September 19, 2007
Manhattan Short Film Festival in STL
Not sure if this has occurred in STL before ... I don't remember it (which is not to say it didn't just skip under my radar.) But for those who are addicted to YouTube quickies, who love films, who have a short attention span, who appreciate global cinema, you'll be happy to hear about this event below. And even if we have hosted it before, it's pretty exciting:
The Manhattan Short Film Festival (MSFF), in conjunction with Cinema St. Louis (CSL), presents its 10th annual short film festival on Saturday, Sept. 29, at 9 p.m. Filmgoers in St. Louis will unite with audiences in 98 other cities across three continents to view and judge the next generation of filmmakers. The MSFF will be shown at the Dana Brown Rehearsal Hall, located on the fourth floor at the Centene Center for Arts and Education, 3547 Olive Street, as part of Grand Center’s “Dancing in the Street and Off the Wall” Street Festival, which commemorates the beginning of the district’s fall season.
The MSFF will take place in 98 cinemas/screening venues in Europe and North America, making it one of the largest short film festivals in the world. The festival will show 12 short films that were selected from more than 450 films submitted from more than 30 countries. After the screenings, the filmgoers will then get to vote for their favorite film. The winner of the event will be announced at Union Square Park in New York City on Sunday, Sept. 30, at 9:15 p.m. and online at 10 p.m.
In one week, more than 50,000 people from as far north as St. Petersburg, Russia, to as far south as Buenos Aires, Argentina, will view and vote on these 12 films. “While the goal of any festival is to discover and promote future talent, the ultimate aim of this festival is to bring communities together via 12 stories from around the world,” says Nicholas Mason, Manhattan Short founder and director.
The MSFF launched its first short film festival 10 years ago by showing 12 short films projected on the side of a truck in a downtown Manhattan street. Since then, the MSFF has grown to include a much wider audience scanning 32 states and 15 countries in three continents. The MSFF has become known as a testing ground for new raw talent, and past finalists have gone on to win Oscars and become successful in the Hollywood feature film industry.
Tickets for the event are $6 ($5 for members of CSL) and can be purchased in advance by calling 314-289-4153 or the day of the show from 7-9 p.m. at the Centene Center for Arts and Education. Details about the event can be found at www.msfilmfest.com or www.cinemastlouis.org.