ASIFF Returns to the Irvington Theater April 26

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A still from Madhu (Honey), directed by Tanmay Chowdhary and Tanvi Chowdhary, featured as part of As iFF 2025. (Credit: Tanmay Chowdhary and Tanvi Chowdhary)

April 6, 2025

By Shana Liebman–

ASIFF, the internationally renowned film festival,returns to Irvington’s Town Hall Theater, its historic venue, after a 5-year hiatus. The annual festival of animated, live-action, and documentary shorts from around the world, which ran from 2015 to 2020, will grace the Irvington stage again on April 26th with a stellar lineup of films.

And full disclosure: This is my first year as the director of this highly acclaimed festival. Laurie Chock, who brilliantly founded ASIFF, handed me the reins when she resigned from the Irvington Theater Commission a few years ago.

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After the Irvington Theater reopened last fall, I gathered a mighty team of producers to scour the world for the best, new, short (1-20 minute) films that fit the 2025 theme of “Take Two” (i.e. refresh, renewal, restart, recovery, revive, reopen, etc.). After months of seeking, finding, and viewing hundreds of hours of film, we hand-picked eleven fantastic shorts, which span the genre gamut and hail from Iran and India, Australia, the UK, and the US.

A still from Curiosa, directed by Tessa Moult-Milewska, featured as part of As iFF 2025. (Credit: Tessa Moult-Milewska)

The lineup includes Favourites (dir. Nick Russell and Nick Musgrove); Curiosa (dir. Tessa Moult-Milewska); 3.400KG (dir. Atefeh Nafari); Le Parrot (dir. Rachael Sonnenberg); A Cow in the Sky (dir. C. Fraser Press and Darren Press); Make It Last Forever (dir. Julia Sub, music by Darryl Rahn); Voice Activated (dir. Steve Anthopoulos); Madhu (Honey) (dir. Tanmay Chowdhary and Tanvi Chowdhary); Terminally Ill (dir. Chris Cole); Your Loving Mother (dir. Cristina Zar); and Love to the Max (dir. Tanya Selvaratnam and Rose Bush). (Read the synopsis of each film at www.irvingtontheater.com/events/asiff2025.)

A still from A Cow in the Sky, directed by C. Fraser Press and Darren Press, featured as part of As iFF 2025. (Credit: C. Fraser Press and Darren Press)

In ASIFF tradition, ticket holders will vote via QR code for “Audience Award for Best Film” while the all-star jury – comprised of filmmakers, producers, editors, and actors including John Bardin, Beverly Chase, Laurie Chock, Carolina Heller, Tom Heller, Stephen Hill, Aaron Lubarsky, Ali Moss, Hal & Marilyn Weiner, and Ernestine White-Mifetu – will hand out awards for Best Directing, Best Editing, and the Best Use of the Short Form (a new award called “The Irvie”).

A still from Voice Activated, directed by Steve Anthopoulos, featured as part of As iFF 2025. (Credit: Steve Anthopoulos)

Many of the award-winning filmmakers will be in attendance on April 26, and after the screening, Andy Ferguson, a filmmaker and member of the Irvington Theater Commission, will moderate a short Q&A with them. The event will be followed by an after-party at Mima Vinoteca.

Beer, wine, and (of course) popcorn will be available for purchase at the festival.

ASIFF 2025 premieres on Saturday, April 26 at 7 pm (85 Main Street, Irvington, NY 10533). Tickets start at $30 and can be purchased at irvingtontheater.com/events/asiff2025.

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