Manhattan Short Film Festival 2026

Film lovers in Sedona will join film enthusiasts around the world to view and judge the work of the next generation of filmmakers when the 29th Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival screens at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre, Sept. 25-Oct. 1, hosted by the Sedona International Film Festival.

Manhattan Short is the only event of its kind. The ten Finalists will screen simultaneously across the world during a one-week period, 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.

For the first time in its history MANHATTAN SHORT has selected ten films from ten countries with films from USA, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Moldova, Russia, Cuba, Georgia and Mexico making up MANHATTAN SHORT 2026. “Since 9/11 my vision for this Festival has been to create a filmic Olympiad. An event consisting of ten quality shorts from ten separate countries that joins the world, and finally in 2026 we’ve managed to do that. I’m very excited for the reaction it receives from our worldwide audiences,” says Nicholas Mason, founding director of MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival.

MANHATTAN SHORT 2026 Finalists:
Small Talk (USA), Mary is Missing (Ireland), Candy Bar (Australia), Vultures (South Africa), Life Goes On (United Kingdom), Hai Davai (Moldova), Pickup (Russia), Norheimsund (Cuba), When the Sea was Calm (Georgia), Never Give Up (Mexico).

Film synopsis are as follows:

SMALL TALK (USA): In a neon-drenched future where AI has consumed nearly every profession, a weary cab driver preserves the last traces of humanity the only way he can … through small talk.

HAI DAVAI (Moldova): On the cusp of leaving her rural Moldovan village for a new life abroad, Nina is stopped, quite literally, by an old superstition.

MARY IS MISSING (Ireland): When care worker Mary vanishes without a trace, Detective Foley arrives at the Yellow Tree Day Service, and investigations begin.

NORHEIMSUND (Cuba): A girl’s long-distance romance with an older Norwegian man promises to pull her from her austere life in Cuba, but is he as idyllic as he seems?

WHEN THE SEA WAS CALM (Georgia): A hand-crafted animation that transforms the memory of Sokhumi before the war into a poetic story of childhood, first love, exile, and the dream of return.

PICKUP (Russia): At a pickup workshop, every girl gets a mission — flirt, charm, and win. For Di, the shyest one in the room, the task is simple: ask a guy to buy her coffee.

CANDY BAR (Australia): A young girl thinks a man in the candy bar line looks like her dad.

VULTURES (South Africa): In the volatile moments after a car crash, before the authorities arrive, a hot-headed yet desperate tow truck driver fiercely protects his tow.

LIFE GOES ON (United Kindom): Bill is ready for the end. The end isn’t ready for him. At 83, he finds himself caught in an absurd glitch: every time he dies, the day begins again.

NEVER GIVE UP (Mexico): An unexpected source of hope guides a boy as he attempts to cross the US-Mexico border.

You Be the Judge!
Which of these final ten short films is best? That’s up to a worldwide audience to decide. Cinema-goers across the United States and the globe will become instant film critics as they are handed a ballot upon entry that allows them to vote for the Best Film and 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. Votes will be sent through to Manhattan Short HQ with the winner announced at ManhattanShort.com on Monday, Oct. 5.

The Manhattan Short Film Festival will be shown at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre Sept. 25-Oct. 1. Showtimes will be Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Sept. 26, 26, 27 and 28 at 6:30 p.m.; and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 29, 30 and Oct. 1 at 3:00 p.m.

Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona.