Last Thursday I had the unique opportunity to connect with films directly. I participated in the Manhattan Short Film Festival at the Franklin Park Arts Center. 

To preface, this was one of the best movie going experiences of my life. It was fantastic. 

Now why was this so great? The Manhattan Short Film Festival is the first film festival of its kind to be worldwide. Although it started in Manhattan, the festival plays in theaters around the world in every continent and in over 500 theaters in the US alone. 

But that is only one part of the festival that makes it unique, the other is that the viewer is able to vote directly on which film should win best picture and which should win best actor.

When you enter the theater you are handed a sheet that has all ten films that will be playing and a plot synopsis of each one as well as the country of origin. You are also given a voting card with all the films nominated for best picture and best actor. These votes were then tallied by the theater and sent to Manhattan Short. The results were then released on Monday, Oct. 7. The festival was three days long and about three hours of films with an intermission in between. 

As an avid film lover I thought this was amazing. All the films were fantastic and incredibly creative and the tickets were cheap for a three hour experience. The theater wasn’t very full but it was incredibly fun to feel like you were really part of the critique. What made it even better was that all these films are up for Oscar nominations.

While watching the films a few of them became my favorite. My overall pick was the Dutch film “I’m Not A Robot” about a woman who repeatedly fails a CAPTCHA test and her humanity is called into question. 

Another one of my favorites ended up being the best picture winner called “Room Taken”. It is an Irish film about a homeless man who meets a blind woman and an unlikely friendship occurs. It is heartwarming and lovely and I would highly recommend it to anyone. 

Manhattan Short will also be hosting an online film festival on February 14th to 24th next year. This year’s winner is nominated for an Oscar and the voting process is the same as the in person Manhattan Short but it isn’t hosted in a theater. 

For other film lovers I urge you to participate in local film festivals, and in this case global, because it supports up and coming filmmakers and small theaters. 

Join me next week for another Midweek Movie Marathon.