May 25th 2:45pm
Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World
1h 46m | NR
VESELKA: THE RAINBOW ON THE CORNER AT THE CENTER OF THE WORLD is the story of New York City’s beloved Ukrainian restaurant Veselka and its father and son proprietors, Tom and Jason Birchard. When Jason graduated college without a vision for his future, Tom brings him into the family business. Jason learns that Tom’s dedication to Veselka produces delicious food that satisfies a colorful cast of neighbors and newcomers, but this leaves little time for Tom to be “dad” at work.
In 2020, Jason takes ownership of Veselka from his reluctant-to-retire father. He has large shoes to fill, but Jason’s biggest challenge becomes the war in Ukraine. He is unexpectedly thrust into the role of surrogate father to support his Ukrainian staff impacted by the war. Jason must explore his past working relationship with his own dad to “feed” his war-torn team as he keeps his business afloat.
Narrated by Golden Globe Winner and Little Ukraine native David Duchovny, VESELKA: THE RAINBOW ON THE CORNER AT THE CENTER OF THE WORLD is a thoughtful exploration and celebration of family and community, chronicling Jason’s journey to connect with his loving yet detail-focused dad as he reignites his Grandfather’s pro-Ukraine goals behind his creation of Veselka in 1954. For 70 years, Veselka has been the vibrant and welcoming heart of the community and now its role, and Jason’s, is more vital than ever.
May 24th 7pm
NYC Short Film Showcase
1h 46m | NR
The Monolith by Angelo J. Guglielmo Jr.: Pioneering NYC artist, Gwyneth Leech, enters a midtown art studio only to find that her skyline view will soon be blocked by the construction of a high-rise hotel. As the perspective out her window permanently shifts, so does the artist’s point of view.
The Gallerist by Adam H. Holoubek: A film-noir short film about a painter who is visited by her former lover. What ensues during the visit is a fragmentary daydream filled with a yearning to hold onto what is left.
Perros Sin Amor/Loveless Dogs by Christina Sots: An artist’s search for love of her painting.
Nothing Will Ever Be the Same by Matthew Handal: An urban “Stand by Me” crossed with the Little Rascals. Eleven-year-old Marty and Miguel are best friends learning to navigate the adult world at the end of the school year and beginning of summer in 1964 Brooklyn. It’s all fun and games with a hint of the problems to come.
Lunch Date by Donnie Banks: When a dating site employee becomes smitten by the developer, his coworker tries to help him overcome his insecurities, and the douchey HR guy, to ask her out.
IMPLOSIONS by Lisa Sherman: In her attempts to do her homework, a bright yet struggling teen finds herself in a battle for her life.
We Just Clicked by Mary Wojcik: Fi and Jan are waitresses at a small family restaurant who have known each other for over a decade. Through the good times and bad, they prove that anyone – no matter the age difference – can become true friends.
The Boys Of Late Summer by Roger Hendricks Simon and Pedro Padilla: A documentary that celebrates the vibrant community of senior softball players who continue to passionately play the sport they love, defying expectations and finding joy in the game.
Q&A w/ FIlmmakers
Coming May 27th 12:15pm
Make Me Famous
1h 33min | NR
Make Me Famous offers a unique lens into the rise and fall of the East Village art scene in 1980s New York City, centering on the little-known neo-expressionist painter Edward Brezinski. Premiering at the New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival, this evocative documentary received acclaim from critics and provides a compelling exploration of art, fame, and the cultural landscape of its era.
Q&A with Filmmakers will follow the screening.
Coming June 9th 3:15PM
Julia Scotti: Funny That Way
1h 14m | NR
With breathtaking emotional honesty, this tender, funny, and powerful portrait of transgender comedian Julia Scotti explores the unrelenting courage and humor it takes to be Julia. In the comedy boom of the 1980’s Rick Scotti was a busy guy–appearing in clubs across the country, on bills with Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld, when he came to the dawning realization that nothing felt right. At a time when the words gender dysphoria and gender reassignment surgery were rarely heard, Rick’s true awakening at age forty-seven led to a new identity as Julia Scotti. And then everyone turned away–former wives, friends, family, comedy world buddies, and most painfully Julia was shut out from any contact with her children. Julia reinvented herself, spent a decade teaching, and then several years ago, stepped back on stage and began her journey back to the world she loves, and her children reached out to her after 15 years of silence. Shot over a period of five years, the film tracks Julia’s triumphant comeback and the complex process of reuniting with her children, as comedy becomes the shared language of identity, healing, and joy.
Post film discussion with the writer and director Susan Sandler and special guests, Julie Klausner and Julia Scotti.
Susan Sandler is an American writer and currently a professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has numerous writing credits but is probably best known for her play Crossing Delancey, which she also adapted into a film with the same name starring Amy Irving and directed by Joan Micklin Silver.
Julie Klausner created the Hulu series “Difficult People.” She wrote two books, hosted the How Was Your Week podcast and currently co-hosts the Double Threat podcast with Tom Scharpling. She writes for television, film and theater and frequently performs live solo shows in New York City, where she lives.
Julia Scotti is a remarkably busy lady. In addition to being the central character in this acclaimed documentary and performing standup coast to coast, you have seen her on AGT, the “Today Show with Hoda and Jenna” and on Showtime where she was featured on the “More Funny Women of a Certain Age” special. You can see Julia starring as Joy in the short film drama “Relatable Joy,” in the Judd Apatow/Universal Pictures film “Bros,” starring Billy Eichner and in the upcoming film “Babes” with Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau.
