Film festivals aren’t usually thought of as examples of democracy in action, but the Manhattan Short Film Festival certainly qualifies. During the week of September 26, more than 100,000 moviegoers in 300 cities across six continents will gather to vote for the winner of the festival. The ten entries in this year’s competition run anywhere from eight to 15 minutes long and come from countries including the U.S., the Netherlands, Germany and Mexico. Films include 97% (about a man trying to track down a potential love interest on a crowded train with a smartphone app), The Fall (two mountaineers depend on each other to survive, but one has a secret), La Carnada (a teen tries to illegally cross the border into the United States), and The Bravest, The Boldest (a mother tries to avoid two U.S. Army officers about to deliver some bad news). “This film festival will unite people in all corners of the globe, from Sydney to Mumbai, from Buenos Aires to Cairo,” Nicholas Mason, founding director of the festival, says in a press release. “In times like these, cross-border events like Manhattan Short [Film Festival] that contribute toward greater tolerance and understanding are needed more than ever.”
7 p.m. Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet. For information, call 713‑639‑7515 or visit mfah.org/films. $10.
Sat., Sept. 27, 7 p.m.; Sun., Sept. 28, 5 p.m., 2014
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2014.
