(18+)
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 28th at 7pm
ALL TICKETS $20
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
Sydney’s Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace has signed on to become the official Sydney venue joining 150 cinemas in 150 cities across four continents (Europe, North, South, Central America and Australia) when it hosts the 11th Annual MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival on Sunday September 28th at 7pm.
Out of 429 entries received from 42 countries around the world, Manhattan Short selected 12 finalist films which are all 16 minutes and under in length. Countries represented this year include USA, Australia, UK, The Netherlands, Israel, Ireland, Denmark, New Zealand, India and Spain, in what festival organizers describe as a “cinematic Olympiad.”
These 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 and asked to vote for the one film that they feel should win. Votes are tallied at each cinema and forwarded to the festival’s headquarters where the winner will be announced on Spring Street (NYC) on Sunday, September 28 at 9:15 pm. and posted on www.ManhattanShort.com by 10 pm.
With past finalists going on to be nominated and even win the Oscar in the short film category, thus gaining entry to the Hollywood mainstream, the Manhattan Short has become known as one of the breeding grounds for the next big thing. From the 2007 Festival, three films went onto Sundance to which one film one, One film went on to be nominated for a BAFTA, while another went on to receive an Oscar Nomination.
In one week, over 80,000 people from as far north as St. Petersburg, Russia to as far south as Melbourne Australia, will view and vote on these 12 films. “While the goal of any festival is to discover and promote future talent, the ultimate aim of this festival is to bring communities together via twelve stories from around the world,” says Nicholas Mason, Manhattan Short founder and director.
“From what started when I projected a handful of short films onto the side of a truck on a downtown Manhattan street 11 years ago, to where it is now blows my mind. Our goal is to eventually have this festival screen in every continent around the world during the same week,” adds Mason.
In an ongoing effort to engage audiences worldwide, the Manhattan Short website’s BLOG will come alive during the week of the festival (9/21-9/28) where attendees will share their thoughts on the finalist films. This is just one highlight of www.ManhattanShort.com which also contains interviews with the filmmakers and behind-the-scenes footage of festival events.
Please note no one under 18 can attend this event.
FILM DESCRIPTIONS
Finalists 2008
Film 1: Ripple
UK (16:00)
Director: Paul Gowers
One small random act of malice forces an ordinary man off the safe road and on to a dark journey he’ll never forget.
Read a Q&A with Paul Gowers @ www.ManhattanShort.com
Film 2: Ode Ober (The Waiter)
The Netherlands (11:00)
Director: Hiba Vink
The waiter has been supplying perfect strangers with food and drinks for as long as he can remember. His murmured maelstrom of acute observations reveals an acquired omniscience regarding his clients’ preferences and character traits. One day, something makes him ponder the concept of life beyond the doors of the restaurant.
Read the Q&A with Hiba Vink @ www.ManhattanShort.com
Film 3: RACHEL
USA (13:00)
Director: Chris King
After a suburban couple finally meets the pregnant young woman whose baby they are adopting, they are left with haunting and unforgettable memories of her forever. Based on a powerful true story that made national headlines in the U.S.
Read the Q&A with Chris King @ www.ManhattanShort.com
Film 4: Teat Beat of Sex
USA (7:30)
Story & Animation: Signe Baumane
It is a take on first kiss, first make out session, first jealousy, first sex exclusively from a girl's point of view.
Read the Q&A with Signe Baumane @ www.ManhattanShort.com
Film 5: Sour Milk
IRAEL (10:00)
Director: Amit Gicelter
Jerusalem 1929, set against the backdrop of one of the harshest Arab attacks on the Jews in British Mandatory Palestine.
Read the Q&A with Amit Gicelter @ www.ManhattanShort.com
Film 6: New Boy
Ireland (11:05)
Director: Steph Green
The only thing harder than Joseph’s first day of school in Ireland was his last day of school in Africa.
Read the Q&A with Steph Green @ www.ManhattanShort.com
Film 7: Mother Mine
UK (16:00)
Director: Susan Everette
Grieving the death of her adoptive mother, Alison tries to track down her natural mother to find a replacement ‘mum’. She sends out a videotape as an introduction. But are her intentions what they seem?
Read the Q&A with Susan Everette @ www.ManhattanShort.com
Film 8: Make My Day
Denmark (8:00)
Director: Pelle Moeller
A Man arrives in the emergency hall with his son who has sprained his ankle in school. The father has always told the boy to never let anyone put you down, and what would “Clint” do in such a situation. However, when the attending doctor turns out to be one of those that bullied his father back in his school days, the kid takes matters into his own hands.
Read the Q&A with Pelle Moeller @ www.ManhattanShort.com
Film 9: The Game
New Zealand (8:30)
Director: John Cohen-Du Four
The Game explores human fate by observing another, hidden level of existence — a place where decisions about life and death are literally played out on a strange game board. Two middle-aged men, Monty and Lazlo, face off in this dark watery underworld, in a surreal match neither can afford to lose.
Read the Q&A with John Cohen- Du Four @ www.ManhattanShort.com
Film 10: Change Coming
Australia (8:00)
Director: Mark Alston
With 12 finalists shortlisted from over 400 entries, Change Coming is the only successful Australian entry. Change Coming was filmed on the Alston family farm in Wagga Wagga during the drought, and tells the story of a couples' struggle to cope with the day to day burdens of living on the land.
Read the Q&A with Mark Alston @ www.ManhattanShort.com
Film 11: Viva Sunita
India (3:00)
Director: Bob & Lola
Late at night a man stops under the window of someone's apartment and calls her name. No one responds from above. A motley group of helpful people slowly gather and expand the chorus, calling her name... When no one responds to this collective ruckus, everything changes...
Read the Q&A with Bob & Lola @ www.ManhattanShort.com
Film 12: The Golden Thread
India (16:00)
Director: Diego Sanchidrián Rubio
Sometimes, mystifying bonds are set up between people. Bonds which overcome distance, oblivion and unawareness. And when those bonds are created, they can become what we need to survive.
Read the Q&A with Diego Sanchidrián Rubio @ www.ManhattanShort.com
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