Manchester's Second International Film Festival Kicks Off Today

Manchester’s second International Film Festival kicks off tonight, bringing all the magic and more that last year’s inaugural festival brought.

Today

Tonight is Animation Night, starting at 7:30 pm with 23 animation shorts representing 8 countries. The first block of animated shorts starts with a locally-created film about the fall of the iconic Old Man on the Mountain.

Later in the evening, the first two awards will be given out for animation, and the animation block will close with two special shorts: one that is co-narrated by local favorite Fritz Wetherbee, and another that was a 1999 Sundance Film Festival Winner.

All are then invited to the filmmaker meet and greet at City Hall Pub after the film screenings.

Friday

Friday brings New England Short Films and Comedy and opens with a special short shot right in Manchester, in collaboration with emerging filmmakers from SNHU.

The feature presentation of the evening is a special film called Being Robin - a “A love letter to Robin Williams, based on true events,” and an Honorable Mention winner at the Big Apple Film Festival.

After Being Robin’s post-screening Q&A with Director Roger Kabler, the audience is invited to the night’s Afterparty at City Hall Pub.

Saturday

The final day of the film festival features 12 films, spanning 7 countries. Three local films are featured - two from New Hampshire, and one documentary exploring the music scene of Boston in the 80s.

The feature film and event of the night is a screening of 1980’s The Blue Brothers, followed by a live performance from Blues Brothers The Next Generation, and the afterparty at City Hall Pub.

The night also features one more special event - An Evening with Kevin Pollak, who is known for his stand-up comedy, films such as The Usual Suspects and Casino, and the beloved show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Tickets are available as day passes, which are good for all events that day, except for the feature screening of The Blues Brothers and An Evening with Kevin Pollak. Tickets purchased for either of those special events include a day pass to all 3 days' worth of events.