The Tribeca Film Festival is now underway in New York, showcasing work from emerging and notable talent in the global film world. In it's 18th year, the festival's features program is set to present 103 films from 124 filmmakers. Out of the total feature films, 29 percent are helmed by directors of color.
Out of the 63 short films in competition, 31 are world premieres.
"We spent a great deal of time curating programs that reflect the diverse interests of our audiences," Sharon Badal, vice president of filmmaker relations and shorts programming, says. "This year we emphasize identity, community, and humanity while also entertaining our audience with some laughter, fun, and adventure."
We know that big, established festivals yield overwhelming options of films of note to check out. In the following rundown below, we list 16 features, shorts, VR experiences and documentaries we recommend you can't miss, with synopses from Tribeca below.
SEE YOU YESTERDAY
Two Brooklyn teenage prodigies, C.J. Walker and Sebastian Thomas, build make-shift time machines to save C.J.'s brother, Calvin, from being wrongfully killed by a police officer. Featuring Eden Duncan-Smith, Dante Crichlow and Astro.
Program: Viewpoints
Director + Co-Writer: Stefon Bristol
Co-Writer: Frederica Bailey
Producers: Spike Lee, Jason Sokoloff and Matt Myers
World Premiere
ALL ON A MARDI GRAS DAY
Photo by Gabriel Bienczycki, courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
In a gentrifying New Orleans, Demond is part of a secret culture called Mardi Gras Indians, African-American men who spend all year sewing feathered suits to decide who's "the prettiest."
Program: Life Preserver Shorts
Director + Writer: Michal Pietrzyk
New York Premiere
BURNING CANE
Photo by Phillip Youmans, courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Set among the cane fields of rural Louisiana, 'Burning Cane' follows a deeply religious mother struggling to reconcile her convictions of faith with the love she has for her troubled son. Featuring Wendell Pierce, Karen Kaia Livers, Dominique McClellan and Braelyn Kelly.
Program: U.S. Narrative Competition
Director + Writer: Phillip Youmans
Producers: Wendell Pierce, Mose Mayer, Ojo Akinlana, Karen KaiaLivers, Cassandra Youmans and Phillip Youmans
World Premiere
ANOTHER DREAM
Still by Ado Ato Pictures, courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Another Dream brings the gripping, true story of an Egyptian lesbian couple to life. Faced with a post-Revolution backlash against their community, they must choose between love and home.
Program: Storyscapes
Creator: Tamara Shogaolu of Ado Ato Pictures
Key Collaborators: Lauren Dubowski, Natalya Sarch, Nada El-Kouny, Anastasia Semenoff (alpha_rats), Martijn Zandvliet, Gata Mahardika, Ytje Veenstra, Audioimmersive.com
World Premiere
THE APOLLO
Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
The feature-length documentary weaves together archival footage, music, comedy and dance performances, and behind-the-scenes verité with the team that makes the theater run. Featuring interviews from Patti LaBelle, Pharrell Williams, Smokey Robinson, and Jamie Foxx.
Director: Roger Ross Williams
Festival Opener + World Premiere
GOLDIE
Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Two Brooklyn teenage prodigies, C.J. Walker and Sebastian Thomas, build make-shift time machines to save C.J.'s brother, Calvin, from being wrongfully killed by a police officer. Featuring Eden Duncan-Smith, Dante Crichlow and Astro.
Program: Viewpoints
Director + Writer: Sam De Jong
Producers: Luca Borghese and Ben Howe
North American Premiere
TUCA & BERTIE
Tuca & Bertie is an animated comedy series about the friendship between two 30-year-old bird women who live in the same apartment building. It features Tuca, a cocky, carefree toucan, and Bertie, an anxious, daydreaming songbird. Featuring Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong.
Program: TV
Creator: Lisa Hanawalt
Executive Producers: Lisa Hanawalt, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Noel Bright, Steven A. Cohen, Tiffany Haddish, Ali Wong.
New Series World Premiere
ACCUSED NO. 2: WALTER SISULU
Illustration by Oerd Van Cuijlenborg, courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
A trove of 256 hours of sound archives of the Rivonia trial bring back to life the political battle waged by Nelson Mandela and his seven co-defendants against apartheid. This film looks at one of them in particular: Accused No. 2, Walter Sisulu.
Program: Tribeca Cinema360
Creators: Nicolas Champeaux & Gilles Porte
Key Collaborators: Oerd Van Cuijlenborg, Aurélien Godderis-Chouzenoux, Michaël Bolufer, Jérémy Pouilloux
LAZARUS
Image courtesy of Johan Hugo.
Lazarus is a short documentary following Lazarus Chigwandali, a street musician with Albinism from Malawi as he teams up with a London-based music producer to record his debut album. With Clem Kwizombe, Esau Mwamwaya, Johan Hugo, Ikponwosa Ero. In Chechewa, English with English subtitles.
Program: Shorts
Director: David Darg
World Premiere
THE REMIX: HIP HOP X FASHION
Photo by Niknaz Tavakolian, courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
The story of how hip hop changed fashion, leading to the stratospheric and global rise of street wear. It is a journey of African American creativity and the limitless possibilities of a cultural movement on a global scale. Featuring Misa Hylton, April Walker, Dapper Dan, Kerby Jean-Raymond.
Program: Movie Plus
Directors: Lisa Cortés + Farah X
Producer: Lisa Cortés
World Premiere
MERCY
Image courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Edith, a 14-year-old from Cameroon, journeys through the jungle seeking life-transforming surgery to remove a tumor on her jaw.
Program: Tribeca Cinema360
Creators: Armando Kirwin
Key Collaborators: Sutu, Ruben Plomp, Emma Debany, AMK LTD, Oculus VR for Good
WHAT'S MY NAME: MUHAMMAD ALI
Rights of Publicity and Persona Rights: Muhammad Ali Enterprises LLC. Photo by Ken Regan © 2019 Muhammad Ali Enterprises LLC, courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
One of the most iconic figures in athletic history, Muhammad Ali's incredible story from world champion boxer to inspiring social activist is explored through his own voice and never-before-seen archival material by acclaimed filmmaker Antoine Fuqua, with executive producers LeBron James and Maverick Carter.
Program: Spotlight Documentary
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Steven Leckart
Producer: Sean Stuart
World Premiere
A KID FROM CONEY ISLAND
Photo by Andy Chan, courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
From the streets of Coney Island to the NBA, the story of basketball star Stephon Marburyreveals that often life is about the journey, not the destination—and the unexpected places your dreams may take you.
Program: Spotlight Documentary
Directors + Writers: Chike Ozah and Coodie Simmons
Producers: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker and Jason Samuels
World Premiere
THE WEEKEND
Photo by James R. Robinson, courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
A stand-up comic who's been struggling to get over her ex finds herself instead awkwardly third-wheeling her way through a weekend getaway alongside him and his new girlfriend in this warm, wry comedy. Featuring Sasheer Zamata, Tone Bell, DeWanda Wise, Kym Whitley and Y'lan Noel.
Program: Viewpoints
Director + Writer: Stella Meghie.
Producers: Stella Meghie, Stephanie Allain, Mel Jones, Sarah Lazow and James Gibb.
New York Premiere
RECORDER: THE MARION STOKES PROJECT
Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Beginning in the 1970s, Marion Stokes recorded an incredible 70,000 VHS tapes of unfiltered daily television. At the time, her compulsion raised eyebrows, but revisited through the lens of today's media landscape, Stokes' unusual life's work becomes an extraordinary archive of television—and American—history.
Program: Viewpoints
Director: Matt Wolf
Producers: Kyle Martin, Andrew Kortschak and Walter Kortschak
World Premiere
CHILDREN DO NOT PLAY WAR
Aloyo Margrate. Photo by Carlos Alves, courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Children Do Not Play War is a cinematic VR tale of the war in Uganda told through the eyes of a young girl.
Program:Tribeca Cinema360
Creators: Fabiano Mixo
The 2019 Tribeca Film Festival runs from April 24 to May 5—for tickets and more information, click here.