Currently the Festival Director of Show Me Shorts, New Zealand’s largest short film festival, Gina came to Wellington in the late 1990s to study film and marketing.
She chose Victoria because of its reputation in film and for the access it provided to Wellington’s screen industry. “I was fortunate to have some really passionate film lecturers at Victoria, some of whom I still keep in touch with. The enthusiasm with which they screened films for us and encouraged us to analyse them in depth was a real inspiration.”
Even though she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in film and a Bachelor of Commerce in marketing and management, Gina says she got into the film world by accident.
“I love film, but I didn't think it was economically viable to work in the film industry. In my last year of study I was offered a job by the father of a friend from one of my film classes at Victoria. One of the godfathers of the New Zealand film industry, Larry Parr, was looking for someone to help with marketing, and my cross-over studies in film and marketing was a useful combination.”
Gina says the connections she made through working in the film industry helped springboard her into the world of film festivals.
“There was a gap in the market at that time for a world-class national short film festival giving Kiwis better access to short films. Some friends and I set up Show Me Shorts as a hobby, which gradually took up more and more of my time and energy as it expanded and grew each year. Two years ago I gave up my day job and devoted myself to doing this full-time.”
Gina’s love of film and analytical eye come in handy as she sifts through high volumes of entries each year. “My job involves watching a lot of short movies—I’ve probably watched around 1,000 short films in the last year,” she says.
Gina says a highlight of her career so far was in 2012 when Show Me Shorts was granted Academy Awards-accreditation status. “This means that the winner of our top award qualifies for entry to the Oscars. Providing a pathway to the Oscars for New Zealand filmmakers is an amazing legacy.”
Now that she’s found a firm footing in a competitive and constantly changing industry, Gina plans to lead by example. “I hope the work I do now with Show Me Shorts will inspire present students to pursue a career in the screen industry.”
So what’s in store for audiences at this year’s edition of Show Me Shorts?
“The 2017 programme has our largest number of short films ever. We're really excited to be presenting 35 short films that will show for the first time in New Zealand, and five world premieres. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Show Me Shorts launches on 28 October in Auckland and 9 November in Wellington.
Find out more: www.showmeshorts.co.nz