The first wave of films screening at the 15th Tribeca Film Festival have been announced and this year, the Narrative program has been split into two separate sections: the US Narrative competition which celebrates the works of American filmmakers and the International Narrative competition which will showcase cinematic works spanning five continents.
With one third of the Festival’s feature films being directed by women – the highest percentage in history – the Festival is becoming renown for its discovery of new and distinct voices.
“In our 15th year we wanted to deepen our support of American narrative filmmakers and have opened our competition to separately showcase the US and International films,” said Genna Terranova, Festival Director. “We are very impressed by the films this year and inspired to see new voices transcending traditions and taking risks by telling their stories their own way. We are excited to share with audiences how the world of independent documentary and narrative filmmaking is thriving.”
“With our new International Narrative Competition we are reinforcing our faith in cinema from around the world and belief that Tribeca is a fantastic platform for filmmakers to share their vision. Over the ten days of the Festival these films will take our audiences on a cinematic adventure, and offer a wide range of perspective in both the stories they tell and the methods through which they’re told” said Frederic Boyer, Artistic Director.
Let’s take a look at the slate for the US Narrative competition:
Jahking Guillory as ‘Brandon’ in KICKS. Photo courtesy of Focus World
Kicks
Justin Tipping (USA) – World Premiere
When his hard-earned kicks get snatched by a local hood, fifteen-year-old Brandon and his two best friends go on an ill-advised mission across the Bay Area to retrieve the stolen sneakers. Featuring a soundtrack packed with hip-hop classics, the film stars Jahking Guillory, Mahershala Ali, Kofi Siriboe, Christopher Jordan Wallace, and Christopher Meyer.
Mackenzie Davis as Anna in ALWAYS SHINE. Photo by: Mark Schwartzbard
Always Shine
Sophia Takal (USA) – World Premiere
This twisty psychological drama about obsession, fame, and femininity follows two friends, both actresses (Mackenzie Davis and Caitlin FitzGerald), on a trip to Big Sur, to reconnect with one another. Once alone, the women’s suppressed jealousies and deep-seated resentments begin to rise, causing them to lose their grasp on not only the true nature of their relationship, but also their identities. With Lawrence Michael Levine, Alex Koch, Jane Adams.
Lola Kirke as Joey and Breeda Wool as Rayna in AWOL. Photo by: Asya Danilova
AWOL
Deb Shoval (USA) – World Premiere
Joey (Lola Kirke) is a young woman in search of direction in her small town. A visit to an army recruiting office appears to provide a path, but when she meets and falls in love with Rayna (Breeda Wool) that path diverges in ways that neither woman anticipates. Building on the award-winning short of the same name, director Deb Shoval crafts a clear-eyed love story, and an impressive feature film debut.
Demetri Martin as Dean in the film DEAN. Photographer: Nate Harrison
Dean
Demetri Martin (USA) – World Premiere
In comedian Demetri Martin’s funny and heartfelt directorial debut, Martin plays an illustrator who falls hard for an LA woman (Gillian Jacobs) while trying to prevent his father (Kevin Kline) from selling the family home in the wake of his mother’s death. With Rory Scovel, Ginger Gonzaga, Reid Scott, Mary Steenburgen, Christine Woods, Beck Bennett, Briga Heelan.
Johnny Simmons as Monty is approached in the courtyard in DREAMLAND. Photo Credit: Benjamin Kasulke
Dreamland
Robert Schwartzman (USA) – World Premiere
Robert Schwartzman makes his directorial debut with this comedy about the cost of reaching your dreams. Part-time pianist Monty Fagan (Johnny Simmons) begins a May-December romance that upends his home life. A set of perfectly cast co-stars push or manipulate Monty along the way: Amy Landecker, Frankie Shaw, Alan Ruck, Beverly D’Angelo, along with Robert’s older brother Jason Schwartzman, and their mother Talia Shire.
From Left: OSMAN (Dominic Rains) and LINDSAY (James Franco) arrive at the crime scene in THE FIXER. Photo by Adam Newport-Berra.
The Fixer
Ian Olds (USA) – World Premiere
After an exiled Afghan journalist (Dominic Rains) arrives in a small town in Northern California, he lands a menial job as a crime reporter for the local newspaper. Restless in his new position, he teams up with an eccentric local (James Franco) to investigate the town’s peculiar subculture only to find things quickly taking a dangerous turn. With Melissa Leo, Rachel Brosnahan, Tim Kniffin, Thomas Jay Ryan.
Wyatt Russell as Jason, Meredith Hagner as Bryn, and Alex Karpovsky as Paul, from the film Folk Hero & Funny Guy, directed by Jeff Grace. Photo Credit: Nancy Schreiber
Folk Hero & Funny Guy
Jeff Grace (USA) – World Premiere
Alex Karpovsky and Wyatt Russell co-headline as two artistically inclined childhood friends, a comedian and a folk-rocker respectively, who set out on a tour together in hopes of regaining their “mojo” and finding love in the process. Jeff Grace’s debut film offers a fresh perspective on male friendship and a music infused spin on the classic road-trip buddy comedy. With Meredith Hagner, Michael Ian Black, Hannah Simone, Heather Morris, Melanie Lynskey, David Cross.
Dree Hemingway as Nadine in LIVE CARGO. Photo Credit: Daniella Nowitz
Live Cargo
Logan Sandler (USA, Bahamas) – World Premiere
Nadine (Dree Hemingway) and Lewis (Keith Stanfield) move to a small Bahamian island hoping to restore their relationship in the wake of a tragedy, only to find the picturesque island torn in two: on one side a dangerous human trafficker and on the other an aging patriarch, struggling to maintain order. With Leonard Earl Howze, Sam Dillon, Robert Wisdom.
Dan Stevens in THE TICKET. Photgrapher: Zack Galler
The Ticket
Ido Fluk (USA) – World Premiere
When a blind man inexplicably regains his vision, he becomes possessed by a drive for a better life—a nicer home, a higher paying job—leaving little room for the people who were part of his old life. Dan Stevens, Malin Åkerman, Oliver Platt, and Kerry Bishé star in this haunting parable of desire, perception, and ambition.
Jean (Ann Carr) stands by as Morgan (Ingrid Jungermann) listens to a taped interview with Josephine “The Clipper” Walker, a serial killer who her clipped her victim’s fingernails before she stabbed them in the heart. (Photo credit: Diane Russo)
Women Who Kill
Ingrid Jungermann (USA) – World Premiere
Morgan and Jean work well together as true crime podcasters because they didn’t work well, at all, as a couple. When Morgan strikes up a new relationship with the mysterious Simone, their shared interest turns into suspicion, paranoia, and fear. Ingrid Jungermann’s whip smart feature debut is an adept and wry comedy on modern romance’s hollow results, set in an LGBTQ Brooklyn. With Ingrid Jungermann, Ann Carr, Sheila Vand, Shannon O’Neill, Annette O’Toole, Grace Rex.
Characters are crossing borders for new and enlightening experiences in the inaugural International International Narrative Competition.
Here are the eight films screening in the International Narrative competition:
Actress Mariko Tsutsui (featured center ) with mob from club. From the film “Love of Love” by Sion Sono. Still by Junichi Ito
Madly
Gael García Bernal, Mia Wasikowska, Sebastian Silva, Anurag Kashyap, Sion Sono, and Natasha Khan (Argentina, Australia, USA, India, Japan, UK) – World Premiere
Madly is an international anthology of short films exploring love in all its permutations. Directed by some of the most vibrant filmmakers working today, the six stories in Madly portray contemporary love in all its glorious, sad, ecstatic, empowering, and erotic manifestations. With Radhika Apte, Satyadeep Misra, Adarsh Gourav, Kathryn Beck, Lex Santos, Mariko Tsutsui, Yuki Sakurai, Ami Tomite, Justina Bustos, Pablo Seijo, Tamsin Topolski. In English, Hindi, Japanese, Spanish with subtitles.
Wrya Ahmed as Alan with Dana Ahmed as Shirwa in El Clásico, Foto By: Amir Ali
El Clásico
Halkawt Mustafa (Norway, Iraqi Kurdistan Region) – North American Premiere
Alan and Gona are in love, but Gona’s father won’t approve their union because Alan is a little person. So, Alan hits the road with his brother, traveling from their small Iraqi village to the Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid. The plan: meet Cristiano Ronaldo, and earn the blessing of Gona’s father. El Clásico is a distinctly cinematic road movie, brimming with warmth and humor. With Wrya Ahmed, Dana Ahmed, Rozhin Sharifi, Kamaran Raoof, Nyan Aziz. In Arabic, Kurdish with subtitles.
Arturo Izquierdo as Arturo in Icaros: A Vision. Cinematographer: Ghasem Ebrahimian
Icaros: A Vision
Leonor Caraballo and Matteo Norzi (Peru, USA) – World Premiere
An American woman in search of a miracle embarks on an adventure in the Peruvian Amazon. At a healing center, she finds hope in the form of an ancient psychedelic plant known as ayahuasca. With her perception forever altered, she bonds with a young indigenous shaman who is treating a group of psychonauts seeking transcendence, companionship, and the secrets of life and death. With Ana Cecilia Stieglitz, Arturo Izquierdo, Filippo Timi. In English, Spanish with subtitles.
Samar Qupty as Manar and Tamer Nafar as Kareem in JUNCTION 48. Photo by Amnon Zalait.
Junction 48
Udi Aloni (Israel Germany, USA) – International Premiere
Set against a backdrop of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Junction 48 charts the musical ambitions of Kareem, an aspiring rapper from the town of Lod. A heartbreaking portrayal of the intersection of personal and political tragedies, Junction 48 questions to what extent music can be dissociated from politics. With Tamer Nafar, Samar Qupty, Salwa Nakkara, Ayed Fadel, Sameh “SAZ” Zakout, Saeed Dassuki. In Arabic, Hebrew with subtitles.
Tiina Mälberg as Elsa in the film MOTHER. Photographer: Heikki Leis
Mother (Ema)
Kadri Kousaar (Estonia) – International Premiere
This darkly comic, crime mystery set in small-town Estonia centers on Elsa, the full time caretaker of her comatose son, Lauri, and the locals, who are abuzz with rumors about who shot Lauri and why. But in this tight-knit town, where everyone seems to know everyone and everything except for what’s right under their nose, the world’s clumsiest crime may go unsolved. With Tiina Mälberg, Jaan Pehk, Andres Tabun, Andres Noormets, Rea Lest, Jaak Prints, Siim Maaten. In Estonian with subtitles.
“Young Kjeld floating in water”
Actor: Elliott Crosset Hove (Photo credit: Soeren Kirkegaard)
Parents (Forældre)
Christian Tafdrup (Denmark) – World Premiere
Told with deadpan Nordic humor and a touch of surrealism, Parents follows Kjelde and Vibeke, two empty-nesters who find themselves unable to let go of the past. Stripped of their identity without their son, who recently moved away to college, they attempt to reclaim their youthful vigor by moving back into the old apartment where they first fell in love. They soon realize that everything that once defined them might no longer exist. With Søren Malling, Bodil Jørgensen, Elliott Crosset Hove, Miri-Ann Beuschel, Anton Honk. In Danish with subtitles.
Marco Giallini as Rocco and Kasia Smutniak as Eva in the film PERFECT STRANGERS. Photographer: Maria Marin
Perfect Strangers (Perfetti sconosciutu)
Paolo Genovese (Italy) – International Premiere
Paolo Genovese‘s new film brings us a bitter ensemble with an all-star cast that poses the question: How well do we really know those close to us? During a dinner party, three couples and a bachelor decide to play a dangerous game with their cell phones. Brilliantly executed and scripted, Perfect Strangers reveals the true nature of how we connect to each other. With Marco Giallini, Kasia Smutniak, Valerio Mastandrea, Anna Foglietta, Edoardo Leo, Alba Rohrwacher, Giuseppe Battiston. In Italian with subtitles.
Alan Sabbagh as Ariel arrives to Buenos Aires’ neighborhood Once in THE TENTH MAN. Photo by: Daniel Ortega
The Tenth Man (El Rey Del Once)
Daniel Burman (Argentina) – North American Premiere
Ariel is summoned to Buenos Aires by his distant father, who runs a Jewish aid foundation in El Once, the bustling Jewish neighborhood where he spent his youth. Writer-director Daniel Burman (All In) returns to Tribeca with this tender exploration of community, and the intricacies of the father-son relationship. With Alan Sabbagh, Julieta Zylberberg, Usher, Elvira Onetto, Adrian Stoppelman, Elisa Carricajo. In Spanish with subtitles.
Let us know which one (or more) of these films you’d like to know more about or anticipate seeing at this year’s Festival.
