Tribeca Film Festival Celebrates 18 Years
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer
Spring brings with it a sense of renewal, a splash of energy and a revival of the soul. To New Yorkers, it means leaving the coats behind and walking amongst nature in such beautiful places of solace as Central Park.
Spring also signifies a very special event that takes place during the month of April and on into May. Tribeca Film Festival has united New Yorkers for 18 years now to enjoy the creativity and imagination of talented storytellers. There is a genre to fit the likes of all film fanatics. This year’s festival takes place from April 24th through May 5th, 2019. The 18th Annual Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, is a platform for creative expression and is known for its immersive entertainment experience. The Festival champions emerging and established voices, discovers fresh new creators and is the curator of innovative experiences. Exciting new technology and cutting-edge ideas are introduced through premieres, exhibitions, talks, and live performances.
The feature program for 2019 includes 103 films from 124 filmmakers. The films selected in the three competition sections consist of 50% women directed films. The lineup includes 81 World Premieres, 3 International Premieres, 8 North American Premieres, 1 U.S. Premiere and 10 New York Premieres. This year’s program includes 42 first time filmmakers, with 19 directors returning to Tribeca bringing their latest projects to the audience. The festival is proud to announce that 40% of the feature films have one or more women directors, 29% of the feature films are directed by people of color and 13% of the feature films are by individuals who identify as LGBTQIA. The 2019 Festival was programmed from more than 9,295 total submissions.
“Our goal each year is to strike a balance between discovering new talent and showcasing new projects by notable filmmakers and storytellers. At Tribeca, we believe in amplifying fresh voices as well as celebrating the continued success of artists in the industry,” said Paula Weinstein, Executive Vice President of Tribeca Enterprises. “The art of filmmaking is displayed across the program in both narrative and documentary films.”
“Every festival is shaped by and reflective of its community, and we are fortunate that our hometown just happens to be the most diverse city on Earth so our curatorial mandate is to bring to the screens a cinematic celebration- in only 100 features- whose breadth of stories and storytellers is as prismatic and adventurous, local and global, diverse and inclusive as our incredible city,” said Festival Director Cara Cusumano.
“There are many factors we consider each year when selecting films for the Festival program,” said Frédéric Boyer, Artistic Director. “We look at styles, approaches, tones, perspectives; we examine storylines and character development; we search for uniqueness and untold stories. Most importantly, we also pay attention to what stirs emotions, sparks inspiration and makes us think. It’s an exciting process for us, and we look forward to sharing this year’s original films with audiences.”
Tribeca will introduce Tribeca Critics’ Week, the first for a North American film festival, a section with a slate of 5 feature films curated by New York-based film critics.
Special for this year is the curated section ‘This Used to Be New York,’ reflecting quintessential New York cultural eras that shaped and have come to define the city today.
Fifty-two narratives and 51 documentaries will debut throughout the 12-day festival. The Competition section features 12 Documentaries, 10 U.S. Narratives, and 10 International Narratives; 15 Spotlight Narratives, 16 Spotlight Documentaries; 5 Midnight, 17 Viewpoints selections; 5 Tribeca Critics’ Week, 3 This Used to Be New York, and 11 Movies Plus selections.
The films in competition will compete for cash prizes totaling $165,000, as well as artwork from the Art Awards program, offering work from acclaimed contemporary artists in select categories. For the 7th year, the Nora Ephron Award, presented by CHANEL, will award $25,000 to the female filmmaker in this year’s program who embodies the spirit and boldness of the late filmmaker.
This year’s Festival includes world premieres featuring actors such as Alexander Skarsgård and Nat Wolff (The Kill Team), Cynthia Nixon (Stray Dolls), Amber Heard and Charlie Plummer (Gully), Billy Crystal (Standing Up, Falling Down); Elijah Wood (Come To Daddy), Emily Mortimer (Good Posture),Freida Pinto and Leslie Odom Jr. (Only) as well as Annette Bening (Georgetown) and Alec Baldwin in the hybrid documentary Framing John DeLorean. Ben Stiller executive produces Plus One and LeBron James is an E.P. on What’s My Name | Muhammad Ali while Christoph Waltz is making his directorial debut with Georgetown.
Tribeca will include films touching upon cultural moments that have been in national conversation over the past few months including Parkland (After Parkland), Chelsea Manning (XY Chelsea), and the abuse taking place inside the world of USA gymnastics. (At the Heart of Gold). There will also be over ten music-focused docs, including ones on lead singer of legendary rock band INXS (Mystify: Michael Hutchence), musician Linda Ronstadt (Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice) with Sheryl Crow performing following the premiere, and Woodstock (Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation) and musicians from The Rolling Stones, Sublime, and Blind Melon.
Tribeca Film Festival will have one of its most iconic openings this year as it kicks off on April 24th at the renowned Apollo Theater with the world-premiere screening of Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams’
‘The Apollo’. This film is a feature documentary that gives its viewers a very intimate glimpse into the birthplace of such musical greats as Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and the Jackson 5. “We’re excited to finally be going uptown to play the Apollo,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder and CEO of the Tribeca Film Festival. “The Apollo gives audiences an inside look at the major role this institution has played for the past 85 years. It’s seen the emergence of everything from jazz to R&B to soul and gospel — all quintessential American music genres — and this is the time to remind people of our nation’s rich history”.
To see the entire lineup and to purchase your passes and packages, go to Tribeca Film Festival website. Don’t forget to download the mobile app and follow Tribeca Film Festival on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
Photo Credit: Tribeca Film Festival
