Short Film Festival Comes to Cobb Theatre

Moviegoers are invited to attend the 15th annual Manhattan Short Film Festival at Cobb Village 12 Cinemas, in Leesburg, this Saturday and Sunday where they will have the chance to view and judge the work of filmmakers from around the world.

Spokesperson Michelle Garland said that this is the first year Cobb has participated in this event, which would be of interest to local cinema buffs, film students and/or those who would like to be a part of a global event.

Ten short films, each under 20 minutes, will be aired during the event. Countries represented this year include Norway, The Netherlands, Russia, England, Ireland, Peru, France, Romania, Spain and the USA in what festival organizers describe as the “United Nations of Film Festivals.”

The short films will include:

• The Devil's Ballroom by Henrik M Dahlsbrakken, Norway
• A Curious Conjunction of Coincidences by Joost Reijmers, Holland
• Where Does the Sea Flow by Vitaly Saltykov, Russia                
• Two & Two by Babak Anvari, England
• Cluck by Michael Lavelle, Ireland
• Behind the Mirrors by Julio O Ramos, Peru
• The Elaborate End of Robert Ebb by Clement Bolla, FX Goby, Matt Landour, England
• Superman, Spiderman or Batman by Tudor Glurgiu, Romania    
• 92 Skybox Alonzo Mourning Rookie Card by Todd Sklar, USA   
• Voice Over by Martin Rosete, Spain

Filmgoers will be handed a voting card upon entry and will be asked to vote for the one film they feel should win. Votes will be tallied at each participating cinema and submitted to festival headquarters where the winner will be announced in New York City on Sunday, Oct. 7.

“While the goal of any festival is to discover and promote new talent, the real aim of this festival is bringing communities together via stories from around the world,” said Manhattan Short Film Festival Founder and Director Nicholas Mason.

The event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 5 p.m. and on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $11. Discounts are available to children, students, seniors and military.

Cobb Village 12 Cinemas is located at 1600 Village Market Blvd. For more information call 571-291-9462. To learn more about the festival and to read detailed interviews with the 10 finalists visit www.ManhattanShort.com.