If the United Nations was a cinema event, it would be the Manhattan Short Film Festival.

The annual screening, described by festival organizers as the “United Nations of film festivals,” returns to State College for another round of short films made by filmmakers from around the world.

According to the festival’s website, the event is a “chance to see the next generation of filmmakers” and, out of the festival’s 13 years, six entries have been nominated for short-film category Oscars.
Festival founder and director Nicholas Mason said the event will be held in more than 200 cities worldwide to view and judge the works.

“While the goal of any festival is to discover and promote new talent, the real aim of this festival is to bring communities together via stories,” Mason said.

Each film is less than 18 minutes long and originate from diverse countries including Peru, Sweden, Hungary and Egypt. Of course, the United States is represented with two entries, “Sexting” and “David and Goliath.”

“Incident by a Bank” (Sweden)

The director prefaces the film by reminding watchers to pay specific attention to the details of the film.

What starts out as a benign conversation between two mild men quickly turns into a bizarre perspective on  (what I assume to be) a bank robbery. The entire film is one steady shot which provides a jarring yet intriguing viewpoint. It starts slow but immediately picks up with somewhat bizarre action.

I wondered aloud what  was going on and was struck by the detached ambiguity of the two “protagonists,” who essentially provide comic relief to an otherwise tense situation.

The director’s point about keeping “attention to the details” paid off in sometimes humorous ways, while other detailed moments provided near horrific consequences to passers-by.

“Dik” (Australia)

Yeah, it’s probably pronounced just like you’d think ... maybe.

The film focuses on a little boy’s school art project. He is asked to draw a picture of what he did over the weekend. He brings it home to show his parents, who see what may (or may not) be a drawing of playing soccer with the caption “I lik ribin tims dik.” That and other “clues” lead the boy’s parents to discuss their son’s sexuality as well as their own sexual past.

The conversation takes an odd turn that at first seems humorous then evolves into a somewhat serious discussion on the double standards of hetero/homosexuality and the differences between male and female sexuality. It takes a provocative approach to some of the norms and judgments of modern sexuality.

The juxtaposition of the parents against their young son makes for a memorable and unfortunate play of events that feels like it could be a sketch comedy if it weren’t so tragic.

Interesting movie? Yes. Winning an Oscar any time soon? Maybe not.

“The Legend of Beaver Dam” (Canada)

The directors warn that this film isn’t appropriate for children. It contains violence, adult language and all other kinds of gruesome things. Awesome.

The story, as revealed in the opening, is about some campers and their counselor who were butchered at the Beaver Dam Wilderness Reserve. Immediately, the film feels tense and somewhat disturbing. What starts as an innocent story of some kids around a campfire quickly turns into an over-the-top, disturbing, hilariously schlocky fright fest.

Homage to the traditional camp horror movies combined with the classic elements of rock opera give this movie a unique appeal to lovers of comedy, horror and straight-up rock epics.

With a screaming-rock soundtrack, the film later takes a disturbing twist leaving any cult horror or heavy metal aficionado satisfied.

“I Love Luci” (Scotland)

No Lucille Ball? No Desi? From the opening shot, it was clear this wasn’t the classic TV sitcom I’d grown up watching. Opening with a somewhat gruesome series of shots, the film has a quirky presence and made me wonder if I was watching a comedy or a drama.

The film follows the path of two seemingly recovering drug addicts. The female lead, Marjory, is a toothless girl searching for her dog, Luci, while the male lead, Tommy, is clearly on the hunt for his missing bike as well as Marjory’s affections.

Often comical and constantly relatable, this short follows these two hapless heroes through their mission and shows the bleak underside of life with humor and whimsy. With tight cinematography and likable actors, it’s a great outing. Being both harsh and humorous, this movie could easily pick up some awards when the season is right.

“Sexting” (U.S.A)

This movie stars Julia Stiles. Wait, what? As in “10 Things I Hate About You” Julia Stiles? Yes, as in those “Bourne” movies Julia Stiles?

The film, shot in black and white, is essentially a monologue from Stiles’ character as she sits on the patio of a restaurant with another woman. The conversation is an awkward example of a mistress’ confession to her lover’s wife about their affair.

Stiles plays to her neurotic side with great aplomb, showing a side not generally featured in her major roles. With a run time of about eight minutes, “Sexting” relies solely on Stiles’ high-caliber abilities. At times funny and other times tragic and sad, the film blends snark and sexuality in a rather bleak interpretation of modern love.

“Martyr Friday” (Egypt)

Chronicling this year’s uprising in Cairo, this film takes a bold look at revolution through news footage and on-location shots of he city. Through powerful images, this short shows the Egyptian people’s proud spirit and their massive dissatisfaction with the regime in power.

“The Forest” (Hungary)
Honestly, I don’t think I had any idea what was going on for the first half of this film. This black-and-white film invokes a vague sense of fear and desperation. Very little dialogue or explanation inhabit this film which adds to its overall melancholic atmosphere.

Without getting in to too much detail, this film stuck out amongst the rest of the pack with a Hitchcock-like level of tension and suspense without really defining a plot; the film is more just a series of events and their affect on the protagonist.

The acting is subtle and well-delivered, even with almost no dialogue. I would absolutely recommend it, but again I don’t exactly know why.

“A Doctor’s Job” (Peru)

Centering on a doctor in Peru, this film delves into the ethical and moral ambiguities of life as a “healer.” The doctor, moonlighting as a cab driver, is quickly revealed to be supporting his ailing mother. The mother is in a health-care facility with a past-due balance which may mean her eviction unless the bill is rectified. Along his route, the doctor is presented with an ethical dilemma that proves quite dangerous but also potentially quite profitable.

This isn't a simple "rob from the rich, give to the poor" scenario, but it does bear similar motifs. With an open ending, this film moves fast and tightly crams what could easily develop into a feature film into 10 and a half minutes. Sharp dialogue and a provocative story make this one of the festival's strongest outings.

“David and Goliath” (U.S.A.)

You wouldn't expect an American submission to take audiences back to Nazi-occupied Germany, but that's exactly what this film does. The story centers around a Jewish man on the run from the Nazis who befriends a dog and, with the animal's help, evades capture. Reminiscent of the opening scene of Quentin Tarantino's remake of "Inglorious Basterds," the tension is palpable from the get go.

The knowledge of the brutality of the Nazi party in World War II paints a perfect landscape for this sole man on the run for his life. It's a classic story of unlikely friendship and the bizarre, sometimes instant bond between humans and animals. The film has no subtitles save for the few German bits, so freshen up on your Deutsch before heading to the fest for this one.

Easily, the best best part of this movie was the brief interview section at the end with the real-life protagonist of the film and his story of reunion with the German farmer who owned the dog. This interview paints a very human face on this short and delivers a powerful, emotional ending. This section alone could tip the scale to make this the best entry in the festival.

“Mak” (Switzerland)

This movie is about the difficult choice, not of raising a newborn baby but instead giving up the child. Impressively, the movie uses a real baby rather than relying on special effects or older children meant to look younger.

The dialogue is sparse (oftentimes non-existent) and invokes a palpable sense of desperation. Ilinkais the baby’s mother and is only 14 years old. The movie tugs at the heartstrings enough to ignore the poorly translated subtitles (complete with a few spelling errors) while still presenting an uneasy, unnerving atmosphere.

Audiences will easily identify with Ilinka as the protagonist and seeing her struggle through this film is somewhat inspiring. Ultimately, she decides her baby’s fate, but clearly I won’t give away the ending. The movie’s definitely a tear-jerker all around.

So, what’s my pick for best film? Wouldn’t you like to know.

The Manhattan Short Film Festival will be screened at 4 and 7 p.m. at the State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave., State College. Call 272-0606 or visit www.thestatetheatre.org for more information.