Tribeca Film Festival

Comedy BEGIN AGAIN Starring Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo to Close Tribeca Film Festival

John Carney’s comedy, BEGIN AGAIN (formerly Can A Song Save Your Life?), starring Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld, and Adam Levine, will close the 13th edition of the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), on Saturday, April 26th at BMCC Tribeca PAC.

From writer-director John Carney (Once), BEGIN AGAIN is a soul-stirring comedy about what happens when lost souls meet and make beautiful music together. Gretta (Keira Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) are college sweethearts and songwriting partners who decamp for New York when he lands a deal with a major label. But the trappings of his new-found fame soon tempt Dave to stray, and a reeling, lovelorn Gretta is left on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when Dan (Mark Ruffalo), a disgraced record-label exec, stumbles upon her performing on an East Village stage and is immediately captivated by her raw talent. From this chance encounter emerges an enchanting portrait of a mutually transformative collaboration, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City. The film will be released by The Weinstein Company in July.

“We close our festival with Tribeca alum John Carney’s Begin Again. This beautiful music infused New York story encompasses the spirit of Tribeca where music, film and performance play such a key part of this year’s program,” said Jane Rosenthal, CEO and co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival. “To be able to work with our neighbor and dear friend Harvey Weinstein and The Weinstein Company to bring this film to U.S. audiences for the first time is a bonus for our entire community.”

“Begin Again is a true New York story about the magical opportunities that can be found under this great city’s bright lights. That said, I can’t think of a better place to have its U.S. premiere than the Tribeca Film Festival,” said John Carney.

The 13th annual Tribeca Film Festival will take place from April 16-27, 2014.

image: (L-R) MARK RUFFALO and KEIRA KNIGHTLEY star in BEGIN AGAIN ©2014 The Weinstein Company. All rights reserved.
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VIDEO Trailer for Short Film SCRATCH Premiering at Tribeca Film Festival

The trailer popped up on-line for the Irish short film SCRATCH scheduled to premiere at the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival taking place April 16th to 27th, 2014 in New York City. Co-written and directed by Phillip Kelly and co-written and produced by Liam Ryan, SCRATCH tells the story of Eoin (Conor Drum), who is working the night shift at a quiet petrol station. His night is disturbed initially by scratch card addict Ger (Stephen Jones), and then a masked robber who sends their night into a direction they could never have guessed.

http://youtu.be/s854YPQdVrE
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2014 Tribeca Film Festival Announces Lineup of Conversations, Participants Include Kevin Spacey, Ron Howard, Michael Douglas, Lee Daniels, Alec Baldwin, Aaron Sorkin, and more

The 2014 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), announced its lineup for the 2014 Tribeca Talks® and Tribeca Innovation Week’s Future of Film series. The Festival will feature conversations with some of the most prolific and creative directors, producers, writers, actors and industry professionals in film including Academy Award® winners Kevin Spacey, Ron Howard, Michael Douglas, Aaron Sorkin, Thelma Schoonmaker, and Skip Lievsay; Academy Award®-nominated director Lee Daniels and writer Terence Winter; Emmy®-Award-winners Bryan Cranston, Alec Baldwin, and David Simon; as well as Congressman Barney Frank, and legendary boxers Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. The Tribeca Talks panels and events will run during the 13th edition of TFF, taking place April 16 – April 27 at locations around New York City.

TFF also unveiled four new documentaries world premiering at the Festival —NOW – In the Wings on a World Stage, The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin, Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank, and Champs, as well as Food Chains, Supermensch, and the tenth anniversary screening of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. They will each screen as part of the Tribeca Talks: After the Movie series giving audiences the opportunity to watch a film followed by a related conversation.

This year’s series also consists of the “Tribeca Talks: Directors Series,” where an acclaimed director participates in an intimate one-on-one conversation; “Tribeca Talks: Industry” conversations focusing on the technical production of film; and “Tribeca Talks: Pen to Paper, hosted by Barnes & Noble” which explores topics related to screenwriting.

Taking place during Tribeca Innovation Week is a four-day Future of Film series programmed around the theme The Story’s Edge. Future of Film discussions offer engaging, cross-disciplinary conversations about the collision of storytelling with dominant and emerging trends in our culture, with figures from the arenas of art, politics, science and technology, and filmmaking.

“With these talks we want to expand the conversation about filmmaking and storytelling. Whether it’s a deeper look at the artistic process or timely social issues, hearing from the leading voices in film, media and beyond, can facilitate new perceptions and further our understanding of the current state of making and enjoying entertainment,” said Genna Terranova, Director of Programming.

“Tribeca Talks: Directors Series,” will include intimate conversations with:

Academy Award®-winning director Ron Howard discusses his career as a filmmaker, writer and producer, which already spans over fifty years.
Academy Award®-nominated director Lee Daniels divulges on his seminal career which includes such critical hits as Precious and Lee Daniels’ The Butler.

“Tribeca Talks: After the Movie” will include:

The world premiere of NOW – In the Wings on a World Stage, follows the versatile and acclaimed Bridge Project Theatre, the first trans-atlantic company of actors and artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre, Kevin Spacey as he reunites with American Beauty director Sam Mendes for a behind the scenes look at the creation of their breathtaking production of Shakespeare’s Richard III; followed by a conversation with Kevin Spacey, director Jeremy Whelehan and members of the Richard III company about the vocation of acting, the future of theater and this spectacular theatrical journey.

The world premiere of The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin, an examination of the creation of Bitcoin and its impact on the future of international currency; followed by a conversation with director Nicholas Mross, film subject Dan Mross, and Charles Shrem who will give their perspective on the most up to the minute details about the mysterious and ever-changing world of Bitcoin.

The world premiere of Champs, an exploration of how some of the most legendary fighters used boxing as a way to pull themselves out of poverty; followed by a conservation with boxing greats Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, boxing promoter and Lou DiBella about life, rivalry and conflict both inside and out of the ring.

The world premiere of Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank, a candid examination of openly gay Congressman Barney Frank’s 40 years in elected office and how his own homosexuality impacted his campaigns for social justice; followed by a conversation with subject Barney Frank and actor Alec Baldwin about the politics of Washington, Barney’s life and career and what he plans to do in his retirement.

The world premiere of Silenced, the stories of two whistleblowers and their supporters who survived the government’s efforts suppress their claims; followed by a conversation with director James Spione and film subjects Jesselyn Radack and Thomas Drake and Pulitzer Prize-winner Barton Gellman who will discuss the role, importance and ethics of whistleblowing in America.

The North American premiere of Food Chains, a hard hitting look at the state of labor within the agriculture sector in the US and the immoral practices that affect the lives of countless thousands of farm workers; followed by a discussion with executive producer Eva Longoria, the film’s director, Sanjay Rawal, Eric Schlosser and Kerry Kennedy on what you can do to be a part of the food justice revolution.

The U.S. premiere of Supermensch, Mike Myers directorial debut that explores the dynamic and astounding career of consummate Hollywood insider Shep Gordon; followed by a conversation with film subject Shep Gordon,Michael Douglas for some inside Hollywood baseball stories.

For the annual Sloan retrospective salute, a tenth anniversary screening of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, directed by Michel Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman; followed by a discussion on the making-of and contemporary relevance of the film including advances in our ability to manipulate the pathways of memory since the film debuted.

Shooting and scoring, a conversation about the particular art in creating authentic sports stories with Friday Night Lights director Peter Berg.

In celebration of the upcoming World Cup, 30 for 30: Soccer Stories will screen two films, The Opposition and Maradona ’86; followed by a conversation with filmmakers Ezra Edelman, Daniel Battsek and ESPN about the films and the upcoming competition.

“Future of Film: The Story’s Edge” taking place as part of Tribeca Innovation Week will feature:

A conversation with writer and producer Aaron Sorkin and former Chief Presidential Speech Writer Jon Favreau about what it means to be moral in 2014 and what is valued as heroic in on screen, in fiction and in life.

Your Brain on Story features futurist Jason Silva on why and how people are hardwired for stories and cinema, followed by “Psychos We Love,” an exploration into what it is that audiences love about on screen psychos, and how they compare to real life psychopaths with actor Bryan Cranston, show runner/writer Terence Winter and neuroscientist James Fallon; moderated by Nightline co-anchor Cynthia McFadden.

All The News That’s Fit to Shoot, Print…or Tweet, explores the crossover between documentary filmmaking, news media and social action with Upworthy Co-Founder Eli Pariser, CEO and Co-Founder of Vice Shane Smith, and Executive Director of Witness Yvette Alberdingk Thijm; moderated by filmmaker and journalist Perri Peltz.

Stories by Numbers, a discussion about the ways that big data mining can influence future innovation in film, art and journalism with screenwriter and show runner Beau Willimon, writer David Simon, and a special guest from ESPN/FiveThirtyEight.com; moderated by the host of NPR’s The Takeaway John Hockenberry.

“Tribeca Talks: Industry” are free events and will feature:

Dolby Institute: The Art of Sound Design & Music, a conversation with film industry professionals about the evolution of sound in film and how sound can be used to enhance storytelling. Panelists include Academy Award®-winning sound mixer Skip Lievsay (Gravity) and Susan Jacobs (Silver Linings Playbook).

The Cutting Room: An Insight to the Edit Suite, a discussion about new editing techniques and firsthand accounts about what it really takes to make the final cut. Academy Award®-winning editor and longtime Martin Scorsese collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker will discuss her incredible career.

Shooting the Film: An Exploration of Cinematography, a conversation about the art of cinematography including how to capture beautiful and iconic imagery on screen.

Panelists include cinematographers Nick Bentgen (Ballet 422,) Frank G. DeMarco (All is Lost,) and Ellen Kuras (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.)

“Tribeca Talks: Pen to Paper hosted by Barnes & Noble” are free events and will include:

The Repercussions of Truth, a discussion exploring the degrees of truth-telling and authenticity in storytelling and editing. Panelists include directors John Dower, Tyler Meason, Justin Weinstein, Sam Cullman and Jennifer Grausman. Moderated by Variety’s Gordon Cox.

Adaptation & Creation a conversation with filmmakers who reflect on how to stay true to an original or adapted text. Panelists include director/writer Stephen Belber, director/writer Amy Berg, director Megan Griffiths (Lucky Them), director/writer Aaron Katez (Land Ho!), and director Adam Rapp (Loitering with Intent). Moderated by Screen International’s Mark Adams.

Calling the Shots, a personal examination of how film scripts can enhance, thwart or reflect social cultural change. Panelists include director/writer Ira Sachs, director Orlando von Einseidel and director Marshall Curry.

Special Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival Conversations

The full schedule for the 2014 Tribeca Talks series follows:

“Tribeca Talks: Directors Series”

Lee Daniels
Acclaimed filmmaker Lee Daniels divulges on his seminal career which includes such critical hits as Precious and Lee Daniels’ The Butler.
DATE: Friday, April 18
TIME: 3:00 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 1

Ron Howard with Brian Williams
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Ron Howard discusses his career as a filmmaker, writer and producer, which already spans over fifty years.
DATE: Saturday, April 26
TIME: 3:00 PM
LOCATION: BMCC

“Tribeca Talks: After the Movie”

Champs
Directed and written by Bert Marcus. (USA) – World Premiere. From inner-city housing projects to the biggest stages in boxing, this insightful and provocative documentary charts the lives of some of America’s heaviest hitters, including Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and Bernard Hopkins, as they seek to break out of poverty via one of the few outlets available. Director Bert Marcus skillfully weaves their personal histories and gripping footage from their biggest bouts to explore the meaning of the American dream in a society increasingly fragmented between rich and poor.

After the Movie: Stay for a conversation with former boxers Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, boxing promoter Lou DiBella about life, rivalry and conflict both inside and out of the ring.

DATE: Saturday, April 19
TIME: 3:00 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 1

Silenced
Silenced, directed by James Spione. (USA) – World Premiere. Only 11 Americans have ever been charged under the Espionage Act of 1917; eight of them since President Obama took office. Oscar-nominated documentarian James Spione returns to TFF with the incredible personal journeys of two members of that octet, Thomas Drake and John Kiriakou, along with accountability advocate, Jesselyn Radack, who helped bring their cases to light. With resonance in the post-Snowden era, Silenced catalogs the lengths to which the government has gone to keep its most damning secrets, in an impassioned and thought-provoking defense of whistleblowers everywhere.

After the movie: Stay for a conversation with director James Spione, Jesselyn Radack, Thomas Drake and Barton Gellman about the role, importance and ethics of whistleblowing in America in 2014.

DATE: Saturday, April 19
TIME: 5:00 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 2

NOW – In the Wings on a World Stage
Directed by Jeremy Whelehan. (USA) – World Premiere. In 2012, the talented actors that make up one of the oldest companies in the world, the Old Vic Theater company, and the group’s multi-talented artistic director, Kevin Spacey stage Shakespeare’s epic tragedy Richard III on a whirlwind tour across the world. Whelehan goes behind the scenes with the inspiring Tony Award® winning cast, Spacey, and the play’s director Sam Mendes, to celebrate the craft of theater, the actors who bring it to brilliant life, and to deepen our understanding of theater through this ambitious international staging.

After the Movie: Stay for a conversation with Kevin Spacey, director Jeremy Whelehan and members of the Richard III company about the vocation of acting and the future of theater and this spectacular theatrical journey.

DATE: Monday, April 21
TIME: 6:00 PM
LOCATION: BMCC

The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin
Directed by Nicholas Mross. (USA) – World Premiere. What is Bitcoin? The digital currency, created by anonymous developer Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009, is heralded by some as the future of the global economy, even as it is increasingly stigmatized by volatility and implicated in online drug trafficking and money laundering. Nicholas Mross’ illuminating documentary digs deep into the origins and meteoric rise of Bitcoin through the stories of those intrepid innovators at the forefront of this developing technology.

After the Movie: Stay for a conversation with director Nicholas Mross, the film’s protagonist Dan Mross, and Charles Shrem for the most up to the minute details about the mysterious and rapidly changing world of Bitcoin.

DATE: Wednesday, April 23
TIME: 5:30 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 2

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Directed by Michel Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman. (USA) – An all-star ensemble cast shines in this comical and poignant look at breakups, breakdowns and breakthroughs and the role of memory in human relationships. Joel (Jim Carrey) is stunned to discover that his girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet), has had their tumultuous relationship erased from her mind. Out of desperation, he contacts the inventor of the process, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson), to get the same treatment. But as his memories of Clementine begin to fade, Joel suddenly realizes how much he still loves her. Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood co-star in the Academy Award winner for best original screenplay.Sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

After the Movie: Stay for a conversation on the making-of and contemporary relevance of the film, including advances in our ability to manipulate the pathways of memory since the film debuted with producer Anthony Bregman,Daniella Schiller, Professor of Psychiatry & Neuroscience/Mount Sinai, and others, moderated by Science Friday® host Ira Flatlow.

DATE: Saturday, April 26
TIME: 3:00 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 2

Food Chains
Directed by Sanjay Rawal. (USA) – North American Premiere. Executive produced by Eva Longoria, this hard hitting documentary gives pause for thought with every plate of food we eat by exposing the rampant abuse and injustice embedded in America’s agriculture and food production industries. The film sheds light on the wage theft, physical abuse and outright slavery that constitutes everyday life for thousands of America’s (mostly Latino) farm workers, and gives voice to those fighting to change these practices and bring justice to the table.

After the Movie: Join Executive Producer Eva Longoria, director, Sanjay Rawal, Kerry Kennedy, Eric Schlosser and a representative from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to learn more about behind the scenes in America’s food chain and what you can do to be part of the food justice revolution.

DATE: Saturday, April 26
TIME: 2:00 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 1

Supermensch
Directed by Mike Myers. (USA) – U.S. Premiere. In his directorial debut, Mike Myers brings a comic touch to documenting the astounding career of consummate Hollywood insider Shep Gordon. Making playful use of archival footage, new interviews, and his own close relationship with the legendary talent manager, Myers reveals a man who has embraced his dualities: a hard-driving dealmaker who wants everyone to be happy and a rock ‘n’ roll hedonist who yearns for a family. Against a backdrop of debauchery, he’s a man on a spiritual quest. These contradictions make him a fascinating documentary subject.

After the Movie: Stay for a conversation with Shep Gordon, Michael Douglas for some inside baseball Hollywood stories.

DATE: Saturday, April 26
TIME: 5:30 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 1

Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank
Directed by Michael Chandler and Sheila Canavan. (USA) – World Premiere.

Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank is a rare and intimate peek into the life of Barney Frank, the quick-witted, cantankerous, and first openly gay Congressman in the United States. On the verge of his retirement, Frank reflects on his 40 years in office and the role his own homosexuality played in his campaigns for social justice. A flawless example of when the personal meets the political, with incredible “bare all” access, this documentary reveals Frank as one of the most sharp-tongued, entertaining, and lionhearted politicians of our time.

After the Movie: Stay for a conversation with Barney Frank and Alec Baldwin about the politics of Washington, Barney’s life and career and what he plans to do in his retirement.

DATE: Sunday, April 27
TIME: 2:30 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 1

Future of Film: The Story’s Edge – part of Tribeca Innovation Week

A Conversation with Aaron Sorkin
Writer and producer Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, Newsroom, The Social Network) in conversation with former Chief Presidential Speech Writer Jon Favreau about what it means to be moral in 2014, what we value as heroic in life and in fiction, and how film and television have documented our transition from an analogue to a digital world.

DATE: Monday, April 21
TIME: 6:30 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 1

Your Brain on Story
Part one: “Jason Silva: Technologies of Immersion”

Your Brain on Story features futurist Jason Silva on why and how people are hardwired for stories and cinema.

Part two: “Psychos We Love,”
A candid conversation about the ‘habits’ of successful psychopaths. Sounds crazy? Not really. Turns out, it’s not only screen psychos that we love. Many of the people we admire, and even elect as our leaders, share traits with psychopathic killers. Find out more as actor Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”) and Terence Winter (“The Sopranos,” “Boardwalk Empire”) discuss the connection between horror and humor and what makes a great screen villain with a neuroscientist,James Fallon, who not only studies the brains of serial killers, but has one himself. Moderated by Cynthia McFadden (ABC News, Nightline Co Anchor)

DATE: Tuesday, April 22
TIME: 2:30 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 2

All The News That’s Fit to Shoot, Print…or Tweet
Many say the birth of cable news, the 24-hour news cycle and then the internet have caused the demise of journalism. On the flip side, our thirst for news and information has only become more intense in recent years. Citizen journalists, bloggers, and hybrids of journalism with everything from films to video games and viral videos are stepping up to answer the call. So who now sets the bar for journalistic ethics and in who’s voices (or cute cat videos) should we place our trust? Join Upworthy Co-Founder Eli Pariser, CEO and Co-Founder of Vice Shane Smith, and Executive Director of Witness Yvette Alberdingk Thijm. Moderated by filmmaker and journalist Perri Peltz.

DATE: Wednesday, April 23
TIME: 2:30 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 2

Stories by Numbers
Almost everything we do creates a digital trail containing information about who we are, where we go, how we spend our time and money, and what we watch. Media and entertainment entities are increasingly able to use this information to tell rich data-driven stories or to decide what content to acquire or produce. But does betting on the ‘wisdom of crowds’ bode well or ill for future innovation in film, art and journalism? True believers and tech skeptics square off. Join show runner/writer Beau Willimon (“House of Cards”), writer David Simon (“The Wire”), Thompson on Hollywood’s Anne Thompson, and a special guest from ESPN/FiveThirtyEight.com. Moderated by host of NPR’s The Takeaway John Hockenberry.

DATE: Thursday April 24th
TIME: 2.30pm
LOCATION: SVA Theater 2

“Tribeca Talks: Industry” (Free event: Reserve tickets in advance at tribecafilm.com)

Dolby Institute: The Art of Sound Design & Music
Ever since the creation of the talkie, sound in film has been evolving. The Dolby Institute brings together top sound designers to discuss what it really takes to create the sound of a film, and the army it takes just to hear a pin drop. Panelists will explore scenes from their work and divulge the strategy behind using sound as a storytelling tool. Panelists include Academy Award® winning sound mixer Skip Lievsay (Gravity) and music supervisor Susan Jacobs (Silver Linings Playbook).

DATE: Friday, April 18
TIME: 2:30 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 2

The Cutting Room: An Insight to the Edit Suite
It’s said that a movie is made three times: once through a script, once on set, and finally in the edit room. Join us to hear tales from the cutting room floor from longtime Martin Scorsese collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker as she discusses her incredible career.

DATE: Saturday, April 19
TIME: 2:30 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 2

Shooting the Film: An Exploration of Cinematography
Cinematographers are responsible for some of the most breathtaking and memorable images on screen. Join us to hear cinematographers discuss their careers so far in the world of capturing images to tell a story, as well as describing how they shot some of their most famous scenes. Panelists All is Lost cinematographer Frank G. DeMarco Ballet 422 cinematographer Nick Bentgen and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind cinematographer Ellen Kuras.

DATE: Monday, April 21
TIME: 2:30 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 2

The Growth of Short Content
Filmmakers with a thirst for storytelling are saturating our digital media landscape with short content, changing the way we seek and consume media. Hear some of the creators discuss the challenges faced in creating snappy, attention grabbing and informative content, and how to garner an audience outside of a theater. Panelists include director, producer Morgan Spurlock and ESPN’s Dan Silver.

DATE: Saturday, April 26
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 2

“Tribeca Talks: Pen to Paper” (Free)
Hosted by Barnes & Noble

The Repercussions of Truth
Storytelling involves the decision of how much truth to tell. The editing process incites the omission of information or facts. When focusing on true stories, filmmakers are still only able to tell us part of the story. How do they determine what their truth will be, and how much does the repercussion of truth factor into this decision?

Panelists include directors John Dower (Slaying the Badger), Tyler Measom (An Honest Liar), Justin Weinstein (An Honest Liar), directors Sam Cullman & Jennifer Grausman (Art and Craft). Moderated by Gordon Cox, Variety.

DATE: Friday, April 18
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: Barnes & Noble 33 E 17th Street at Union Square

Adaptation & Creation

From stage plays and books to original or adapted screenplays, filmmakers are constantly adapting and creating stories for the screen. Join us for an exploration into the experience of filming work created from different content, and how true you should stay to the original text when shooting an adaptation or script you didn’t write.

Panelists include director/writer Stephen Belber (Match), director/writer Amy Berg (West of Memphis), director/writer Megan Griffiths (Lucky Them), director/writer Aaron Katez (Land Ho!), and director Adam Rapp (Loitering with Intent). Moderated by Mark Adams, Screen International.

DATE: Saturday, April 19
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: Barnes & Noble 33 E 17th Street at Union Square

Calling the Shots
Both documentary and narrative films constantly explore moving for social change in a variety of ways, either directly or indirectly. Whether it’s about human rights, the environmental or personal change, these films are at the forefront of today’s cinema and have a new and unique opportunity to affect change in society.

Panelists include director/writer Ira Sachs (Love is Strange), director Orlando von Einseidel (Virunga) and director Marshall Curry (Point and Shoot).

DATE: Sunday, April 20
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: Barnes & Noble 33 E 17th Street at Union Square

Special “Tribeca Talks” Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival Conversations

Shooting and scoring
A conversation about the particular art in creating authentic sports stories – from non-fiction material to heart stopping hits that satisfy hardcore fans while also connecting with broader audiences. Featuring director, Peter Berg best known for his hit TV series and film, Friday Night Lights and for the recent sports doc series, State of Play which illuminates the intersection of sports and sports culture with wider society in 2014 America.

DATE: Friday, April 25
TIME: 8:30 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 1

30 for 30: Soccer Stories

The Opposition
Directed by Ezra Edelman and Jeffrey Plunkett (USA/Chile) – World Premiere. In the wake of the 1973 military coup in Chile, American-backed dictator Augusto Pinochet transformed Santiago’s National Stadium into a concentration camp where political opponents were tortured and assassinated. Only months later, that same stadium was scheduled to host a decisive World Cup qualifier between Chile and the Soviet Union. Despite protests, FIFA’s own investigation, and the Soviets’ eventual boycott, the Chilean team still played the game as planned, qualifying for the 1974 World Cup on a goal scored against no one.

Maradona ’86
Directed by Sam Blair, Executive Produced by John Battsek (USA) – World Premiere. In the 1986 World Cup, Diego Armando Maradona redefined what is possible for one man to accomplish on the soccer field. Already a figure of notoriety, but with one failed World Cup behind him, Argentinian Maradona took possession of the international stage in Mexico, the spotlight rarely drifting from him as he wrote an indelible history with his feet and, of course, with a “hand from God.” Delivered with passion and intelligence, Maradona ‘86 is a fascinating, evocative, and operatic portrait, revealing Maradona’s inner complexity and contradictions while basking in the joy and passion of his performance on the pitch, as he wrote his name on soccer history forever.

After the Movie: filmmakers Ezra Edelman, Daniel Battsek and ESPN speak about the films and the upcoming World Cup

DATE: Sunday, April 20
TIME: 2:30 PM
LOCATION: SVA Theater 2
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2014 Tribeca Film Festival Announces Short Film Lineup Featuring Sophia Loren, Danny DeVito, Fred Armisen

Academy Award®-winning Live Action Short, HELIUM

The 2014 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), today announced its lineup of 58 short films, 29 of which are world premieres. The shorts will be presented in 9 thematic programs —5 narrative, 3 documentary, and 1 experimental. Last year’s popular genre-specific program returns this year as “Totally Twisted” with some added unusual comedies.

The Festival will screen the recent 2014 Academy Award®-winning Live Action Short, HELIUM. Edoardo Ponti, the 2013 winner of Tribeca’s Best Narrative Short film, THE NIGHTSHIFT BELONGS TO THE STARS, returns to Tribeca to world premiere HUMAN VOICE, featuring a powerful performance by Sophia Loren and cinematography by Academy Award®-winner, Rodrigo Prieto. Ponti is among a number of returning filmmakers including Steve James, Bill Morrison, Anita Thacher, and Ondi Timonor. The lineup also features performances by Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones), Danny DeVito (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine), Jon Huertas (Castle), Seamus Dever (Castle), and voiceovers by Sigourney Weaver, Steve Buscemi, and Fred Armisen.

Recipients of the Tribeca Film Festival’s Best Narrative Short and Best Documentary Short Awards will qualify for consideration in the Short Films category of the Annual Academy Awards® provided the film complies with the Academy rules.

A list of the short film selections within the nine programs is as follows:

AFTER WORDS – documentary program

These short documentaries are at times political, occasionally provocative, and always personal, reflecting the past and illuminating the present. Once a year, Duke Phillips and his crew of Colorado ranchers rounds up 2,000 wild buffalo as part of a unique conservation effort to preserve this endangered animal and the rich landscape it inhabits in Duke and the Buffalo. In a small Scottish town in 1974, factory workers refuse to carry out repairs on warplane engines as an act of solidarity against the violent military coup in Chile in Nae Pasaran. When young filmmaker Alexandra embeds surveillance cameras in her kitchen to capture a decade long affliction of unconscious nighttime eating episodes, her image of self is turned inside-out in Nocturnity. In The Next Part, a double-amputee Army Bomb Tech and his wife grapple with his injuries amidst unexpected events. In a small American town in the state of Georgia, a good citizen is an armed citizen In Guns We Trust. Four decades after one of the world’s most notorious crimes, a Manson Family member breaks her silence to reveal how a series of choices led to ultimate destruction in Life After Manson.
Duke and the Buffalo, directed and written by Alfredo Alcantara and Josh Chertoff. (USA) – World Premiere.
Nae Pasaran, directed by Felipe Bustos Sierra. (Scotland) – North American Premiere.
Nocturnity, directed and written by Alexandra Liveris. (USA) – World Premiere.
The Next Part, directed and written by Erin Sanger. (USA) – World Premiere.
In Guns We Trust, directed and written by Nicolas Lévesque. (Canada) – U.S. Premiere.
Life After Manson, directed and written by Olivia Klaus. (USA) – World Premiere.

BEFORE LONG – documentary program

Time waits for no one in these short documentaries. From serious to “show biz”; they run the gamut of emotion. An elderly man struggling to cope with his wife’s dementia becomes captivated by a young actress at Dracula’s, the theater restaurant in Ghost Train. Greg O’Brien, long-time Cape Cod reporter and newspaperman, who is diagnosed with Early-onset Alzheimer’s, decides to confront the disease and his imminent decline by writing candidly about the journey in A Place Called Pluto. When their football dreams are dashed, three athletes use their muscle and charm to become TV stars on American Gladiators, one of the oddest, most injury-riddled ‘sports’ shows ever concocted in True Gladiators. Traveling on the road with one of the most controversial musicians today, AMANDA F***ING PALMER ON THE ROCKS explores her fractious relationship with the music industry in the aftermath of her record-breaking crowd funding campaign and her intense online and physical interactions with her fans. Three pink tutus, three pink helmets and three pink skateboards—meet Bella, Sierra, and Rella, as the young girls prove skateboarding is not just for boys inThe Pink Helmet Posse. Meet seven Hollywood golden era veterans with a combined age of 662—from a Vaudeville comedian still working at age 100 to the stunning siren that dated Ronald Reagan when he was a Democrat—these, ladies and gentlemen, are Showfolk.

Ghost Train, directed and written by Kelly Hucker and James Fleming. (Australia) – North American Premiere.
A Place Called Pluto, directed by Steve James. (USA) – New York Premiere.
True Gladiators, directed by Kevin Donovan. (USA) – World Premiere.
AMANDA F***ING PALMER ON THE ROCKS, directed and written by Ondi Timoner. (USA) – World Premiere.
The Pink Helmet Posse, directed by Benjamin Mullinkosson and Kristelle Laroche. (USA) – World Premiere.
Showfolk, directed and written by Ned McNeilage. (USA) – World Premiere.

CITY LIMITS – documentary program

This year our New York Shorts program “gets real” with four world premiere documentaries relatable to anyone who calls this city home. My Depression: The Up and Down and Up of It is an animated adaptation of the award winning Book, “My Depression, A Picture Book” with the voices of Sigourney Weaver, Steve Buscemi, and Fred Armisen. 70 Hester Street is about the former synagogue/whiskey still/raincoat factory the filmmaker grew up in on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and how he wants to remember it. Told almost entirely through voice mail messages, One Year Lease documents the travails of Brian, Thomas and Casper as they endure a year-long apartment lease with Rita, the cat-loving landlady. Set against the backdrop of the Arab-Israeli conflict and tensions between Jewish and Muslim college students, Of Many tells the story of the relationship between an Orthodox Rabbi and Imam.

My Depression: The Up and Down and Up of It, directed and written by David Wachtenheim, Robert Marianetti, and Elizabeth Swados. (USA) – World Premiere. An HBO Documentary film.
70 Hester Street, directed and written by Casimir Nozkowski. (USA) – World Premiere.
One Year Lease, directed by Brian Bolster. (USA) – World Premiere.
Of Many, directed by Linda G. Mills. (USA) – World Premiere.

DIGITAL DILEMMA – experimental program

As the commercial movie industry is rapidly shifting on a global basis to digital distribution and exhibition, moving image artists continue to celebrate the material qualities of the film medium, whose physical characteristics consist of reels of celluloid film, sprocket holes, optical sound tracks, mechanical splices, and the film emulsion, onto which they record images and sounds. At the same time, these artists continue to raise poignant critiques about the immateriality of the digital projection formats.

A Film Is A Film Is A Film, directed and written by Eva von Schweinitz. (USA) – World Premiere.
Acetate Diary, directed and written by Russell Sheaffer. (USA) – World Premiere.
Romance Sans Paroles, directed and written by Christophe Guérin. (France) – International Premiere.
CUT, directed and written by Anita Thacher. (USA) – World Premiere.
Optical Sound, directed and written by Elke Groen and Christian Neubacher. (Austria) – North American Premiere.
Two Points of Failure, directed and written by Michael Moshe Dahan. (USA) – New York Premiere.
All Vows, directed and written by Bill Morrison, co-written by Michael Gordon. (USA) – New York Premiere.
Noise Reduction II: Chinatown, directed and written by Rahee Punyashioka. (India) – North American Premiere.

FLIGHT DELAYS – narrative program

Things don’t always go as planned for the characters in this group of narrative short films. Often thwarted but always resilient, these characters reflect dreams, desires, and the need to escape. In The Boy Scout, a couple trapped in their car for days after an unexpected snowstorm strands them on a remote mountain road confronts a life-or-death choice—with another storm approaching – should they stay together, or go their separate ways? A talented prison chef is paroled to a world that does not want him in Pour Retourner. La Carnada follows 13 year old Manny from Tijuana as he embarks on his first drug smuggle across the “Devil’s Highway,” a notoriously fatal stretch of desert on the Arizona/Mexico border. The Kiosk has been Olga’s little home for years, but her sweet tooth and monotonous life has made her larger than the exit, so to distract herself, she reads travel magazines and dreams of faraway places. InSweepstakes, when her husband suffers a neurological complication, a new mother is left to face the life she could have had. Sker is the true story of a kayaker, sailing through the fjords of Iceland, who stumbles across a skerry, but soon realizes perhaps porting there wasn’t such a good idea. Young Alfred is dying, but through the stories about a magical fantasy world told by the hospital’s eccentric janitor, Enzo, he regains the joy and happiness of his life and finds a safe haven in Helium.

The Boy Scout, directed and written by Patrick Brooks. (USA) – New York Premiere.
Pour Retourner, directed by Scooter Corkle, written by Zack Mosley. (Canada) – World Premiere.
La Carnada, directed and written by Josh Soskin. (USA) – World Premiere.
The Kiosk, directed and written by Anete Melece. (Switzerland) – U.S. Premiere.
Sweepstakes, directed and written by Mark Tumas. (USA) – World Premiere.
Sker, directed and written by Eyþór Jóvinsson. (Iceland) – International Premiere.
Helium, directed and written by Anders Walter, co-written by Christian Gamst Miller-Harris. (Denmark) – New York Premiere. (2014 Academy Award® winner Live Action Short film)

HANDLE WITH CARE – narrative program

The delicate situations in these short films require steady hands and minds; the smallest slip can have serious repercussions. Connections and consequences are the key. Eoin works the night shift in a quiet petrol station and his main source of distraction, night after night, is regular customer, Ger, who believes he has a system for picking the winning card in Scratch. In App, a shy engineer desperately needs venture capital for his virtual wing-woman app, but can he and his app seduce a heartbroken girl at a swanky L.A. bar to prove it works? Contrapelo is the story of a proud Mexican barber who is forced to shave the leader of a drug cartel. Set on Election Day 2008 against the sweeping landscape of rural America, For Spacious Sky is the story of three lost brothers finding their way back to each other—one from incarceration, one from addiction, and one from discrimination. Heather is a shy lady who works at a helpline call center and when she receives a phone call from a mysterious man, she has no idea the encounter will change her life forever in The Phone Call.

Scratch, directed and written by Philip Kelly, co-written by Liam Ryan. (Ireland) – New York Premiere.
App, directed and written by Alexander Berman. (USA) – World Premiere.
Contrapelo, directed and written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, co-written by Liska Ostojic. (USA) – World Premiere.
For Spacious Sky, directed by Coy Middlebrook, written by Kevin Allen Jackson. (USA) – North American Premiere.
The Phone Call, directed and written by Mat Kirkby, co-written by James Lucas. (UK) – New York Premiere.

MORAL FIBERS – narrative program

Decisions confront the characters in these narrative shorts. This plethora of predicaments deals with work, family, and friends, though not necessarily in that order. Love in the Time of March Madness tells the animated and awkward true-life misadventure of being 6’4” tall since 8th grade, becoming a basketball star, and dating shorter men. Free-spirited 21-year old Sheri has her own apartment, an older boyfriend, and works in a bar to make her living, but a surprise phone call brings her face to face with her past in Firstborn. As the class prepares for First Communion, one young girl refuses to do so, proclaiming that she’s an “atheist,” in Ruby. Today’s The Day is about an intern at one of the top dance agencies in town whose dream in life is to become a professional dancer, but he lacks the courage and confidence to fight for it…until today. Trapped in professional purgatory, four junior bankers must decide what they truly want before it’s too late in Parachute. A housewarming party spirals out of control when the host couple is sucked into a bout of light-hearted arm wrestling in Stew & Punch. A father in mourning struggles to connect with his blind daughter and learns that the colors of grief and understanding are more vivid when glimpsed through the eyes of the blind in Record.

Love in the Time of March Madness, directed by Melissa Johnson and Robertino Zambrano, written by Melissa Johnson. (USA) – World Premiere.
Firstborn, directed and written by Leah Tonic. (Israel) – North American Premiere.
Ruby, directed by Louise Ni Fhiannachta, written by Antoin Beag O’Colla. (Ireland) – New York Premiere
Today’s The Day, directed and written by Daniel Campos, co-written by Tamara Levinson-Campos. (USA) – North American Premiere.
Parachute, directed by Peter Stebbings, written by Peter Mooney. (Canada) – World Premiere.
Stew & Punch, directed and written by Simon Ellis. (UK) – North American Premiere.
Record, directed and written by David Lyons, co-written by Brook Hely and Trent Roberts. (Australia) – New York Premiere.

SOUL SURVIVORS – narrative program

Life isn’t always easy, and this is exemplified by the shorts with both small and large conundrums; human interaction is life preservers in these turbulent waters. A man drags his girlfriend to the hospital for an abortion, but while sitting in a waiting room, he meets a girl who just might change his mind in Kakara. New York is silent after the loss of its Twin Towers; as loved ones are missing and people turn to prayer, one New Yorker struggles for answers inDay Ten. A woman seeks the comfort of her estranged mother tucked away in the mountainous wine country of Chile following a traumatic miscarriage in Tinto. Two bank robbers run into problems when each takes exception to the other’s mask in Sequestered. A man sets his alarm clock and goes to bed, but during the night, the world keeps turning in the animated, Cycloid. After her father’s death, awkward 11-year-old Nesma is at odds with the world around her since she began caring for her father’s pigeons, but now she faces an even bigger challenge in Nesma’s Birds. Set against the backdrop of 1950 Naples, Italy, Human Voice tells the story of Angela, a woman in the twilight of her years, as she rides an emotional roller coaster in her last telephone conversation with the man she loves.

Kakara, directed and written by Kimmo Yläkäs. (Finland) – New York Premiere.
Day Ten, directed and written by Arian Moayed. (USA) – World Premiere.
Tinto, directed and written by Felix Solis, co-written by Liza Fernandez. (USA) – World Premiere.
Sequestered, directed and written by Lucas Spaulding. (USA) – World Premiere.
Cycloid, directed and written by Tomoki Kurogi. (Japan) – New York Premiere.
Nesma’s Birds, directed by Najwan Ali and Medoo Ali, written by Najwan Ali and Yaser Karim. (Iraq) – North American Premiere.
Human Voice, directed and written by Edoardo Ponti, co-written by Erri De Luca based on Jean Cocteau’s play. (Italy) – World Premiere.

TOTALLY TWISTED – narrative program

Fun. Creepy. Weird. That pretty much sums up the feel of this program designed especially for our late-night loving audience. This program is a real killer, literally. The 30 Year Old Bris is about an interfaith couple where the girlfriend demands her boyfriend complete his conversion to Judaism by getting a circumcision before they wed. Trust Me, I’m A Lifeguard is a bro-mantic comedy about two lifeguards who, when confronted with the end of summer, are forced to make adult decisions such as: What’s the meaning of life, what makes a good Speedo and are those clams safe to eat? Unable to deal with the pressures of an examined life, Todd and Tamara confront the Peepers who are watching them, and expose what they’ve been hiding all along—themselves. In Remora, on the day of his wedding, Kevin confronts his brother, Landon, to ask for permission to marry his ex-wife, but learns the circumstances surrounding the estrangement were far more fantastic than he had been led to believe. A professional killer discovers he can get away with anything on Halloween night, including dragging his latest victim around as a prop amidst a sea of oblivious London partiers in The Body. In One Please, a young girl’s Mommy and Daddy love her…very, very much. A man wakes up one morning to realize the entire world has dreamed about him the night before in Sequence.

The 30 Year Old Bris, directed and written by Michael D. Ratner. (USA) – World Premiere.
Trust Me, I’m A Lifeguard, directed by Tony Glazer, written by Christian Keiber. (USA) – World Premiere.
Peepers, directed by Ken Lam, written by Laura Grey and Jordan Klepper. (USA) – New York Premiere
Remora, directed and written by Dylan Marko Bell, co-written by Russell August Anderson. (USA) – World Premiere.
The Body, directed and written by Paul Davis, co-written by Paul Fischer. (UK) – New York Premiere.
One Please, directed and written by Jesse Burks. (USA) – New York Premiere.
Sequence, directed and written by Carles Torrens. (USA) – New York Premiere.

The short film, Incident Urbain, will be screening before Karpotrotter in the Viewpoints Section. On the esplanade in Paris, two enigmatic characters engage in an extended discourse about architecture, cinema, and revolutionary politics.

Incident Urbain, directed and written by John Lalor. (France, Ireland) – North American Premiere.

2104 Awards for the Shorts program

Awards in the Shorts program are given out for Best Narrative Short; Best Documentary Short; and the Student Visionary Award; all films are eligible.

2014 Tribeca Film Festival Announces Spotlight, Midnight and Storyscapes sections, plus Special Screenings

PRESERVATION

The 13th Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), taking place from April 16th to April 27th, 2014, in New York City, announced its feature film selections in the Spotlight, Midnight, and Special Screenings sections, as well as the selections for the Storyscapes program.

The Spotlight section features 31 films, consisting of 22 narratives and 9 documentaries. Twenty films in the selection will have their world premieres at the Festival. The Midnight section will open with the feature film, PRESERVATION, and includes a lineup of seven genre-bending titles from fresh voices around the world that run the gamut from tongue-in-cheek comedy to chilling horror films. The Special Screenings include a work-in-progress documentary from Louie Psihoyos (The Cove), a film entitled 6, on a team of activists who risk their lives to shed light on species extinction.

For the second year, and joining an expanded range of programs at the Festival that bridge filmmaking and technology, is Storyscapes. Created in collaboration with BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Gin, this multi-platform transmedia program celebrates new trends in digital media and recognizes filmmakers and content creators who employ an interactive, web-based, or cross-platform approach to story creation.

The complete list of films selected for the Spotlight, Midnight, and Special Screenings sections along with the projects in the Storyscapes program are as follows:

SPOTLIGHT

5 to 7, directed and written by Victor Levin. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Young aspiring novelist Brian (Anton Yelchin) meets Arielle (Bérénice Marlohe), the sophisticated wife of a French Diplomat. They soon embark on a “cinq-a-sept” affair that challenges Brian’s traditional American ideas of love and relationships. A cosmopolitan comedy of manners told with surprising warmth and lightness, 5 to 7 marks writer and producer Levin’s (Mad Men) directorial debut, and welcomes actress Marlohe (Skyfall) as a glamorous, ebullient screen presence. With Glenn Close and Frank Langella.

About Alex, directed and written by Jesse Zwick. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. A circle of twenty-something friends reunite for a weekend away to console a suicidal member of their group. Yet, despite their best efforts to enjoy themselves, a tinderbox of old jealousies, unrequited love, and widening political differences leads to an explosion of drama that, coupled with the flammable combination of drugs, wine, and risotto, cannot be contained. A Big Chill for our current social media moment, About Alex is a lighthearted look at the struggles of a generation that has it all—and wants more. Starring Aubrey Plaza, Max Greenfield, Max Minghella, Jason Ritter, Nate Parker, and Maggie Grace.

Alex of Venice, directed by Chris Messina, written by Jessica Goldberg and Katie Nehra & Justin Shilton. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Workaholic environmental attorney Alex (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has always relied on her husband George (Chris Messina) to take the reins at home. But when he unexpectedly asks for a break, his departure forces Alex to reevaluate her life as she juggles the care of her son and needs of an aspiring-actor father (Don Johnson), all amid the most important case of her life. Actor Chris Messina steps behind the camera for his directorial debut about a woman pushed to the edge who finds the strength to press on.

All About Ann: Governor Richards of the Lone Star State, directed by Keith Patterson and Phillip Schopper. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. An unmissable documentary for any political junkie, All About Ann celebrates the achievements of larger-than-life Ann Richards, who became the first elected female governor of Texas. Her cool demeanor, acid wit, and passion for social inclusivity made her one of the most powerful and progressive governors in U.S. history, a liberal democrat intent on building “the new Texas.” But, when the 1994 election begins, Richards is faced with her toughest challenge yet, as an increasingly conservative majority turn towards a new, pro-business candidate: George W. Bush. An HBO Documentary Film.

Boulevard, directed by Dito Montiel, written by Douglas Soesbe. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Nolan Mack, a soft-spoken bank employee, undoubtedly loves his wife Joy, though their cavernous empty house only underscores how disconnected they’ve always been from each other. Nolan finds himself drifting from his familiar present-day life in pursuit of lost time after meeting a troubled young man named Leo on his drive home. What begins as an aimless drive down an unfamiliar street turns into a life-altering series of events. Robin Williams and Kathy Baker deliver quietly stirring performances in this touching film about finding the strength to be true to yourself at any age.

Bright Days Ahead (Les beaux jours), directed by Marion Vernoux, written by Fanny Chesnel. (France) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. In this sophisticated and sexy drama, a newly retired woman in her 60s (French cinema icon Fanny Ardant, 8 Women, Confidentially Yours) finds herself tumbling into an affair with a much younger man (Laurent Lafitte, Little White Lies), her computer teacher at the local seniors’ club. As she finds herself courting danger—taking her young lover to places they could easily be discovered by her husband (Patrick Chesnais, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)—she must decide if her retirement will mark the end for her marriage, or a new beginning. In French with English Subtitles. A Tribeca Film Release.

Chef, directed and written by Jon Favreau. (USA) – New York Premiere, Narrative. After talented and dynamic chef Carl Casper’s (Favreau) social media-fueled meltdown against his nemesis food critic lands him without any job prospects, Chef Casper hits the road with his son and his sous chef (John Leguizamo) to launch a brand new food truck business. Complete with lavish food imagery and a star-studded cast including Sofia Vergara, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman, Oliver Platt, and Amy Sedaris, Favreau’s fresh take on food and chef culture has poignant messages about the media-driven world in which we live and the real meaning of success. An Open Road Release.

Every Secret Thing, directed by Amy Berg, written by Nicole Holofcener. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. One clear summer day in a Baltimore suburb, a baby goes missing from her front porch. Two young girls serve seven years for the crime and are released into a town that hasn’t fully forgiven or forgotten. Soon, another child is missing, and two detectives are called in to investigate the mystery in a community where everyone seems to have a secret. An ensemble cast, including Elizabeth Banks, Diane Lane, Dakota Fanning, and Nate Parker, brings to life Laura Lippman’s acclaimed novel of love, loss, and murder.

In Order of Disappearance (Kraftidioten), directed by Hans Petter Moland, written by Kim Fupz Aakeson. (Norway) – North American Premiere, Narrative. Upstanding community leader Nils (Stellan Skarsgård) has just won an award for ‘Citizen of the Year’ when he learns the news that his son has died of a heroin overdose. Suspecting foul play, Nils begins to investigate, and soon finds himself at the center of an escalating underworld gang war between Serbian drug dealers and a sociopathic criminal mastermind known only as “The Count.” Hans Petter Moland’s action-thriller is an entertaining and intelligent black comedy set in the dead of frozen Norwegian winter. In English, Norwegian, and Swedish with English subtitles.

In Your Eyes, directed by Brin Hill, written by Joss Whedon. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. East Coast housewife Rebecca (Zoe Kazan) lives a comfortable, sheltered life, but she always knew there was something special about herself. Charismatic ex-con Dylan (Michael Stahl-David) has paid his debt to society and is ready for a fresh start in New Mexico, including a burgeoning flirtation with local good-time-gal Donna (Nikki Reed). When the two polar opposites realize they are strangely connected, an utterly unique metaphysical romance begins in TFF alum Brin Hill’s sweet and smart film, which star Zoe Kazan aptly described as “Joss Whedon does Nicholas Sparks.”

Just Before I Go, directed by Courteney Cox, written by David Flebotte. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Seann William Scott plays Ted Morgan, a down-on-his-luck everyman who has decided he’s had enough of the hard knocks life has thrown his way. But before saying his final adieu, Ted returns to his hometown to right a few wrongs. Enter a zany cast of characters, including Rob Riggle, Olivia Thirlby, and Garret Dillahunt, who, whilst royally messing up his scheme, manage to teach him a few clumsy, but ultimately valuable lessons.

Keep On Keepin’ On, directed and written by Alan Hicks, co-written by Davis Coombe. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Eighty-nine year old trumpeting legend Clark Terry has mentored jazz wonders like Miles Davis and Quincy Jones, but Terry’s most unlikely friendship is with Justin Kauflin, a 23-year-old blind piano player with uncanny talent, but debilitating nerves. As Justin prepares for the most pivotal moment in his budding career, Terry’s ailing health threatens to end his own. Charming and nostalgic, Alan Hicks’ melodic debut celebrates an iconic musician while introducing an emerging star of equal vibrancy.

Life Partners, directed and written by Susanna Fogel, co-written by Joni Lefkowitz. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Nearing 30, Sasha and Paige realize their codependent friendship is preventing either of them from settling down. But when Paige meets the dorky yet lovable Tim, Sasha fears that she’s being replaced. Leighton Meester, Gillian Jacobs, Gabourey Sidibe, and Adam Brody star in a comedy revolving around two friends and the guy that strikes discord in their harmoniously laid-back resistance to growing up. Directed by Susanna Fogel, Life Partnersaffectionately tackles the intimacy and complexity of female friendship.

Love is Strange, directed and written by Ira Sachs, co-written by Mauricio Zacharias. (USA) – New York Premiere, Narrative. Ira Sachs returns to the indie scene following 2012’s acclaimedKeep the Lights On with another new take on modern love. Acting veterans John Lithgow and Alfred Molina star as Ben and George, a Manhattan couple who are finally given the opportunity to make their union official. But when Ben loses his teaching job as a result, the relationship is tested in unconventional ways—leaving them to lean more heavily than ever on their love to hold things together. A Sony Pictures Classics Release.

Lucky Them, directed by Megan Griffiths, written by Huck Botko and Emily Wachtel. (USA) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. More interested in partying and flirting with young musicians than work, veteran rock journalist Ellie Klug (Toni Collette) has one last chance to prove her value to her magazine’s editor: a no-stone-unturned search to discover what really happened to long lost rock god, Matt Smith, who also happens to be her ex-boyfriend. Teaming up with an eccentric amateur documentary filmmaker (Thomas Haden Church in a delightful performance), Ellie hits the road in search of answers in this charming dramedy set against the vibrant Seattle indie music scene. An IFC Films Release.

Manos Sucias, directed and written by Josef Wladyka, co-written by Alan Blanco. (Colombia, USA) – International Premiere, Narrative. Towing a submerged torpedo in the wake of their battered fishing boat, a desperate fisherman and a naive kid embark on a journey trafficking millions of dollars worth of cocaine. Shot entirely on location along the Pacific coast of Colombia—in areas that bear the indelible scars of the drug trade—Manos Sucias refuses to glamorize the drug trade but rather seeks to offer a rare glimpse of its devastating effects. Executive Produced by Spike Lee.

Match, directed and written by Stephen Belber. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. A Seattle couple (Matthew Lillard and Carla Gugino) travel to New York to interview colorful former dancer Tobi (played with remarkable dexterity by Patrick Stewart) for research on a dissertation about dance. But soon, common niceties and social graces erode when the questions turn personal and the true nature of the interview is called into question. Based on the Tony Award-winning play of the same name, Match moves effortlessly between riotous wit and delicate poignancy in this story of responsibility, artistic commitment, and love.

Miss Meadows, directed and written by Karen Leigh Hopkins (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Prim schoolteacher Miss Meadows (Katie Holmes) is not entirely what she appears. Well-mannered, sweet, and caring, yes, but underneath the candy-sweet exterior hides the soul of a vigilante, taking it upon herself to right the wrongs in this cruel world by whatever means necessary. Things get complicated, however, when Miss Meadows gets romantically entangled with the town sheriff (James Badge Dale) and her steadfast moral compass is thrown off, begging the question: “Who is the real Miss Meadows and what is she hiding?”

The Newburgh Sting, directed by David Heilbroner and Kate Davis, written by David Heilbroner. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Just 60 miles north of New York City sits the poverty-stricken town of Newburgh, where, in 2009, four men were arrested for a plan to bomb two Jewish centers in the Bronx. But their leader, a suspicious Pakistani businessman planted by the government as an informant, led these men straight into the hands of the authorities. With endless footage gathered from hidden cameras, directors David Heilbroner and Kate Davis investigate just what homegrown terrorism truly means in this shocking and galvanizing exposé.

Night Moves, directed and written by Kelly Reichardt, co-written by Jon Raymond. (USA) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, and Peter Sarsgaard star as radical activists surreptitiously plotting to blow up Oregon’s Green Peter Dam in an act of environmental sabotage. As their plan marches inexorably towards fruition, they soon discover that small steps have enormous consequences. Old Joy and Wendy and Lucy director Kelly Reichardt crafts another graceful and absorbing film about outsiders searching for a meaningful place on the edges of the system in this atmospheric environmental thriller. A Cinedigm Release.

The One I Love, directed by Charlie McDowell, written by Justin Lader. (USA) – New York Premiere, Narrative. In Charlie McDowell’s refreshing and inventive twist on the love story, Ethan and Sophie escape to a country retreat in a last ditch attempt to save their ailing marriage. But what begins as a quiet opportunity to reconnect soon morphs into an unexplainable head trip that forces the couple to confront their relationship in an impossibly unique way. Starring Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss in heartfelt performances, The One I Love turns the romantic comedy upside down with an altogether original take on monogamy, relationships, and how much you ever really know your partner. A Radius-TWC Release.

The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip of Bob Weir, directed by Mike Fleiss. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Drop out of school to ride with the Merry Pranksters. Form America’s most enduring jam band. Become a family man and father. Never stop chasing the muse. Bob Weir took his own path to and through superstardom as rhythm guitarist for The Grateful Dead. Mike Fleiss re-imagines the whole wild journey in this magnetic rock doc and concert film, with memorable input from bandmates, contemporaries, followers, family, and, of course, the inimitable Bob Weir himself.

Palo Alto, directed and written by Gia Coppola, adapted from Palo Alto: Stories by James Franco. (USA) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Popular but shy soccer player April (Emma Roberts) frequently babysits for her single-dad coach, Mr. B. (James Franco), while Teddy (Jack Kilmer) is an introspective artist whose best friend and sidekick, Fred (Nat Wolff), is an unpredictable live wire with few filters or boundaries. One party bleeds into another as April and Teddy finally acknowledge their mutual affection, and Fred’s escalating recklessness spirals into chaos. Palo Alto is a vibrant cinematic immersion into the overlapping stories and emotions that make up the high school experience. A Tribeca Film Release.

The Search for General Tso, directed by Ian Cheney. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. From New York City to the farmlands of the Midwest, there are 50,000 Chinese restaurants in the U.S., yet one dish in particular has conquered the American culinary landscape with a force befitting its military moniker—“General Tso’s Chicken.” But who was General Tso and how did this dish become so ubiquitous? Ian Cheney’s delightfully insightful documentary charts the history of Chinese Americans through the surprising origins of this sticky, sweet, just-spicy-enough dish that we’ve adopted as our own.

Silenced, directed by James Spione. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Only 11 Americans have ever been charged under the Espionage Act of 1917; eight of them since President Obama took office. Academy Award®-nominated documentarian James Spione returns to TFF with the incredible personal journeys of two members of that octet, Thomas Drake and John Kiriakou, along with accountability advocate, Jesselyn Radack, who helped bring their cases to light. With resonance in the post-Snowden era, Silenced catalogs the lengths to which the government has gone to keep its most damning secrets quiet, in an impassioned and thought-provoking defense of whistleblowers everywhere. Executive produced by Susan Sarandon.

Sister, directed and written by David Lascher, co-written by Todd Camhe. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. When unstable Connie (Barbara Hershey) is tragically widowed, she finds it impossible to care for her delinquent adolescent daughter, Nicki, forcing her son, Bill (Reid Scott), to take his sister in. As the two begin to forge a healthy bond, well-meaning Bill implements his own method of treatment for Nicki’s mental troubles, but, when turmoil persists, he must reconcile his beliefs with what actually may be best for his sister. Sister addresses the polemic issue of youth psychotropic drug prescription with restraint and sensitivity.

Slaying the Badger, directed and written by John Dower. (UK) – World Premiere, Documentary. Before Lance Armstrong, there was Greg LeMond, who is now the first and only American to win the Tour de France. In this engrossing documentary, LeMond looks back at the pivotal 1986 Tour, and his increasingly vicious rivalry with friend, teammate, and mentor Bernard Hinault. The reigning Tour champion and brutal competitor known as “The Badger,” Hinault ‘promised’ to help LeMond to his first victory, in return for LeMond supporting him in the previous year. But in a sport that purports to reward teamwork, it’s really every man for himself. An ESPN Films Production.

Super Duper Alice Cooper, directed and written by Reginald Harkema, Scot McFadyen, and Sam Dunn. (Canada) – World Premiere, Documentary. Emerging from the Detroit music scene of the 1970s in a flurry of long hair and sequins, Alice Cooper restored hard rock with a sense of showmanship, while simultaneously striking fear into the hearts of Middle America with the chicken-slaughtering, dead-baby-eating theatrics that would cement his identity as a glam metal icon. Meticulously crafted from rare archival footage, Super Duper Alice Cooper tells the story of the man behind the makeup, Vincent Furnier, the son of a preacher, who got caught in the grip of his own monster.

Third Person, directed and written by Paul Haggis. (Belgium) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Veteran screenwriter and director Paul Haggis (Crash) brings to the screen a calculated vision of the drama of love. Three stories set in cities known for romance—New York, Rome, and Paris—take raw and personal twists as characters grapple with the difficulties of modern relationships. With a heavyweight cast including James Franco, Mila Kunis, Liam Neeson, Olivia Wilde, Adrien Brody, and Maria Bello, Haggis once again weaves an intricate narrative out of seemingly separate worlds. A Sony Pictures Classics Release.

Untitled Daniel Junge and Kief Davidson Documentary. (USA, Denmark) – World Premiere, Documentary. Stay tuned for more information on this new documentary exploring the fans of a beloved childhood toy.

Venus in Fur (La Vénus à la fourrure), directed and written by Roman Polanski, co-written by David Ives. (France, Poland) – North American Premiere, Narrative. Thomas (Matthieu Almaric) is a theater director staging an adaptation of an obscure 19th century Austrian novel. Frustrated by the quality of actresses he has auditioned, Thomas is about to give up when mysterious Vanda (Emmanuelle Seigner, Polanski’s wife) arrives in his theater unannounced, knowing every line by heart. As the two begin a fevered, intense, and at times aggressive collaboration, the lines between passion and obsession (and theater and reality) begin to blur in auteur Roman Polanski’s latest New York stage adaptation. In French and German with English subtitles. A Sundance Selects Release.

MIDNIGHT

The Canal, directed and written by Ivan Kavanagh. (Ireland) – World Premiere, Narrative. Film archivist David and his wife are perfectly happy—or so he believes. When a looming secret shatters their marriage at the same time as a turn-of-the-century film reel he is studying reveals their house to be the site of a 1902 multiple-murder, David begins to unravel, and the house’s eerie history threatens to repeat itself. Dripping with tension and chilling to the core, this visceral Irish ghost story is a visually arresting and genuinely shocking journey into the darkness within.

Der Samurai, directed and written by Till Kleinert. (Germany) – International Premiere, Narrative. A samurai-wielding figure wearing a white dress lurks menacingly in the forest, waiting to descend upon an unsuspecting village in the muddy backwaters of rural East Germany. As heads roll with each stroke of his sword, dutiful, straight-laced cop Jakob becomes increasingly powerless to resist the draw of the Samurai’s feral otherness. The two enter into a bizarre folie à deux as Jakob is forced to confront his own carnal impulses that he has long sought to repress.

Extraterrestrial, directed by Colin Minihan, written by The Vicious Brothers. (Canada) – World Premiere, Narrative. The Vicious Brothers (Grave Encounters) return to Tribeca with their latest heart-pumping thriller. Five friends set out to a cabin in the woods for a fun weekend getaway—that is, until extraterrestrial visitors turn it into a fight for their lives. The group is pulled from their reverie when a flickering object crashes deep in the woods. As they investigate, the friends stumble across an alien spacecraft, and its inhabitants have not arrived in peace.

Indigenous, directed by Alastair Orr, written by Max Roberts. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. A group of five American friends on the cusp of adulthood travel to Panama to relax and reconnect. They befriend a local woman in their hotel bar—and despite some ominous whispers—she goes against the specific instructions of her brother and brings the Americans on a daytrip into the pristine falls at the nearby jungle. What begins as an innocent outing to a picturesque waterfall quickly turns terrifying after she suddenly goes missing. As night closes in, the friends realize too late the truth behind the rumors—the legendary, blood-sucking Chupacabra is now stalking them. In English and Spanish with subtitles.

Intramural, directed by Andrew Disney, written by Bradley Jackson. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. There comes a time in every fifth-year senior’s life where they must either accept the impending ‘real world’ of jobs, marriage, and payment plans or shirk that responsibility in favor of playing the most glorious intramural football game your school probably doesn’t really care to see. In this full throttle and hilarious send-up of inspirational sports movies, director Andrew Disney harnesses every cliché and overused trope to tell the greatest (and only) intramural sports movie of all time. Featuring an ensemble cast including Kate MacKinnon, Jay Pharoah, Beck Bennett, and Nikki Reed.

Preservation, directed and written by Christopher Denham, (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Three family members head deep into the woods for a hunting trip that doubles as a distraction from their troubles at home. When all of their gear is stolen, they turn on each other, but soon realize there are much more treacherous forces at work. Actor Christopher Denham takes his second turn in the director’s chair with this finely crafted horror-thriller starring Pablo Schreiber (The Wire, Orange is the New Black), Aaron Staton (Mad Men), and Wrenn Schmidt (Boardwalk Empire).

Zombeavers, directed and written by Jordan Rubin, co-written by Al Kaplan and Jon Kaplan. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. You know the story: sexy teens head to a secluded lakeside cabin for a weekend of debauched fun, only to be menaced by a mysterious force picking them off one by one. But here, the culprit proves to be a horde of rabid zombie beavers! The B-movie creature feature is making a comeback, and with 2 million views of its trailer in its first two weeks alone, Zombeavers is a veritable phenomenon. And it’s finally here. Special midnight screening.

STORYSCAPES

Choose Your Own Documentary, Project Creators: Nathan Penlington, Fernando R. Gutierrez De Jesus, Nick Watson, and Sam Smaïl. Inspired by the Choose Your Own Adventure books of the 1980s, Choose Your Own Documentary tells the story of Nathan Penlington’s discovery of a diary tucked away in one of these books and his attempts to unravel its many mysteries. Part comedy stand-up, part documentary, this is a unique live interactive experience in which the audience plays a vital role. With over 1,566 possible versions, and multiple endings, every performance is different and the audience votes on the path the documentary takes. Where will the story lead? How will the story end? You decide.

Circa 1948, Project Creator: Stan Douglas with the NFB Digital Studio. Circa 1948 is a new project from internationally renowned artist Stan Douglas. Together with NFB Interactive, he has recreated areas from Vancouver’s history that no longer exist. The locations have been meticulously researched and are recreated in historically accurate 3D detail, where they become the site of the disembodied voices of the people who once inhabited them. Eavesdrop on the past and explore a seminal turning point in the history of Vancouver through the voices of homeless veterans, gamblers, prostitutes, and police officers. Hearing—but not seeing—the inhabitants, you can navigate the different environments and be immersed in a plot peopled with characters from a disappeared world.

Clouds, Project Creators: Jonathan Minard, James George. A new generation of artists and hackers are emerging and creating tools for poetic and socially engaged experiments in art, storytelling, and technology. 3D-scanned conversations from this community form a network of ideas explored in a non-linear documentary that is assembled from code, bringing form and content together in a truly exciting way. Clouds will be presented as an interactive installation that you can navigate yourself.

On a Human Scale, Project Creator: Matthew Carey. On a Human Scale reimagines the people of New York City as a fully playable and immersive video instrument controlled by a piano. Each key triggers a different video of a different person, from a different walk of life, singing a different note. When played together they fuse into a joyful choir that is totally under the control of whoever is at the keyboard. Playing the piano brings to life an audiovisual installation that fuses music, film, people, and technology into a living, singing tapestry of humanity.

Use of Force, Project Creator: Nonny de la Peña. Use of Force is a fully immersive documentary experience that puts you on scene when migrant Anastasio Hernandez Rojas was killed by border patrol on the U.S.–Mexico border in 2010. Using custom built virtual reality, participants stand alongside witnesses who were trying to stop the events unfolding, offering a profound and visceral experience. Nonny de la Peña is a pioneer of immersive journalism and this is an experience that really puts you in someone else’s shoes.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

6, directed by Louie Psihoyos. (USA) – Work In Progress, Documentary. From the Academy Award®- winning filmmaking team that revealed oceanic atrocities in The Cove comes a bigger and bolder mission. Utilizing state-of-the-art equipment, director Louie Psihoyos assembles a team of activists intent on showing the world never-before-seen images that will change the way we understand issues of endangered species and mass extinction. Whether infiltrating notorious black markets with guerilla-style tactics, or working with artists to create beautiful imagery with unexpected animal subjects, 6 will literally change the way you see the world.

A Brony Tale, directed by Brent Hodge, written by Ashleigh Ball and Hodge. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Born of internet mecca 4chan, the “Brony” phenomenon is a flourishing community of adult, mostly male, fans of the children’s cartoon “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,” a group drawn together by their mutual love of the show’s positive, teamwork-oriented moral. Brent Hodge’s funny and illuminating documentary surveys the members of this surprising subculture, framed by the journey of Ashleigh Bell, one of the show’s voice actors, to embrace her unexpected fan base.

Journey to the West (Xi You), directed and written by Tsai Ming Liang. (France, Taiwan R.O.C.) – North American Premiere, Narrative. A meditation loosely based on the classical Chinese story by Wu Cheng’en. This groundbreaking new interpretation brings the legendary pilgrimage of a Buddhist Monk into the present tense. Director Tsai Ming Liang bids us to look and listen, providing a timeless take on the spiritual journey of an individual whose main battle is the constant negotiation between the self and the substrate in which he finds himself. Journey to the Westproposes that true enlightenment awaits those who endure.

This Time Next Year, directed by Jeff Reichert and Farihah Zaman. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. In 2012, Superstorm Sandy swept along the East Coast, devastating countless communities in its wake. This is one community’s story of what it takes to rebuild. TFF alum Jeff Reichert (Gerrymandering) teams up with co-director/producer Farihah Zaman to follow the residents of Long Beach Island, NJ, during the first full year after the storm. Funded by Tribeca Film Institute with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, this documentary is more than just a film; it is a call to action.

True Son, directed by Kevin Gordon. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Stockton, California is considered one of the worst cities in the United States, riddled with financial crisis and crime rates rivaling Afghanistan. But where everyone else saw hopelessness, 22-year-old Michael Tubbs saw possibility. In 2012, Tubbs decided to run for City Council to reinvent his hometown, building his campaign from the ground up. In Kevin Gordon’s passionate and inspirational documentary he sets out to beat a politician twice his age and bring his community back from bankruptcy.

2014 Tribeca Film Festival announces World Narrative and Documentary Competition selections, plus Viewpoints titles

SUMMER OF BLOOD

The 2014 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), today announced the World Narrative and Documentary Competition film selections, along with selections for the out-of-competition Viewpoints section which highlights unique, personal stories and diverse filmmakers in international and American independent cinema. Forty seven of the 87 feature-length films were announced as part of the 13th edition of the Festival, which will take place from April 16 to April 27 at locations around New York City and open with the documentary film TIME IS ILLMATIC.

The Festival announced that DIOR AND I will screen as opening night for the World Documentary competition, GABRIEL will open the World Narrative competition, and SUMMER OF BLOOD will open the Viewpoints section. All three titles will have their world premiere on April 17.

The complete list of films selected for the World Narrative Feature and World Documentary Competition is as follows, followed by the out-of-competition Viewpoints titles:

World Narrative Feature Competition

Brides(Patardzlebi), directed and written by Tinatin Kajrishvili. (France, Georgia) – North American Premiere. In the suburbs of Tbilisi, Georgia, seamstress Nutsa shares an apartment with her two young children and awaits the return of her husband, Goga, who has six years left on his prison sentence. With only rare visits and phone calls to connect with her husband, Nutsa faces difficult decisions about keeping the family together and maintaining her own freedom. In her first narrative feature, director Tinatin Kajrishvili captures an intimate look at love and absence, and a subtle indictment of the harsh Georgian penal system. In Georgian with subtitles.

Five Star, directed and written by Keith Miller. (USA) – World Premiere. A member of the notorious Bloods since he was 12 years old, Primo takes John, the son of a fallen gang member, under his wing, versing him in the code of the streets. Set amongst the streets of East New York, Five Star blends documentary and fiction as director Keith Miller (Welcome to Pine Hill) carefully eschews worn clichés of gang culture to offer a compelling portrait of two men as they are both forced to confront the question of what it really means to be a man.

Gabriel, directed and written by Lou Howe. (USA) – World Premiere. Rory Culkin delivers an electrifying performance as Gabriel, a vulnerable and confused teenager longing for stability and happiness. Convinced that reuniting with his old girlfriend will bring his dreams to fruition, Gabriel risks it all in a desperate and increasingly obsessive pursuit. First-time writer-director Lou Howe authentically portrays the heartbreaking reality of a young man battling his inner demons, establishing himself as an extraordinary new filmmaking talent.

Glass Chin, directed and written by Noah Buschel. (USA) – World Premiere. After going down in the fifth round, boxer Bud Gordon bowed out of the limelight. Now residing in a fixer-upper apartment in New Jersey with his girlfriend, Bud longs for his former Manhattan glory. In an effort to get back in the game, he makes a deal with a crooked restaurateur. But quick schemes rarely bring easy pay-offs and as the consequences of his business negotiations unfold, Bud has to make a choice between his integrity and his aspirations.

Goodbye to All That, directed and written by Angus MacLachlan. (USA) – World Premiere. Otto Wall is just a little unlucky in life, and unbeknownst to him, in love. When his wife suddenly asks for a divorce, he bounces between a search for answers, desperate attempts to stay connected to his daughter, and his fateful reentry into the dating pool. Junebug screenwriter Angus MacLachlan returns to the woods of North Carolina for this sharp and sensitive comedy starring Paul Schneider, Melanie Lynskey, Heather Graham, Anna Camp, Amy Sedaris, and Celia Weston.

Güeros, directed and written by Alonso Ruiz Palacios, co-written by Gibrán Portela. (Mexico) – North American Premiere. A water balloon suddenly dropping from the sky exploding on a mother’s head in the frantic first moments of this striking debut feature, announces its director, Alonso Ruiz Palacios, as a bold new voice of Mexican cinema. Set amidst the 1999 student strikes in Mexico City, this coming-of-age tale finds two brothers venturing through the city in a sentimental search for an aging legendary musician. Shot in beautiful black-and-white, Güeros brims with youthful exuberance. In Spanish with subtitles.

Human Capital (Il capitale umano), directed and written by Paolo Virzì, co-written by Francesco Bruni and Francesco Piccolo. (Italy, France) – International Premiere. In Paolo Virzì’s refined three-chapter tale, we begin at the end. Approaching a snowy night from three vastly different perspectives, the lives of two generations overlap as they tumble toward an ill-fated event that inextricably links them. Starring two of Italy’s leading actresses, Valeria Golino and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Human Capital twists love, class, and ambition into a singular, true-life story that exposes the consequences of valuing certain human lives over others. In Italian with subtitles.

The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq (L’Enlèvement de Michel Houellebecq), directed and written by Guillaume Nicloux. (France) – North American Premiere. If novelist Michel Houellebecq had indeed been kidnapped during his 2011 promotional book tour, this may have been the definitive documentary on the case. As a wild alternative, Guillaume Nicloux presents this work of complete fiction starring none other than Houellebecq himself. Playfully speculating on the explanation for Houellebecq’s mysterious disappearance, this highly entertaining, farcical piece of cinema parallels the wry characteristics of its unique and ever-unconventional subject. In French with subtitles.

Loitering with Intent, directed by Adam Rapp, written by Michael Godere and Ivan Martin. (USA) – World Premiere. After running into a film producer eager to invest in a new project, aspiring writers Dominic and Raphael need to come up with a script fast, so the pair head to the seclusion of rural Fire Island, NY, to churn out their masterpiece. But when Dominic’s siren of a sister (Marisa Tomei) turns up desperate for reprieve from her boyfriend (Sam Rockwell), they soon realize they’re in for more than they bargained for. Isabelle McNally and a hilarious Brian Geraghty round out this latest effort from director Adam Rapp.

Something Must Break (Nånting Måste Gå Sönder), directed and written by Ester Martin Bergsmark, co-written by Eli Levén. (Sweden) – North American Premiere. When Sebastian meets Andreas for the first time, he knows they belong together. While Sebastian defies gender norms—flouting convention in his androgynous fluidity—straight-identifying Andreas becomes unable to accept his attraction to another man, as their relationship progresses. Struggling with his identity, Sebastian becomes increasingly determined to become “Ellie,” even if it means walking away from Andreas. Something Must Break brims with raw electricity as it explores questions of gender and sexuality with refreshing candor. In Swedish with subtitles.

X/Y, directed and written by Ryan Piers Williams. (USA) – World Premiere. Ryan Piers Williams directs and stars alongside America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Melonie Diaz in a character-driven drama centered around four restless New Yorkers, and their shifting sexual and romantic relationships as they search for a sense of intimacy and self-identity. As Mark, Jen, Sylvia, and Jake navigate through their emotionally-arrested states, X/Y reveals the honest and wanton desire we all have to connect with someone and what is at stake when that connection fades.

Zero Motivation directed and written by Talya Lavie. (Israel) – World Premiere. Filmmaker Talya Lavie steps into the spotlight with a dark comedy about everyday life for a unit of young female Israeli soldiers. The human resources office at a remote desert base serves as the setting for this cast of characters, who bide their time pushing paper, battling for the top score in Minesweeper, and counting down the minutes until they can return to civilian life. Amidst their boredom and clashing personalities, issues of commitment—from friendship to love and country—are handled with humor and sharp-edged wit. In Hebrew with subtitles.

World Documentary Feature Competition

1971, directed and written by Johanna Hamilton, co-written by Gabriel Rhodes. (USA) – World Premiere. Forty years before WikiLeaks and the NSA scandal, there was Media, Pennsylvania. In 1971, eight activists plotted an intricate break-in to the local FBI offices to leak stolen documents and expose the illegal surveillance of ordinary Americans in an era of anti-war activism. In this riveting heist story, the perpetrators reveal themselves for the first time, reflecting on their actions and raising broader questions surrounding security leaks in activism today.

Ballet 422, directed by Jody Lee Lipes. (USA) – World Premiere. Cinematographer and documentarian Jody Lee Lipes crafts an intimate, fly-on-the-wall documentary offering a rare peek into the hidden world of professional ballet. The film shadows Justin Peck, wunderkind choreographer of the New York City Ballet, as he undertakes the Herculean task of creating the company’s 422nd original piece. Following the creative process from its embryonic stages to its highly anticipated premiere, Ballet 422 is a powerful celebration of the skill and endurance of New York’s most talented dancers—as well as those who remain hidden in the wings.

Dior and I (Dior et moi), directed and written by Frédéric Tcheng. (France) – World Premiere. In Frédéric Tcheng’s masterful documentary, one enters the storied world that is the House of Christian Dior with a privileged, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Raf Simons’ first Dior Haute Couture collection as Artistic Director, a true labor of love by a dedicated, charming, and often humorous group of collaborators. Beautifully melding the everyday, pressure-filled components of fashion with a mysterious and elegant reverence for the history of this iconic brand, Tcheng’s colorful homage to the seamstresses of the atelier is nothing short of magical. In English and French with subtitles.

Fishtail, directed and written by Andrew Renzi. (USA) – World Premiere. The iconic voice and noble philosophies proffered by Harry Dean Stanton punctuate this authentic look at life on the edge of wilderness. Producer of festival favorite, Two Gates of Sleep, Andrew Renzi makes his directorial debut with this glimpse into the rugged lifestyle few Americans still pursue. Follow the cowboys of Montana’s Fishtail Basin Ranch as they survive another calving season in this captivating atmospheric documentary. Set to a seraphic score, Stanton would agree, this is a film for “those of earth-born passion.”

Garnet’s Gold, directed by Ed Perkins. (UK) – World Premiere. Twenty years ago, Garnet Frost nearly lost his life hiking near Scotland’s Loch Arkaig. The near-death experience still haunts him to this day, and, in particular, a peculiar wooden stick he discovered serendipitously right before he was rescued. Believing the staff (as he calls it) is actually a marker for a fortune hidden nearly 300 years ago, Garnet embarks on a treasure hunt to search for the lost riches. But beneath the search for gold, lies a poignant pursuit for life’s meaning and inspiration.

Mala Mala, directed by Dan Sickles and Antonio Santini. (Puerto Rico) – World Premiere. Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles’ vibrant and visually striking immersion in the transgender community of Puerto Rico celebrates the breadth of experiences among trans-identifying women: from campaigning for government-recognized human rights, to working in the sex industry, or performing as part of drag troupe, “The Doll House.” Unapologetic and unconventional, Mala Mala explores the ways internal and external identity pave the path of self discovery through the unique yet universal stories of its fascinating cast of characters. In English and Spanish with subtitles.

Misconception, directed by Jessica Yu. (USA) – World Premiere. For almost 50 years, the world’s population has grown at an alarming rate, raising fears about strains on the Earth’s resources. But how true are these claims? Taking cues from statistics guru Hans Rosling, Misconception offers a provocative glimpse at how the world—and women in particular— are tackling a subject at once personal and global. Following three individuals, director Jessica Yu focuses on the human implications of this highly charged political issue, inspiring a fresh look at the consequences of population growth. In English, Hindi, Mandarin, and Russian with subtitles.

Ne Me Quitte Pas, directed and written by Sabine Lubbe Bakker and Niels van Koevorden. (Netherlands, Belgium) – International Premiere. Left by his wife for another man, Marcel falls into alcoholism and a deep depression, with only his friend Bob, also an alcoholic, to look after him. The friendship between the two men captures the frailty of the male ego and the natural comedy borne from their candid conversations. Ne Me Quitte Pas follows this downward spiral of mid-life crisis in a tender, often humorous, sometimes disturbing, examination of the ‘crisis of masculinity,’ alongside a mesmerizing exploration of mundane rural existence. In Flemish and French with subtitles.

Point and Shoot, directed and written by Marshall Curry. (USA) – World Premiere. In 2011, unassuming Matthew VanDyke left his home in Baltimore to find adventure and see the world on his motorcycle, only to end up joining the Libyan rebel army to take arms against Gaddafi. Gun in one hand, video camera in the other, Matthew finally finds purpose and meaning in his wanderlust, until he is captured and held in solitary confinement for six months and must decide where his allegiances really lie. Director and TFF award winner, Marshall Curry (Racing Dreams), captures one man’s arresting transformation from a sheltered kid to a soldier on the front lines.

Regarding Susan Sontag, directed and written by Nancy Kates, co-written by John Haptas. (USA) – World Premiere. Hungry for life and gracefully outspoken throughout her career, Susan Sontag became one of the most important literary, political, and feminist icons of her generation. Kates’ in depth documentary intimately tracks Sontag’s seminal, life-changing moments through her own words, as read by Patricia Clarkson—from her early infatuation with books to her first experience in a gay bar; from her first marriage to her last lover. Regarding Susan Sontag is a nuanced investigation into the life of a towering cultural critic and writer whose works on photography, war, and terrorism still resonate today. An HBO Documentary film.

Tomorrow We Disappear, directed by Jimmy Goldblum and Adam Weber. (USA) – World Premiere. The puppeteers, performers, and magicians of the Kathputli colony in Delhi are the last slum-dweller–artists of their kind. When their land is sold to high-rise developers, they must fight for the only home they know. Fending off relocation, they struggle to keep their mystical Indian folk arts alive and to conserve what beauty remains as they are forced into someone else’s vision of the future. Tomorrow We Disappear is not just documentation, but ultimately becomes an extraordinary act of preservation. In Hindi with subtitles.

Virunga, directed and written by Orlando von Einsiedel. (UK) – World Premiere. Virunga is Africa’s oldest national park, a UNESCO world heritage site, and the last natural habitat for the endangered mountain gorilla. None of that will stop the business interests and rebel insurgencies lurking at the park’s doorstep. Orlando von Einsiedel pairs gorgeous natural scenes from Virunga with riveting footage of the Congolese crisis, raising an ardent call for conservation as a vital human enterprise. Along the way, he spotlights the incredibly dangerous work that is often required to safeguard the environment. In English, French, and Swahili with subtitles.

Viewpoints

Art and Craft, directed by Sam Cullman and Jennifer Grausman. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Mark Landis is one of the most prolific and notorious ‘artists’ of the century. An expert forger of masterpiece art, Landis has duped curators across the nation, further befuddling them by donating his imitations instead of selling them. Many have dedicated years tracking his escapades with one burning question: “Why?” Framed around a cat-and-mouse chase between Landis and those he has hoodwinked, Art and Craft paints a richly complicated portrait of mental illness, skewed philanthropy, and the desire to feel connected.

The Bachelor Weekend, directed and written by John Butler. (Ireland) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Pressured by his best man to spend a bachelor’s weekend camping, foppish groom-to-be, Fionan, reluctantly agrees. But when his fiancée’s alpha-male brother, nicknamed ‘The Machine,’ unexpectedly turns up, the camping trip takes a turn for the worst. Fionan and his genteel friends are no match for the uncouth bully, and the trip begins to look like it will become Fionan’s worst nightmare. A slapstick, good-natured comedy, Bachelor Weekend hilariously delves into the stereotypical realm of masculinity that is camping and the great outdoors. A Tribeca Film release.

Bad Hair (Pelo Malo), directed and written by Mariana Rondon. (Venezuela, Peru, Argentina, Germany) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Junior, a nine-year-old living in Caracas, wants nothing more than to straighten his unruly hair to look like a singer for his school photo—a fixation that stirs homophobic panic in his overtaxed mother. Each effort Junior makes to alter his appearance and gain his mother’s love is brushed off with abrasive avoidance until he’s ultimately faced with a heartbreaking decision. With a painfully tender performance by Samuel Lange, writer-director Mariana Rondón directs this coming-of-age drama about the search for identity clashing with intolerance. In Spanish with subtitles.

Below Dreams, directed and written by Garrett Bradley. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. A reverie of images and sound, Below Dreams loosely follows the narratives of three very different people returning to New Orleans for the promise of a better life. But as each character experiences the city’s realities, it becomes clear that their individual hopes and dreams may no longer be possible, and that with change must also come sacrifice. Shot documentary style, but with dreamlike qualities melding fiction and reality, this is a hypnotic tribute to both the socially marginalized and to the city of New Orleans itself.

Beneath the Harvest Sky, directed and written by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly. (USA) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Bored and restless, best friends Dominic and Casper are making plans to escape their small town in Northern Maine to start new lives in Boston. In order to earn the money, Dominic spends the summer harvesting potatoes, while Casper becomes involved in the family business—smuggling drugs over the Canadian border. The divergent paths of the two boys, both trapped in their circumstances in different ways, will change their friendship forever. Brought to life by two stellar lead performances, Beneath the Harvest Sky is an authentic portrayal of adolescent frustration, culminating in a heartbreaking coming-of-age drama. A Tribeca Film release.

Black Coal, Thin Ice (Bai Ri Yan Huo), directed and written by Diao Yinan. (China, Hong Kong) – North American Premiere, Narrative. After a botched arrest in a grisly serial-murder case, small-town detective Zhang Zili is suspended from the force, taking a job as a security guard at a coal factory. When another series of mysteriously similar murders takes place five years later, Zhang sets out to investigate on his own. Winner of the top prize at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, Diao Yinan’s moody, quietly powerful thriller is a classic film noir staged against the quotidian lives of a wintry Northern Chinese industrial town. In Mandarin with subtitles.

Broken Hill Blues (Ömheten), directed and written by Sofia Norlin. (Sweden) – North American Premiere, Narrative. A group of adolescents wrestle with their uncertain futures in a remote mining town that is literally cracking underneath their feet. Kiruna, the northernmost town in Sweden, sits above an iron ore mine that has been slowly eroding the land around it for decades. Soon, Kiruna and everyone in it will have to move, but to where they do not know. As the displaced teenagers linger on the cusp of adulthood, they echo the town’s own fragility in this beautiful and understated film. In Swedish with subtitles.

Electric Slide, directed and written by Tristan Patterson. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. A heightened homage to the City of Angels, Electric Slide riffs on the real-life story of Eddie Dodson, the notorious “Gentleman Bank Robber.” With a debonair sophistication and a serious talent for flirt, Dodson managed to lure money from mesmerized female tellers at over 60 banks during an epic spree in the 1980s. Director Tristan Patterson gathers Jim Sturgess, Chloë Sevigny, and Patricia Arquette to paint a dark, hyper-stylized tale of crime, love, and style.

Famous Nathan, directed and written by Lloyd Handwerker. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Nathan’s Famous Frankfurters, a New York City icon, has left a lasting imprint on the collective memory and palate of Coney Island. Director and grandson of ‘Famous’ Nathan himself, Lloyd Handwerker, takes a look back at the immigrant experience and almost 100 years of family and New York history in this personal documentary gem. Featuring a strong score, colorful and endearing characters, rare archival material, and a nuanced editing style, Famous Nathanwill not disappoint New York history enthusiasts.

An Honest Liar, directed and written by Justin Weinstein, Tyler Measom, co-written by Greg O’Toole. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Renowned magician James “The Amazing” Randi, has been wowing audiences with his jaw-dropping illusions, escapes, and sleight of hand for over 50 years. When Randi began seeing his cherished art form co-opted by all manner of con artists, from faith healers and fortune-tellers to psychics and gurus, Randi made it his mission to expose the simple tricks charlatans have borrowed from magicians to swindle the masses. Weinstein and Measom chronicle Randi’s best debunkings, with the help of interviewees including Penn Jillette, Bill Nye, and “Mythbuster” Adam Savage, ultimately showing us how we are all vulnerable to deception, even “The Amazing” Randi himself.

Honeymoon, directed and written by Leigh Janiak, co-written by Phil Graziadei. (USA) – New York Premiere, Narrative. What begins as a happy honeymoon for newlyweds Bea (Rose Leslie) and Paul (Harry Treadaway) takes a sinister turn when Bea disappears from bed one night and Paul discovers her the next day naked in the woods with no memory of how she got there. Soon Bea begins an escalating, unexplainable shift from a happy, carefree young woman to a cold, distant, and calculating one. Supernatural forces may be at work, but they uncannily echo some of the anxieties that come with a new marriage—issues such as secrecy, mistrust, and loss of identity—in Janiak’s brooding domestic drama.

I Won’t Come Back (Ya Ne Vernus), directed by Ilmar Raag, written by Oleg Gaze and Jaroslava Pulinovich. (Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Kazakhstan, Russia) – World Premiere, Narrative. Aloof graduate student Anya is on the run from the police when she encounters precocious and willful Kristina, an orphan determined to find her grandmother in Kazakhstan. Kristina offers a momentary solution to Anya’s desperate situation, and the unlikely pair begins a harrowing and unpredictable odyssey, hitchhiking across the epic landscapes of Russia and its neighboring countries. I Won’t Come Back is a visceral look at survival and a heartfelt exploration into the depths of friendship and the meaning of family. In Russian with subtitles.

Ice Poison (Bing Du), directed and written by Midi Z. (Myanmar, Taiwan R.O.C.) – North American Premiere, Narrative. Faced with diminishing returns on his harvest, a poor young farmer in Myanmar pawns his cow for a moped and seeks alternative income as a taxi driver. Among his first fares is a woman making a new start after escaping an arranged marriage in China. Together, they are lured into the lucrative business of selling “ice poison” (crystal meth) around town. With an unobtrusive documentary style, Burmese-Taiwanese director Midi Z captures the struggles faced by many in an unseen part of the world. In Burmese and Chinese Yunnan with subtitles.

Karpotrotter (Karpopotnik), directed and written by Matjaž Ivanišin, co-written by Nebeojša Pop-Tasić. (Slovenia) – North American Premiere, Narrative. Karpotrotter is a road movie about place, time, and memory, as well as an homage to filmmaker Karpo Godina, whose work flourished during the Black Wave of Yugoslavian filmmaking in the 1960s. Director Matjaž Ivanišin retraces the footsteps of his compatriot’s journey, interlacing Godina’s original Super 8mm footage with folklore music, landscape imagery, and contemporary portraits of the local villagers. In Slovene with subtitles.

Love & Engineering, directed and written by Tonislav Hristov. (Finland, Germany, Bulgaria) – International Premiere, Documentary. Is there an algorithm for love? Atanas, a Bulgarian engineer living in Finland, is determined to find out. With the help of some of his geeky bachelor friends, he sets up a series of experiments to crack the code and develop a new, scientific approach to dating. This charming and lighthearted documentary follows Atanas and company as they research pheromones, chart brain waves, and try out “hacks” on blind dates, in their quest to find romance in the modern world. In Bulgarian, English and Finnish with subtitles.

Maravilla, directed and written by Juan Pablo Cadaveira. (Argentina) – International Premiere, Documentary. A true underdog story, Maravilla follows Argentinian boxer Sergio ‘Maravilla’ Martinez, as he sets out to reclaim the title of Middleweight champion that was unfairly snatched from him in 2011 by Julio Chavez, Jr. Focusing on the rise of Martinez from penniless amateur to world champion and sporting celebrity, director Juan Pablo Cadaveira offers a fascinating glimpse into today’s boxing landscape, revealing the politics of the sporting profession that often places entertainment value over the sport itself. In English and Spanish with subtitles.

The Overnighters, directed by Jesse Moss. (USA) – New York Premiere, Documentary. After hydraulic fracturing uncovers a rich oil field in North Dakota, a small conservative town is tested as hordes of unemployed men chasing the “American Dream” pour into its borders. Desperate men, often running from their past, find compassion and refuge in the form of a local pastor. However, the more responsibility he shoulders, the more everything threatens to come crumbling down. A film of dualities, this provocative modern-day parable by documentarian Jesse Moss challenges the very fabric of our society.

Starred Up, directed by David Mackenzie, written by Jonathan Asser. (UK) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Writer Jonathan Asser intelligently brings the brutality of British prison life to raw, unflinching life in this tense and unpredictable drama. Jack O’Connell (This Is England) plays Eric, a young offender so violent and volatile that he is ‘starred up’—prematurely moved to an adult prison. As he tries to keep his head down and navigate this new microcosm of societal codes and loyalties, Eric’s explosive nature is tested under the ceaseless gaze of guards and fellow inmates, one who turns out to be his estranged father, Neville (Ben Mendelsohn). A Tribeca Film release.

Summer of Blood, directed and written by Onur Tukel. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Misanthropic and immature Eric faces a premature mid-life crisis after his girlfriend leaves him. With no career and even less charisma in bed, it seems like this loveable loser is beyond hope, until one fateful summer night when a vampire bites him in a Brooklyn alleyway. The next day, Eric finds his confidence invigorated and his stomach in excruciating pain that can only be cured by one thing…blood. Onur Tukel directs and stars in this delightfully dark comedy about love, lust, and humanity.

Traitors, directed and written by Sean Gullette. (Morocco) – North American Premiere, Narrative. In Sean Gullette’s feature debut, Malika is the lead singer of an all-female punk band and sees music as a means to escape a dull and conservative life in Tangier. When a producer expresses interest in her, she jumps at the chance, but first she’ll need to find the money for recording, and a drug run across the Moroccan border may be her only option. Fiery and energetic, Traitors is a spirited and rebellious journey of a young woman breaking from the traditional life set before her. In Arabic, English and French with subtitles.
Traitors is screening as part of a special cultural partnership with Venice Days where a European film showcased at Venice Days is selected by organizers there to have its international premiere at Tribeca. In 2013 Venice Days premiered Lenny Cooke.

Vara: A Blessing, directed and written by Khyentse Norbu. (Bhutan) – North American Premiere, Narrative. Raised in a sheltered village, young Lila yearns for a life devoted to Hindu worship, like that of her devadasi mother, but she begins to encounter worldly obstacles to her spiritual fulfillment. Guileless, Lila agrees to model for a lowly village boy who hopes to become a sculptor, unknowingly endangering both of their lives under the ever-present gaze of the villagers, especially the village landlord’s son.

Young Bodies Heal Quickly, directed and written by Andrew T. Betzer. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Two brothers drift aimlessly through their summer days, trashing abandoned cars and playing with paintball guns, until the accidental death of a young woman forces them to make drastic decisions. With few options, the duo flee across state lines to dodge arrest and search for refuge. Poetic, funny, and poignant, this quietly mesmerizing film follows the brothers’ transitions from boys to men through an absorption of the world—good and bad—around them.

In addition to those announced today, the Festival presents feature-length films in the Spotlight, Midnight, and Special sections, which will be announced on March 6, 2014.

2014 Competition Feature Film Awards:

Awards in the World Narrative and World Documentary Competitions will be presented in the following juried categories: Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature, sponsored by AT&T; Best New Narrative Director (for first-time feature directors in any section); Best Actor in a Narrative Feature; Best Actress in a Narrative Feature; Best Screenplay in a Narrative Feature; Best Cinematography in a Narrative Feature; Best Documentary Feature; Best Editing in a Documentary Feature; and Best New Documentary Director (for first-time feature directors in any section).

Two feature films—one narrative and one documentary—will be selected to receive the Heineken Audience Award, the audience choice for best feature film. Films playing in the World Narrative Competition, World Documentary Competition, Viewpoints, Spotlight and Midnight sections are eligible.

VIDEO | Watch Trailer for Rapper Nas Documentary TIME IS ILLMATIC

Check out the short trailer for TIME IS ILLMATIC, the documentary on rapper Nas, set to World Premiere as the opening night film of the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday, April 16, 2014. The film follows the trajectory of Nas’ 1994 landmark debut album, Illmatic– widely considered one of the most important and revolutionary albums in hip-hop. TIME IS ILLMATIC, is directed by multimedia artist, One9, written by Erik Parker, and produced by One9, Parker, and Anthony Saleh.

http://youtu.be/A3e7AwBuqmA

TIME IS ILLMATIC, Documentary on Rapper Nas to Open 2014 Tribeca Film Festival

The world premiere of the documentary TIME IS ILLMATIC, will open the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival. The film follows the trajectory of Nas’ 1994 landmark debut album, Illmatic– widely considered one of the most important and revolutionary albums in hip-hop. The premiere, taking place on Wednesday, April 16, will be followed by a special musical performance where Nas will perform the groundbreaking album from front to back. TIME IS ILLMATIC, is directed by multimedia artist, One9, written by Erik Parker, and produced by One9, Parker, and Anthony Saleh. The Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, will run through April 27th.

TIME IS ILLMATIC traces Nas’s influences and the insurmountable odds he faced in creating the greatest work of music from hip-hop’s second golden era. The film tracks the musical legacy of the Jones family — handed down to Nas from his jazz musician father, Olu Dara, the support of his Queensbridge neighborhood crew, and the loyalty of his younger brother Jabari “Jungle” Fret. Twenty years after its release, Illmatic is widely recognized as a hip-hop benchmark that encapsulates the sociopolitical outlook, enduring spirit, and collective angst of a generation of young men searching for their voice in America. Time Is Illmatic is supported by The Ford Foundation’s Just Films and Tribeca Film Institute’s Tribeca All Access program.

“I want to thank the Tribeca Film Festival for supporting the film with the incredible platform they’ve built over the years,” said Nas. “It’s an honor to premiere this film in my hometown. I also want to thank One9 and Erik Parker for their persistence and hard work. Those guys and I come from the same place and era, which gives the doc an authenticity that is important to me. We wanted this film to represent the real, from the storyline all the way down to the directors and producers.”

“Like the Festival itself, Time is Illmatic and the groundbreaking body of work it recognizes has roots grounded in New York City, but represents and reaches communities far beyond,” said Jane Rosenthal, CEO and Co-founder of Tribeca Film Festival. “The film spotlights a musical journey with community and family at its core and we look forward to celebrating this pivotal moment in hip hop history as we open our 13th edition.”

“Throughout the journey, we see the metamorphosis of Nas as a young street poet, full of a rich musical legacy, transforming the pain and isolation of growing up in Queensbridge Houses into raw, honest lyrics, illuminating a spirit that inspired generations from the past, present, and the future. Experiencing the stories, passion, and energy of a modern day alchemist shaping lyrical dust to diamonds was truly an honor and we are extremely proud to premiere the film at Tribeca,” said One9. “I want to thank Nas, Jungle, Olu Dara, The Jones family, the Tribeca Film Institute, and Ford Foundation for allowing Erik Parker and me to create an authentic and unfiltered documentary film.”

Hip Hop luminary and multi-platinum artist, Nas, released his debut album Illmatic in 1994, and he has gone on to sell over 20 million albums worldwide. The legendary Queens rapper, son of jazz musician Olu Dara, is widely recognized as a visionary and lauded for a seminal body of work that spans a two-decade career. He has released nine solo albums and three compilations, and will release Illmatic XX, a special 20th anniversary edition of the landmark debut, on April 15 by SONY Legacy.

Tribeca Film Festival Launches First Innovation Week at 2014 Festival

The 2014 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), announced the creation of its first-ever “Tribeca Innovation Week” where the worlds of culture, technology, and storytelling will collide. Taking place April 21-26, Tribeca Innovation Week will be a place for coders, screenwriters, hackers, futurists, gamers, directors, engineers, venture capitalists, film financiers, techno radicals, the generally curious, and anyone who has a story to tell. The week will expand on Tribeca’s tradition of connecting the creative and tech communities. A new innovation pass will offer access to some of the Festival’s newest and most popular programs, some of which were previously closed to the public. The 13th Annual Tribeca Film Festival will take place April 16-27. #TribecaInnovation

“Tribeca Innovation Week will bring together the ever merging communities – creators and innovators – to explore this unique time of convergence in media, movies, art and technology. As the digital and analog worlds continue to blur there has never been more of an opportunity to create and tell stories.” said Jane Rosenthal, TFF Co-Founder and CEO.

Tribeca Innovation Week is anchored by the Fifth Annual Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards (TDIA) and five other major events. Full events for the week include TDIA, co-sponsored by Accenture and AT&T, which will honor innovators, pioneers and game-changers across various disciplines and previously was open only by invitation; the Future of Film Live panel series, which will kick off with a conversation with Oscar® and Emmy®-award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright Aaron Sorkin; Storyscapes in collaboration with BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Gin, a showcase of transmedia projects; Tribeca Hacks <Mobile>, the culmination of a two-day hackathon sponsored by AT&T that unites technologists and content creators; the daylong TFI Interactive summit, an initiative of the nonprofit Tribeca Film Institute with leadership support from the Ford Foundation; and the Games for Change Festival, in its first installment as part of the Tribeca Film Festival.

“This year’s theme for the awards is “From Outer Space to Inner Space: a New Sputnik Moment?” and will honor people across all fields, from healthcare, education, religion, sports, social innovation politics, media and gaming, who are living laboratories for innovation and disruption. We will honor TEDMED’s Jay Walker with our Lifetime Achievement Award. Jay’s body of work is helping us usher in a Sputnik Moment 2.0 showcasing the possibilities of human imagination. He has cast a light on many epic innovations– from the 1957 launch of the Sputnik satellite, which we will have on site at the Awards, to the potential for another Sputnik moment: the disruptive power of biomedicine to change the world” said Craig Hatkoff, TFF co-founder and TDIA Chief Curator.

Innovation Week programs are detailed below in date order:

Future of Film Live Series (April 21 – 24) – This series of live programs explores and illuminates the status of story and cinematic narrative at the intersection of technology, culture and commerce. Each of the four live events uses vibrant cross-disciplinary conversation to uncover the prescient questions occupying artists, scientists, philosophers, technologists, entrepreneurs and audiences worldwide. Future of Film will kick off with a conversation with Oscar® and Emmy®-award winner Aaron Sorkin.

11th Annual Games for Change Festival (April 22 – 24 & 26) – Collaborating around the premise that digital games can effect positive social change, the largest gaming event in New York City is now part of the Tribeca Film Festival. This three-day international event held at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts unites innovators and game developers with change makers and educators who believe in the transformational power of games and game thinking. On April 26, G4C and TFF will host the Games for Change Public Arcade as part of the TFF Family Festival Street Fair in Lower Manhattan. Join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #G4C14

Previous attendees have included the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Facebook, Fast Company, Mashable, Microsoft, MIT Media Lab, The New York Times, the UN World Food Programme and Warner Bros.

Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards (April 25) – Returning for its fifth edition, this provocative awards program, co-sponsored by Accenture and AT&T, celebrates the new frontiers of disruptive innovation in collaboration with Harvard professor Clayton Christensen, father of the groundbreaking Disruptive Innovation Theory, and the Disruptor Foundation. Cross-disciplinary disruptors are honored from a broad range of domains, including business, education, art, media, healthcare, technology, religion and spirituality, economics and politics. Recent honorees have included Eric Schmidt, Jack Dorsey, Keith Richards, MakerBot, Handi Ulakaya, Jack Andraka, Kenzo, Alec Ross, Ashton Kutcher, and David Brooks.

The full slate of honorees will be rolled out ahead of the Festival, but 15 of the leaders to be recognized as part of this year’s TDIA honorees include:

Adam Braun, Founder of Pencils of Promise, an award-winning organization that has built more than 150 schools across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. His forthcoming book, The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change, will be released by Simon & Schuster in March 2014.

Mary Fisher did not wait for change; she became it. In the darkest days of the American AIDS epidemic, she showed millions a “new face of AIDS.” Through her speeches, books, painting, quilts and ethical jewelry, she’s called powerful audiences around the world to protect the powerless. She’s helped build clinics, schools, and sustainable social enterprises enabling vulnerable women to realize their dreams. Co-founder of “100 Good Deeds,” she’s now inspiring a movement to change the world as she has: one person, one deed at a time.

Dick Fosbury, who defied convention when he won a Gold Medal at the 1968 Olympics hosted by Mexico City. The creator of the “Fosbury Flop” Dick changed the game forever. Since that time, the Fosbury Flop has become the universal technique used by elite high jumpers globally. The USA Olympic Hall of Famer continues to travel the world inspiring young athletes and corporate partners promoting the benefits of sports, fitness, and an active, healthy lifestyle.

Yael Cohen is the founder and CEO of Fuck Cancer, a cancer education organization changing the way the world approaches the prevention and communication of cancer.

GoldieBlox was founded by Debbie Sterling in 2012 after recognizing the need for more women in engineering and knowing that girls typically lose interest in math and science as early as age eight. Seizing the opportunity to inspire future innovators before this critical juncture, Sterling designed GoldieBlox to cultivate young girls’ ingenuity and get them building. GoldieBlox is a book series and construction set where girls follow and build alongside Goldie, a girl inventor.

IdeaPaint, headquartered in Boston, MA, exists for one simple reason, to fundamentally improve the way people work and work together. IdeaPaint makes a high performance dry erase paint that transforms any surface into a boundless writable dry erase canvas that becomes a catalyst for better results; through encouraging collaboration, enhancing creativity and increasing engagement.

Kevin Kelley, a head football coach and athletic director at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas, has radically changed the thinking about “go for it” backed by statistical analysis. Kelley has led his team to three state championships in the last 11 years by rarely ever giving up the ball on fourth down. Now known as the “the coach who never punts”, Kelley has transformed conventional thinking about football strategy.

Lindon Leader, who over a 30 year career in corporate identity, has developed branding programs for a wide variety of companies in virtually every market. His work has earned international recognition and numerous awards, among them for his 1994 design of the FedEx logo.

Roya Mahboob is the CEO of Afghan Citadel Software and is one of the first female IT CEOs in Afghanistan. She received the Time 100 Most Influential award in 2013, in a piece written by Sheryl Sandberg, for her work building internet classrooms for women in Afghanistan. Her model trained women to work online from home, allowing them to earn money in a practical way. She also serves on the board of Jelly, the new company from Twitter co-founder Biz Stone. Her fellow board members include Al Gore, Jack Dorsey, and Bono.

No Labels is the only bi-partisan movement in the country calling for a national strategic agenda. They have enlisted over 80 members of Congress so far to begin creating one.

Jon Oringer is the founder and CEO of Shutterstock, Inc. (NYSE:SSTK), the world’s leading provider of commercial stock videos, photos and illustrations. As a dynamic, two-sided creative marketplace, Shutterstock currently has 40,000 contributing artists providing 30 million images to 750,000 customers around the world. The company recently surpassed 350 million paid image downloads and maintains offices in several cities around the world, including New York, Berlin, San Francisco and London.

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, the landmark television program that reaches millions of children every day in more than 150 countries. The Workshop’s mission is to use the educational power of media to help children everywhere reach their highest potential. Sesame Workshop develops research-based content – including television programs, books, games, mobile apps and community engagement initiatives – that supports early childhood learning, helps prepare children for school, and addresses developmental needs. The Workshop’s programs are tailored to the needs of specific regions and focus on topics that help young children and families develop critical skills for lifelong learning.

Shiza Shahid is an entrepreneur and activist, with her current role being cofounder and CEO of the Malala Fund. She has been recognized as TIME Magazine’s social entrepreneur on its list of “30 Under 30,” Forbes Magazine Education “30 Under 30,” and featured in multiple publications for her social entrepreneurship work including Entrepreneur Magazine and Fast Company.

Jay Walker is curator and chairman of TEDMED, a global community of leading doers and thinkers from every sector of society who focus on unlocking imagination in service of health and medicine. Best known as the inventor of Priceline, Jay also chairs Patent Properties Inc., a public company that leverages the patents and intellectual property developed by Walker Digital (Mr. Walker’s privately-held invention lab based in Stamford, Connecticut).

Both Warby Parker and VisionSpring have been inspired to disrupt the status quo in the fields of eyewear and vision—one from a non-profit perspective, and the other from a for-profit perspective. Neil Blumenthal, co-founder of Warby Parker, was an early hire at VisionSpring helping to pioneer innovative solutions to deliver affordable glasses in the developing world. Today Warby Parker is revolutionizing the American eyewear industry and VisionSpring has sold more than 1.6 million glasses to those living on less than $8 a day.

Tribeca Hacks <Mobile> sponsored by AT&T (April 25) – For two days, creative media makers will work with technologists and designers to imagine and invent new possibilities for storytelling in an increasingly mobile and connected world. They will experiment with telling stories on smartphones and tablets, using social media and connected devices. Join the participants and other Festival VIP’s at an exclusive reception to gain a glimpse into the future imagined through these groundbreaking creative collaborations as creators present their finished works.

TFI Interactive (April 26) – Returning for its third year, TFI Interactive (#TFIi), an initiative of the nonprofit Tribeca Film Institute with leadership support from the Ford Foundation, assembles the brightest thinkers and innovators from the worlds of film, media, gaming, technology and society to explore storytelling in the digital age. This daylong summit includes keynote speeches, panel discussions and interactive activities to be announced in full in March. Past participants have included Tiffany Shlain, Lance Weiler and Jason Silva, and presentations have explored a variety of topics on the changing art of business and film, including web-based documentaries, attracting funding for transmedia works, and rich narratives in gaming.

Storyscapes, in collaboration with BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Gin – The Tribeca Film Festival and BOMBAY SAPPHIRE proudly offers transmedia artists an opportunity to showcase their creativity within a Festival setting. In its second year as a juried section at TFF, visitors to the BOMBAY SAPPHIRE House of Imagination immersive gallery will see first-hand how the conventions of visual storytelling are changing through genre-bending projects at the intersection of technology, interactivity and installation art. The five projects accepted into this year’s section will be announced in March and the space will be open to public for four days during the Festival. Innovation Week passes will enable holders to attend invitation only preview events closed to the public through RSVP.

Tribeca Film Festival Announces 2014 Dates; AT&T is New Presenting Sponsor

The Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) today announced the dates of the upcoming 13th annual festival, April 16-27, 2014, along with naming AT&T as Presenting Sponsor of the annual festival. American Express, which has been TFF’s Presenting Sponsor since the festival’s founding, will return as a signature sponsor for 2014.

Deadlines to submit U.S. and international films for the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival are as follows:

Sept. 16 – SUBMISSIONS OPEN

Oct. 18 – EARLY DEADLINE: FEATURES, SHORTS AND TRANSMEDIA PROJECTS

Nov. 29 – OFFICIAL DEADLINE, ALL FEATURES, SHORTS AND TRANSMEDIA PROJECTS

Dec. 27 – LATE DEADLINE, AVAILABLE ONLY TO FEATURE LENGTH FILMS COMPLETED AFTER OFFICIAL DEADLINE

“The Rocket,” “Bridegroom” Win Audience Awards at 2013 Tribeca Film Festival

The 12th Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) announced the winners of the two Heineken Audience Awards — one for narrative and one for documentary. The Rocket, directed by Kim Mordaunt, was chosen by the audience to receive the Narrative award; the film also took top honors at the Festival jury awards where it received both The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature and Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film for Sitthiphon Disamoe’s performance as Ahlo. Bridegroom, directed by Linda Bloodworth Thomason, was chosen for the Documentary award. Each award comes with a cash prize of $25,000.

Set against the lush backdrop of rural Laos, The Rocket tells the story of scrappy ten-year-old Ahlo, who yearns to break free from his ill-fated destiny. After his village is displaced to make way for a massive dam, Ahlo escapes with his father and grandmother through the Laotian outback in search of a new home. Along the way, they come across a rocket festival that offers a lucrative—but dangerous—chance for a new beginning. With the help of his new friend Kia and her eccentric, James Brown-loving uncle, Ahlo sets out to build his own rocket, enter the contest and prove his worth to his family. The Rocket’s characters, mostly played by non-professional actors, embody the spirit of resilience and hope born out of a country affected by a legacy of war and undergoing a great economic change.

Bridegroom chronicles the emotional journey of Shane and Tom, two young men in a loving and committed relationship. Unfortunately, their love is cut short by Tom’s accidental death, and his partner finds himself facing the failure of same sex marriage protections that leave him completely shut out and ostracized. Bloodworth Thomason sheds light on the often-overlooked struggles that same sex couples face as a result of marriage inequality. As this issue heads to the United States Supreme Court for deliberation, Bridegroom is poised as a timely and moving documentary about love and perseverance through loss.

http://youtu.be/uN1F49l8DDc

“The Rocket”, “The Kill Team”, “A Short Film About Guns” Among Winners of 2013 Tribeca Film Festival

The 2013 Tribeca Film Festival announced the winners of its competition categories with The Rocket, directed by Kim Mordaunt of Australia taking the top prize for narrative films – The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature and The Kill Team, directed by Dan Krauss winning the prize for Best Documentary Feature.

WORLD NARRATIVE COMPETITION CATEGORIES:

The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – The Rocket, directed by Kim Mordaunt (Australia). Winner receives $25,000, sponsored by AKA, and the art award “Two Voices #1” by Angelina Nasso. The award was given by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal.

Special Jury Mention — Stand Clear of the Closing Doors, directed by Sam Fleischner. The announcement was made by Kenneth Lonergan.

Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film – Sitthiphon Disamoe as Ahlo in The Rocket, directed by Kim Mordaunt (Australia). Winner receives $2,500. The award was given by Blythe Danner.

Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film – Veerle Baetens as Elise Vandevelde in The Broken Circle Breakdown, directed by Felix van Groeningen(Netherlands, Belgium). Winner receives $2,500. The award was given by Bryce Dallas Howard.

Best Cinematography in a Narrative Feature Film – Cinematography by Marius Matzow Gulbrandsen, for Before Snowfall, directed by HishamZaman (Germany, Norway). Winner receives $5,000, sponsored by Sony Electronics; a Sony Alpha A99 Full Frame Camera and a Sony NEX-VG900 Full Frame Camcorder; and $50,000 in post-production services provided by Company 3. The award was given by Blythe Danner and Alec Shapiro, President, Sony Professional Solutions of America.

Best Screenplay for a Narrative Feature Film – The Broken Circle Breakdown, written by Carl Joos and Felix van Groeningen and directed by Felix van Groeningen (Netherlands, Belgium). Winner receives $5,000. The award was given by Paul Haggis.

BEST NEW NARRATIVE DIRECTOR:

Best New Narrative Director – Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais, director of Whitewash (Canada). Winner receives $25,000, presented by American Express; $50,000 in post-production services provided by Company 3; and the art award “New Elands Bay” by Erik Parker. The award was given by Tony Gilroy, Radha Mitchell and Deborah Curtis from American Express, Vice President, Entertainment Marketing & Sponsorships.

Special Jury Mention: Harmony Lessons, directed by Emir Baigazin (Germany, France). The announcement was made by Naomi Foner and Ari Graynor.

WORLD DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION CATEGORIES:

Best Documentary Feature – The Kill Team, directed by Dan Krauss (USA). Winner receives $25,000, sponsored by Citizens of Humanity, and the art award “Harley Before the White Prom” by Gillian Laub. The award was given by Mira Sorvino and Gareth Baxendale from Citizens of Humanity.

Special Jury Mention: Oxyana, directed by Sean Dunne (USA). The announcement was made by Joe Berlinger.

Best Editing in a Documentary Feature – Let the Fire Burn, edited by Nels Bangerter, directed by Jason Osder (USA). Winner receives $5,000. The award was given by Whoopi Goldberg and Sandi DuBowski.

BEST NEW DOCUMENTARY DIRECTOR COMPETITION:

Best New Documentary Director – Sean Dunne for Oxyana (USA). Winner receives $25,000, presented by American Express; and the art award “Untitled (#5), from the Men in the Cities Photo Portfolio” by Robert Longo, courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures. The award was given by Taraji P. Henson and Deborah Curtis from American Express.

Special Jury Mention — Let the Fire Burn, directed by Jason Osder. The announcement was made by Riley Keough and Jason O’Mara.

SHORT FILM COMPETITION CATEGORIES:

Best Narrative Short – The Nightshift Belongs to the Stars, directed by Edoardo Ponti (Italy). Winner receives $5,000, sponsored by Persol; 10,000 feet of film stock donated by Kodak; and the art award “Study: Northern City Renaissance, Mauve Dawn (Mass MoCA #79-R)” by Stephen Hannock. The award was given by Christine Baranksi and Andrea Dorigo, President of Luxottica, North America.

Special Jury Mention: Yardbird, directed by Michael Spiccia (Australia). The announcement was made by Christine Baranski.

Best Documentary Short – Coach, directed by Bess Kargman (USA). Winner receives $5,000, sponsored by Persol, and the art award “Psycho” by William Wegman. The award was given by Jason Silva and Andrea Dorigo, President of Luxottica/Persol.

Special Jury Mention: Royal American, directed by Michael Scalisi (USA). The announcement was made by Jason Silva.

Student Visionary Award – Life Doesn’t Frighten Me, directed by Stephen Dunn (Canada). Winner receives the art award “Platonic Haircut” by Dustin Yellin. The award was given by Danny Strong.

Special Jury Mention — Reporting on the Times: The New York Times and the Holocaust, directed by Emily Harrold USA). The announcement was made by Danny Strong.

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE AWARD FOR TRANSMEDIA

Bombay Sapphire Award for Transmedia: Sandy Storyline, created by Rachel Falcone, Laura Gottesdiener, and Michael Premo (USA). Winner receives $10,000, presented by BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, and the art award “Study For Austin Courthouse” by Clifford Ross. The award was given by Thomas Allen Harris and Ned Duggan, Brand Director, Bombay Gins.

TRIBECA ONLINE FESTIVAL CATEGORIES:

Tribeca Online Festival Best Feature Film: Lil Bub & Friendz, directed by Andy Capper and Juliette Eisner (USA). Winner receives $10,000 and the art award “Blk. Candy Series 5”, by Curtis Kulig The award was given by Geoff Gilmore.

Tribeca Online Festival Best Short Film: A Short Film About Guns, directed by Minos Papas (USA, UK). Winner receives $5,000. The award was given by Geoff Gilmore.