Audience to judge short films

Audiences in 300 cities on six continents can participate in judging films entered in the 15th annual Manhattan Short Film Festival. In Baton Rouge, the films will be shown at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, at the Manship Theatre.

Filmmakers from 49 countries submitted 520 entries to the festival. Manhattan Short selected 10 short films as finalists. Each entry is 18 minutes long or less. Countries represented in the contest include Norway, The Netherlands, Russia, England, Ireland, Peru, France, Romania, Spain and the United States.

Filmgoers will receive a voting card upon entry and asked to vote for their favorite film. Their votes will be tallied at each participating cinema venue and sent to festival headquarters. The winner will be announced in New York City and posted on the Web at http://www.ManhattanShort.com at 10 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7.

For more information on the festival and to read detailed interviews with the 10 finalists, visit http://www.ManhattanShort.com.