Manhattan Short Film Festival 2023

Don’t miss the 26th annual Manhattan Short Film Festival, featuring 10 great new shorts from around the world – and YOU help select the winner!

Moviegoers in Tucson will unite with over 100,000 film lovers in over 500 cities spanning six continents to view and judge the work of the next generation of filmmakers from around the world when the 26th annual edition of “the world’s first global film festival,” Manhattan Short Film Festival, screens at The Loft Cinema!

What makes the Manhattan Short Film Festival unique is that the audience will not only be watching and enjoying the films, but judging them as well.  Each audience member will receive a voting card and asked to vote for the one film they feel should win. Votes will be 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 Manhattan Short website, on Monday, October 9.

With past finalists achieving the ultimate in recognition by being nominated for, and even winning, the Academy Award in the short film category, the Manhattan Short Film Festival has become known as a breeding ground for the next big thing, and you’re a part of the action!

This year’s program:

Sunless.  As they pilot their submarine down into the world’s deepest point, two researchers must debate pressing on when a crack in their window port grows. (Dir by Boris Vesselinov, USA, 8 mins, Not Rated)

Voiceless.  A florist with a stutter is forced to cooperate with a voice-activated car on the way to an important delivery. (Dir. by Steve Anthopoulus, Australia, 12 mins., Not Rated)

Yellow.  In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, a woman walks into a chadari store in Kabul to buy her first full-body veil and face an uncertain future. (Dir. by Elham Ehsas, UK/Afghanistan, 13 mins., Not Rated)

Tuulikki.  When a young woman, dominated by an over-protective mother plots her escape, their relationship dissolves into one of mutual suspicion. (Dir. by Sanna Koivisto & Elina Knihtila, Finland, 14 mins., Not Rated)

The Family Circus.  A Vietnamese-American family’s plan to cover up a drunk-driving incident begins to unravel when their emotional baggage spills out in front of the police. (Dir. by Andrew Fitzgerald, USA, 17 mins., Not Rated)

Career Day.  A once promising 90’s pop star and his aging boy band reunite for his daughter’s elementary school Career Day. They go viral. (Dir. by Jason Robinson & Chris Hooper, USA, 10 mins., Not Rated)

Snail.   A loving mother strives to make her young son’s singing dreams come true but an audition takes a dramatic, unforeseen turn. (Dir. by Aminreza Alimohammadi, Iran, 14 mins., Not Rated)

The Record.  An antique musical instrument dealer obsessively plays a magical vinyl record that “reads your mind and plays your lost memories.” Even the forgotten ones. (Dir. by Jonathan Laskar, Switzerland, 9 mins., Not Rated)

The Stupid Boy.  In London, a broken man groomed for a terrorist attack is confronted by a local lad who sees things differently. But seeing things differently can be dangerous. (Dir. by Phil Dunn, UK, 15 mins., Not Rated)

Soleil De Nuit.  While training for a moon landing, a group of Canadian astronauts are tasked with an added mission by a Native American elder. (Dir. by Fernando López Escrivá & Maria Camila Arias, Canada, 13 mins., Not Rated)

Total programming running time: 125 mins.