13th Annual MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival

New London, You Be the Judge!

Audiences in OVER 200 Cities Spanning 6 Continents Unite for One Week for One Cause . . . to Judge the 10 Finalists in the 13th Annual MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival

Sep 09, 2011 10:47 AM - (New York) Filmgoers in New London, Conn., will unite with audiences in over 200 cities spanning six continents to view and judge the work of established as well as the next generation, of filmmakers from around the world when the 13th Annual MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival screens at the Garde Arts Center on Sunday, October 2, at 3 p.m. The screenings are sponsored by The Day and Blu-Prints Unlimited.

Out of 598 entries received from 48 countries around the world, MANHATTAN SHORT selected 10 short films as finalists. Each film is 18 minutes or under in length. Countries represented this year include Australia, Canada, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, Hungry, Peru, Egypt and two films from the USA in what festival organizers describe as the “United Nations of Film Festivals.”

These short 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 they feel should win. Votes are tallied at each participating cinema and submitted to festival headquarters where the winner will be announced in New York City as well as posted on the net at www.ManhattanShort.com on Sunday, October 2, at 10:00 p.m.

With past finalists achieving the ultimate in recognition by being nominated and even winning the Oscar in the short film category, the MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival has become known as a breeding ground for the next big thing.

In one week, over 100,000 people from as far north as St. Petersburg, Russia to as far south as Buenos Aires, Argentina, as far east as Kathmandu, Nepal and as far west as Perth, Australia will come together to view and vote on these 10 films.

“While the goal of any festival is to discover and promote new talent, the real aim of this festival is to bring communities together via stories from around the world,” said Nicholas Mason, MANHATTAN SHORT founder and director. “Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that what started as a small, relatively simple event when I projected a handful of short films onto the side of a truck on a downtown Manhattan street 13 years ago, would grow into what it is today, with communities all over the world getting together to celebrate via 10 short films... It's become like Earth Day - but with film.”

For more information on the Festival and to read detailed interviews with the 10 Finalists visit www.ManhattanShort.com.

Finalists for 2011:
"Incident By A Bank" (Ruben Ostlund) Sweden
"Sexting" (Neil LaBute) USA
"DIK": (Christopher Stollery) Australia
"The Forest" (György Mór) Hungary
"Mak" (Geraldine Zosso) Switzerland
" A Doctors Job" (Julio Ramos) Peru
'I Love Luci" (Colin Kennedy) Scotland
"David & Goliath" (George Zaverdas) USA
"The Legend of Beaver Dam" (Jerome Sable) Canada
"Martyr Friday" (Abu Bakr Shawky) Egypt


Tickets to the MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival are $10 and are available at the Garde Box Office, 325 State St., New London, Conn. The Garde Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and two hours prior to the curtain on performance days. Tickets may be purchased by phone during regular box office hours at (860) 444-7373, ext. 1, or online at www.gardearts.org.



CALENDAR LISTING:

WHAT: MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival
WHEN: Sunday, October 2, at 3 p.m.
WHERE: Garde Arts Center, 325 State Street, New London, CT 06320
SPONSORED BY: The Day and Blu-Prints Unlimited
TICKETS: $10 general admission
BOX OFFICE: (860) 444-7373, ext. 1 or www.gardearts.org

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About the Garde Arts Center
Now in its eighty-third season, the Garde Arts Center is southeastern Connecticut’s non-profit center for the performing arts. The Garde owns and operates the historic 1450-seat Garde Theatre and the 130-seat Oasis Room where it presents musicals, opera, orchestras, contemporary music, film, dance, and family events. Home of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, the Garde hosts performances by regional arts organizations and provides educational programs for more than 12,000 young people. Under the leadership of Steve Sigel, executive director, since 1988, the Garde has become a major catalyst for the cultural and economic revitalization of New London.

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MEDIA INFO

For photos and interviews, please contact Jeanne Sigel, (860) 444-4430, jsigel@gardearts.org
or Nicholas Mason, (212) 529-8640, Nick@manhattanshort.com

MANHATTAN SHORT website: www.ManhattanShort.com