Springfield…you be the judge! Local filmgoers will unite with audiences in over 250 cities spanning six continents to view and judge the work of the next generation of world filmmakers during the 17th annual Manhattan Short Film Festival. Plaster Student Union at Missouri State University is the ONLY location in Missouri participating in the annual festival, which will take place Saturday Sept.27 at 7:00pm. This year Manhattan Short received nearly 600 short-film entries from 47 countries, and the ten finalists come from England, Norway, Australia, Netherlands, France, Mexico, Germany and the USA. Attendees on the 27th will each be handed a ballot when they entire Plaster Union Theatre, that will allow them to vote for Best Film and Best Actor.
Admission is $10 per person, and all proceeds from admission sales will be used for film scholarships for MSU Digital Film Production students. Mark Biggs, Interim Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Letters, says the scholarships help support "a very strong film program here at the university. They won an Emmy a couple of years ago, and have had lots and lots of success in international film festivals, including a short musical that was produced two years ago that was (shown) in India last year. It's very cool to know that international audiences are seeing our film work."
During the film festival, says, Mark Biggs, "we always take a break after we see (the first) five, and we give away some prizes. This year we'll be giving away some student films that were produced here at the university. And it's kind of a party atmosphere, which is fun.
For more information contact Dr.Timothy White at trwhite@missouristate.edu or markbiggs@missouristate.edu.