2023 Manhattan Short Film Festival

2023
124 minutes 
Independent, Short Films
Not Rated 
Various languages

Celebrating the 26th Annual MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival: You Be the Judge!

MANHATTAN SHORT 2023 screens a worldwide line-up linked by a common theme: how we face adversity, whether it is imposed by others or arises from personal circumstances. The 10 short films in the program feature narratives that are dramatic, sometimes humorous, occasionally magical and always inspirational! Audience votes for Best Film and Best Actor will be announced at ManhattanShort.com on Monday October 9th.

Here are the 10 finalists of the MANHATTAN SHORT 2023.
SUNLESS (USA | 8 min)
Dir: Boris Vesselinov
Trapped in the confines of a tiny submarine, two men disagree on how to navigate a potentially perilous issue with their vessel.

VOICE ACTIVATED (Australia | 12 min)
Dir: Steve Anthopoulos
A florist with a stutter is forced to cooperate with a voice-activated car on the way to an important delivery.

YELLOW (UK/Afghanistan | 13 min)
Dir: Elham Ehsas
In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, a woman walks into a chadari store in Kabul to buy her first full-body veil and face an uncertain future.

TUULIKKI (Finland | 14 min)
Dir: Teemu Nikki
When a young woman dominated by an over-protective mother plots her escape, their relationship dissolves into one of mutual suspicion.

THE FAMILY CIRCUS (USA | 17 min)
Dir: Andrew Fitzgerald
A Vietnamese-American family’s plan to cover up a drunk-driving incident begins to unravel when their emotional baggage spills out in front of the police.

CAREER DAY (USA | 10 min)
Dir: Jason Robinson & Chris Hooper
A once promising 90’s pop star and his aging boy band reunite for his daughter’s elementary school Career Day. They go viral.

SNAIL (Iran | 14 min)
Dir: Aminreza Alimohammadi
A loving mother strives to make her young son’s singing dreams come true but an audition takes a dramatic, unforeseen turn.

THE RECORD (Switzerland | 8:38 min)
Dir: Jonathan Lasker
An antique musical instrument dealer obsessively plays a magical vinyl record that “reads your mind and plays your lost memories.” Even the forgotten ones.

STUPID BOY (UK | 15 min)
Dir: Phil Dunn
In London, a broken man groomed for a terrorist attack confronts a local lad who sees things differently. That can be dangerous.

SOLEIL DU NUIT (Canada | 13 min)
Dir: Fernando López Escrivá, Maria Camila Arias
While training for a moon landing, a group of Canadian astronauts are tasked with an added mission by a Native American elder.