Manhattan Shorts Comes to Urban 15

From George Cisneros over at URBAN-15...

For the third year, the URBAN-15 Group has united with The Manhattan Short Film Festival and over 80 other venues across Europe, Canada and the US, to create the world’s largest short film festival to be held throughout two continents this September.

WHAT: The 2006 Manhattan Short Film Festival
WHEN: Friday, September 22^nd, 8 p.m. and Saturday, September 23^rd,
4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
WHERE: The URBAN-15 Studios 2500 S, Presa
PRICES: $7.50 Adult; $5 Students, Military & Seniors w/ID,
CONTACT: URBAN-15 at 210.736.1500

Over the span of a week, venues from Russia to Ireland in Europe, four provinces in Canada along with 35 states will screen a selection of twelve short films that have made the cut into this prestigious event. In the past, the Festival’s finalists, who have gone on to win Oscars and move into the Hollywood mainstream, were judged by a celebrity panel which featured Susan Sarandon, Laura Linney, Eric Stoltz, Tim Robbins and a host of studio reps. This year, the Festival has thrown the judging out to audiences, who will be handed a voting card upon entry to each venue and asked to vote for their favorite film. Votes will be tallied and the winner announced in New York City’s Union Square Park on Sunday, September 23rd.

The Manhattan Short Film Festival is growing in more ways than one. As technology advances and the medium of filmmaking becoming more readily available, the Festival is enriched by stories that might otherwise not be told. “When the festival first started back in 1997, the overwhelming majority of the shorts we received were from filmmakers who were based in major cities such as New York, LA or London,” said Festival founding director Nicholas Mason. “Virtually every entry we got back then was shot on 35mm. Now with the evolution of digital filmmaking, filmmakers are shooting their stories and then editing and finishing their shorts on their home computers. We are now getting films from literally every corner of the world, so who better to judge them than a global audience.”

A special Youth Media Screening is being offered for students of film and media from the San Antonio region on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. The event will include a presentation of the twelve MSFF films and followed by a panel discussion of student and experienced media producers.

For more information visit the Festival’s website at www.MSfilmfest.com or www.urban15.org.

This event is supported by the City of San Antonio Office of Cultural Affairs, The Texas Commission on the Arts, The National Endowment of the Arts, American Sunrise, VuTURE ART and the generosity of Friends of URBAN-15.