VIRTUAL — Nick Mason’s inbox overflowed with texts, Facebook messages and emails — and a good many of them were not the feel-good kind.
As the one-man-show behind the worldwide Manhattan Short Film Festival — typically held in September — people knew where to direct their ire.
“So many people wrote because we didn’t do the last one virtual,” Mason reflected. “They were really pissed off at me.”
In the midst of COVID-19 in 2020, Mason — founding director of the Manhattan Short Film Festival — was business as usual: accepting nominations, selecting finalists, lining up venues and putting out publicity. In the past 23 years, Mason’s international event had grown from films shown on the side of a cargo van in front of 300 people in a New York City Park to 100,000 spectators in 500 cities across six continents.
But as with so many other things, 2020 proved to be a hiccup. People loved the festival, but were afraid to gather in movie theaters and libraries because of COVID.
“Everything comes from the audiences,” Mason said. “It’s their feedback. Even in the middle of September I was thinking, ‘Alright, we’ll create another one.’”
Enter 2021: a new event — the Manhattan Short Online Film Festival — and a new website (ManhattanShortOnline.com). Fromm 300 entries, Mason and his selection committee chose seven films for 90-minute online film experience. Tickets go on sale on the website on Feb. 14 and are $10 per household. Audiences can view the on-demand line-up of films any time between Feb. 14 and 24.
And, as is the hallmark of Manhattan Short, the audience members will get to decide the winner via a new online voting system.
Mason was quick to assure audiences that Manhattan Short Online will not take the place of the annual fall film festival.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Mason said. “All filmmakers have their radars on Manhattan Short. Even without doing a call for entries, we already have 400 for the September event.”
Mason credits the public for the creation, the exponential growth and even the programming of both festivals.
“It’s their feedback,” he said, “and they are savvy.”
