wellington polish film festival
Wellington, New Zealand
74
Tier BScreenings
Festival dossier
show me shorts film festival
Auckland; Pukekohe; Waiheke Island; Matakana; Various, New Zealand · Est. 2006 · High structural score (80–100) for legitimacy and industry clout — not limited to Oscar-qualifying festivals
Auckland; Pukekohe; Waiheke Island; Matakana; Various, New Zealand
100
Legitimacy ScoreShould I submit?
Strong legitimacy signals
Tier A score for legitimacy and industry clout. Still confirm deadlines, fees, and categories on the festival site before paying.
- Oscar Qualifying Festival
- 20 years of verifiable history
- Physical screenings at Waiheke Island Community Cinema
Overview
Show Me Shorts is New Zealand's leading international short film festival and the first in the country to achieve Academy Awards (Oscar) accreditation and BAFTA qualifying status, making its top award winners eligible for the Oscars and BAFTAs. The festival showcases approximately 80–100 curated short films (2–20 minutes) from New Zealand and around the world across 40 cinema and community venues nationwide each October, covering diverse genres including documentary, animation, sci-fi, horror, drama, comedy, and music videos. It is recognized as the most important short film festival in the Asia Pacific region and serves as a vital platform for premiering New Zealand shorts and championing local filmmakers.
Last updated Sep 20, 2026
Legitimacy Analysis
Positive Indicators (+81 pts)
- Oscar Qualifying Festival
- 20 years of verifiable history
- Physical screenings at Waiheke Island Community Cinema
- Wikipedia-verified (2 refs, 1 languages)
- 4 verified pro signals
- Verified trusted status
- Legitimacy signals outweigh concerns (6 vs 0)
- Major accreditation with net-positive trust signals
Red Flags (-0 pts)
No red flags found
Trust Signals
Positive Signals
- FilmFreeway Gold festival
- Documented history with archived programs
- Named venues with external verification
- WIKIDATA_VERIFIED
Festival Details
Founded
2006
Venue
Waiheke Island Community Cinema
Screenings
Physical screenings confirmed
Award Categories
1
Related Festivals in New Zealand
wairoa maori film festival
Nuhaka, New Zealand
74
Tier BScreenings
african film festival new zealand
Wellington, New Zealand
74
Tier BScreenings
1 Minute AI Film Festival Aotearoa
Auckland, New Zealand
24
Warning
Queenstown Queer Film Festival : To Be Minority.
Queenstown, New Zealand
26
Warning
Doc Edge International Documentary Film Festival
Auckland, New Zealand
100
Tier AOscarScreenings
Research
Live web research is off to control API cost. This shows cached scheduled research when available, plus analysis from our database.
Hard research (cheap model + thorough prompt) runs on a cron for suspicious festivals; a biweekly job refreshes others. No live API calls from the site.
At a glance
How scoring works
Scores are calculated from structural indicators: accreditations, physical screenings, award category count, submission frequency, and acceptance rate. Higher scores reflect more verifiable legitimacy signals.
Filmmaker reviews
No community reviews yet. If you submitted here, your experience helps others avoid award mills.
Write a reviewOr report a problem →Write a review
Get Alerts
Get notified when show me shorts film festival's tier changes or new reports are filed.
See something wrong?
Filmmakers and festival teams can propose listing corrections or submit verified evidence. Verified evidence can change a tier, but it is weighed alongside every other flag on this listing.
Request a correction