GREENFIELD — The 21st-annual Manhattan Short Film Festival returns to the H.J. Ricks Centre for the Arts, 122 W. Main St., Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. with nine new short films. If you’ve never been or if you’re a fan, here are four things to know about this international event.
Far and wide
The 2018 Manhattan Short Film Festival drew in 1,565 film entries from 73 countries across six continents. The nine selected finalists hail from Austria, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Kosovo, New Zealand the United States. More than 100,000 people are expected to visit one of more than 350 venues to participate in viewing and voting for their favorite film.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
The one and only
According to the list of venues at manhattanshort.com/screening-venues.html, the Ricks Centre in Greenfield is the only Indiana venue participating in the Manhattan Short Film Festival.
Major awards
The Manhattan Short Film Festival’s claim to uniqueness lies in the judges — all of whom are audience members. In fact, audience members are the only judges. Best Film and Best Actor awards are determined by audience vote. Additionally, all films selected for the Manhattan Short are automatically Oscar-qualified, thereby giving audience members a sneak peek at a possible Oscar-nominated film. Audience members can tune in to ManhattanShort.com on Monday, Oct. 8 at 10 a.m. for the announcement of the winner.
What’s new?
New this year is the addition of a musical artist or band to be featured leading up to and during the film festival. Selected for this honor was Australian singer-songwriter Pat Powell, known as Patou. Patou’s musical career of performing reggae, ska, blue, hip-hop and soul spans 40 years. His latest album, “About Time,” is available on iTunes.
Tickets are available at the box office before show time for $6.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Short and sweet
According to the rules, all films submitted for consideration to the Manhattan Short Film Festival must be under 20 minutes in length.
Films to be shown include:
“Baghead” from the United Kingdom
Haunted by grief, a man asks questions only the recently deceased can answer. The dead get their say in the hidden chamber of a mysterious pub. You may not like what you hear.
“Fire in Cardboard City” from New Zealand
When Cardboard City catches fire, it’s up to an energetic fire chief and his brave deputies to save its citizens from the encroaching flames.
“Home Shopper” from the United States
In a loveless marriage, a woman seeks solace from a home shopping channel that proves to be her salvation…unless it was the problem all along.
“Her” from Kosovo
To escape a marriage arranged by her extremely religious father, a young girl seizes the chance to run away and save more than herself.
“Two Strangers Who Meet Five Times” from the United Kingdom
Two strangers meet at key turning points over the course of their lives. The initial conflict gives way to compassion and eventual friendship.
“Someone” from Germany
At the end of World War II, Red Army soldiers bent on brutal revenge for past atrocities attack a German city. Compassion comes from an unlikely source. Based on a true story.
“Chuchotage” from Hungary
During a professional conference in Prague, two interpreters in the Hungarian booth hilariously vie for the attention of one listener.
“Fauve” from Canada
Two boys playing in an abandoned surface mine take turns outdoing each other until the stakes are suddenly raised and it’s no longer a game.
“Lacrimosa” from Austria
A young woman finds her lost lover in a world of ever-changing surreal landscapes. But love, she discovers, is more complicated than she imagines.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
