— The words “film festival” aren’t usually ones that are associated with the Midway 9 Theatre in Alexandria.
But next week, on Thursday, Oct. 1, the theater will be the site of MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival, which will screen 10 international short films and will allow viewers to vote for their favorite film and actor.
Votes will be then sent through to MANHATTAN SHORT HQ, with the winners announced at
on Monday, Oct. 5.
The screening will begin at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 1, and the program will run about 2 hours, said Bonnie Tressler, board member with the Alexandria Art Guild, which the screening will benefit in part.
“I think they range from 3 minutes to 28 minutes long,” Tressler said. “We have 100 seats, but quite a few have sold already, so if people want to get tickets, they need to get them in advance.”
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at
.
A wide variety of films will be shown at the festival, Tressler said.
“They have documentaries, animated — anything across the board,” she said. “A couple of years ago we saw the shorts, and the one that we chose won the Academy Award. … It just makes you feel part of something bigger in the film world.”
MANHATTAN SHORT screens simultaneously across the world in more than 500 locations for a little more than a week, and for the first time in its 29-year history, 10 shorts from 10 different countries have been selected, with entries from the USA, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Moldova, Russia, Cuba, Georgia and Mexico.
All Final 10 short films become Oscar-qualified, meaning they will be automatically eligible for an Academy Award nomination by screening for a week at The new Parkway Theater in Oakland, Calif.
In 2024, five MANHATTAN SHORT selections were shortlisted for Oscars, with three of them receiving nominations, and one of them, “I’m Not a Robot,” winning for Best Live Action Short.
The festival has come a long way since its inception, which saw it screening movies on the side of a truck in New York City’s Little Italy.
“You’re going to love this (event) if you love movies,” Tressler said. “The idea is to keep bringing it back every year. … It’s not like any other two-hour movie. It’s something you’re not going to be able to see anywhere else.”
For more information, visit
.
Travis Gulbrandson covers several beats, including the Brandon-Evansville School Board. His focus will also be on crime and court news.