A smorgasbord of shorts _{by Alessia Belsito-Riera}

Screening stories in delectable, bite-sized morsels, the 2024 Show Me Shorts Film Festival descends on Wellington’s Light House Cuba cinema between the 16^th and the 23^rd of October followed by an accessible On Demand session over Labour Weekend. 85 shorts curated from 2400 submissions will feature in the 19^th annual Oscar-accredited and BAFTA-qualifying festival and span the full gamut of cinematic expression.

“I believe short films have a magic to them, distilling a story down to its essence,” festival director Gina Dellabarca says. “That is why this format is so popular and filmmakers continue to embrace it. This year’s festival provides a wealth of inspiring ideas, quirky characters, and surprising bursts of laughter”.

11 themed collections featuring seven to eight shorts and with a runtime similar to a feature film make up this year’s programme. Running alongside them are filmmaker talks featuring guest creators from Aotearoa, Australia, China, Norway, the USA, and Germany, which is this year’s country of focus.

Eight local and international films make their world premiere. Catch Pack Rat, New Followers, Morning Hate, Cold Feet, My Dying Place, The Journey of Cooking, Trapped (Mexico), and Rock Paper Scissors (UK). Festival highlights include My Week with Maisy starring Joanna Lumley, Māori Time featuring Manu Bennett, Payback by acclaimed Kiwi actor Mia Blake, and Morning Hate, Kiwi actor Dean O’Gorman’s directorial debut.

Take a bite out of this year’s Show Me Shorts Film Festival to be immersed in a world of flavour.