Schultz-Holmes Memorial Library has Manhattan Short Film Festival screenings this week

Brad Heineman, The Daily Telegram
·3 min read

BLISSFIELD — Film lovers in the Blissfield area will be able to join more than 100,000 film enthusiasts around the world this week when the 24th annual Manhattan Short Film Festival screens four times at the Schultz-Holmes Memorial Library in Blissfield, 407 S. Lane St.

Screenings this week begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 29 and 30 and Oct. 1, respectively, with an additional 3 p.m. matinee on Saturday. Some of the films may contain mature content.

The library has been a partner with the Manhattan Short Film Festival for a couple of years now, showing several of the short films at the library. The film festival at the library is part of its “Blissfield Unbound” program series and is free to the public because of sponsorships from Brown & Sons Roofing & Siding Co. and Knapp Chevrolet Buick, a news release from the library said. The Manhattan Short Film Festival is a worldwide showcase for rising actors and directors.

Throughout the four films, guests to the library will be able to vote on their favorite — or favorites — of the 10 films in this year’s festival. Moviegoers will also be able to vote for best actor.

“Manhattan Short is the ultimate audience award that salutes the creative talents of both directors behind the camera and actors in front of it,” the release said.

All votes will be sent through the Manhattan Short HQ, the release said, with the winning film and best actor announced at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 3, on www.ManhattanShort.com.

This year’s 10 films and their county of origin are:

  • “Don vs. Lightning” (Scotland).

  • “Love, Dad” (Czech and Slovakia).

  • “Save the Bees” (United States).

  • “The Treatment” (Spain).

  • “Freefall” (France).

  • "Fetish” (United States).

  • “Freedom Swimmer” (Australia).

  • “The Blanket” (Finland).

  • “Warsha” (Lebanon).

  • “The Big Green” (France).

All of the 10 films become Oscar-qualified, meaning they will be automatically eligible for an Academy Award nomination by screening for one week at the Arena CineLounge in Hollywood from Sept. 23-29, the release said. The final 10 films represent the best short films from among 870 submissions from 70 countries received by Manhattan Short for 2022.

While films are not required to have a shared theme when included as part of the film festival, this year’s submission of movies have a common theme of how people deal with adversity in its various forms, the release said.

Short films like “The Blanket,” “Freedom Swimmer” and “Freefall” explore how individuals react when caught up in large-scale, traumatic events, the release said. Adversity on a more personal level is the focus of “Warsha,” “Fetish,” “The Big Green” and “Love, Dad.”

“Sometimes, the response is laughable, as in ‘Save the Bees’ and ‘The Treatment,’ especially when even the universe seems to be against you, as in ‘Don vs. Lightning,’” the release said.

How the stories are told is as varied as the directors who tell them, the release said.

“In short, there is plenty of drama and comedy interwoven with surprisingly effective newer ways of storytelling like animated documentaries,” the release said.

While the Manhattan Short Film Festival is an international event, the experience at the Schultz-Holmes Memorial Library will be given a Blissfield spin, the release said, complete with pizza from Lena’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant, hot dogs from Shellie’s Deli, and popcorn from Brown & Sons Roofing & Siding Co. The library will provide punch, and custom-made Manhattan Shortbreads will also be available for movie time snacking. There will be prize drawings during intermission.

Those with questions should call the library at 517-486-2858 or send an email to info@blissfieldlibrary.org. The Manhattan Short Film Festival can be found on Facebook in addition to its website.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Manhattan Short Film Festival comes to Blissfield library this week