New Plaza Cinema NYC Short Film Showcase will be Friday, March 27 at 7pm. This 113 minute presentation will be in New Plaza Cinema @Macauley Honors College. Guest curator Michael Jacobsohn, has been leading the efforts to showcase New York Filmmaker's short films as part of New Plaza community programming. The focus is to give NYC filmmakers a platform to share their art with the community. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. This will be the third anniversary of short films by New York Metropolitan's filmmakers.
Macauley Honors College is located at 35 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023.
Programmed short films:
"Diddler on the Roof" by Jeremy Newberger: From atop the White House Donald Trump distracts and denies, a song and dance all too familiar. But such is the job of the Diddler on the Roof.
"Sofie and the Flying Bug" by Andrew Jason Kra: The world's best cat video.
"Hostile and Suggestive Word Play" by Daniel Berman: A deranged panel of claymation weirdos examines everyday language and finds depravity everywhere. In this "AI Real" comedic animated short, Daniel Berman turns innocent words and phrases into absurd case studies of imagined violence, sex, and stupidity. The film's visuals are built from Berman's own doodles and scribbles.
"Everywhere At Once" by Alan Berliner: A musical montage, a synchronized symphony composed from my 16mm found footage archive and a large collection of found musical fragments. A journey in images at the speed of sound.
"La Cafeteria" by Tom Ryan: It's 1984 and four pre-teen best friends are enjoying a carefree day of arcade games and most importantly, a first kiss for one of them before their lives are forever changed as they witness a horrific event at the hands of their fathers. Taking place in a real place and inspired by actual events and people, "La Cafeteria" explores the beginnings of the Cuban mafia in Hudson County, NJ.
"VERITIS VERITAS" by Sherry Erskine & Bonnie Sue Stein: Filmed on location in Skein, Norway, VERITIS VERITAS is a dream-like depiction of a legendary 12th century abbey and its cloister of badass healers and quiet resisters; traversing their sanctuary island in walking meditation, collecting medicinal herbs and contemplating peace.
"Detained" by Khushnuda Shukurova: When two Syrian siblings finally receive permission to join their father in the United States, their arrival coincides with a shifting political tide, placing their long-awaited reunion in jeopardy.
"Daniel. Noah" by Daniel Goldberg: Noah, a neurotic writer, spends his time idling in a New York townhouse owned by his mother Carla, where he lives alone–until his childhood friend Daniel moves in.
"Diva" by Jonathan Fine: The music video for "Diva" shows a day in the life of a quintessential diva (Ballroom legend Lolita Leopard), who with unapologetic glamour and confidence turns the bustling streets of NYC into her own personal runway before stunning the audience at a Ball.
"Order My Steps" written by Kathryn Grant and directed by Augusta Palmer: An incarcerated woman reaches out to her daughter after 20 years of silence.
"Vishuddha / Pau" by Leslie Arlette Boyce: With continuous images of water flowing throughout the larger project "As Seen By Others / And Then What Is," the segment "Vishuddha / Pau" is performed by former Pina Bausch dancer Pau Aran Gimeno on a beach off the coast of Barcelona, in his home country of Catalonia. A region with a long history of fighting for recognition and distinction from the rest of Spain, Catalonia has sought autonomy through its language and culture. Pau responds through movement to the segment of the text that refers to the throat and its spiritual significance.
"2+2" by Benita Raphan: Explores the mind of Nobel Prize-winning economist John Nash, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in the 1950s shortly after writing his brilliant text "Essays on Game Theory." It is the second in a series of short experimental documentary or "genius films" made by Benita, entitled "They Were The Future."
"Spring" by Deborah Harse: Shot in Central Park during the pandemic spring of 2020. I got the idea to do it on Earth Day given that the park was pretty much the only place I went during the pandemic, aside from grocery shopping. Though our daily lives had been greatly modified, spring in the park had not been cancelled and New Yorkers treasured its natural beauty all the more. The music is excerpted from John Coltrane's version of "My Favorite Things."
"Subway: Saying Hi to the Pretty Girl: What Is the Worst That Can Happen?" by Daniel Berman: In this "AI Real" comedic animated short, Daniel Berman follows a low-self-esteem defeatist with an overactive imagination as he spirals into catastrophic, world-ending fantasies over one simple question: what happens if he finally works up the courage to say an innocent "hi" to the pretty girl he sees on the subway every day? A neurotic montage ensues. The film's visuals are built from Berman's own doodles and scribbles.
"The Great Fatsby" by Jeremy Newberger: A Cole Porter–style musical romp through Trump's gilded Gatsby fantasy, where greed glitters, democracy wilts, and everyone's in on the grift. Champagne, chaos, and Cole Porter rhythm collide in this Jazz Age fever dream.
"Reflexing" by Birgit Nagele: "You cannot share your life with a dog...or a cat, and not know perfectly well that animals have personalities and minds and feelings."-Jane Goodall (1934-2025)