Filmgoers in Middlebury will unite with over 100,000 film-lovers around the world this week, Sept. 28-Oct. 8, when the 20th Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival screens at the Marquis Theatre on Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 6:30 p.m. Manhattan Short is the only event of its kind. The final 10 films are screened simultaneously across the world during a one-week period, with the Best Film and Best Actor awards determined by ballots cast by audiences in each participating cinema.
In Middlbury, The Marquis will screen the Shorts in the large downstairs theater.
“I love the Shorts because they are so different from what I tend to show the rest of the year,” said Marquis owner Ben Wells. “They’re from all over the world and a neat way to see a lot of different films in one sitting. It also allows me to bring in more artistic style films that are approachable for a lot of people.”
These final 10 films represent the best short films among a record 1,615 submissions from 75 countries received by Manhattan Short for 2017. This year’s final 10 represent an extraordinary range of film genres with comedy, drama, horror, sci-fi, animation and martial arts.
The 10 Manhattan Short finalists hail from nine countries, with films from Syria, Latvia and Georgia representing their respective countries for the first time in this event. Two short films come from Spain, the only country with multiple final 10 selections.
THE FINAL 10
Do No Harm (New Zealand)
Behind (Spain)
Fickle Bickle (USA)
Hope Dies Last (United Kingdom)
The Perfect Day (Spain)
Just Go! (Latvia)
Mare Nostrum (Syria)
Viola, Franca (Italy)
In a Nutshell (Switzerland)
8 Minutes (Georgia)
YOU BE THE JUDGE
Which of these 10 short films is the best? That’s up to a worldwide audience to decide. Cinema-goers in Middlebury, across the United States and around the globe will become instant film critics as they are handed a ballot upon entry that allows them to vote for the Best Film and Best Actor. Manhattan Short is the ultimate audience award that salutes the creative talents of both directors behind the camera and actors in front of it. Votes will be sent through to Manhattan Short HQ with the winner announced at ManhattanShort.com on Monday, Oct. 9, at 10 a.m. EST.
“Twenty years ago, I started the Manhattan Short Film Festival when I mounted a screen to the side of a truck in Mulberry Street in Little Italy in New York City to a crowd of just over 200 people,” Founding Director Nicholas Mason explained. “This year, there will be over 100,000 film lovers gathered in over 250 venues across six continents for the same event. Looking back, what fascinates me most is the Manhattan Short was never once reliant on celebrities or corporate sponsors to exist. It was all about great films, a great concept, great venues and an appreciative audience. It was that combination that has made Manhattan Short one of the largest short film festivals in the world today.  I’m so proud to be part of it because it was the public that created it.”
Tickets to the Middlebury show are $10, and are available at the door or in advance starting Friday, Sept. 29.