Show Me Shorts names 2026 award nominees ahead of October festival

Ten short films have been nominated across seven competitive categories at the 2026 Show Me Shorts Film Festival, with Kurī emerging as the most nominated title ahead of next month’s awards ceremony in Auckland.

Show Me Shorts announced the nominees on 28 September, as the festival prepares for 126 screenings across 45 venues around New Zealand from 7 to 31 October. The organisers describe the programme as a showcase of emerging and established filmmaking talent from Aotearoa and overseas.

Kurī, written and directed by Ana Chaya Scotney, received four nominations. It is in contention for Best New Zealand Film, while Keporah Torrance is nominated for Best Actor, Scotney for Best Director, Sam Small for Best Editor and Caleb Corlett for Best Cinematographer. Socks and 埋單 Let’s Settle This! each received three nominations.

The Best New Zealand Film nominees are Anna Frances Pearson for Bob & C-Nut: A Good Way to Start the Day, Lucie Lesnard and Keeti Ngatai-Melbourne for Ciggie, Julie Zhu for Kurī, and Samantha Dutton for Socks.

Three productions are nominated for Best International Film: Australian short Mr Adidos, Spanish film Ningú Borda (Nobody Barks), and French production Soleil Pâle (Pale Sun). Show Me Shorts says its Best New Zealand Film and Best International Film awards are Oscar-accredited, meaning the winning films qualify to enter the Academy Awards.

The acting category features Keporah Torrance for Kurī, Kahukura Royal for Lucky Luke and Monty Walker for Socks. Director nominees are Ana Chaya Scotney for Kurī, Jesse Griffin for Lucky Luke and Tom Noakes for The Worm.

Editing nominees include Anna Frances Pearson for Bob & C-Nut: A Good Way to Start the Day, Sam Small for Kurī and Jack Woon for 埋單 (Let’s Settle This!). Caleb Corlett, Duncan Cole and Tim Flower are nominated for cinematography, while Isaac Ieremia, Jack Woon and Lynda Chanwai-Earle are nominated for screenplay.

The festival’s juries include figures from New Zealand and international screen industries. Festival organisers said judges highlighted both the overall standard of the films and the range of storytelling represented in the competition.

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at Capitol Cinemas in Auckland on Wednesday, 14 October. Winning films will then screen together as a special collection during the festival. Audiences will also be able to vote for the People’s Choice Award throughout the festival.

The festival’s Auckland opening night is scheduled for Wednesday, 7 October at The Hollywood Avondale, followed by Wellington at The Embassy on Thursday, 8 October. The Christchurch opening night at Alice Cinema on 14 October was already sold out when the organisers issued their latest update.

Source: Show Me Shorts Film Festival, 28 September 2026.