Film lovers world-wide will unite in over 500 locations

to view and vote on the ten Finalists Films in the 29th Annual MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOdETuNe6E0

The Finalists will screen simultaneously across the world during a one-week period, 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.

For the first time in its history MANHATTAN SHORT has selected ten films from ten countries with films from USA, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Moldova, Russia, Cuba, Georgia and Mexico making up MANHATTAN SHORT 2026. “Since 9/11 my vision for this Festival has been to create a filmic Olympiad. An event consisting of ten quality shorts from ten separate countries that joins the world, and finally in 2026 we’ve managed to do that. I’m very excited for the reaction it receives from our worldwide audiences”, says Nicholas Mason, founding director of MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival.

YOU HAD TO BE THERE 

OCTOBER 2-6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWNj0ZgfgDk

You Had to Be There explores the landmark 1972 Toronto production of the musical Godspell, which became an unlikely catalyst for a wave of Canadian and American comedy talent. Blending lively interviews with surviving cast, archival material, and retro-style animation, it recreates a pivotal creative community that helped shape SCTV and Saturday Night Live. Featuring icons like Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, and Victor Garber, the film has been praised for its humor, warmth, and ingenuity in storytelling, earning high critical scores and festival acclaim as an entertaining and essential work for comedy fans.

Rated: NR Documentary

Runtime: 98 minutes

ANGEL AND THE BADMAN

OCTOBER 9-13

ww.youtuhttps://wbe.com/watch?v=s11BOqoAAvY

When feared outlaw Quirt Evans staggers onto a rancher's land with a bullet in his back, he expects a quick death, not mercy. But the rancher's daughter offers him a chance at something he's never had: a life beyond violence. However, the past doesn't forgive. With the marshal closing in and an outlaw gang ready to burn the ranch to the ground, Quirt must decide what kind of man he'll be when the world demands blood.

Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Zachary Levi, Neal McDonough

RATED: PG-13 for violence/bloody images, suggestive material and language

Runtime: 105 minutes

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

TBD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcrwcvad84U

Sense and Sensibility follows the Dashwood sisters as they leave their Sussex estate for a modest home, navigating love, financial challenges, and societal expectations in Regency England. This adaptation features a strong cast including Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles, and offers a fresh yet faithful take on Jane Austen's classic. Early buzz highlights its charm, wit, and emotional resonance, making it a promising watch for period drama fans.

Cast

Daisy Edgar-Jones, Fiona Shaw, George MacKay, Frank Dillane, Caitriona Balfe, Esme Creed-Miles

Rated: PG for some thematic elements, partial nudity and brief violence

Runtime: 132 minutes