ORONO – Movie fans are invited to be part of a worldwide judging contingent of the 17th Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of Maine.

More than 100,000 moviegoers in more than 250 cinemas on six continents are expected to judge the 10 finalists. Moviegoers in Bar Harbor, Brunswick, Ellsworth, Lewiston, Portland and Stonington are also taking part. Participants at UMaine will vote for Best Film and Best Actor; winners will be announced at ManhattanShort.com at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 6.

Manhattan Short received 589 short film entries from filmmakers in 47 countries; England, Norway, Australia, Netherlands, France, Mexico, Germany and the United States are represented in the finals. The films are set in diverse locales, ranging from outer space to the deserts of Mexico, and from the mountains of Norway to the streets of New York, Berlin, London and Amsterdam.

“This film festival will unite people in all corners of the globe, from Sydney to Mumbai, from Buenos Aires to Cairo,” says Manhattan Short founding director Nicholas Mason. “… In times like these, cross-border events like Manhattan Short that contribute toward greater tolerance and understanding are needed more than ever …This project is not going to cable TV or Video on Demand, it’s about communities bonding together via their local cinema.”

Manhattan Short began in 1998 when Mason screened 16 short films on a screen mounted to the side of a truck in New York City. For more information, and to read interviews with finalists, visit ManhattanShort.com.

Tickets cost $8 for the public and are free for UMaine students. RSVPs are requested but not required, at 207-581-1755.


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