Join us September 23-October 2, when film lovers across the United States and around the globe become instant film critics by voting in the 25th annual Manhattan Short Film Festival! This year’s ten finalists (shown at every screening) are viewed simultaneously across the world, with the Best Film and Best Actor awards determined by ballots cast by the audiences in each participating venue. By virtue of their selection by Manhattan Short, each finalist will be qualified for the Academy Awards.
The Final Ten Manhattan Short finalists hail from eight countries with films from Scotland, Czech & Slovakia, Spain, Australia, Finland and Lebanon, alongside two films each from France and USA. These Final Ten Films represent the best short films from among 870 submissions from 70 countries received by Manhattan Short for 2022, a testament to the enduring vibrancy and creativity of short films worldwide.If this year’s Final Ten have a common theme, it’s the ways in which people deal with various forms of adversity. Short films like The Blanket, Freedom Swimmer and Freefall explore how individuals react when caught up in large-scale, traumatic events. Adversity on a more personal level is the focus of short films like Warsha, Fetish, The Big Green and Love, Dad. Sometimes, the response is laughable, as in Save the Bees and The Treatment, especially when even the universe seems to be against you, as in Don vs Lightning. The way these stories are told is as varied as the directors who tell them. In short, there is plenty of drama and comedy interwoven with surprisingly effective innovations in storytelling, like animated documentaries. Manhattan Short also is a showcase for rising-star actors and recognizable favorites like Disney stalwart Peton List and Scotsman Peter Mullan, himself a prize-winning director, appearing in unexpected, talent-stretching roles.2022 Finalists: Don vs Lightning (Big Red Button, Scotland); Love, Dad (Diana Cam Van Nguyen, Czech Republic & Slovakia); Save the Bees (Charlie Schwan, USA); The Treatment (Alvaro Carmona, Spain); Freefall (Emmanuel Tenenbaum, France); Fetish (Rhian Williams, USA); Freedom Swimmer (Olivia Martin McGuire, Australia & France); The Blanket (Teppo Airaksinen, Finland); Warsha (Dania Bdair, Lebanon & France); The Big Green (Laurenzo Massoni, France)
