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Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

Filmgoers in Overland Park, Kansas 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 begins screening at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, September 29 at the Glenwood Arts, 95th and Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park.

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 US 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 at 10 p.m. Sunday, October 2nd.

With past finalists achieving the ultimate in recognition by being nominated and even winning the Oscar in the short film category, the Manhattan Short 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,” says 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 ten short films... It's become like Earth Day—but with film.”

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

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

By Michael D. Smith

Indie Film Editor

Michael D. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri followed by a Master of Arts in history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Inspired by such critics as Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, Michael started reviewing films in 1992 for College of the Ozarks's student-run newspaper. After returning to the Kansas City area in 1994, he continued film reviewing by writing for the Cass County Democrat Missourian in Harrisonville.

In 2000 Michael joined Sun Publications in Overland Park, Kansas where he served as its film critic and Arts and Entertainment Editor. During his tenure there, he was also the film critic for the "Fine Arts Radio Hour" and "Celebrity Scoop" radio shows on KXTR. After leaving the Sun in late 2002, he became the A&E writer for the Olathe News in Olathe, Kansas. He also worked as a freelance writer for The Squire in Leawood, Showcase Publishing in Lake Ozark, Missouri and the Kansas City Star.

Michael is currently a member of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, a professional film critic organization established in 1966 by the late Dr. James Loutzenhiser.