The 3rd Annual Unscripted New York Improvised Theatre & Film Festival
HBO hosted our Celebration of Improvisation in Film and TV on Friday, October 3rd at HBO Headquarters in Midtown Manhattan.

Screening at the intimate HBO theater is a perfect match for the avant-garde, innovative filmmakers who were selected to screen at Unscripted New York. Filmmakers flew in from Canada, the UK, and Europe to attend the festival; for most films, this is their US premier.
Unscripted New York Celebrates Improvisation in Film
Hosted by HBO
New and original films from around the world with improvisation at their core. Unscripted New York Festival celebrates the spirit of collaborative filmmaking that uses improvisation to tell a story.

About the 2014 Improvised Film and Video Submissions:

  • Diversity from 12 Countries: Canada, US, Republic of Korea, UK, Scotland, Ireland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Austria, Poland, France, China
  • Representing both first-time filmmakers and award-winning veteran directors from cities across the world, from London to Lexington; Brooklyn to Bath; Glasgow to Kwun Tong
  • Submissions ranged from 2 min to 2+ hours and covered a gamut of styles, from experimental and avant-garde films to intimate portraits, and musical and visual explorations, as well as documentary, mockumentary and reality shorts
  • Films of all genres submitted: irreverent comedy, romance, crime thrillers, horrors -- stories to make you laugh, cry, gasp and think!

2014 Selections: Only 5 improvised films selected, 1 feature, 4 shorts

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Unscripted New York Proudly Presents an All-Improvised Feature Film...

Another One Opens
Run Time: 1:30:40
Director: Jim Libby and Nicholas Neuhold, Austria

A FULLY improvised feature film! Five friends, battered by life, reunite after twenty years for a weekend in a remote guest house. Their hosts and the mysterious manor itself will challenge them all to see the world through new eyes.
re: Jess
Run Time: 15:16
Director: Talia Alberts, New York, USA
Trailer: http://vimeo.com/79570995 

In this improvised drama, a twenty-something Brooklynite must confront digital reminders and remnants when he receives tragic news from a college friend.Though the story of the film was written before shooting, the dialogue and many of the key moments of the film were improvised on set.
Getting There
Run Time: 16:00
Director: Brendan Post, Vancouver, Canada

Tanner, a passionate and single-minded mandolin player in a multi-instrumental folk band, struggles to drag his bandmates towards productivity and relevance at the risk of his own personal estrangement. But, after a disconcerting conversation with a famed singer-songwriter, Tanner takes a moment to pause and appreciate what he has already. Getting There is a vibrant, musical consideration of an artist's struggle to collaborate and keep things in perspective.
The Breakout Room
Run Time: 6:10
Director: Lily Smith, London, UK

A group of colleagues take a break from a busy day at digital agency in the heart of Shoreditch, London. They encounter a most unusual office guest: the artist formally known as Prince. Hilarity ensues. From an original concept by writer and director Lily Smith, this is an unscripted, improvised comedy short film.
The Right Man
Run Time: 4:20
Director: Dale Sood, Toronto, Canada

A short film about destined love. The voice over was written as a stream of consciousness and, as we approached filming, we still did not know what the ‘joke’ would be to compete the story. During filming we discovered what Magda needed to feel motivated to change her mind.  Once the shoot was over - the remainder of the voice over was improvised to fit the story we had shot.