Youยll be part of an international jury at todayยs Manhattan Short Film Festival. Houston is one of 99 cities around the world screening 12 shorts (culled from 456 entries) this week as part of the festival. Included in the lineup is American Sonja Jasanskyยs ยLines,ย which, like many of the festivalยs films, was made with a shoestring budget and a crew of mostly family and friends. ยLinesย follows Gretel, a high school girl with a rebellious streak who decides sheยs had enough after a teacher keeps her after class to write lines on the chalkboard. Kenyan Diego Quemada-Diezยs ยI Want to Be a Pilotย shows life in a Nairobi slum. Omondi, a boy living in heartbreaking poverty and despair, sees planes flying overhead and dreams of being a pilot. Quemada-Diez shot the short while he was in Africa working as a camera operator for The Constant Gardener. Following todayยs screening, the audience will vote for their favorite short. Winners will be announced at www.msfilmfest.com next week.
Fri., Sept. 28, 8 p.m., 2007
This article appears in Sep 27 – Oct 3, 2007.