During one week of the year over 100,000 film-lovers gather in over 500 Cinemas across 6 Continents to view and vote on the Finalists Films in the 28th Annual MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival - MANHATTAN SHORT is more than just one of the largest short film festivals in the world....it is the World's First Global Film Festival.

If making short films is about getting your work out there, nothing compares to MANHATTAN SHORT.

Every Film Selected is eligible to enter the Oscars:
MANHATTAN SHORT does a full week's advertised run in a cinema in Los Angeles, California. This theater booking means all ten finalists in the 2025 MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival will be eligible to enter the Oscar competition for 2026. Many past Finalists from MANHATTAN SHORT have been nominated and even win the Oscar in the Festivals 28 year history.

MANHATTAN SHORT also conducts a screenplay competition for screenplay for short films only (20 pages and under)

Featured Musical Artist Competition:
MANHATTAN SHORT will be featuring a Musical Artist or Band leading up to and throughout the duration of the Festival each year. The selected Musician or Band will have his/her music featured in over four hundred venues and to over 100,000 people worldwide during the MANHATTAN SHORT intermission and in all promotional materials leading up to the festival dates, including exclusive headline billing on our website. This is a tremendous opportunity for new or unknown musical talent to have their music broadcast to our ready-made worldwide audience of eager festival attendees. It is also a unique chance to gain name recognition and immediate exposure. Entry forms are also available at the website: http://manhattanshort.com/musical-artist-competition.html

Note: If your film is an Animation and is being distributed by the French based company MIYU, please do not enter this Festival. We will no longer deal with that company.

All Films Selected automatically become eligible to enter the Oscars
The Gold Medal
The Silver Medal
The Bronze Medal
Best Actor
Best Screenplay
Featured Musical Artist

Films Must Be 20 Minutes and Under in Length.

We accept all genres.

Successful applicants we require Prores preferably at (23.98) frame rate.

Deadlines - July 31st every year

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Linda Tancs

    So pleased to make it to the semifinals of this festival with my comedy! Thanks to all for giving a thumbs-up to my work.

    October 2024
  • Trent -

    This is the real deal! The communication is outstanding, the selected films are top-notch, and the opportunity to screen your short in over 500 cities to more than 100,000 people is just mind-blowing. We were thrilled to be a part of this with I'M NOT A ROBOT, and we hope the audience loves all the films as much as we do. Huge thanks, Nick!

    October 2024
  • Diana Duric

    Thanks to the Manhattan Short Film Festival for giving me the Gold Medal for best screenplay!
    This has been a huge honour and I appreciate those who took the time to read my script.
    Many Thanks again!
    Diana Duric

    October 2024
  • Manhattan SHORT Film Festival is very professional. The team is well organized and provides exceptional communication, I was very honored my script, Tempting Fated, advanced to the Semi-Finals. Keep up your great work!

    October 2024
  • Thank you for selecting my short screenplay Overdue as a semi-finalist. There is clearly a huge amount of work that goes into producing this festival - the organisers are clearly driven by a passion and it is great to see everyone getting into it on social media (Facebook) and anaylsing the films. The festival is also very encouraging for everyone what ever their role has been to date in the industry or other role in another industry to put pen to paper to create their own script. Many thanks.

    October 2023