This post was written by Hatchet reporter Tatiana Cirisano

In a scene from the short film “I Am a Great Big Ball of Sadness,” a chat between three guests at a glamorous roof-top party reveals what we all truly want to say when forced to make small talk.

The short, filmed entirely on an iPhone, is now among the 10 finalists to be broadcasted to over 100,000 viewers as part of the annual Manhattan Short Film Festival.

Since its establishment in 1998, the festival has branded itself as the “World’s First Global Film Festival,” featuring short films from directors around the world in a contest contingent on a public vote.

After starting in New York City, and eventually branching out to seven other cities in 2004, the festival now plays annually in 300 cities across six continents. This year, the festival received 628 entries from 48 countries around the globe, out of which 10 finalists were chosen.

The festival makes its D.C. debut Thursday at Landmark E Street Cinema at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. For $13.50, ticket holders can vote on their favorite piece after the screenings. The festival’s founder Nicholas Mason said he never votes.

“That would be like a mother or father voting on their favorite child,” he said.

Mason said the turning point for the festival occurred 12 days after 9/11, when its Union Square setting ended up as the same place where groups of New Yorkers gathered together in mourning, drawing interest from the press.

“We were in the right place at the wrong time,” Mason said.