
Photo: Show Me Shorts
A carnie couple who don’t want to have kids are bullied about it by their family and friends even at the same time as those same people are demonstrating precisely why they shouldn’t.
It’s not often that I can say that I’ve never seen anything like this before but I really haven’t in this case.
Funny and shocking by turns, and a great example of why a focus on a country like Indonesia in this festival can be so enlightening.
7 Minutes
(from The Sampler) / 10 minutes
Photo: Show Me Shorts
Comedian Ricky Gervais created this short for the BBC with his own production company. It follows a familiar pattern for him of finding bleak humour in topics that are otherwise difficult or impossible to discuss.
Two people arrive at the same section of railway line at the same time, waiting for the train that they can throw themselves in front of. Suicide (and suicide themes) tend not to be easy topics for humour, to say the least, but the script (from Jonathan Parramint and Harry Carlile) is more about the possibility of hope than giving in to despair.
At least, I hope that’s the case. Another appearance of ambiguity, as I mentioned earlier.
Stag Hunt
(from Crime Spree) / 7 minutes
Photo: Show Me Shorts
The least successful of the four shorts I previewed is another world premiere of a New Zealand film – Stag Hunt by Peter Hansen. A brutal kidnapper taunts his blindfolded captive until a late twist turns the tables.
The 48-Hour Film Competition used to have lots of entries like this, where the sudden reversal is the point.
This time around, it’s well-executed but soulless. Never mind though, there’ll be another along in a minute.
The Show Me Shorts Film Festival opens on Friday in Auckland with a gala evening at the Hollywood in Avondale. There are also gala screenings in Wellington (12 October) and Christchurch (11 October) and various themed programmes and samplers from the festival also play in Whangārei, Great Barrier Island, Devonport, Matakana, Titirangi, Waiheke Island, Thames, Hamilton, Matamata, Katikati, Tauranga, Ōpōtiki, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Napier, Ōtaki, Picton, Nelson, Tākaka, Akaroa, Selwyn, Alexandra, Arrowtown, Dunedin and Invercargill.
If the film or programme you want is not playing near you, try and find it online – some of the programmes are available on demand from the Show Me Shorts website.
