Arts & Entertainment – All Shorts Irvington Film Festival Celebrates Female Filmmakers May 6
The All Shorts Irvington Film Festival (As iFF) presents its season finale, “As iFF the Lens Can’t Shift: Filmmaking Through Women’s Eyes” at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 6 at the Irvington Town Hall Theater. Seven short films from countries including France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, and the United States will be screened, ranging in length from 11 to 23 minutes. As iFF Official Selections – one documentary, one animated, and five narrative short films — have been curated and judged by an esteemed jury of film professionals. Audience members will have a chance to choose their favorite by voting for the “Audience Choice Award” at the end of the evening.
The May 6th festival features the screening of a world premiere from France, two U.S. premieres, and films that have won major awards at Berlin, Tribeca, Melbourne and other prestigious international film festivals. Most have never before been seen in New York.
The selected films are: Planter les Choux (Just Like Us) by Karine Blanc; Reality + by Coralie Fargeat; Love by Réka Bucsi; Underwater by Virginie Caloone; Invisible by Zofia Pregowska; Bal de Famille (Family Dancing) by Stella di Tocco; and The Good Boy by A. Lauren Lee.
As iFF producers received a myriad of submissions from female filmmakers around the world; creating a two-hour program was an inspiring task given the outstanding quality of submissions.
While cinema has long been considered a male-dominated industry, the depth and talent of female filmmakers is vast. Said As iFF festival director Laurie Chock, “We, the producers of As iFF, are determined to offer a wide range of storytelling, which is why we enthusiastically decided to highlight short films made by women as the theme of our May 6th festival.”
The Irvington Town Hall Theater (ITHT) Commission debuted the Best of Film Series in the fall of 2009. Last November, the film series producers launched As iFF, which premiered to a sold-out audience of over 400 filmgoers. An equally successful second festival, “A Love Letter to Short Film,” followed in February, presenting an array of variations on the topic of love. “As with the theme of love in February, audience members will find that the theme of women filmmakers is incredibly rich and diverse,” said ITHT manager, Gregory Allen.
In addition to festival director Chock, producers of As iFF are Irvington residents Alison Cooper-Mullin, Paula Romanow Etzel, Jennifer Moldow, Beth Ryan, Lisa Zeitz, and Hastings-on-Hudson resident Carol Hayward.
Following the screening, there will be a Q & A with actors and filmmakers. All audience members are then invited to an after-party at an Irvington restaurant. General admission tickets for As iFF can be purchased in advance online at $15; “Above the Line” tickets at $30 include admission, special seating, and “a cool piece of swag.” More information about the festival and film selections can be found at www.asiffestival.com.
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