Filmgoers in Point Arena will join audiences in more than 300 venues on six continents to judge the work of the next generation of filmmakers when the 20th Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival screens at Arena Theater’s Film Club this Monday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and free admission for Arena Theater members does not apply for this event.

Each audience member will receive a ballot upon entry that allows them to vote for Best Film and Best Actor. Votes will be sent to Manhattan Short, with winners announced at ManhattanShort.com on Monday, Oct. 9, at 10 a.m. EST.

This year’s ten finalists hail from nine countries ranging from comedy, drama, horror, Science Fiction, animation, and martial arts films. Syria, Latvia and Georgia will represent their countries for the first time while Spain has entered two shorts. The 2017 line-up includes “Do No Harm” (New Zealand), “Behind” (Spain), “Fickle Bickle” (USA), “Hope Dies Last” (United Kingdom), “The Perfect Day” (Spain), “Just Go!” (Latvia), “Mare Nostrum” (Syria), “Viola, Franca” (Italy), “In a Nutshell” (Switzerland), and “8 Minutes” (Georgia). All entries are eligible for an Academy Award nomination.

MANHATTAN SHORT is the only event of its kind that will be shown simultaneously across the world during a one-week period, with the Best Film and Best Actor awards determined by ballots cast by the audiences in each participating cinema.