JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Over 100,000 film lovers have united in over 400 cinemas across 6 continents to view and vote for the finalist films in the 23rd annual Manhattan Short Film Festival.

The festival is the only event of its kind. The Final Nine are screened simultaneously across the world September 24 through October 31 (extended this year to allow for social distancing), 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.

The nine MANHATTAN SHORT finalists hail from nine countries with films from Australia, North Macedonia, Finland, USA, Iran, France, Russia, State of Palestine and Israel. These Final nine short films represent the best short films among 971 submissions from 54 countries received by MANHATTAN SHORT for 2020, testimony to the enduring vibrancy and creativity of short films.

The Jamestown Arts Center will be showing the films on Friday, October 2nd and Saturday, October 3rd at 7:00 PM for the public.

For more information, visit jamestownarts.com.

Watch a trailer for the the festival below: