Taste a selection of highlight short films from Show Me Shorts Film Festival. These inspiring and thoughtful stories include long-distance love on a distant planet, precocious children up to mischief, a whole town waiting for bad luck to pass, and a man stuck in a time loop. Comedy, science fiction, romance, and coming-of-age classics abound.

Run Time: 99 min

Rating: M - Domestic violence, drug use, offensive language

Life Goes On
Drama, 19m, United Kingdom
BAFTA winner David Bradley stars as a man in end-of-life care who is waiting for the sweet release of death, but unfortunately for him, he’s stuck in an infinite time loop.
Dir/Writ/Prod: Kat Butterfield, Daniel Audritt

Agapito
Drama, 15m, Philippines
It’s the last day of the month. Bowlers flock to the lanes of a bowling alley that has seen better days. Mira, the manager, decides to close early for a special visitor.
Dir/Writ: Arvin Belarmino, Kyla Romero
Prod: Jon Galvez, Carlos Ortiz, Mick Quito

113 Words for You Today
Science Fiction, 13m, China, Taiwan, United States
On a frozen planet where every word costs energy, a worker endures silence, storms, and solitude, saving his words for the one that matters most.
Dir/Writ/Prod: Bo Qing Tang
Dir: Lan Zeng

Socks
Coming of Age, 15m, NZ
In small-town NZ, a young Māori boy feels an unexpected bond with a Mormon missionary.
Dir/Writ: Todd Karehana
Prod: Samantha Dutton

Candy Bar
Comedy, 6m, Australia
A young girl thinks a man in the candy bar line looks like her dad.
Dir/Prod: Nash Edgerton
Writ: Damon Herriman
Prod: Serena Paull

Ciggie
Coming of Age, 11m, NZ
In the bush behind their suburban houses, two children tell stories, tease, and confide in each other, all while sharing their first cigarette.
Dir/Writ: Isaac Ieremia
Prod: Lucie Lesnard, Keeti Ngatai-Melbourne

Hai Davai (Let’s Go)
Comedy, 16m, Moldova
On the cusp of leaving her rural Moldovan village for a new life abroad, Nina is stopped, quite literally, by an old superstition: a black cat has crossed the road.
Dir/Writ/Prod: Vlad Gradescu
Writ: Paula Macovoz
Prod: Valentin Zuza, Lucien Formichella

Contact the host of The Sampler - Show Me Shorts Film Festival