Manhattan Short winners announced

 

The Stupid Boy Wins Gold Medal for Best Film at the 26th Annual MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival.

Australian Comedy Voice Activated wins the Silver Medal and Tuulikki from Finland wins the Bronze Medal in Worldwide Audience Vote.

The Stupid Boy, written and directed by Phil Dunn (England), is the Gold Medal winner of the 26th Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival. The Stupid Boy a dramatic tale about a broken man groomed for a terrorist attack is confronted by a local lad who sees things differently, resonated with viewers around the world. Manhattan Short medal winners are selected by voters attending the festival in theatrical venues around the world.

 “For The Stupid Boy to win - a film about the power of love and kindness in response to nationalism, racism and hatred - means so much, especially today. It is a film for peace, in a world waking up to the news of another war; where there are so many atrocities and so much pain, it dares to believe a different way - a way that loves, even when it might seem stupid to do so. And in doing so, it offers hope. The fact that thousands of people, in hundreds of venues around the world have voted for this story gives me hope. Perhaps we can each dare to believe in love again. Perhaps we can each find ways of looking for it, even in the worst situations. Thank you so much Nick and all the Manhattan team. I am so moved by this and so grateful to you and to all the people that voted.”
—Phil Dunn 

Voice Activated, written and directed by Steve Anthopoulos (Australia), won the Silver Medal. The film about a florist with a stutter who is forced to cooperate with a voice-activated car on the way to an important delivery, this light-hearted comedy is inspired by Anthopoulis‘s failed attempts at communicating with Apple's voice-activated assistant Siri.

“On behalf of the filmmakers behind Voice Activated I want to say a big thank-you to the audience for their support of the film. We’re incredibly proud of our silver medal and of Aleks’ very deserving win.

I knew that Manhattan Short was a global festival, but over the past week I’ve been overwhelmed by the commentary, reviews and posts about Voice Activated from audiences all around the world. The festival has generated a giant and passionate community. It’s honestly been a privilege to hear from them every day. Thank-you so much to the festival, the venues, and everyone who worked so hard to make it happen, including Nick and Victoria.“
—Steve Anthopoulis

 

 

The Bronze Medal winner is Tuulikki, written and directed by Teemu Nikki (Finland) a tale about a young woman, dominated by an over-protective mother. The Best Actor award goes to Aleks Mikic for his sensational performance as the stuttering florist in Voice Activated. The global audience has voted. Congratulations to all the winners!