PENDLETON — The 27th Annual MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival is coming up, with screenings scheduled for Pendleton Community Public Library on Sept. 28 and 29.
MANHATTAN SHORT, which features short films submitted from around the world, takes place in more than 500 venues across six continents between Sept. 26 and Oct. 6.
Ten finalists will screen at events within that that time frame, with the Best Film and Best Actor awards determined by ballots cast by audiences at participating venues.
This year’s films range in length from the 5-minute-17-second Australian submission “Favourites,” about parents facing an impossible choice on a family camping trip, to the 22-minute submission from the Netherlands titled “I’m Not a Robot,” about a woman whose humanity is called into question after she repeatedly fails a computer security test.
In Pendleton, one screening is set for 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, for ages 21 and older, with ID required. Wine and alcoholic beverages will be available without charge, while supplies last.
The second screening is set for 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, for ages 18 and older.

For more details about the local event, visit https://pendleton.libnet.info/event/11510142.

27th Annual MANHATTAN SHORT finalists

The Talent

Submitted

The Talent

Directed by: Thomas May Bailey

Principal Cast: Emma D’Arcy, Leo Suter, Rhianne Barreto, David Mills

Country: United Kingdom

Time: 15:00

Synopsis: On the set of a luxury car commercial, an overlooked assistant seizes his chance to get noticed by the star. A tense exploration of masculinity, becoming and desire.

I’m Not a Robot

Submitted

I’m Not a Robot

Directed by: Victoria Warmerdam

Principal Cast: Ellen Parren, Henry van Loon, Thekla Reuten

Country: The Netherlands

Time: 22:00

Synopsis: A woman repeatedly fails a computer security test. Suddenly, her humanity is called into question.

Mother

Submitted

Mother

Directed by: Mariia Felenko

Principal Cast: Veronika Shostak, Inna Belikova

Country: Ukraine

Time: 8:00

Synopsis: At the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Katya decides to leave her hometown and take her mother. But mother is getting her nails done.

Dovecote

Submitted

Dovecote

Directed by: Marco Perego

Principal Cast: Zoe Saldana, Marcello Fonte, Gaia Scodellaro, and twenty real inmates as her co-stars from the Giudecca Prison in Venice

Country: Italy

Time: 17:30

Synopsis: A small boat navigates the canals of Venice, Italy only to stop at a women’s prison where an inmate is poised to rediscover freedom.

Pathological

Submitted

Pathological

Directed by: Alison Rich

Principal Cast: Alison Rich, Meaghan Rath, Luke Cook, Heather Pasternack

Country: USA

Time: 17:00

Synopsis: A pathological liar wakes up one day to discover her lies have become true.

Alarms

Submitted

Alarms

Directed by: Nicolas Panay

Principal Cast: Thomas Coumans, Laurence Côte, Eminé Meyrem

Country: France

Time: 17:00

Synopsis: Pierre is diligently overseeing the completion of the tumultuous construction site under his responsibility, ensuring that progress doesn’t come at the cost of safety.

Favourites

Submitted

Favourites

Directed by: Nick Russell

Principal Cast: Stephen Curry, Sibylla Budd, Tony Briggs, Maria Angelico, Chris Labbett, Imogen Labbett, Amanda Russell

Country: Australia

Time: 5:17

Synopsis: Two parents face an impossible choice when their family camping trip goes terribly wrong.

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

Submitted

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

Directed by: Nebojša Slijepčević

Principal Cast: Goran Bogdan, Alexis Manenti, Dragan Mićanović, Silvio Mumelaš

Country: Croatia, Bulgaria, France, Slovenia

Time: 13:00

Synopsis: Bosnia, 1993. Paramilitary forces stop a train in an ethnic cleansing operation. Only one man out of 500 passengers dares to stand up to them. A true story and winner of the 2024 Palme D’Or at Cannes.

Room Taken

Submitted

Room Taken

Directed by: TJ O’Grady-Peyton

Principal Cast: Gabriel Adewusi, Brid Brennan

Country: Ireland

Time: 18:00

Synopsis: A homeless man moves in with a blind woman who doesn’t know he’s there. A strange bond develops.

Jane Austen’s Period Drama

Submitted

Jane Austen’s Period Drama

Directed by: Julia Aks, Steve Pinder

Principal Cast: Julia Aks, Lachlan Ta’imua Hannemann, Samantha Smart, Nicole Alyse Nelson, Hugo Armstrong

Country: USA

Time: 13:00

Synopsis: England, 1813. In the middle of a long-awaited marriage proposal, Miss Estrogenia Talbot gets her period. Her suitor, Mr. Dickley, mistakes the blood for an injury, and it soon becomes clear that his expensive education has missed a spot.

Source: MANHATTAN SHORT