Adina Taubman's Short Film SIZZLE Debuts at the Big Apple Film Festival

As her new play, She Takes Flight, takes off-Broadway audiences by storm at The Chain Theatre, writer-performer-producer Adina Taubman now soars onto the screen with the world premiere of her comedic short film Sizzle at the Big Apple Film Festival (BAFF), as part of the Women Filmmakers Shorts – Comedy program. The film screens ​Monday, May 12, 2025 5:45 PM EDT at Look Dine-In Cinemas: Theater #5. More info here.

In Sizzle, Taubman stars as Aviva, a bookstore clerk and widowed empty-nester stuck in a rut—drinking wine in bed, snacking on Oreos, and avoiding the idea of moving on. But when her daughter secretly signs her up for a dating app called Sizzle, Aviva’s world is turned upside down by a parade of mismatched suitors: a self-absorbed lawyer, a single dad on the brink, a T-shirt entrepreneur, and more. The awkward, heartfelt, and hilarious encounters that follow test her limits—and just might open her heart again.

Directed by Padraic Lillis and shot by celebrated cinematographer Laela Kilbourn, the film stars Adina Taubman, alongside Michael Dermansky, Susan Ward, Jeffrey Mark Cusumano, Kevin Cristaldi, Maddie Barr, and John Thompson. 

About Adina Taubman

​Adina Taubman is an actor, playwright, and the artistic director of Chrysalis Theatre Company. Most recently: The Road Back, her critically acclaimed solo show (United Solo), Reel Mind Festival (Rochester,NY), Nazareth College, Rochester General Hospital, and Greenfield Hill Congregational Church (CT), following its world premiere at The Chain Theatre (Director: Padraic Lillis, The Farm Theater). Other solo shows: A Line in the Sand, a docudrama about the Columbine High School massacre (9 theater festivals), including Planet Connections Theatre Festivity and The Midtown International Theatre Festival (Outstanding Production of a Solo Show Award at both/Director: Padraic Lillis), and in high schools across the U.S.