AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Show Me Shorts, New Zealand's top international short film festival, opened on Tuesday evening in Auckland, New Zealand.

This year's festival features eight Chinese films from some of the most talented Chinese filmmakers, and marks the first time China has been chosen as the festival's honorary guest country.

The lineup includes fantasy films The Wanderer and The Dream of Death and Life, sci-fi film The Leftovers, drama Friends, comedy Representative, Please, and animated works Door Gods, Untitled, and Help Me Tom. Notably, Help Me Tom, directed by Yang Jiahang, will screen in The Sampler collection at Show Me Shorts, which travels to 40 cinemas nationwide in New Zealand. There are Chinese Focus screening sessions in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch during the festival.

"We are delighted to help audiences discover unique films that reflect a modern Chinese experience," Festival Director Gina Dellabarca said, noting that modern ideas are presented alongside those steeped in tradition.

"As a cross-border art form, film plays many roles in international cultural exchange. The same goes for short films; they help open up dialogues between cultures and bring people closer through visual storytelling," said Wang Jianwen, director of the China Cultural Center in Auckland, in a speech at the Auckland opening night.

He said he is looking forward to the featured Chinese shorts and how these films might offer the New Zealand audiences a vivid window into modern China and its people.

The Show Me Shorts Film Festival screens top short films from New Zealand and around the world every October in 40 cinemas nationwide.

The film Representative, Please was featured at the Auckland opening night, where it made its world premiere and was introduced by director Hanlin Liu. ■