With this year’s Tribeca Film Festival massive lineup of films, it’s difficult to choose what to see. Luckily, we’re here to tell you which documentaries, features, and shorts might intrigue you.
Documentary
This year’s program focuses heavily on music documentaries. The name of the game here is to pick your favorite bands out of the lineup. This writer’s choices will have to be Depeche Mode: M and opening night film, Billy Joel: And So It Goes. Depeche Mode, and director Fernando Frias will also take part in a discussion after the premier of the band’s documentary on June 5. Additionally, if you’re looking to learn more about music history, I Was Born This Way tells the story of gospel and disco singer Carl Bean’s career, his lasting legacy as an openly gay musician in the 70s, and his AIDS and LGBTQ+ activism.
Outside of music, there’s a diverse selection of documentaries playing at Tribeca. Receiving its world premiere, Just Kids is an incredibly poignant doc that follows 3 trans children living in the American South. All three children have supportive guardians who are facilitating the children’s access to care and a fulfilling life. The documentary sheds light on what transition actually looks like for minors, and how necessary and life saving it is for them. Just Kids is an exercise in empathy for those who may not be familiar with the trans struggle.
Widow Champion is another strong and interesting documentary playing at Tribeca this year. The film follows Rodah Nafula Wekesa, a widow who helps other widows navigate complicated land rights in Kenya. Because of a patriarchal society, women who’s husbands pass away are often denied the land they’ve been living on by their in-laws. Rodah helps these women to understand the law and fight for their homes.
New Narrative
Many interesting narrative films are receiving premieres at Tribeca Film Fest. Among them is The Wolf, the Fox and the Leopard, which follows a young woman raised by wolves as she integrates into society. Her life after the forest takes many twists and turns, with a majority of the film focusing on her time spent with “The Fox” and “The Leopard” in a family that is more like a doomsday cult. The film is simultaneously emotionally raw and visually beautiful.
Horsegirls will also be premiering at Tribeca. It follows a young woman who is neurodivergent, and her journey to find herself and her independence as her mother fights cancer. The protagonist, Margarita, is played by Lillian Carrier, who, on top of being an autistic actor, co-founded OurTism, an organization that provides support for autistic people.
Lemonade Blessing is a coming of age story that focuses on John’s new relationship with his girlfriend who challenges him to step outside of his comfort zone and confront his faith that has always been enforced by his devout mother. This film is Submarine if it went to an American Catholic school. Lemonade Blessing premieres Thursday June 5.
The Square just received its world premiere in Korea, and is now receiving its North American premiere at Tribeca. It is a beautifully animated romantic drama following a member of the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang. He is secretly dating a local woman, but their love is destined to be star crossed because of North Korea’s authoritarian government.
Escape From Tribeca
One particular program to look out for is Escape from Tribeca, which is co-hosted by Brooklyn Horror Film Fest. Brooklyn Horror consistently programs challenging and creative genre films.
Dog of God is an animated folk horror period piece by the award winning team who created Flow. We rarely get to see animated horror features, but it is an effective avenue for he genre because it opens the door for surreal imagery. The film will have its world premiere on Friday June 6.
Queens of the Dead is yet another anticipated film receiving its World Premiere at Tribeca, and it is one not to miss for all the horror queerdos. Directed by Tina Romero, daughter of George Romero, and featuring queer icons such as Love Lies Bleeding’s Katy O’Brian, Dominique Jackson of Pose fame, and Jack Haven from I Saw the TV Glow, the horror comedy follows a zombie outbreak during a drag show in Brooklyn. The film premieres June 7.
Finally, the Midnight Mash-Up shorts are also being co-hosted by Brooklyn Horror. This shorts block includes the New York premiere of Matteo Burani’s excellent stop motion body horror film, Playing God.
Shorts
Outside of the Midnight Mash-Up, another don’t miss shorts block is Animated Shorts Curated By Whoopi G. Separate from Whoopi’s Wonderful World of Animation which is geared towards all ages, Animated Shorts is recommended for ages 14+. The collection spans a range of genres, and showcases that cartoons are not just for children. Petra and the Sun juxtaposes a whimsical animation style with dark subject matter, and Still Moving touches on emotionally complex themes while using animation to emphasize the destabilizing nature of the central conflict. Also, The Quinta’s Ghost will be having its world premiere during the shorts block screening on June 7.
Retrospectives
As Robert De Niro is one of Tribeca Enterprise’s co-founders, his films are often honored at the festival. This year we are getting a 25th and 30th Anniversary screening for Meet the Parents and Casino, respectively. Both screenings will be followed by conversations with De Niro. Horror fans will also be treated to screenings of David Cronenberg’s Shivers and Mary Harron’s American Psycho. Cronenberg will be there to talk about the film with horror writer Joe Hill, and Mary Harron will have a conversation moderated by comedian Hasan Minhaj.
