Area residents will be given the opportunity to decide if a German, Swiss, Turkish, French, Chilean, Danish, British or American film director should win the 18th Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival.
Billed as the world's first global film festival, the Manhattan Short Film Festival will show to audiences in more than 250 cities on six continents Sept. 25 through Oct. 4, to judge the festival's 10 finalists.
"We're really excited to be bringing this prestigious worldwide film festival to the Cortez community for the first time," said Joanie Fraughton, executive director of Durango Film, which is presented by Durango Film.
The lights will dim at the Sunflower Theatre starting at 7 p.m. on Oct. 3. Tickets are available for $12 at durangofilm.org. Tickets are $15 at the door.
Fraughton added that Durango Film officials opted to include Cortez as a judging site in order to share the amazing short films with the community, and to gauge local interest to determine whether future film screenings should be planned.
"The founder of the Manhattan Short Film Festival is thrilled that we added Cortez," Fraughton said.
In addition to being entertained at the film event, attendees will become instant film critics, as they select via ballot, which should earn gold medals for Best Film and Best Actor. Winners are announced at ManhattanShort.com on Oct. 5.
This year's Manhattan Short Film Festival, a celebration of the short film genre, received a record-breaking 678 short film entries from 52 countries.
The annual festival started with a projector and the side of a truck in New York City in 1998.
tbaker@cortezjournal.com