LAKE PLACID — The Lake Placid Center for the Arts will present the Manhattan Short Film Festival this Friday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and can be purchased through the LPCA Box Office at 518-523-2512 or online at www.lakeplacidarts.org.

Filmgoers in Lake Placid will unite with audiences in over 400 cities spanning six continents to view and judge the work of the next generation of filmmakers from around the world for the 22nd Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival.

Manhattan Short is the only event of its kind. The Final Ten screen simultaneously across the world during a one-week period, 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 short film is automatically Oscar-qualified.

The Final Ten Manhattan Short finalists hail from seven countries with films from France, Iran, Canada, Finland and Germany, alongside two films from the United States and a record three from the United Kingdom. These Final Ten films represent the best short films from among 1,250 submissions from 70 countries received by Manhattan Short for 2019, testimony to the enduring vibrancy and creativity of short films worldwide.

Manhattan Short continues to be a premier showcase for female directors with five of the Final Ten films directed by women, including one from Iran. This year’s Final Ten represent an extraordinary range of film genres that includes intimate dramas, spine-tingling suspense and hilarious comedies, as well as genre surprises like a pair of science fiction films and one that focuses on tennis. “A narrative short film on sports is as rare as a centaur sighting,” notes Pia Andell, director of The Match.

The Manhattan Short Final Ten are:

“Nefta Football Club” (France), “Debris” (U.S.), “Driving Lessons (Iran), “Tipped” (Canada), “Sylvia” (UK), “The Match” (Finland), “This Time Away” (UK), “Malou” (Germany), “A Family Affair” (UK) and “At The End of the World” (U.S.).

The Audience is the Judge

Which of these Final Ten short films is the best? That’s up to a worldwide audience to decide. Cinema-goers 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 Headquarters with the winner announced at www.manhattanshort.com on Monday, Oct. 7 at 10 a.m.

Manhattan Short’s international appeal is among its biggest attributes.

“I started the Manhattan Short Film Festival 22 years ago when I mounted a screen to the side of a truck on Mulberry Street in Little Italy in New York City to a crowd of just over 200 people,” said Founding Director Nicholas Mason. “This year, there will be over 100,000 film lovers gathered in over 400 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 branding to exist. Manhattan Short is a “no logo” experience: it always has been about great films, a great concept, great venues and an appreciative audience. It is that combination that makes Manhattan Short one of the largest short film festivals in the world today. I’m so proud to be part of it because it is the public who have created it.”