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New Zealand’s leading international short film festival returns in October with more than 120 screenings nationwide, while its Best New Zealand Film and Best International Film awards provide routes towards Academy Awards qualification.
Show Me Shorts Film Festival has begun unveiling its 2026 festival programme, ahead of a nationwide season running across New Zealand this October.
The 21st edition is scheduled to present more than 120 screenings across 40 cinemas and community venues, continuing the festival’s unusually broad national footprint for a short-film event.
The programme launch follows an earlier announcement naming Norway as the festival’s 2026 Country of Honour, with a dedicated collection of Norwegian short films forming part of this year’s international programme.
Opening-night events are scheduled for Auckland on 7 October, Wellington on 8 October and Christchurch on 14 October.
Show Me Shorts carries Oscar and BAFTA qualifying status
For filmmakers, Show Me Shorts is more than a touring exhibition programme.
The festival’s Best New Zealand Film and Best International Film awards are Academy Award-accredited, meaning the winning films can become eligible to enter the Oscars under the Academy’s applicable short-film rules.
The festival was granted Oscar-qualifying status in 2012, becoming the first New Zealand film festival to achieve that recognition.
Show Me Shorts later received BAFTA qualifying status in 2024.
Eligible British short films selected for the festival can therefore use their Show Me Shorts selection towards BAFTA eligibility under the relevant rules.
For international filmmakers selected into competition, the Best International Film award carries an NZ$1,000 cash prize in addition to its Oscar-qualifying status.
More than 120 screenings are planned nationwide
The festival is expected to stage screenings throughout New Zealand rather than concentrating its programme in a single city.
Current festival information lists more than 120 screenings at 40 cinemas and community venues during the October season.
Some selected films will also be offered through the festival’s on-demand platform for a limited period, with online screenings geo-blocked to New Zealand.
Show Me Shorts accepts fiction, documentary and animation alongside other genres, with the main festival programme built around short films from New Zealand and international filmmakers.
Festival submissions closed on 1 July, with approximately 2,500 entries estimated for the 2026 cycle and around 80 projects typically selected, according to the festival’s FilmFreeway profile.
Norway takes the 2026 Country of Honour spotlight
A major component of this year’s programme is the Norwegian Short Film Focus.
- Seven films are included in the dedicated collection:
- The Last Norwegian Troll, directed by Pjotr Sapegin;
- Tunnelen (The Tunnel), directed by André Øvredal;
- Vind (Wind), directed by Odveig Klyve;
- Smulene (The Crumbs), directed by Michael Mellemløkken Renjo;
- Ego, directed by Vegard Dahle;
- Trio, directed by Fridtjof Stensæth Josefsen and Morten Borgestad; and
- På Grensa (Borderline), directed by Johannes Vang.
An eighth Norwegian film, Natalia Malykhina Bratli’s animated short Bug’s Story, will appear separately in the festival’s Whānau Friendly programme.
The Norway focus is supported by the Norwegian Film Institute and Norwegian Embassy, with visiting filmmakers and industry representatives also expected to participate in screenings and professional events.
Norwegian programme will screen in three major cities
The 80-minute Norwegian Short Film Focus will screen in:
- Auckland — 9 October, Capitol Cinema
- Wellington — 12 October, Light House Cuba
- Christchurch — 15 October, Alice Cinema
The wider festival will continue at venues around the country through later October.
Show Me Shorts also runs filmmaker development activities alongside its public screenings, including professional events, talks and workshops.
Earlier this year, the organisation expanded its filmmaker-support work by awarding two projects NZ$40,000 production grants through its new Short Film Lab initiative supported by the New Zealand Film Commission.
Festival begins in Auckland on 7 October
The major-city opening events are:
- Auckland: 7 October at The Hollywood Avondale
- Wellington: 8 October at The Embassy
- Christchurch: 14 October at Alice Cinema
The wider nationwide programme follows throughout October.
For filmmakers and programmers tracking the international short-film circuit, Show Me Shorts is particularly notable because few qualifying festivals combine Academy Awards access with such a geographically distributed national exhibition model.
Indie Shorts Mag also maintains an updated list of Academy Award-qualifying short film festivals, including Show Me Shorts and the specific awards currently recognised for qualification.
With the full programme now arriving, attention will next turn to the festival’s award nominees and eventual winners — particularly the films competing for the Best New Zealand Film and Best International Film prizes that carry an Oscar pathway.
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