Dear supporter,

Thank you so much for pledging for our fundraising campaign. Unfortunately we didn't reach our goal, so there will be no deduction from your credit card and sadly no cash prize for the winner of our People's Choice Award.

I'm really happy to let you be the first to hear the good news though. Our sponsor Mexicali Fresh has agreed to throw a party for the winner of this award. We will have delicious food and drinks, and most likely play the winning film on a screen for everyone to enjoy. It'll be a nice way to round up the festival before Christmas, and have one final short film celebration.

I'm really pleased that audiences will still get the opportunity to vote for their favourite film during the festival this November. And I can't wait to see which one you all choose!

Only a week and a half until we announce our programme for this year on 16 October. So check our website then, and make a note to book your tickets from that date.

We will add all of you who didn't pledge anonymously to our monthly email newsletter database, so you get sent the link to our Screening Room selection of online short films to watch each month. So let us know if you don't want to receive that, or just click unsubscribe when it comes in. The latest Screening Room is here if you want to check it out: http://www.showmeshorts.co.nz/sr-october-2013/

Thanks again for showing Show Me Shorts and our short film makers the love. We love you for it.

xox

Gina Dellabarca

Festival Director

Show Me Shorts Film Festival

www.showmeshorts.co.nz

Hi Pledgers,

Thanks from my team and I for supporting Show Me Shorts and the work we do to connect filmmakers and audiences. We've added two new reward options in the last week, so if you know someone who wants a subscription to the fabulous Rialto Channel, send them our way. Or for something a little more daring...

Short hair is so hot right now. When our friend Anna said she was cutting off her pony tail to support women recovering from cancer, we said "great. Can we do it?"

Who hasn't wanted to cut off someone's ponytail before right? Well now you can live out that fantasy. And you know, show short film makers the love. Check out the new reward we have just added to our campaign. Donate $250 or more and you could be wielding the scissors.

We'd like to introduce the team who make Show Me Shorts happen:

Festival Director Gina Dellabarca usually works full time in marketing as well as running the festival, so we're not sure when she sleeps. She is part of the Wet Hot Beauties water-ballet troupe, plays soccer and is learning to tap dance. Gina is currently a finalist for the NEXT Magazine Woman of the Year Awards.

Tamara Liebman is one of the co-founders of Show Me Shorts. She has helped steer the festival from strength to strength as our Business Director since 2006. As an experienced lawyer at Jackson Russell Lawyers, and avid culture vulture, her contribution is invaluable.

Education Programmes Manager Emma Blomkamp loves short film so much that she wrote her MA thesis on short film policy in New Zealand. Emma is now a cultural policy researcher and political studies tutor who has just submitted a PhD thesis through a jointly-awarded programme with the University of Auckland and the University of Melbourne.

After returning home in 2006 from a 5-year stint in London, Laura Goldsmith jumped at the chance to become involved with Show Me Shorts. She is the power behind our Opening Night and Awards events. Laura has been instrumental in obtaining cash prizes for award winners this year (whoop!), and is orchestrating these glamorous events. She procures pink carpets, photobooths and paparazzi, while being mum to little Max.

Sarah Davies is the resident Marketing Manager for the Festival. With a background in digital and brand marketing, she has recently leaped wholeheartedly into a post-grad degree at the University of Auckland, studying screenwriting. She is passionate about helping promote our best bite-size stories across New Zealand, and the world.  

Festival Coordinator Heidi North-Bailey is the wonder woman who manages all the wheels that keep Show Me Shorts turning. Her background in acting and book editing is evidence of her love of story-telling. She is currently shooting her second short film for the University of Auckland masters programme in film production.

David Ladd is writing his PhD thesis in bio-engineering. It’s super nerdy, and we don’t really understand it. But we do understand that his grasp of Web Design is crucial to how we are able to connect and communicate with our audience and share our love of short films.

Craig Franklin lives at the movies. His day job in advertising for Val Morgan cinema network requires it. Show Me Shorts offers Craig an opportunity to fill the short moments in his life that feature films are simply too long for. With over 10 years of advertising Account Management experience he is a welcome addition to the team, leveraging our sponsor relationships as Partnerships Manager. 

Kanna Yamasaki and short films go hand in hand; they're both short, sweet, and to-the-point. Screening Room curator and Short Film Talks helping hand, Kanna is a full-time student at the University of Auckland, studying a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Arts.

Kristin Mckenzie has organizational super-powers. We have harnessed her skills as our Marketing & Events Assistant, and mostly use them for good not evil. She loves the events industry and is always working on several exciting projects at once.

Rebekah Ngatae is our Social Media Assistant. Generation Y. Digital native. Passionate about the ever-evolving world of interconnectedness that is social media. She's currently finishing her studies in Film, TV & Media at the University of Auckland and assisting at a local voice talent agency. Tweet her @showmeshorts

Awards Assistant Mary de Ruyter has worked as a journalist for 15 years, the last 11 of them as a freelancer for various magazines and newspapers. She spends spare time in summer in the pool as a water ballerina, and during winter hibernating with books, films and whisky. She loves how short films can pack a punch - emotional, humorous, bizarre - in such a brief amount of time.

Renee Burgers is a whizz with numbers, though she spends her day surrounded by printed words. She works at Auckland Libraries when not forecasting our budgets and telling us to spend less $ on pink carpets, as our Accounts Assistant.

Newbie Adela Lee is an intern in the Education Team for Show Me Shorts. She is a University of Auckland graduate from the Film, TV and media studies department. Adela assists with our Short Film Lab, Short Film Talks, and helps school groups organise trips to the festival. She plans to further her studies at the Yoobee School of Design in Graphic Design.

Joining us from Belgium as an intern this year is Florence Cassart. She was excited to see (spoiler!) two short films in our programme this year from her country. She is passionate about the film industry and looking forward to posting out the rewards to y’all for this PledgeMe fundraising campaign.