Will Chase, Ingrid Michaelson, & More Among Broadway Talent at 2025 Chain NYC Film Festival

Will Chase, Ingrid Michaelson, James Naughton, and more are among the Broadway stars featured in titles at the 2025 Chain NYC Film Festival, happening this month. This year’s festival features over 160 films from around the globe, including narratives, documentaries, shorts, web series, and animated works.

The festival takes place August 7-17, 2025, at Chain Theatre (312 W. 36th Street, 3rd and 4th Floor, New York, NY 10018). The festival schedule can be found here. Tickets are $13 in advance here and $15 at the door. 

This year’s films featuring Broadway notables include:

Coming Home: The Guggenheim Grotto Back In Ireland – Music & Dance Block

Directed by Tony Award-nominee Will Chase (High Fidelity, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Once Upon a Mattress), Produced by Will Chase, Ingrid Michaelson (The Notebook), and Deborah Lopez (renowned headshot/branding photographer)

Director Will Chase follows the beloved band back to Ireland for their first tour in a decade.

The Reckoning – Feature

Directed by Alex Breaux (Stranger Things: The First Shadow, The Real Thing)

Haunted by his dead father while honoring the last request of having the ashes scattered at a French chateau, Brian unearths a dark family secret leading to a horrifying outcome.

Don’t Pick Up – Short

Starring Tony Award-nominee Keith David (Seven Guitars, Jelly’s Last Jam) and Kathryn Erbe (The Father)

A quiet bookstore encounter spirals into emotional chaos when compulsions resurface.

Sit With Me While I Die – Short

Starring James Naughton (two-time Tony Award-winner) and Boyd Gaines (four-time Tony Award-winner)

A priest confronts mortality in a moving meditation on suffering and dignity.

Irrational  – Short

Featuring songs by Joey Contreras (In Pieces, viral musical hit)

After ten years of practice without much success, a high school senior competes in her final high-stakes pi memorization tournament.

Echo – Short

Directed by Emmy Award-nominee Anthony Morigerato (SYDYCD), starring Peter Francis James (Left on Tenth, Funny Girl) and tap dancer John Michael Fiumara (Chicago, Hamilton, Funny Girl)

JP is faced with a no-win decision as a consequence of decisions made long ago.

About the Chain NYC Film Festival

Now in its 13th year, the Chain NYC Film Festival is a vital showcase for new voices in independent film. With an emphasis on personal stories, original ideas, and cross-media innovation, the festival embraces a wide array of genres—from grindhouse to documentaries supporting our veterans—and includes web series to reflect today’s evolving storytelling formats.

Past guests have included Oscar-winning writers, Emmy-nominated creators, and industry legends like Richard LaGravenese and Richard Price. The 2025 festival continues this legacy of discovery and excellence. Chain Theatre’s commitment to emerging voices has previously brought works by Eric Bogosian, Jesse Eisenberg, and John Patrick Shanley to Off-Broadway audiences.

The critically acclaimed Chain Theatre (NYT Critic’s pick MACBITCHES) is a premier Off-Broadway producing organization in midtown Manhattan. Chain Theatre produced the World Premiere of GARBAGEMAN by Emmy-nominated Keith Huff (A STEADY RAIN, MAD MEN, HOUSE OF CARDS) and has also collaborated with Tony Award winner David Rabe (HURLYBURLY, IN THE BOOM BOOM ROOM) and Eric Bogosian (HUMPTY DUMPTY). Most recent hit World Premiere productions include: THIS G*D DAMN HOUSE (ScreenCraft Grand Prize Winner), A WILL TO LIVE, and WHAT PASSES FOR COMEDY.