Show Me Shorts: Short films hold surprises

Protect the Nation is one of the international films in Show Me Shorts. Photo / Supplied

With the tagline "Here for a good time, not a long time", you might think the annual Show Me Shorts festival aims to shock or entertain rather than delve too deeply into sophisticated stories.

The festival, which opens in various Auckland cinemas tonight, does indeed do both shocking surprises and entertaining commentary amazingly well, with many films packing a punch that's all the more potent due to brevity.

But 14 minutes is also longer than you might think in the world of cinema and allows the creators plenty of time to charm and provoke as they tell often-heartfelt stories of complex issues.

This year the festival is also showcasing works from Australia, France, Ireland, the United States, Germany and South Africa.

The 47 films are collected into six different sessions, with seven or eight films in each, tied together by a common theme. This year's themes are: Unexpected Adventure, Master Chef, Love You To Death, Extreme Measures, Small Pleasures, Unlikely Bedfellows and Hitting The Road.

A common thread for 2011 is the exploration of decadence and pleasure, particularly of the gourmet variety, but as festival director Gina Dellabarca explains, there's a pretty diverse set of stories to be told, including tales of an astronaut stranded on Mars, the Easter Bunny trying to kill Santa, a train-spotter, a sex robot and an orange that wishes it was a pineapple.

There is also a competitive element, to the festival with winners in eight categories announced on opening night, accompanied by screenings of their films.

Happening around the country from November 3-13, you can check it out in Auckland at the following cinemas: Capitol, Bridgeway, Matakana, Waiheke Island Community Centre, and The Internationalist (Rothesay Bay).

See www.showmeshorts.co.nz for more details.

-TimeOut