This week begins the 17th annual Tribeca Film Festival, bringing creative and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all multiple forms, including film, television, Virtual Reality, gaming, music, and online work.
The 2018 Tribeca Film Festival takes place April 18-29.
With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. Since that time, the Festival has evolved into a destination for creativity, reimagining cinematic experiences and exploring how art can unite communities.
Still, with heavy accomplishments and a continual boasting of itself as champions of emerging and established voices and finders of award-winning filmmakers and creators, the Tribeca Film Festival continues to have a dearth of directorial talent from the local and international Black community. Yes, plenty of Black subjects and experiences are represented, more this year than in some past, but only four Black directors have films in the Festival. Four. And yes, that includes short films.
In a time where Hollywood is aiming heavily to be more diverse with Black and POC at their core, as are other industries, the Tribeca Film Festival falls far behind.
While that remains infuriating, the films below are worth checking out this year. Ranging from Nigerian expats, fashion iconoclasts, music-based documentaries, fashion innovators, observations on racism and the prison industrial complex, and even skate culture, Black life is on full display.
We will also have reviews of select films, so stay tuned to bold as love in the coming days and weeks for more.
Nigerian Prince
Screenings and Venues:
Tuesday April 24, 7:00pm, Wednesday April 25, 5:00pm at Cinépolis Chelsea
Thursday April 26, 8:00pm, Saturday April 28, 8:30pm, Sunday April 29, 3:00pm at Regal Cinemas Battery Park
(USA, Nigeria) – World Premiere
Section: Special Screenings (Feature Narrative)
Director Faraday Okoro returns to Tribeca with his first feature film, funded and produced from the AT&T Presents: Untold Stories program — in partnership with the Tribeca Film Institute. In Nigerian Prince, a troubled American teenager, sent away to his mother’s native Nigeria, finds himself entangled in a dangerous web of scams and corruption with a con-artist cousin as his guide.
Directed by Faraday Okoro, written by Faraday Okoro & Andrew Long. Produced by Oscar Hernandez, Bose Oshin, Faraday Okoro.
With Antonio J. Bell, Chinaza Uche, Tina Mba, Bimbo Manuel, Toyin Oshinaike, Craig Stott. A DirecTV release.
Little Woods
Screenings and Venues:
Saturday April 21, 7:00pm at SVA Theater
Sunday April 22, 4:30pm, Tuesday April 24, 9:00pm, Friday April 27, 3:00pm
at Cinépolis Chelsea
(USA) – World Premiere
Section: U.S. Narrative Competition
In this dramatic thriller set in the fracking boomtown of Little Woods, North Dakota, two estranged sisters are driven to extremes when their mother dies, leaving them with one week to pay back her mortgage. With Tessa Thompson, Lily James, Luke Kirby, James Badge Dale, Lance Reddick.
Directed and written by Nia DaCosta. Produced by Rachael Fung, Gabrielle Nadig.
Mr. SOUL!
Screenings and Venues:
Sunday April 22, 8pm at Tribeca Festival Hub
Monday April 23, 5:45pm and Thursday April 26, 6:30pm at Regal Cinemas Battery Park
Wednesday April 25, 9:15pm at Cinépolis Chelsea
(USA) – World Premiere
Section: Feature Documentary
This documentary has been a long time coming, and we’re all glad it has finally arrived.
Mr. SOUL! offers an entertaining, essential look at the groundbreaking television show SOUL!, which, under producer-host Ellis Haizlip’s passionate guidance, showcased the breadth of black artistry from 1968 to 1973.
Directed by Melissa Haizlip, Samuel Pollard, written and produced by Melissa Haizlip.
Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story – World Premiere
Photo credit: Chachi Senior.
Screenings and Venues:
Friday April 20, 5:45pm at BMCC Tribeca
(USA) – World Premiere
Section: Feature Documentary
Executive Produced by Jay-Z, Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story depicts the life and legacy of Trayvon Martin, presenting the definitive look at one of the most talked- about, controversial events of the last decade.
Executive Producers: Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter, Michael Gasparro, Nick Sandow, Sybrina Fulton, Tracy Martin, Chachi Senior.
United Skates
Screenings and Venues:
Thursday April 19, 8:30pm; Friday April 20, 8:00pm at Cinépolis Chelsea
Saturday April 21, 8:30pm at Regal Cinemas Battery Park
Wednesday April 25, 7:15pm at Cinépolis Chelsea; Sunday April 29, 9:45pm at Regal Cinemas Battery Park
(USA) – World Premiere
Section: Documentary Competition
Credited with incubating East Coast hip-hop and West Coast rap, America’s roller rinks have long been bastions of regional African- American culture, music, and dance. As rinks shutter across the country, a few activists mount a last stand.
Directed and produced by Dyana Winkler, Tina Brown
Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland
Screenings and Venues:
Wednesday April 25, 8pm, SVA Theater
Thursday April 26, 8:30pm; Friday April 27, 5:30pm at Cinépolis Chelsea
Saturday April 28, 2:45pm at Regal Cinemas Battery Park
(USA) – World Premiere
Section: Spotlight Documentary
Sandra Bland was a bright, energetic activist whose life was cut short when a traffic stop resulted in a mysterious jail cell death just three days later. Say Her Name follows the two-year battle to uncover the truth. An HBO Documentary Film
Directed by Kate Davis, David Heilbroner. Produced by David Heilbroner, Kate Davis.
Let Them Die Like Lovers
Screenings and Venues:
Friday April 20, 10pm; Tuesday April 24, 8:30pm at Regal Cinemas Battery Park
Friday April 27, 9:45pm; Saturday April 28, 9:30pm at Cinépolis Chelsea
(USA) – New York Premiere
Section: Short Narrative (Into the Void section)
Director Jesse Atlas played with time travel in his deservedly highly heralded short film Record/Play (2012). He now returns to that form with his new emotionally charged sci-fi thriller as a body-jumping soldier grapples with the morality of her missions.
With Mustafa Shakir, Angela Lewis, Bradley Fisher.
Directed by Jesse Atlas, written by Jesse Atlas, Aaron Wolfe.
Into My Life
Screenings and Venues:
Friday April 20, 7pm; Wednesday April 25, 10:00pm at Regal Cinemas Battery Park Friday April 27, 6:30pm; Saturday April 28, 6:30pm at Cinépolis Chelsea
(USA) – World Premiere
Section: Short Documentary (NY Shorts: Homemade section)
From 1965 to the present, M. Elaine and Cassandra Bromfield, two African-American women, made joyful documents of their lives in Brooklyn’s Lindsay Park Housing Cooperative on 8-mm film. Into My Life pays tribute to their drive for self-preservation and self-representation, highlighting the memories, identities, and relationships housed within their archive. With Cassandra Bromfield.
Directed by Sarah Keeling, Grace Remington, Ivana Hucikova.
Dead Women Walking
Screenings and Venues:
Friday April 20, 6:30pm, Saturday April 21, 7:15pm at Cinépolis Chelsea
Sunday April 22, 5:45pm, Wednesday April 25, 8:30pm at Regal Cinemas Battery Park
(USA) – World Premiere
Section: Viewpoints (Feature Narrative)
Nine vignettes depict the stages leading to execution for women on death row in this emotional account of the human toll of the death penalty—on both the inmates and those they encounter in their final hours. Ashton Sanders from Moonlight co-stars.
Directed and written by Hagar Ben-Asher. Produced by Clara Levy, Lorne Hiltser, Michael M. McGuire. With Dale Dickey, Dot Marie Jones, Lynn Collins, Colleen Camp, June Carryl, and Ashton Sanders.
Other Black content films worth seeing:
The Gospel According to André – Special Screenings (Feature Documentary)
Directed by Kate Novack. Produced by Kate Novack, Andrew Rossi. (USA) – New York Premiere
From the segregated South to the fashion capitals of the world, The Gospel According to André recounts fashion editor André Leon Talley’s storied life and career through intimate conversations, rich archival, and testimonials from fashion luminaries including Anna Wintour, Tom Ford, and Marc Jacobs. With André Leon Talley. A Magnolia release.
Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes – Special Screenings (Feature Documentary)
Directed and written by Sophie Huber. Produced by Sophie Huber, Chiemi Karasawa, Susanne Guggenberger, Hercli Bundi. (Switzerland, USA) – World Premiere.
This is the history of Blue Note Records, the label that, since 1939, has recorded jazz giants ranging from Miles Davis to Robert Glasper—revolutionizing not only music, but also the world. With Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Robert Glasper, Don Was, Norah Jones.
Charm City – Viewpoints (Feature Documentary)
Directed by Marilyn Ness. Produced by Katy Chevigny, Marilyn Ness. (USA) – World Premiere.
Charm City takes viewers beyond the television headlines and over the front lines of violence in Baltimore; in doing so it reveals the grit and compassion of the city’s citizens, police, and government officials trying to reclaim their future.
Crossroads – Viewpoints (Feature Documentary)
Directed by Ron Yassen. Produced by Lauren Griswold. (USA) – World Premiere.
Despite never having played the game before, a group of underprivileged teens emerge as a talented lacrosse team under the tutelage of Coach Bobby Selkin in this inspiring documentary. An ESPN Films release. Also playing as part of the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.
It’s a Hard Truth Ain’t It – Special Screenings (Feature Documentary)
Directed by Madeleine Sackler. Produced by Stacey Reiss, Madeleine Sackler. (USA) – World Premiere.
Given unprecedented access to a maximum security prison, filmmaker Madeleine Sackler worked with a group of inmates to tell their own stories, giving rise to this collaborative, intimate documentary project.
Phantom Cowboys – Documentary Competition
Directed by Daniel Patrick Carbone. Produced by Ryan Scafuro, Annie Waldman, Daniel Patrick Carbone. (USA) – World Premiere.
This searing documentary, which spans nearly a decade, is a meditation on youth, tradition, and the evolving hopes and dreams of modern adolescents in the forgotten industrial towns across America.
The Rachel Divide – Documentary Competition
Directed by Laura Brownson, written by Laura Brownson, Jeff Gilbert. Produced by Laura Brownson, Bridget Stokes, Khaliah Neal. (USA) – World Premiere.
Rachel Dolezal became infamous when she was unmasked as a white woman living as the black head of her local N.A.A.C.P. chapter. This portrait cuts through the very public controversy to reveal Dolezal’s motivations. A Netflix release.
Satan & Adam – Viewpoints (Feature Documentary)
Directed by V. Scott Balcerek, written by V. Scott Balcerek, Ryan Suffern. Produced by Frank Marshall, Ryan Suffern. (USA) – World Premiere.
One was a demon on guitar; the other was fresh out of school and no slouch on harmonica. Satan & Adam is a rousing celebration of friendship and the blues comprised of documentary footage shot over the course of two decades. With Sterling Magee, Adam Gussow, The Edge, Rev. Al Sharpton, Harry Shearer, Quint Davis.
Tanzania Transit – Documentary Competition
Directed by Jeroen van Velzen, written by Jeroen van Velzen, Esther Eenstroom. Produced by Digna Sinke. (Netherlands) – World Premiere.
A train journey across Tanzania captures a microcosm of contemporary African society in Tribeca alum Jeroen van Velzen’s captivating and visually stunning road movie.
Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 – Special Screenings (Feature Documentary)
Directed and written by Dexton Deboree. Produced by Dexton Deboree, Stefanie Fink. (USA) – World Premiere. Through interviews with Michael Jordan, Spike Lee, and more, this vibrant documentary tells the origin story of the Air Jordan, and the impact it had on sports, hip-hop, and the birth of sneaker culture. With Spike Lee, Anthony Anderson, Chuck D, DJ Khaled, Michael Jordan, Michael B Jordan, Jason Sudeikis, Lena Waithe, Russell Westbrook.
When Lambs Become Lions – Documentary Competition
Directed by Jon Kasbe. Produced by Jon Kasbe, Innbo Shim, Tom Yellin, Andrew Harrison Brown. (USA) – World Premiere.
In the Kenyan bush, a crackdown on ivory poaching forces a silver-tongued second-generation poacher to seek out an unlikely ally in this fly-on-the-wall look at both sides of the conservation divide.
SHORTS
The History of White People in America – Short Documentary (Animated Shorts Curated by Whoopi G section)
Directed by Jonathan Halperin, Clementine Briand, Ed Bell, Aaron Keane, Pierce Freelon, Drew Takahashi, written by Pierce Freelon and Jon Halperin. (USA) – World Premiere.
The invention of race in America gets an animated, musical treatment.
The Life of Esteban (Het Leven van Esteban) – Short Narrative (Make or Break section)
Directed and written by Inès Eshun. (Belgium) – International Premiere.
Esteban, a future Olympic swimmer, has grown up with a single mother and doesn’t know who his father is. As he searches for his identity in this poetic short film, he determines swimming is a metaphor for life itself. With Noah Mavuela, Mathis Mavuela, Joshua Tassin, Tine Cartuyvels, Goua Grovogui, Lamine Diouf. In Dutch with English subtitles.
IMMERSIVE
1000 Cut Journey – Virtual Arcade (USA) World Premiere.
Project Creator: Courtney Cogburn, Elise Ogle, Jeremy Bailenson, Tobin Asher, Teff Nichols
Key Collaborators: Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Cogburn Research Group
In this immersive virtual-reality experience, the viewer becomes Michael Sterling, a black man, encountering racism as a young child, adolescent, and young adult. 1,000 Cut Journey highlights the social realities of racism, for understanding racism is the essential first step in promoting effective, collective social action and achieving racial justice.
My Africa – Virtual Arcade (USA, UK) World Premiere
Project Creator: Conservation International, Passion Planet, Vision3
In Northern Kenya, the futures of wildlife and people are intertwined. Stand in the midst of a thundering wildebeest migration, witness a lioness snatch her prey—and meet a community dedicated to saving Africa’s wildlife in My Africa. The mixed-reality, companion experience puts participants in the shoes of a Reteti Elephant Sanctuary keeper caring for the newest arrival, a baby elephant named Dudu.
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o (narrator), Naltwasha Leripe
Dinner Party – Virtual Arcade (Puerto Rico, USA) New York Premiere
Project Creator: Angel Manuel Soto, Charlotte Stoudt, Laura Wexler
Key Collaborators: Rachel Skidmore, Bryn Mooser, Erik Donley
Dinner Party tells the incredible story of Betty and Barney Hill, an interracial couple who made the first report of a UFO abduction in America in 1961. Having sought hypnosis to recover memories of their inexplicable experience, the Hills decide to listen to the recording of their session during a dinner party—and what they hear could change their lives forever.
Cast: Malcolm Barrett, Sarah Sokolovic
