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MANHATTAN SHORT 2015 along with Vivanta by Taj empowers voters to make Indian films win the coveted title‏

MANHATTAN SHORT 2015 along with Vivanta by Taj empowers voters to make Indian films win the coveted title‏

Film maker Sudhir Mishra, Shlok Sharma and Uma Da Cunha to be the jury for the Vote for India initiative by MANHATTAN SHORT 2015 and Vivanta by Taj ~

Into its sixth year in India (globally in its 17th edition),MANHATTAN SHORT has witnessed an overwhelming participation from short film and documentary filmmakers across the heartland and hinterlands of India. Taking the euphoria to the next level, MANHATTAN SHORT India and Vivantaby Taj have co-launched their flagship ‘Vote for India’ initiative for the second consecutive year that empowers viewers and encourages participating film makers in equal measure. India’s leading alternate content pioneer and aggregator Pocket Films has also joined hands to power this edition.

Manhattan Short Film (1)Filmwalaexp

The organizers are calling the rest of India to share their voice and vote onmanhattanshortindia.com. MANHATTAN SHORT is that golden opportunity for some Indian film makers to make it big on the global film canvas and prove their mettle to the world. Hence for the viewers who love the short film medium, it is not just a vote but a responsibility to let the best talent shine through at the national as well the international level. For the viewers, it also means a chance to win exciting gifts and prizes.

Manhattan Short Film (2)Filmwalaexp

“Besides forming a jury comprising film stalwarts Sudhir MishraUma Da Cunha andShlok Sharma to select the best in class talent from all pockets of the country, MANHATTAN SHORT’s ‘Vote for India’ campaign empowers the content-focused short film audience to vote for India’s talent that represents the country and competes with global films for the coveted Manhattan Short title,” said Anil Sadarangani, Festival Director India.

Manhattan Short Film

“Vote for India is a strikingly novel move that takes the MANHATTAN SHORT’s Indian edition ahead of other film festivals. As the jury for the year, we have tried to do justice to the talent that we felt distinguished itself and now pass on this baton to the discerning Indian viewers,” said film industry veteran Uma Da Cunha. “It is upon the able shoulders of India to nominate India’s representation for the historic and one of the most iconic global short film festivals,”added film maker Sudhir Mishra.

Filmmaker Shlok Sharma, of upcoming movie HARAAMKHOR fame and one of the jury members for the 6th Manhattan Short in India shared, “Indian viewers share an inseparable bond with films. It is time we leverage that bond for collectively hand-picking those Indian short films that are worthy of not only representing India but also would encourage more and more Indian film-makers to come and voice themselves through their unique stories and ideas.” Saameer Mody, Managing Director, Pocket Films added, “There cannot be a better yardstick to identify talent than by incorporating audience voice and votes. I applaud MANHATTAN SHORT India and Vivanta by Taj for this one-of-its-kind campaign. Given our deep association with the short film genre, Pocket Films knows how fervent the short film fan base in India is.”

The films that have been shortlisted for voting include a walk down the school memories lane with ‘Aathmam’‘Aavrati’ that presents a teenage girl’s encounter with a good-hearted cop; a first-hand and unique account of the Bhopal tragedy in ‘Bhopal Diaries 2012’; Anshuman Chakraborty’s ‘Ei… Taxi…! (A Call To Kill)’; a story of a cursed mango tree in ‘Matsya Avathaaram’; Karan Tejpal’s ‘No Anaesthesia’; Ganesh Matkari’s  take on sexuality the glamour world ‘Shot’; and Pranav Harihar Sharma’s intriguing tale of a domestic violence victim, ‘Watermelon’‘Ab Rab Havale’ starring Farida Jalal, Anoop Soni, Inamulhaq, Shilpa Saklani and Pooja Joshi portrays a heart-wrenching tale of partition, and an exploration of love way past its ‘expiry’ date,‘El’ayichi’ starring Nimrat Kaur, Divyendu Sharma and Vibha Chibber  also feature among the top 10.

The last day for voters to cast their online vote on manhattanshortindia.com is 18thAugust, 2015.

“MANHATTAN SHORT is a space that matters to the loyal viewer base as much as it does to the participants. After all, the endeavor is to distinguish the best from the rest. Like us, the audience too won’t leave any stone unturned to give MANHATTAN SHORT India edition those worthy Indian films that make it to the global top 10,” shared Nicholas Mason, founding Festival Director, from New York.

“The Vote for India initiative was conceived by Vivanta by Taj to discover bright young filmmakers through a completely democratic live voting model to showcase their films. We created this powering website to extend the exciting story of Manhattan Short and get our fans and patrons to engage with some of the smartest short films.  The ambition is to get an Indian filmmaker to win the global award,” said Manojeet Bhujbal, General Manager- Marketing, Vivanta by Taj – Hotels and Resorts.

For the viewers too, ‘Vote for India’ is sure to be a rewarding campaign loaded with chances to win exciting prizes. To cast your vote and win prizes, visit: www.manhattanshortindia.com

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