Show Me Shorts festival has something for everyone

Short on time? Darren Bevan has five of the best films to keep an eye out for.

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nline and in cinemas, this year’s Show Me Shorts Film Festival boasts its largest programme yet, with a whopping 75 short films and three music videos on the lineup.

Clearly the festival is not letting the Covid-19 pandemic hold it back. We have picked five of best to make the most of your own mini film fest.

One every parent will relate to A Piece of Cake

When a dad makes a birthday promise to his daughter to get her favourite cake decoration, it seems easy enough to fulfil.

However, when the desperate dad discovers the decoration is now illegal, he has no choice but to get involved in the black market confectionery world.

Darkly comic and with escalating drama,

A Piece of Cake may make every parent avoid nightmares and plan ahead for future birthdays.

To keep the kids (young and old) amused

Madcap animation doesn’t come any zanier than this French short about a pair of honeymooners stuck on an out-of-control tram in Lisbon.

Throw in a baby as well and it’s like Speed but without Keanu’s dogged determination.

Fans of The Incredibles style of art and animation will adore its zippy charms.

A homegrown pick for Drag Race fans Her Beneath Her

A New Zealand doco that looks at three women trying to find acceptance as drag queens in a maledominated industry.

This triptych of tales from directors Samantha Crews and Connor Slattery charts the highs and lows with openness, heart and humour.

Thanks to slick production values, and candid subjects, Her Beneath Her delivers on a promise of how drag can galvanise and breathe life into those feeling unsure of who they are and want to be.

One you’ll want to watch more than once Nimic

Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos is the genius behind unconventional films like The Favourite and The Lobster.

Over 11 minutes, Nimic follows cellist Matt Dillon after he has an encounter with a stranger on a subway train who begins to mimic him.

Disturbing, rhythmic and like a nightmarish Groundhog Day, Nimic is sure to provoke plenty of debate about its meaning once it’s finished.

If you’re up for an emotional ride The Test

LBQTI+ films are at an all time high this year at the festival, and this Australian short has already had inclusion from the likes of HBO’s Women in Comedy festival and Los Angeles Outfest.

Jo and Sarah await test results at a clinic that could define – or destroy – their relationship. Mixing humour and heartache, not everything is as it seems in writer director Jessica Smith’s The Test, so be prepared for the vulnerabilities and insecurities of a relationship to be laid bare.

Stuff is a media partner of the Show Me Shorts Festival. Go to showmeshorts.co.nz.

In A Piece of Cake, a dad is given an ordinary task for his daughter’s birthday but it turns out to be anything but ordinary.

A tram goes out of control with two honeymooners stuck on board in French short 028.

New Zealand doco Her Beneath Her looks at the drag queen industry.

Aussie short The Test has already had international acclaim.

Matt Dillon stars in mind-bender Nimic.