Manhattan Shorts

This year's Manhattan Short Film Festival is showing 10 short film finalists that could enter the 2011 Oscars race.

10 short films were chosen out of a selection of more than 400 to be screened through October 3rd, with entries coming from all over the world including the UK, France, Poland, Germany and more.

The Manhattan Short Film Festival in its 12th year is highly regarded and watched closely by the industry. It is estimated that 100,000 people watch films, projected in 6 continents around the world.

Logorama, directed by French short filmmakers won Best Short Animation and The New Tenants won Best Live Short at this year's Oscars. The two films were praised for their distinctive qualities and use of creativity.

Short filmmakers often aspire to get their films into big award ceremonies like the Oscars and the BAFTAs and film festivals such as this give them that opportunity. Entering a short film into the Oscars can seem a daunting task, particularly when you look at the media attention it gets. However, films selected at the award ceremony gives indie filmmakers a huge chance to get seen and is a career changing experience that many will likely never forget.

The 2011 Academy Awards will take place in February 27 2011 as opposed to March, bringing the premiere film industry event slightly closer to the start of awards season. As filmmakers enter short film festivals around the world, some will get their lucky break when they are screened this year but for most, the journey of getting a film seen and distributed is another task altogether.