Prescott film lovers can join over 100,000 cinephiles from around the world, to view and vote on ten films vying for international acclaim and (perhaps) Oscar glory. It all happens this Friday, Sept. 24, when the 24th Annual MANHATTAN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL returns to Yavapai College at 6:30 p.m. in the Prescott Campus Community Room.

Presented locally by Yavapai College’s School of Film & Media Arts, The MANHATTAN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL brings ten Oscar-eligible short films together for the consideration of a worldwide audience. These Final Ten selections represent the best short films from among 970 submissions from 70 countries received by MANHATTAN SHORT for 2021, a testimony to the enduring vibrancy and creativity of short films worldwide. Together, they make an engaging evening of laughter, tears and thought-provoking glimpses from voices and cultures often-overlooked.

This year’s finalists hail from eight countries with films from U.K., Afghanistan, Northern Ireland, Norway, Italy, Canada and France. The United States has two finalists, including Death By Handshake, whose director, Hudson Flynn, was just 16 years old when he created his wry nod to New York City living during COVID-19. Humor also pervades films like Rough from Northern Ireland, France's Archibald's Syndrome and Monsieur Cashemire of Canada.

Out of Time and the animated Aurora are close studies by a pair of woman directors that examine life’s different stages from French and American perspectives. Short films also tackle big topics, like Norway's The Kicksled Choir, which offers a refreshing look at conflict resolution, while Bad Omen examines a woman coping with stark circumstances in Afghanistan. Closed To The Light recalls on a riveting moment in World War II Italy while the UK's Ganef examines war’s trickle-down effect on the young. “Trauma is like a virus, resilient and adaptive, capable of living well beyond the moment it’s inflicted,” notes Ganef director Mark Rosenblatt, demonstrating once more how short films can give a subject full treatment.

Which of these short films is the best? That’s for you -- and a worldwide audience – to decide. Cinema-goers across the United States and around the globe will be handed a ballot upon entry that allows them to vote for the Best Film and Best Actor. Votes will be sent through to MANHATTAN SHORT HQ with the winner announced at ManhattanShort.com on Monday Oct 4.

THE MANHATTAN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL will screen this Friday night, Sept. 24, at 6:30 p.m. in Yavapai College’s Community Room, Building 19, Room 147, of the Prescott Campus (next to the Library). Tickets are $13 for general admission, $5 for Yavapai College students and staff, and may be purchased at the door, by calling the YCPAC Ticket Office at (928) 776.2000 or on the web at: www.ycpac.com.