Show Me Shorts Film Festival
Show Me Shorts Film Festival is one of the largest and most prestigious film festivals in Aotearoa New Zealand. It attracts filmmakers, actors, and viewers from all around the world, and has played a crucial role in promoting local filmmaking and providing a platform for emerging talent.
The 2024 campaign was built on the core insight that potential audiences were not aware a single ticket to SMSFF unlocks a curated session of 7–8 short films. This lack of understanding posed a direct barrier to ticket sales. Consequently, the campaign strategy focused on educating potential viewers, visually communicating the multiple-film format, and highlighting the value offered by the curated sessions to drive audience numbers.
The creative campaign centered on two key strategies. Firstly, leveraging the instantly recognisable festival logo—a graphic interpretation of the fast edit, reflecting the dynamism of short filmmaking. And secondly visually demonstrating the curated session format.
I deployed the campaign across a comprehensive range of channels, creating a cohesive and impactful brand experience. These included printed street posters, digital billboards, cinema posters, social media, print and digital advertising, and the festival programme brochure. On-site, the brand was activated through a campaign trailer and branded screen and collateral graphics.
The 2024 Show Me Shorts Film Festival saw a remarkable 19% increase in year-on-year audience numbers, directly attributable to the campaign's clear and effective design. Feedback from cinemas across the country highlighted the season branding as a significant driver for this growth. The unprecedented demand for festival brochures necessitated reprints (a first for the festival), and underscored the campaign's ability to capture audience attention and encourage engagement.
Gina Dellabarca, festival director“It's always such a joy to work with Emma. She pushes us out of our comfort zone just enough to ensure our campaigns are fresh, energetic and laser focused on their sales objectives. We love this year’s bold colour, and the simplicity of our messaging. It’s important to us that people can tell at a glance what type of event we are pushing, in a way that invites them to find out more. Our brand isn’t static, but Emma keeps us anchored around the core values and niche we inhabit.”
Project Scope
- Creative direction
- Campaign identity
- Motion design
- Editorial design
- Social content
Project Team
- Emma Kaniuk, creative direction
- Emma Kaniuk, design
- Raphael Roake, motion design
- Jack Nicol, project management
- Stephen Wells, photography