EDISON, NJ - The MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival is returning to the Edison Public Library this month, and it’s up to residents to ultimately choose 2026’s winner.
Each year, the MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival receives over 1,800 entries from all over the world, but just 10 are selected as finalists and screened simultaneously across the world. 2026 marks the 29th annual festival and the first time in its history that each film selected is from a different country.
“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…and finally, in 2026, we’ve managed to do that,” said Nicholas Mason, founding director of MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival. “I’m very excited about the reaction they receive from our worldwide audiences.”
Next week, film lovers world-wide will unite in over 500 locations — including the Edison Public Library’s three branches — to view and vote for Best Film and Best Actor. This year’s finalists include 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), and Never Give Up (Mexico).
Additionally, by virtue of their selection by MANHATTAN SHORT, each short film is Oscar-qualified, meaning they will be automatically eligible for an Academy Award nomination by screening for a week at the New Parkway Theater in Oakland, CA from Sept. 18 through Sept. 24.
“Which of these Final Ten short films is the best? That’s up to a worldwide audience to decide,” said Mason, adding that cinema-goers throughout the United States and around the globe have the opportunity to become instant film critics as they are handed a ballot upon entry.
“MANHATTAN SHORT is the ultimate audience award that salutes the creative talents of both directors behind the camera and actors in front of it,” he said.
Each short has a running time of 18 minutes or less and moviegoers age 14 and older will have the opportunity to watch each short as well as cast their vote for their favorite film and actor, at the Clara Barton Branch on Friday, Sept. 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; the North Edison Branch on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; and the Main Library on Sunday, Sept. 27 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Voting ballots will be supplied upon entry at each location and the winners will be announced on the festival’s at 10 a.m. EST on Monday, Oct. 5.
“Short films are an incredible format for story-telling; the film has to introduce you to a whole cast of characters and make you sympathize with their struggle in a matter of minutes,” said Edison Public Library Associate Eric Revilla.
For more information about the 2026 MANHATtAN SHORT Film Festival, visit . Registration for showings at Edison Public Library locations is not required, however, seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.