LEWISTON, ME (September 15, 2023) — The Ten MANHATTAN SHORT films hail from seven countries with films from Australia, Afghanistan, Finland, Iran, Switzerland, UK and Canada, alongside three films from the USA. This year’s Final Ten Films represent the best short films from among 850 submissions from 72 countries received by MANHATTAN SHORT for 2023, testimony to the enduring vibrancy and creativity of short films worldwide. This year’s final ten include Sunless (USA), Voice Activated (Australia), Yellow (Afghanistan), Tuulikki (Finland), The Family Circus (USA), Career Day (USA), Snail (Iran), The Record (Switzerland), The Stupid Boy (UK) and Soleil De Nuit (Canada).

What makes this Film Festival so special is the diversity of the short films from around the world, and the fact that the audience determines the winners. Every person watching the festival around the world will get a ballot to determine the Best Film and Best Actor awards, so this is your chance to play film critic!” The festival also has an enviable history of showing films that have gone on to be nominated for Oscars including one that went on to win the Oscar in the Short film category! All Final Ten short films become Oscar qualified, meaning they will be automatically eligible for an Academy Award nomination by screening for a week at the Arena CineLounge in Hollywood in the county of Los Angeles from September 22 to September 28.

The ten short films will be shown at The Public Theatre on Friday, September 29 and 30 at 7:00pm.  For tickets call 782-3200 or visit thepublictheatre.org. The Public Theatre is located at 31 Maple St in Downtown, Lewiston.