Join over 100,000 film enthusiasts around the world from September 23 through October 1 for the 25th Annual MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival, screening at the Jamestown Arts Center – the only Rhode Island location for the global festival, which unfolds simultaneously in more than 500 locations across six continents every fall.
Maureen Coleman, Executive Director of the JAC says, “The JAC is so excited to be welcoming Manhattan Short audiences into the galleries this month. As Rhode Island’s only screening location for this global event, we know how much the festival means to our community and beyond–and we’re looking forward to seeing which of the 10 short films is picked as the winner!”
The JAC will offer four screenings: Friday, September 23 at 7 pm, Saturday, September 24 at 7 pm, Friday, September 30 at 7 pm, and Saturday, October 1 at 7 pm. Tickets are available on the JAC website (jamestownartcenter.org).
The ten short films selected for this years festival are: Don vs Lightning (Scotland), Love, Dad (Czech & Slovakia), Save the Bees (USA), The Treatment (Spain), Freefall (France), Fetish (USA), Freedom Swimmer (Australia), The Blanket (Finland), Warsha (Lebanon), and The Big Green (France). Each of the final ten short films are Oscar-qualified, meaning they will be automatically eligible for an Academy Award nomination.
World-wide audience members are the judges of the Manhattan Short film festival. JAC audiences will be given a ballot to vote to select the Best Film and Best Actor awards, to be announced on October 3.
ABOUT MANHATTAN SHORT
MANHATTAN SHORT began in 1998, when founder Nicholas Mason gathered an audience of 200 people and showed 16 short films on a screen mounted to the side of a truck on Mulberry Street, Little Italy, New York City. From these humble beginnings, MANHATTAN SHORT has now transformed into a worldwide phenomenon. Celebrating its 25th birthday in 2022, MANHATTAN SHORT is the only film festival on the planet to unfold simultaneously in more than 500 locations across six continents
If the 10 short films presented this year by MANHATTAN SHORT have one common theme, it’s how people deal with adversity in its various forms. 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. How these stories are told is varied as the directors that tell them.
In short, there is plenty of drama and comedy interwoven with surprisingly effective newer ways of storytelling like animated documentaries.
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 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 HQ with the winner announced at ManhattanShort.com on Monday Oct 3, at 10 am EST.
ABOUT THE JAMESTOWN ART CENTER
The Jamestown Arts Center is a multi-disciplinary visual and performing arts space that hosts art exhibits, theatre, dance and musical performances, film screenings, and educational programming including artist talks and hands-on art classes for all ages. The JAC opened in 2010 in a former boat repair shop redesigned by award winning architects Estes/Twombly. Since 2014, it’s won five of Rhode Island Monthly’s ‘Best of Rhode Island’ awards, including the Editor’s Pick for Outdoor Art in 2021.
The Jamestown Arts Center is a leading arts and cultural hub for Rhode Island and beyond, where creativity, ideas, and innovation flourish. For more information visit: jamestownartcenter.org
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