Every time I go to a film festival, the first thing I look for on the schedule is the comedy block.
Based on my experience, the block usually takes place in the early afternoon or crazy late at night. For some reason, my favorite genre always gets the short end of the stick in favor of dramas, horrors and docs.
I love you dramas, horrors and docs but that’s just wrong.
Thankfully, the New York Comedy Film Festival recognized this major oversight and built out an expansive, week-long experience showcasing only funny movies.
From Feb. 15-22, co-founders Norm Laviolette, Bob Melley, Jess Domain and Steve Eliau programmed features, shorts, documentaries, pilots and panels with big-name familiar faces like Will Forte, Fred Armisen, Leslie Jones, Judy Greer, David Krumholtz at Baruch College and The Asylum Theater (which used to be The PIT).
And I was fortunate enough to have the pleasure of catching the “Punch The Clock” shorts and the TV Episodic Trio Program on Saturday, Feb. 21.
Five films, three pilots. No duds.
All eight were excellent (as is often the case with comedy shorts at festivals). Here’s a bit about each of them.
Punching The Clock Shorts
According to a press release “these shorts turn the 9-to-5 grind into a playground of absurdity, proving that the real chaos isn’t after hours.”
What Does Our Company Actually Do?
Directed by Max Cohn and Ellie Sachs
Starring Richard Kind, Kareem Rahma, Martin Urbano, Julia Shiplett, Zach Schiffman, Ellie Sachs, Scott Cohen
Synopsis: The office attempts to carry out an important meeting, but are continually interrupted by Kyle’s father (Richard Kind).
My thoughts: Richard Kind has been popping up in short films left and right online these past few years, lending a major dose of legitimacy to up-and-comers’ work in the process. I loved him in “Proof of Concept,” “Night Session,” “Black Swell” and “What Cheer?” as well as in this quickie start-up satire produced by Stapelview. Here, he butts in and calls out Millennial/Gen Z BS at an ad agency his son with a broken arm works at (that happens to be populated by comedy ringers like Shiplett, Rahma, Urbano and Schiffman who are all great stand-ups). I love the Boomer justification for being there — ”I don’t want my son to inconvenience you in any way” — which elevated “WDOCAD?” from silly sketch to strong short.
How to watch: The entire 5.5-minute short can be seen here.
Busted!
Directed by Emily Everhard
Starring Sarah Adelman, Emil Wakim, Judy Gold, Savannah DesOrmeaux, Dan Toomey
Synopsis: By day, Sarah is a top scientist at a NYC sperm bank; by night, she’s chasing stand-up comedy—avoiding jokes about her day job. When a heckler pushes her to spill during her biggest set, the resulting viral video lands her in HR and costs her everything. Fired and exposed, Sarah learns that sometimes risking it all is the only way to find your voice. Based on a true story.
My thoughts: In the Q&A afterwards, star Sarah Adelman said this short marked her acting debut and I simply can’t believe that. Her go-for-broke, raunchy performance was easily one of the strongest I saw all evening. This is how stars are made. On a pure storytelling level, “Busted!” is a 13-minute epic that I’d classify as narratively tight, joke heavy and emotionally weighty as we watch a young person’s greatest fear come to life: losing a job because of something you posted on the internet. Brash and bold, “Busted!” is the definition of a crowd pleaser.
How to watch: A raucous one-minute trailer is available on YouTube.
The Callback
Directed by Kara Herold
Starring Molly Densmore, Alice Schaerer, Thom Miller, Ricky Pak, Aizzah Fatima, Matthew Winning
Synopsis: A comedy about following a dream into a waking nightmare.
My thoughts: “The Callback” may have sneakily been the most subversive short of the bunch. The film tells the tale of a young actress looking for more subtext from the thinly-written roles she finds herself auditioning for on a daily basis. Loopy and charming, this smart industry send-up captures the pure giddiness one experiences when entering the creative arts before being bogged down by reality, logistics and plain, ol’ laziness. Also, it didn’t hurt that “The Callback” featured some of the most expressive animation and graphics I’ve seen all year. Even the tongue-in-cheeks credits were a triumph. Viva la art!
How to watch: A clip tied to the La Femme Film Festival Instagram account can be found here.
Asian Male, 60s Lead
Directed by Charlotte Nicdao
Starring Alfred Nicdao, Molly Daniels, Don Bridges
Synopsis: 63-year-old Filipino-Australian actor Alex Montes is given 48 hours to prepare for the biggest opportunity of his life. But his scattered enthusiasm takes over and the rest of his life falls apart.
My thoughts: Interestingly enough, Asian Male, 60s Lead” was a mirror image of “The Callback.” However, instead of a disillusioned, young woman at the center, the Melbourne-based “AM60sL” (which happens to be directed by “Mythic Quest” star Charlotte Nicdao and starring her father Alfred) features a man in his 60s clinging to an acting dream while working at a bustling coffee shop. I’d argue this short was the most subdued and philosophical of the block; more a sad but sweet character study than bust-your-gut laugh riot. That’s not to say there weren’t major pops though; every time the lead actor came into his own while practicing his audition monologue, the audience doubled over and the story soared. Also, major props to the colorist. My God, Nicdao’s coffee shop was teeming with life as the rich browns and oranges practically jumped off the screen. One final kudo to the director for not showing her father’s actual audition and leaving us wondering how he performed. Quiet, subtle choice. Actually, another thing! The end credits gimmick in this film was as innovative as “The Callback’s.” Good night for great credits.
How to watch: Not available: You can find the short’s Film Freeway account here.
Greetings
Directed by Stephanie Bencin
Starring Tabitha Vidaurri, Tiffany Elle, Julia Kelly, Ally Condrath, Caitlin Bitzegaio, Michael Hartney
Synopsis: Greetings follows Trish, a shy office worker who discovers that whatever she writes in coworkers’ birthday cards comes true. When her own birthday is forgotten, she uses this power to get revenge on her toxic workplace—only to be overtaken by her long-held resentments.
My thoughts: The evening’s off-kilter closer was easily the most surreal of the bunch. Director Bencin took a personal anecdote (having her birthday forgotten) and turned a fun tale into a full-on, candy-colored, comic vision. Gloriously odd yet endlessly punchy, “Greetings” is made up of a cast of future stars that ought to be popping up in sitcoms in the near future and if the industry is just in any way, Bencin will be writing and directing them. She’s a talent to look out for. SIDE NOTE: This movie might have the greatest poop joke I’ve ever seen. You’ll know it when you see it.
How to watch: Not available; short clips can be streamed here though.
Founder Norm Laviolette interviews the creative teams behind three of the five shorts (“Busted!,” “Greetings” and “The Callback”).
My biggest takeaway after watching?
All these movies were about how bailing on “punching the clock” and following your dreams is the way to live. Amen.
Once the credits rolled, three of the five directors shared the stage for a Q&A. They chatted about creative setbacks, happy accidents while in production and their inspiration. Most notably though, the Busted team shared that there’s a hospital in New Jersey with an abandoned wing that will let you film there for cheap. Now that’s a hot tip.
One 20-minute intermission later (that came with free vodka and edibles. Yes, really), we were all back in our seats for an impromptu awards ceremony because the oncoming blizzard pushed the schedule up a day. Rather than hand out trophies, the co-founders got creative and doled out drawings by third graders to the winners. Nice touch.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t familiar with any of the victors except the very funny Dan Perlman who was recognized for his light-as-air yet airtight confection Being Buble. If you haven’t had a chance to see the bizarrely fascinating 20-minute pic, treat yourself.
TV Episodic Trio Program
I wasn’t planning on staying for a second round but I ran into my ol’ pal Ben Wasserman (who starred in a goofy sketch of mine way back in 2015) who said he was in one of the pilots. Well, damn, I can’t pass that up.
So, at 10 pm, I parked myself into the Asylum’s stadium-style seating for a second screening. Here are my thoughts about the trio of shorts I witnessed to close the night.
Livvie Grace’s Bad Bitch Bucket List
Synopsis: A woman stuck in the monotony of adulthood finds her teenage bucket list and, guided by a manifestation of her rebellious younger self, embarks on a wild journey to complete it—risking everything she knows along the way.
My Thoughts: Right off the bat, this pilot established the world (affluent but dead-end suburbia), characters (snarky Millennials, an overbearing mom) and tone (let’s say PEN15 earnestness and awkwardness meets 30 Rock joke density). I was hooked. However, “LGBBBL” really takes flight when the story engine presents itself: our lost 30-something protagonist discovers a bucket list she wrote as a 16-year-old and uses that as a guide for how to live her life, along with the help of her actual teenage self who just so happens to be played by the show’s creator, writer and director. Sweet and sentimental, I could totally see this series catching on either on The CW, Hulu or Amazon Prime.
How To Watch: Sadly unavailable as of now.
How We Grieve
Directed by and starring Justin and Meghan Ross
Featuring Ben Wasserman
Synopsis: A docuseries hosted by two filmmaker siblings exploring all the ways people cope with grief and death across cultures and communities, hoping it helps them finally process their own grief and confront their immense fear of death. Even if it makes them super uncomfortable.
My Thoughts: Easily the heaviest watch of the night, “How We Grieve” is an amazing piece of edutainment marrying heartbreaking trauma with gallows humor to create a very bingeable piece of TV that also really works on the big screen. At the center of the production are the Ross siblings who share their story of loss (and gelati) before handing the reins over to the aforementioned Wasserman. Ben is one of the most essential and fearless live performers I’ve ever bore witness to; he breathes humanity into everything he touches and this pilot is no different. Interviews and clips of his live show are mesmerizing; he clearly processes the macabre in a way that’s all his own. “How We Grieve” is allegedly coming to PBS; I can’t wait for unsuspecting viewers to have their socks knocked off with this powerhouse.
How To Watch: I couldn’t track anything down but I did find this Instagram post.
Gumshoes
Starring Dana Quercioli, Megan Hovde, Stephanie Weir
Synopsis: Sam and Paige are best friends who are obsessed with procedurals but bored with their lives, until they decide to stop watching crimes on tv, and start solving them in real life.
My Thoughts: Pound for pound, the most assured piece of comedy I saw all evening. Qercioli and Hovde have undeniable chemistry as the best pal leads but they also pepper in the world with gifted actors who can match their talents (my jaw dropped when Stephanie Weir appeared onscreen and proceeded to milk every line for all its worth). However, the rat-a-tat, rapid banter and sight gags (look out for a blink and you’ll miss it JK Rowling joke that you’ll never forget) is what really makes this pilot so aces. Netflix, HBO (or Netflix/HBO come next year), Hulu/Disney+, Mubi, grab this one ASAP. The untapped, woke elder Millennial/Gen X demographic will thank you.
How To Watch: The pilot’s Instagram will give you a taste of the creator’s goofy flavor.
And that was my New York Comedy Film Festival experience!
What’s new with me?
Well, my 2024 short “The Michael C. Jordan Theory” (starring Sami Bronowski and Anna Paone) was just selected for the Funny Under Fifteen Comedy Festival in Hamilton, NY. I finally put the trailer online, too. At the time of publication, the video has a cool ten views.
And my 2023 short “We Regret To Inform You” (featuring Michael Margetis, Anna Paone and CW Headley) will screen at Bernardsville, NJ’s Fence Sitter Film Festival on Sunday, April 26.
I’m currently in post on my 2025 flick “Just Jokes” (with Joey Rinaldi, Mary Houlihan, Dan Yang, Georgie Exinord, Matt Maran, Anna Paone and Fluke Human) about a roast battle gone wrong. You’ll be hearing a lot more about that one soon.
In the off chance, you missed my 2022 movie, “Dungeons” (led by Manny Simmons and Mecca McDonald) is now streaming on a little site called YouTube.
Oh! My sketch “Pearly Gates” recently went up at Sketch Mic. You can see that at the 46-minute mark here.
On social media, I’ve been heavily active on Letterboxd for a little over a year now. I post a film review daily there and use words like “obtuse.” My handle is TubiAppreciator. Please add me. There’s no online community I enjoy more and I follow back almost immediately.
I’m also very active on Threads. I bomb daily. Watch me spiral live!
…and I have a million other things in the works. I’m procrastinating on writing a feature, re-writing last year’s con man movie for a competition, producing my 2026 short, putting sketches on the web, getting 15K steps a day, being a dad and husband. Stuff like that. Trying to stay busy!
Wanna do stuff? Please hit me up. I love making things.
Like a rock,
Levy
