Manhattan short film fest comes to Mumbai again

Mumbai, July 9 (IANS) For the second time in a row, the Manhattan Short Film Festival (MSFF) will take place here Sep 25-Oct 2 and woo movie buffs with futuristic and experimental cinema.

Also known as Manhattan Short, this global festival is held in over 200 cinemas in 200 cities across six continents.

The festival was introduced in India in 2010 and this year, filmmakers and festival directors S. Ramachandran and Anil Sadarangani are bringing the second edition to the city.

Interestingly, around six of the films featured in MSFF have been nominated for Oscars in the past ten years. And that includes Indian filmmaker Ashvin Kumar's 'Little Terrorist'.

'The MSFF shares a special relationship with India because the winner of the 2004 festival, Ashvin Kumar's 'Little Terrorist', went on to earn a nomination at the Oscars in the short film category,' New-York based Nicholas Mason, founding festival director, said in a statement.

According to Ashvin, the short film genre is a great way to experiment.

'The short film genre is a great way for filmmakers to experiment without worrying about the factors that come into play when making a feature film. It also brings recognition to the filmmaker.

'You learn how to tell a story economically and within a time limit. In this sense, the MSFF is very important. A win is a win for any filmmaker and I encourage people to participate in it,' he added.

The audiences across the globe will be able to watch 10 final films of the festival and decide the winner by voting.

All submissions are to be sent directly to New York before July 31.