Paramount On Screen: Manhattan Short Film Festival
MANHATTAN SHORT 2026…You Be the Judge!
Discover your inner film critic by casting your vote for Best Film and Best Actor in the 29th Annual MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival screening Sept.24-Oct. 4, 2026. You’ll join film lovers in over 500 venues across the globe gathering to see the Ten Finalists in this year’s event. With past finalists garnering Oscar nominations and short films continuing to move into the Hollywood mainstream, come see this entertaining program featuring the best short films in the world today! Ballots supplied upon entry.
The Films
SMALL TALK
Directed by: Eduardo Moral
Principal Cast: Richard Neil, Holgie Forrester, Mike Thompson
Country: USA
Running Time: 8:40
Synopsis: 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.
MARY IS MISSING
Directed by: Aisling Byrne
Principal Cast: Derek McSweeney, Eoghan Ashe, Ella-Jane Moore, Jackie O’Hagan
Country: Ireland
Running Time: 22:00
Synopsis: When care worker Mary vanishes without a trace, Detective Foley arrives at the Yellow Tree Day Service, and investigations begin. As reports from the eyewitnesses become more and more confounding, we are asked to explore the reliability of truth, the strangeness of fiction, and the people we choose to believe.
CANDY BAR
Directed by: Nash Edgerton
Principal Cast: Damon Herriman, Andrea Demetriades, Zumi Edgerton, Caitlin Burley
Country: Australia
Running Time: 6:19
Synopsis: A young girl thinks a man in the candy bar line looks like her dad.
VULTURES
Directed by: Dian Weys
Principal Cast: Edwin van der Walt, Jill Levenberg, Albert Pretorius, Oscar Petersen
Country: South Africa
Running Time: 15:00
Synopsis: In the volatile moments after a car crash, before the authorities arrive, a hot-headed yet desperate tow truck driver fiercely protects his tow. But the situation quickly spirals out of his control.
LIFE GOES ON
Directed by: Kat Butterfield & Daniel Audritt
Principal Cast: David Bradley, Maggie Steed, Matt Berry, Laura Checkley
Country: United Kingdom
Running Time: 19:00
Synopsis: Bill is in end-of-life care waiting for the sweet release of death – but unfortunately for him, he’s stuck in an infinite time loop, causing the day to restart the second his heart stops.
HAI DAVAI
Directed by: Vlad Gradescu
Principal Cast: Paula Macovoz, Aliona Oleinic, Lilea Bejan, Iraida Bobescu
Country: Moldova
Running Time: 16:00
Synopsis: On the cusp of leaving her rural Moldovan village for a new life abroad, Nina is stopped, quite literally, by an old superstition: a black cat crosses the road. Citing bad luck, her worried grandmother refuses to let her pass.
PICK UP
Directed by: Viktoriia Lapushkina
Principal Cast: Elizaveta Ishcenko, Arseny Segeev, Evgeniia Lazareva
Country: Russia
Running Time: 3:00
Synopsis: 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. Passing by her more confident “competitors,” she ends up on a rooftop smoking area, where she meets Alex — a man about to end his life.
NORHEIMSUND
Directed by: Ana. A. Alpizar
Principal Cast: Yaité Ruiz, Paula Massó Varela, Darianis Palenzuela, Kiriam Gutiérrez
Country: Cuba
Running Time: 12:00
Synopsis: A girl’s long-distance romance with an older Norwegian man promises to pull her and her mother from their austere life in Cuba, but her dreams are shaken when she realizes he isn’t as idyllic as he seems.
WHEN THE SEA WAS CALM
Director and Animator: Mamuka Tkeshelashvili
Producer: Vladimer Katcharava
Country: Georgia
Running Time: 18:00
Synopsis: When the Sea Was Calm is a silent, hand-crafted Georgian animated short that transforms memories of pre-war Sokhumi into a poetic story of childhood, first love, exile, and the dream of return.
NEVER GIVE UP!
Directed by: Tamás Yvan Topolánszky
Principal Cast: José Maria Gomez, Ariana Lebrón
Country: Hungary, Mexico
Running Time: 19:58
Synopsis: Alone in the desert, a young boy attempts to cross the U.S.—Mexico border guided only by his mother’s final words: never give up. An unexpected source of hope leads him toward a twist that redefines survival.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO! The Paramount Theater is pleased to bring diverse programming to the stage and screen. The Theater does not provide advisories about subject matter for events, as sensitivities vary. Not all events may appeal to, or be appropriate for, every person. Patrons are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the shows offered in order to make informed decisions prior to purchasing tickets.
In addition to show synopses, trailers, and reviews on our web events, other resources about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb, and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches. For further questions, please contact the Box Office at 434.979.1333 or at [email protected], 10AM-2PM Monday-Friday + 1 hour before events.
Event Sponsors:
Helen and John Steele
