The Manhattan Short Film Festival will come to the Sunflower Theatre on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.
The festival will feature 10 short films from eight countries, including “The Tunnel” (Norway), “Carousel” (England), “Kaputt” (Germany), “Ella Got a Promotion?” (United States), “Hold On” (Netherlands), “Bravoman” (Russia), “Overtime” (Australia), “Gorilla” (France), “I Am A Pencil” (Australia) and “The Last Journey of the Enigmatic Paul WR” (France).
It’s the 19th Annual Manhattan festival, and for the second year, the festival comes to Cortez. In Durango, the Animas City Theater will present two festival showings Sept. 23. The event takes place in more than 250 cinemas worldwide between Sept. 23 and Oct. 2.
“It’s exciting to be part of a worldwide event,” said event organizer Joanie Fraughton. “It’s a fun, global thing to do.”
The 10 films were selected from among 844 films submitted from 52 countries for the festival’s consideration. All 10 are eligible for Academy Award nominations, which means they will be viewed by members of the Academy and considered for the award, Fraughton said.
Last year’s Academy Award-winner for Best Animated Short — “Bear Story” — was shown at last year’s festival, Fraughton said.
After the showings in each cinema, festival audiences will cast ballots to determine the best film and actor.
Two of the films on this year’s bill — “Kaputt” and “I Am A Pencil” — are animations. Some shorts feature well known actors such as Ewen Bremner, who stars in “Carousel” and is known for his previous work in “Trainspotting” and “Pearl Harbor.”
Fraughton said last year was a stellar year for the Manhattan Shorts festival, and she’s excited about all the films on the program for this year.
“It’s a great opportunity to see some really wonderful films,” she said.
Advance tickets for the Sunflower Theatre showing are $12. To purchase tickets, visit www.durangofilm.org/wp/product/2016-manhattan-short-film-festival.
For more information about the Manhattan Short Film Festival, visit www.manhattanshort.com.