WA filmgoers will unite with audiences in over 300 cities spanning six continents to view and judge the work of the next generation of filmmakers from around the world when the 16th Annual MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival screens at Film & Television Institute (FTI) in Fremantle on Friday 27 September.
From a record breaking 628 entries received from 48 countries around the world, MANHATTAN SHORT selected 10 short films as finalists. Each film is 18 minutes or under in length. Countries represented this year include the USA, England, Ireland, France, Finland and Australia. With past finalists achieving the ultimate in recognition by being nominated and even winning the Oscar in the short film category, MANHATTAN SHORT is known as a breeding ground for the next big thing in film.
Finalists for 2013:
"#30" (Timothy Wilde) Australia
"Do I Have to Take Care of Everything" (Selma Vilhunen) Finland
“Friday” (Seb Edwards) England
“No Comment” (Alexandra Naoum) France
“Irish Folk Furniture" (Tony Donaghue) Ireland
“Black Metal” (Kat Candler) USA
“Faces From Places” (Bastien Dubois) France
“I Am a Great Big Ball of Sadness” (Ken Urban) USA
“Kismet Diner” (Mark Nunnely) England
“Pale of Settlement” (Jacob Sillman) USA
These 10 short films will not only entertain a global audience but will be judged by them as well. Filmgoers will be handed a voting card upon entry into a participating theater and asked to vote for the one film they feel should win. Votes are tallied at each participating cinema and submitted to MANHATTAN SHORT headquarters where the winner will be announced in New York City as well as posted on the Internet (www.ManhattanShort.com) on Sunday, October 6 at 10:00pm.
“In my 16 years of programming MANHATTAN SHORT, this is by far the strongest program I’ve ever put together,” says Festival Director Nicholas Mason. “There is something for everyone, from the ages of 16 to 80. This event is not going to cable TV or any form of digital download. If you don’t get down to your local cinema during the week of September 27 to October the 6th, you missed it.” adds Mason
For the first time, MANHATTAN SHORT will also name a Best Actor based upon audience voting.
MANHATTAN SHORT began in 1998, when Mason screened 16 short films onto a screen mounted to the side of a truck on Mulberry Street, Little Italy, in New York City. A year later, the Festival moved uptown to Union Square Park in New York City. In the aftermath of 9/11, MANHATTAN SHORT transformed into a worldwide phenomenon, becoming the only film festival on the planet that unfolds, simultaneously, in more than 250 cinemas on six continents, bringing over 100,000 film-lovers in all corners of the globe together for one week, via the next generation of filmmakers.