Strand Theater screens the annual Manhattan Short Film Festival on Saturday
Posted at 4:00 a.m. on Friday, September 30, 2022
The 25the The annual MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival is underway and on Saturday locals will have a chance to vote on this year’s awards by helping to select Best Film and Best Actor.
Starting at 7 p.m. on October 1, the final 10 MANHATTAN SHORT finalists will be screened at the Strand Theater, 717 Clay St.
The Strand is one of more than 400 theaters across six continents that will screen the top 10 films and hand out ballots for viewers to vote for their favourites.
Daniel Boone, who serves as the Strand’s film programmer, said this was the ninth year screenings had been offered at Vicksburg.
“It’s one of our most popular programs every year,” Boone said. “Even when COVID caused us to close, we found a way to show MANHATTAN SHORT without reopening. It’s so popular.
This year, Boone said, out of 870 submissions from 70 countries, the top 10 MANHATTAN SHORTS come from eight countries, including two from France and the United States.
The top 10 are:
“Don versus Lightning” (Scotland); “Love, Dad” (Czech and Slovak); “Save the Bees” (USA); “The Treatment” (Spain); “Free fall” (France); “Fetish” (United States); “Freedom Swimmer” (Australia); “The Blanket” (Finland); “Warsha” (Lebanon) and “The Big Green” (France).
Although each film differs in its presentation, they all share a common thread in their theme, which focuses on how people deal with adversity.
“The Blanket”, “Freedom Swimmer” and “Freefall” explore how individuals react when caught up in large-scale traumatic events. Adversity on a more personal level is the focus of shorts like “Warsha”, “Fetish”, “The Big Green” and “Love, Dad”. For “Save the Bees”, “The Treatment” and “Don vs Lightning”, laughter is used to respond to adversity.
The MANHATTAN SHORT is said to be the ultimate audience award that salutes the creative talents of directors and actors.
At the end of the screenings, votes will be collected and sent to MANHATTAN SHORT headquarters. The winners will be announced on Monday, October 3.
According to Boone, “Over the years, the Strand vote for Best Picture mirrors the international vote, which we like to interpret as Vicksburg being cosmopolitan; however, there are clearly other interpretations.
Tickets for the one-night-only screening of MANHATTAN SHORT at The Strand are $10 and are available at the Highway 61 Coffeehouse, 1101 Washington St., and at the door.
For more information on the films, visit https://www.manhattanshort.com/finalists.html.
About Terri Cowart Frazier
Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Soon after, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter for the Vicksburg Post and editor of Vicksburg Living Magazine, which was awarded first place by the Mississippi Press Association. She was also the recipient of a first place award in the editorial division of the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest for “Best Feature Article”.
Terri is a graduate of Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communications with a major in public relations.
Before coming to work at the Post just over 10 years ago, she freelanced at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay-at-home mom.
Terri is a member of Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a life member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and was a member of the Sampler Antique Club and the Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.
“Whether it’s staying informed about local government issues or hearing the stories of local residents, a local newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at the Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I can continue to grow and hone my skills by helping to share the stories in Vicksburg. When people ask me what I love most about my job, my answer is always “the people”.
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