Tribeca, a district in downtown Manhattan, is home to one of the world's most renowned film festivals, the Tribeca Film Festival. Founded in 2001 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, the festival is recognized for celebrating storytelling in a variety of formats, including film, TV, virtual reality, gaming, music videos, and new technological formats. Mainly, Tribeca has strong roots in independent film. It is also known for its wide selection of documentary films, many of which make their premieres at Tribeca every year. 

The festival will be hosting 600 screenings in 20 venues across New York City. This year's festival features 110 feature films from 40 countries – including 88 world premieres. Just under two thirds of the feature films showing this year were directed by female, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ filmmakers. 43 short films – from 25 countries – are also in competition. 

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Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal speak during the Tribeca Festival Opening Night and World Premiere of Netflix's Halftime on June 8, 2022 in New York City.

The film festival awards several prizes. U.S. Narrative Competition showcases world premieres that will compete for the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature, and Awards for Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Performance. This year's documentary films will compete for Best Documentary Feature, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing.

The shorts competition includes Recipients of the Tribeca Festival awards for Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short, and Best Animated Short, which qualify for consideration for Academy Awards (providing that each film complies with Academy rules).

When is it?

The film festival kicked off on June 8 and runs until June 19. There are 23 sections at this year’s festival, including the Documentary Competition Gala, Midnight and Spotlight Narrative sections. Search for events and screenings here.

What are some of the highlights this year?

The festival is known for its start-studded premieres and glitzy afterparties. This year’s film festival kicked off with Halftime, the Netflix documentary based on the life of actress and singer Jennifer Lopez, directed by Amanda Micheli. The film premiered on June 8 at United Theater, a historic theater in Washington Heights, which is close to the Bronx, where Lopez grew up.

There will be special tributes. In one, the festival will honor the 50th anniversary of The Godfather. Al Pacino will introduce the newly restored version of the film. And there will be a reunion with De Niro and Pacino, who will be joined by director Michael Mann and producer Art Linson to discuss Heat.

'Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex'

For the 21st edition of the film festival, we will also see the premiere of Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex, a musical documentary about the life of glam rock pioneer, Marc Bolan, which features U2, Ringo Starr and Nick Cave, among others.

The documentary film premieres include My Name Is Andrea, a film about radical feminist writer Andrea Dworkin, who fought for women’s rights and equality, and All Man: The International Male Story, which looks at one of the most popular mail order catalogs of the 1980s, International Male. Meanwhile, Body Parts is a documentary about the making of Hollywood sex scenes, with commentary from Rose McGowan and Jane Fonda.

'Alone Together'

The Spotlight Narrative section features premieres from acclaimed filmmakers and performers, like Alone Together, a feature directed by Katie Holmes, and Beauty, a film written by Lena Waithe.

As part of the U.S. Narrative Competition, there is Allswell, a film about three Nuyorican sisters navigating motherhood, career and family, The Drop, a comedy about a married couple, and God's Time, a dark comedy set in New York that follows two brothers who are recovering from their addictions – when a crime complicates everything.

The Viewpoints section includes both narrative films and documentaries, recognizing voices in independent filmmaking. Expect to see Breaking the Ice, a film from Austria that follows one woman's journey in becoming a hockey player, and Carol & Johnny, which tells the love story of two bank robbers, Carol Marie Williams & Johnny Madison Williams Jr., in their own words.

'Huesera'

Tribeca Midnight, the horror and genre program, will screen Huesera, a Mexican film about the haunting of one woman's pregnancy, and Family Dinner, a film from Austria about a tragic family loss.

As part of Movies Plus, the live conversation and performance program of the film festival, there is Broadway Rising, an Amy Rice documentary about how New York's famous Broadway theater community recovered from the pandemic. The Broadway Rising screening will be followed by a special performance. 

'Broadway Rising'

Meanwhile, Taurus, written and directed by Tim Sutton, follows a troubled musician (Colson Baker aka Machine Gun Kelly) struggling with fatherhood, the music industry, substance abuse and his ex-wife (Megan Fox). The screening will be followed by a special appearance by Machine Gun Kelly.

The audio storytelling program, which is dedicated to scripted content, highlights queer stories for Pride Month, and features black creators for Juneteenth. 

View the full screenings guide here.

By Nadja Sayej

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