Garde Arts Center to Participate in Worldwide, Week-Long Film Festival

Manhattan Short Film Festival to be held in over 200 cities and six continents.

New London, you be the judge! For the second year in a row, the Garde Arts Center joins 195 theaters worldwide to participate in the Manhattan Short Film Festival, a global short film festival spanning over 200 cities and six continents. On Thursday, September 30, at 7:30 p.m., Garde festival goers can view on the Garde's movie palace's giant screen 10 nominated films selected from the world's best filmmakers and vote for the Best Short Film of 2010.

The world's first and largest global short film festival, the Manhattan Short Film Festival, started 12 years ago in New York City and has expanded every year since.

"We started with one screen on the side of a truck on a downtown Manhattan street 12 years ago. Seeing this festival now taking place in over 200 cities across six continents in one week is astounding", Manhattan Short Director Nicholas Mason said. "This year there are 10 shorts from 10 separate countries, and they will unite an audience of over 100,000 people across six continents in one week. Short films not only entertain but give a wonderful insight into cultures, trends and the goings on inside the world. I can think of no better way to utilize the power and craft of a short film than Manhattan Short."

Garde festival goers will be handed a voting card that will allow them to cast their ballot for best film. Votes are then sent to Manhattan Short headquarters in New York. The festival winner will be announced at www.ManhattanShort.com on Sunday, October 3, at 10:00 p.m. EST.

Screenings of the 10 short films will be held across North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa between September 26 to October 3.

The 2010 finalist are: Watching (UK) by Max Myers; Underground (Mexico) by Eduardo Covarrubias Diaz; Party (Croatia) by Dalibor Matanic; Madagascar (France) by Bastien Dubois; The Pool (Ireland) by Thomas Hefferon; Push Bike (Australia) by Mairi Cameron; A Little Inconvenience (Canada) by Helene Florent; Echo (Poland) by Magnus Van Horn; 12 Years (Germany) by Daniel Nocke; and War (Italy) by Paolo Sassanelli.

Tickets for the Manhattan Short Film Festival are $10 for general admission seating and are available at the Garde Box Office, 325 State St., New London, Conn. The Garde Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and two hours prior to the curtain on performance days. Tickets may be purchased by phone during regular box office hours at (860) 444-7373, ext. 1, or online at www.gardearts.org.

CALENDAR LISTING:
WHAT: Manhattan Short Film Festival
Global short film festival spanning over 200 cities and six continents. Garde festival goers view on the Garde's movie palace's giant screen 10 nominated films selected from the world's best filmmakers and then vote for the Best Short Film of 2010.
WHEN: Thursday, September 30, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Garde Arts Center, 325 State St, New London, CT 06320
TICKETS: $10 general admission
BOX OFFICE: 860-444-7373, ext. 1 or www.gardearts.org

FESTIVAL FILMS:
Watching
Director: Max Myers
Run Time: 14:00
Country: UK
Synopsis:
Josh sits alone in a café happily watching the world go by - even if that means denying his longing for the waitress, Annie. Suddenly Carrick, sitting at a nearby table, offers Josh a chance to add some excitement into his life.

Underground
Director: Eduardo Covarrubias Díaz
Run Time: 10:00
Country: Mexico
Synopsis:
Nico and Trinidad enter the United States from Mexico illegally through a forgotten sewer. Harry lays in wait on the other side, under cover of the dark desert, to enforce the law.

Party
Director: Dalibor Matanic
Run Time: 15:03
Country: Croatia
Synopsis:
A girl is enjoying a careless summer day with her friends on the sunlit streets of Vukovar, where light-heartedness and leisure make everything seem nice and simple. They are not aware that the youthful idyll might be easily broken.

Madagascar
Director: Bastien Dubois
Run Time: 11:30
Country: France
Synopsis:
Madagascar is a journey diary that redraws the trip of a European traveler confronted with Famadihana customs. The pages of the diary turn, then the drawings liven up, we cover the luxuriant landscapes of Madagascar before being introduced to the Malagasy culture.

The Pool
Director: Thomas Hefferon
Run Time: 11:45
Country: Ireland
Synopsis:
Three teenage boys break into their school's swimming pool one night in order to stage a macho breath-holding contest. The loud, brash Charlie begins to tease the overweight, child-like Sam. The arrival of a girl they all fancy escalates the tension.

Push Bike
Director: Mairi Cameron
Run Time: 11:48
Country: Australia
Synopsis:
When her clothes are stolen from the pool changing room one night, Michelle must brave a nude ride home on her old bike.

A Little Inconvenience
Director: Helene Florent
Run Time: 10:00
Country: Canada
Synopsis:
A man gets up out of bed one morning and discovers he has a hard time keeping his feet on the ground.

Echo
Director: Magnus Van Horn
Run Time: 14:42
Country: Poland
Synopsis:
A police investigator re-constructs a brutal murder, hoping to learn how two young boys could have committed such a crime.

12 Years
Director: Daniel Nocke
Run Time: 3:26
Country: Germany
Synopsis:
Breaking up is hard to do, even for dogs.

War
Director: Paolo Sassanelli
Run Time: 15:00
Country: Italy
Synopsis:
World War II has just ended, but old political tensions interfere with family life.
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About the Garde Arts Center
Now in its eighty-second season, the Garde Arts Center is southeastern Connecticut’s non-profit center for the performing arts. The Garde owns and operates the historic 1450-seat Garde Theatre and the 130-seat Oasis Room where it presents musicals, opera, orchestras, contemporary music, film, dance, and family events. Home of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, hosts performances by regional arts organizations and provides educational programs for more than 12,000 young people. Under the leadership of Steve Sigel, executive director, since 1988, the Garde has become a major catalyst for the cultural and economic revitalization of New London.

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MEDIA INFO
For photos and interviews, please contact Jeanne Sigel, (860) 444-4430, jsigel@gardearts.org
Official MANHATTAN SHORT Web site: www.manhattanshort.com