Manhattan Short Film Festival holds global screenings

The 29th Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival is holding simultaneous screenings at various venues, including the Paragon Theaters in Falls Church and the Stonington Opera House. For the first time in the festival's history, the selection features ten films from ten different countries: the United States, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Moldova, Russia, Georgia, Cuba, and Mexico.

Each of the selected short films is automatically Oscar-qualified. The festival functions as a global competition where audiences at participating theaters around the world vote to determine the Best Film and Best Actor awards. Founding director Nicholas Mason described the 2026 lineup as a “filmic Olympiad” designed to join the world through quality cinema.