CAZENOVIA — The Cazenovia Public Library (CPL) invites community members to join over 100,000 film enthusiasts from across the globe for the 24th Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival on Friday, Sept. 24 and Saturday, Sept. 25.
CPL will screen the contest’s 10 finalists on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in the Community Room. Each screening event runs two hours and 26 minutes.
The Manhattan Short Film Festival aims to salute the creative talents of both the actors on screen and the directors behind the camera. The festival made its debut in 1998 when 16 short films were projected onto the side of a truck on Little Italy’s Mulberry Street in New York City. It has since grown into a worldwide phenomenon.
The contest allows cinema fans to become instant film critics. The final selections will screen at over 400 venues across six continents during a one-week period (Sept. 23 to Oct.3). At the screenings, audience members will be handed voting cards and asked to cast their ballots for best film and best actor. The votes will be tallied at each venue and sent to the Manhattan Short headquarters. The winner will be announced at ManhattanShort.com and on CPL’s social media on Monday, Oct. 4.
CPL is one of 13 confirmed New York State venues this year.
“The library began showing the film series in 2015 and is credited by the festival’s founder, Nick Mason, as the first library to host the event,” said CPL Archivist and Library Assistant Elisha Davies. “It was first brought to our attention by a patron who’d enjoyed it while on vacation and thought it fit into our program calendar. They were right. It’s become a favorite annual event because of its ability to highlight different cultures, tell great stories, and showcase boundless creativity. So often the short film genre is overlooked for action-packed blockbusters, but it truly is a beautiful form of succinct art.”
In 2020, CPL did not participate in the festival due to COVID-19 safety protocols.
“After a year without it, we’re pleased to provide it once again — this time with a little more space between the chairs and air purifiers running,” Davies said.
According to the Manhattan Short website, this year’s contest continues to showcase new voices and perspectives.
“‘Death By Handshake’ director Hudson Flynn, for example, was just 16 years old when he created his wry nod to New York City living during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the website states. “Humor also pervades films like ‘Rough’ from Northern Ireland, France’s ‘Archibald’s Syndrome’ and ‘Monsieur Cashemire’ of Canada. ‘Out of Time’ and the animated ‘Aurora’ are close studies by a pair of women directors of life at different stages of our existence from French and American perspectives. Short films tackling big topics include Norway’s ‘The Kicksled Choir,’ which offers a refreshing look at conflict resolution, while ‘Bad Omen’ examines how a woman copes with stark circumstances in Afghanistan. ‘Closed To The Light’ reaches back in time to focus on a riveting moment in World War II Italy while the UK’s ‘Ganef’ examines that war’s trickle-down effect on subsequent generations.”
Each of the short films is automatically eligible for an Oscar in 2022.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Cazenovia Public Library, the free screening event is presented as part of the CazArts September Autumn Leaves Arts Festival, which includes four weekends of 20 local arts events. For event details and the complete festival schedule, visit cazarts.com.
To learn more about the Manhattan Short Film Festival, visit manhattanshort.com or cazenoviapubliclibrary.org, or call 315-655-9322.
