MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival

When

Duration

3 hours (includes 20-minute interval)

Location

Glasshouse Theatre

Warning

Content of films is unknown in advance. Films may contain strong adult themes, strong language and challenging subject matter. Recommended for ages 16+.

Glasshouse Port Macquarie presents:

Manhattan Short Film Festival

MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival  is a one-of-a-kind global event, taking place in over 500 venues across six continents. 

The final films represent the best short films from over 1,000 submissions from around the world, covering an extraordinary range of genres including drama, science fiction, suspense, animation and comedy.

By virtue of their selection by Manhattan Short, each short film is automatically Oscar-qualified.

A must-see film festival for anyone interested in drama, film and entertainment.

The 2026 line up has been announced: 

For the first time in its 29-year history, the 10 finalists represent 10 different countries.

From AI to a time loop — below are the short films that made the cut.

SMALL TALK

Directed by: Eduardo Moral
Country: USA
Running Time: 8:40
Synopsis: In a neon-drenched future where AI has consumed nearly every profession, a weary cab driver preserves the last traces of humanity the only way he can... through small talk.

 

MARY IS MISSING

Directed by: Aisling Byrne 
Country: Ireland
Running Time: 22:00
Synopsis: When care worker Mary vanishes without a trace, Detective Foley arrives at the Yellow Tree Day Service, and investigations begin. As reports from the eyewitnesses become more and more confounding, we are asked to explore the reliability of truth, the strangeness of fiction, and the people we choose to believe.

 

CANDY BAR

Directed by: Nash Edgerton
Country: Australia
Running Time: 6:19
Synopsis: A young girl thinks a man in the candy bar line looks like her dad.

 

VULTURES

Directed by: Dian Weys
Country: South Africa
Running Time: 15:00
Synopsis: In the volatile moments after a car crash, before the authorities arrive, a hot-headed yet desperate tow truck driver fiercely protects his tow. But the situation quickly spirals out of his control.

 

LIFE GOES ON 

Directed by: Kat Butterfield & Daniel Audritt
Country: United Kingdom
Running Time: 19:00
Synopsis: Bill is in end-of-life care waiting for the sweet release of death - but unfortunately for him, he's stuck in an infinite time loop, causing the day to restart the second his heart stops.

 

HAI DAVAI

Directed by: Vlad Gradescu
Country: Moldova
Running Time: 16:00
Synopsis: On the cusp of leaving her rural Moldovan village for a new life abroad, Nina is stopped, quite literally, by an old superstition: a black cat crosses the road. Citing bad luck, her worried grandmother refuses to let her pass.

 

PICKUP

Directed by: Viktoriia Lapushkina
Country: Russia
Running Time: 3:00
Synopsis: At a pickup workshop, every girl gets a mission — flirt, charm, and win. For Di, the shyest one in the room, the task is simple: ask a guy to buy her coffee. Passing by her more confident “competitors,” she ends up on a rooftop smoking area, where she meets Alex — a man about to end his life.

 

NORHEIMSUND

Directed by: Ana. A. Alpizar
Country: Cuba
Running Time: 12:00
Synopsis: A girl's long-distance romance with an older Norwegian man promises to pull her and her mother from their austere life in Cuba, but her dreams are shaken when she realizes he isn't as idyllic as he seems.

 

WHEN THE SEA WAS CALM

Director and Animator: Mamuka Tkeshelashvili
Producer: Vladimer Katcharava
Country: Georgia
Running Time: 18:00
Synopsis: When the Sea Was Calm is a silent, hand-crafted Georgian animated short that transforms memories of pre-war Sokhumi into a poetic story of childhood, first love, exile, and the dream of return.

 

NEVER GIVE UP

Directed by: Tamás Yvan Topolánszky
Country: Hungary, Mexico
Running Time: 19:58
Synopsis: Alone in the desert, a young boy attempts to cross the U.S.—Mexico border guided only by his mother’s final words: never give up. An unexpected source of hope leads him toward a twist that redefines survival.

 

Part of Education @ Glasshouse 2026 Program

Part of Glasshouse SELECT 2026 Theatre Program

Session Time for Schools:

Wednesday 21 October, 10am
Ross Family Studio

Content of films is unknown in advance. Films may contain strong adult themes, strong language and challenging subject matter. Recommended for ages 16+.

To book your excursion and to plan your visit to the Glasshouse please click here.

Our sincere thanks to Coastline Bank, Principal Partner of the Education @ Glasshouse Program 2024 to 2026.

Performing Arts Booking Form

Education @ Glasshouse Program

Apply for Coastline Bank Community Foundation Funding

All Box Office bookings are subject to our standard Glasshouse Booking Terms and Conditions.

Purchase of a ticket is deemed to be acceptance of the following terms and conditions:

1. Tickets are sold on behalf of the organisation or promoter and may be subject to additional conditions of admission to the event.

2. The right of admission is subject to building entry conditions and will be enforced by management.

3. Ticket holders enter the venue at their own risk. The Glasshouse will not be responsible for any loss, damage or injury arising from a pre-existing medical condition or due to breach of these conditions.

4. Tickets must be retained and presented for inspection upon entry to the event. If a person is unable to produce a valid ticket to the event, admission may not be permitted.

5. Advertised programs may be varied without notice. Artists may be added, withdrawn or substituted for performances and the right to vary prices, venues, seating arrangements and audience capacity is reserved by the Glasshouse and hirers.

6. Prices are subject to change without notice.

7. Tickets are subject to no refund or exchange. In some instances, such as cancelled events, refunds for performance tickets may be payable in accordance with the Live Performance Ticketing Code of Practice. Exchanges of tickets, or the replacement of lost, stolen or missing allocated seating tickets may be permitted under certain conditions and fees may apply. General Admission tickets will not be reissued.

8. The Glasshouse reserves the right to charge transaction fees for bookings in addition to the standard ticket price as well as administration fees for tasks such as ticket exchanges, ticket reissues and other associated administrative tasks.

9. Bookings are subject to availability and no guarantee is made that specific seating requests will be available at time of booking.

10. The Glasshouse supports the official companion card program which is available for all performances at the Glasshouse, unless otherwise specified.

11. Concession ticket holders must carry their concession card on their persons when attending an event, and if requested present such card as proof of concession. Inability to produce proof of concession may result in refusal of entry.

12. Camera, video and audio recorders may not be used inside the Glasshouse, unless expressly authorised. Unauthorised use of these devices may result in eviction from the theatre. The Glasshouse reserves the right to photograph, broadcast or telecast any event.

13. As the Glasshouse is a venue for hire, in some instances as the ticketing agent we may be directed to cap the number of tickets available per transaction, apply member discounts, enforce age restrictions, or other conditions surrounding the event, which ticket purchasers are required to abide by.

14. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a suitable adult or guardian at all times. Admission will not be permitted to anyone under the age of 16 who is unaccompanied. Children under the age of 16 must be seated with a parent or guardian.

15. Children aged 18 months and over require a valid ticket to an event unless otherwise directed by the promoter. Where the promoter has not directed a variance in the age, children under the age of 18 months may sit on a parent’s lap free of charge.

16. Where an age restriction or recommendation applies to an event, patrons will be advised accordingly. Under 18’s will not be permitted admission to an event that is Restricted 18+. The Glasshouse is not liable for any offence that may be caused by show content, where an age recommendation is in place, and has not been adhered to by ticket purchasers.

17. Terms and conditions remain in effect even when the ticket changes hands. The reselling of a ticket or a breach of the terms and conditions, does not nullify the terms and conditions of the original ticket sale. Any subsequent ticket holder is bound by those terms and conditions.

18. Ticket may not be resold for commercial packages or at a premium, nor may it be packaged or used for advertising, promotional or other commercial purposes unless agreed in writing by the Glasshouse. If a ticket sold is in breach of this condition, the bearer of the ticket may be refused admission.

19. If a performance is cancelled due to an act of God, natural disaster, adverse weather or for any other cause reasonably beyond the Glasshouse’s control, there is no right of refund or exchange, and no obligation is assured by Glasshouse for the arranging of a substitute service, event or performance.

20. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars and include GST unless otherwise specified.

21. Gift Certificates are not redeemable for cash and are non-transferrable. Gift Certificates expire after 3 years from of the date of purchase.

22. Latecomers may only be admitted to a performance during a suitable break or at a time as specified by the production company.

23. Patrons who present as intoxicated or cause a disturbance to the production may be evicted from the theatre at the discretion of Glasshouse management and promoters. Patrons who are evicted under this clause will be subject to no refund or exchange on tickets.

24. For information regarding ticketing of live entertainment and sporting events, or to obtain a copy of the LPA Code of Practice for the Ticketing of Live Entertainment Events in Australia contact the Trust or refer to www.liveperformance.com.au