The eighth annual New York City Indie Theatre Film Festival returned this year and ran from February 15 through February 18 at the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at the A.R.T/New York Theatres at 502 West 53^rd Street in Manhattan.  Here are some reviews of a portion of the shorts.  There are 34 films in all.  Click here for more information and to see the winners of the festival.

Lindsey Hope Pearlman and Sean Welski’s Placemat

Sometimes life can become a mundane daily grind.

Fueled by an upbeat and ultramodern score by Andrew Lynch, Lindsey Hope Pearlman as Lindsey fantasizes about a rich and exciting existence.    Wearing glasses and a blue and yellow floral blouse by Elizabeth May, Placemat takes a humorous look at finding excitement in the little things with an effective twist.

Reilly Anspaugh and Daniel Rashid’s Chauncey

Zoe has a new boyfriend, but is also hiding a secret.

A different take on a coming of age tale blended with rom-com energy fueled by Daniel Rashid’s vintage, playful and catchy soundtrack, Chauncey is a charming story featuring Reilly Anspaugh, Daniel Rashid, Miya Kodama and Doug Tompos about what it is to reveal the real you and some things one does not have to outgrow.

Overdue

Two people facing a tough time encounter each other in a bar.  Louis Robert King’s bluesy soundtrack and Jeanine Bartel and Howard Hendrix Powell’s playful chemistry make this production shine.  Directed insightfully by Melissa Skirboll, Overdue boasts a myriad of meanings for two people searching for hope.

Anna Capunay’s Your Silent Face

Sometimes music can create change.  Your Silent Face focuses on a Peruvian mother, depicted by Anna Capunay, who is struggling with the decisions happening within her family.  Though the production addresses trauma, mental illness and depicts some family turmoil, Your Silent Face expresses each character’s point of view in a balanced manner.  The production is lightened by the upbeat and retro rhythms of the Bootblacks.

Michael Quinn’s Brooding

Brooding is a searing drama and horror story about a talented nature photographer named Tara who is struggling.  Her boyfriend Matthew, portrayed with a mix of stoicism and concern by Joseph Basquill, wants to get to the bottom of it.  With an eerie sound design by Bailee Herrera, music by Griffin Robillard, and sound mixing by Devin Greenwood, Brooding has squeamish and haunting moments boasted by the cold stare, exhaustive mood swings and explosive temper notably portrayed by Hadley Durkee as Tara with an ending difficult to see coming.

Kwame Berry’s Ursula

Presented at first as a True Hollywood Story, Ursula is a drama about grief and trauma as a family fights over what to do with the family house. 

Tiffany Adams depicts tough and driven screen star Ursula with finesse and LaVeda Davis makes a brief but lasting impression as Ms. Tate.  Based on Kwame Berry’s Ursula:  A Dysfunction in Two Acts, Kwame Berry’s complex portrayal as quiet, sympathetic, and mysterious Dominic make the character easy to root for as the production progresses.  With an eerie and foreboding score by Vin Scialla and Darius James, Ursula is presented with originality, intrigue and a thought provoking revelation.

Rachel Handler’s Unlucky in Love

With upbeat direction by Catriona Rubenis-Stevens, Unlucky in Love is a lighthearted musical foray into one small town flash mob planner’s search for love with engaging narration by Imani Barbarin as Lucy Loveless.  Rachel Handler as sensible Lisa Edmunds and Lashi as Wendy Lindell share breezy chemistry with a meaningful conclusion.

The eighth annual New York City Indie Theatre Film Festival returned this year and ran from February 15 through February 18 at the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at the A.R.T/New York Theatres at 502 West 53^rd Street in Manhattan.  Here are some reviews of a portion of the shorts.  There are 34 films in all.  Click here for more information and to see the winners of the festival.