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