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21st Manhattan Short Film Festival Again Hosted Locally at MSU

Once again this year, Plaster Student Union Theater at MSU is the ONLY venue in the state of Missouri where film fans can see some of the best short films from around the world.  The Manhattan Short Film Festival comes to Plaster Student Union Theatre Sept. 29 at 7:00pm.
(Poster design courtesy MSU Media, Journalism and Film)
Once again this year, Plaster Student Union Theater at MSU is the ONLY venue in the state of Missouri where film fans can see some of the best short films from around the world. The Manhattan Short Film Festival comes to Plaster Student Union Theatre Sept. 29 at 7:00pm.

Dr. Tim White, Associate Professor of Media, Journalism and Film at Missouri State University.

Once again this year, Plaster Student Union Theater at MSU is the ONLY venue in the state of Missouri where film fans can see some of the best short films from around the world.  The Manhattan Short Film Festival comes to Plaster Student Union Theatre Sept. 29 at 7:00pm.
Credit (Poster design courtesy MSU Media, Journalism and Film)
Once again this year, Plaster Student Union Theater at MSU is the ONLY venue in the state of Missouri where film fans can see some of the best short films from around the world. The Manhattan Short Film Festival comes to Plaster Student Union Theatre Sept. 29 at 7:00pm.

Springfield film-lovers have a chance to unite with audiences around the world to choose their favorite short film at the 21st Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival, Saturday Sept.29 from 7:00 to 9:30pm in Plaster Student Union Theater. Between now and October 7, more than 100,000 people around the world will view and vote for the film they like best — making this the only global audience choice film festival in the world. Nine outstanding films were selected this year from 1,565 entries submitted by 73 countries.  Springfield is once again the ONLY place in the state of Missouri where you can see these international films. Doors open at 6:30pm. 

Who has the daunting job of culling the more than 1500 entries down to nine or ten candidates? According to Dr. Tim White, Missouri State University Associate Professor of Media, Journalism and Film, "The Manhattan Short people in New York watch these things--they have a year to do it, which is good because there are so many films!  And they get it down to, this year, nine finalists. I've seen these, and they are good films."

And yes, Dr. White has his own favorites, as he does every year. "I don't know if you remember, I mentioned this last year.  One of the ones I thought was best, it wasn't very popular here in Springfield... and it went on to win an Academy Award. So," he jokes, "people should trust what I say!"

That Oscar winner last year was an animated short, and Dr. White confesses to being a "sucker for animation.  There is one animated film (this year) from New Zealand called 'Fire in Cardboard City'" that is one of White's favorites.  He feels that one of the two short films from Great Britain, 'Two Strangers Who Meet Five Times," will be a favorite with the local audience Saturday night.  "There's a really interesting one from Germany ('Someone') about a woman who is recalling something that happened to her during World War II when the Russians entered Berlin.  The one from Austria, 'Lachrimosa,' is another one of my favorite films.  It's a really beautifully shot film." 

The other films this year are "Fauve" from Canada; "Chuchotage" from Hungary; "Her" from Kosovo; "Baghead" from the UK; and "Home Shopper" from the United States.

The Final Nine films, as they're called, are screened simultaneously across the world during a one-week period (September 27 to October 7, 2018), with the Best Film and Best Actor awards determined by ballots cast by the audiences in each participating venue. By virtue of their selection by MANHATTAN SHORT, each short film is automatically Oscar-qualified. MANHATTAN SHORT is the only event of its kind.

While watching nine movies in an evening may sound daunting, remember these are "short films".  Dr. White says they range in running time between 8 and 18 minutes.  Admission is $10, and proceeds support the Department of Media, Journalism and Film's Digital Film Production Scholarship.  Your best bet for parking is probably MSU Lot 24.

Dr. White says he'll publish the results of both the local voting and the international results (set to be announced at 10:00am on October 8) on the Media, Journalism and Film Department's Facebook page, "MSU - Media, Journalism and Film."

For information contact Associate Professor Tim White at 836-5218.

Copyright 2021 KSMU. To see more, visit KSMU.

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Randy Stewart joined the full-time KSMU staff in June 1978 after working part-time as a student announcer/producer for two years. His job has evolved from Music Director in the early days to encompassing production of a wide range of arts-related programming and features for KSMU, including the online and Friday morning "Arts News." Stewart assists volunteer producers John Darkhorse (Route 66 Blues Express), Lee Worman (The Gold Ring), and Emily Higgins (The Mulberry Tree) with the production of their programs. He's also become the de facto "Voice of KSMU" in recent years due to the many hours per day he’s heard doing local station breaks. Stewart’s record of service on behalf of the Springfield arts community earned him the Springfield Regional Arts Council's "Ozzie Award" in 2006.