Who votes for films in the Oscar nominations? Well, YOU can! As an attendee of the Manhattan Shorts Film Festival on October 6,7, and 8 at the Wilmette Theatre (1122 Central Ave, Wilmette), you not only view the 10 final short film contestants, but vote on the “best actor” and “best film” as well. Theaters around the world will be voting at the same time and the winners go on to participate in the qualifying theatrical run in Los Angeles. That means a possible chance of winning that coveted little gold statue in February.
This one-of-a-kind global film festival which started in 1998, received over 1600 short film entries from 75 countries with only 10 going on to be a part of the festival. The finalists’ countries include Italy, Georgia, Latvia, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, Syria, the U.K. and the U.S.A. For a complete list of films go to: http://www.manhattanshort.com/finalists.html
The films will all be shown in a 2-hour time period on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with voting taking place immediately after the final credits roll. While this festival has only been at the Wilmette Theatre for three years, Executive Director Wendy Sharon witnessed the attendance grow significantly last year thanks to Chicago’s very own Mike Pusateri who came to introduce his film “Ella Gets a Promotion?” which won the 2016 MSFF for Best Actress.
Sharon said, “I’m always looking for opportunities to bring people together…and this (the MSFF) is one of the things that just spoke to me.” She continued, “It’s a way to participate in a festival without a major investment in time and energy.” Citing the diversity of films from different countries and genres, Sharon is confident that “there’s something for everyone.”
Sharon felt that her programming mission is to “add value” to her communities film-going experience, particularly when competing with the big blockbuster venues. As she said, “See something different.” An event such as the MSFF also is a way for people to be “…more knowledgable about how they look at film and how they evaluate them.” Seeing them on the big screen adds yet more value in being a part of this cinematic experience.
For more ticket and programming information, go to https://ticketing.us.veezi.com/sessions/?siteToken=bclQlQh1gkmW47aQVQljkg%3d%3d Tickets are only $10 each and helps support this not-for-profit venue.
