At the Liberty:"The Manhattan Short Film Festival"

DAYTON — Film lovers worldwide, in over 500 locations, will view and vote on the ten finalist films in the 29th Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival between September 24 and October 4.

The Liberty has hosted the unique event for over ten years, and will show the Manhattan Short Festival from September 25 to 29, at regular movie times and regular movie prices. Wine will be available for purchase on Friday and Saturday night.

The theater has often been only one of two venues in Washington; this year it is one of four. And the only one in Eastern Washington.

The ten short films selected as finalists are eligible for Academy Award nominations after screening at the festival. Festival audience members, including those at the Liberty Theater, will vote to determine the Best Film and Best Actor awards.

This unique film experience gives Liberty Theater moviegoers a voice. As attendees enter the theater, they will receive a ballot and the official program with information about each of the ten films. Come out, watch the films, and vote for the film and actor you feel should win. Votes are tallied by the host venue, then emailed to the Manhattan Short NYC headquarters.

The ten films are from ten countries, including films from the United States, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Moldova, Russia, Cuba, Georgia, and Mexico.

“Since 9/11, my vision for this Festival has been to create a filmic Olympiad. An event consisting of ten quality shorts from ten separate countries that joins the world, and finally, in 2026, we’ve managed to do that. I’m very excited for the reaction it receives from our worldwide audiences”, says Nicholas Mason, founding director of Manhattan Short Film Festival.

Manhattan Short 2026 Finalists: “Small Talk” (USA), “Mary is Missing” (Ireland), “Candy Bar” (Australia), “Vultures” (South Africa), “Life Goes On” (United Kingdom), “Hai Davai” (Moldova), “Pickup” (Russia), “Norheimsund” (Cuba), “When the Sea was Calm” (Georgia), “Never Give Up” (Mexico).

Still not convinced? Watch the Festival’s Official Trailer at https://youtu.be/iOdETuNe6E0.

Coming up on October 2 through 6 is the 2025 documentary “You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, Spread Love & Overalls, and Created a Community That Changed the World (In a Canadian Kind of Way)”. It centers on the 1972 stage production of musical “Godspell” in Toranto, Ontario.

Many of the cast members, including Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, and Paul Shaffer, got their start to careers as comedy icons. Featuring interviews with the surviving cast members, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mike Myers, and more, the film recounts a pivotal moment in comedy history in hilarious, moving, and inspiring detail.

Upcoming movies: “You Had to be There” on Oct. 2-6, a Western, “Angel and the Badman” on Oct. 9–13, and “Sense & Sensibility,” TBA. Schedule is always subject to change.