Asbury Shorts, New York City’s longest-running short-film exhibition, reels into Kaufman Astoria Studios in Astoria on Thursday, Oct. 19, and Friday, Oct. 20. The same lineup of globally honored shorts will screen at 7:30 pm on both nights. Co-presented by The Astor Room, the pieces are recommended for ages 16 and way above.
Currently known as “The Asbury Shorts Concerts,” this festival combines world-renowned treasures from the past with current festival winners, providing a rare opportunity to watch elite, international films on a real cinema screen, rather than YouTube, smart phones or computers. Academy Award-nominated director Jason Reitman (JUNO, Up in the Air, Thank You for Smoking, and Young Adult) calls the extravaganza “The best short film show I’ve ever seen.”
Highlights of the upcoming festival include:
• The Quality of Mercy, an international film festival winner by NY-based director Stephen Marro. Tony- and Emmy-winning actress Mary Louise Parker (Showtime’s Weeds) stars as a struggling thespian who accidentally shares a café table with the head New York Times theater critic.
• Dad in Mum from French director Fabrice Baracq. Two incredibly cute young sisters wake up in the middle of the night to strange sounds coming from their parents’ bedroom…they must investigate!
Asbury Shorts has presented at The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Lake Shore Theatre in Chicago, Central Park’s SummerStage, Director’s Guild Theater in Manhattan, The AERO Theatre in Santa Monica, Royal Festival Hall in London, The Vero Beach Museum of Art in Florida, and the Leminske Theater in Berlin.
Located at 35-11 35th Ave., The Astor Room’s legacy began in the 1920s, when it was the commissary to the studio for Hollywood icon Adolph Zukor. Rudolph Valentino, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, and W.C. Fields filmed there, and all made their way to the commissary to enjoy a meal or raise a glass. Original architectural details, such as the marble staircase, were once trod upon by the likes of Claudette Colbert, Edward G. Robinson, Tallulah Bankhead, and the Marx Brothers.
General tickets cost $15 and can be reserved at http://asburyshortsastoria1.brownpapertickets.com for the Oct. 19 show and http://asburyshortsastoria2.brownpapertickets.com for Oct. 20. Tickets can be purchased at the door with cash on both nights.