Alex Da Kid + IBM Watson, Fran Leibowitz and 12 year old Mikaila Ulmer amongst TDIA 2017 winners #Tribeca2017

April 28, 2017 @ArtShrian

Tribeca Film Festival brings many wonderful films and storytellers to NYC every year. But its also brings annual celebration of some amazing disruptors aka disruptive innovators with Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards (TDIA). TDIA is a collaboration with Harvard Business School Professor Clayton M. Christensen and helmed by Tribeca co-founder Craig Hatkoff. Christensen’s original Disruptive Innovation Theory was immortalized in the Innovator’s Dilemma, now celebrating its 20th anniversary. Disruptive innovation explains how simpler, cheaper technologies, products, and services can decimate industry leaders almost overnight, for the betterment of society. TDIA showcases applications of disruptive innovation which has spread far beyond the original technological and industrial realms into the fields of healthcare, education, international development, politics and advocacy, media, and the arts and entertainment.

This year, TDIA celebrated an exciting roster of visionaries, rebels, and game changers who are upending their industries, altering the human experience through their novel approaches to social justice and activism, and affecting the future of intelligence, both human and artificial. Here ae the honorees:

Evolution of Intelligence

In an era where artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous driving and 3D printing portend unprecedented social, political and economic change, this year’s awards highlight the evolving relationship between man and machine.

Watson (accepted by David Kenny)

Watson, IBM’s cloud-based cognitive computing system, helps people apply artificial intelligence (AI) to not only creative pursuits but also to making discoveries across industries including healthcare, finance, retail, engineering, and others. Watson empowers people with the tools to augment their imagination and expand their expertise to improve decision-making. As this innovation continues to expand across industries, IBM expects Watson will reach 1 billion consumers by the end of 2017.

Alex Da Kid & IBM WATSON receive Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards 2017 at Tribeca Film Festival.

Accepting on behalf of Watson is David Kenny, Senior Vice President, IBM Watson and Cloud Platform, who spearheads development of the Watson technology platform, as well as optimizes IBM’s public cloud for data and cognitive workloads. David was most recently General Manager, IBM Watson, and previously served as Chairman and CEO of The Weather Company and managing partner of VivaKi.

Alex Da Kid + IBM

Producing records has always been collaborative to Grammy Award-winning music producer and two-time Billboard Top 40 under 40 Alex Da Kid. Since creating KIDinaKORNER back in 2011, Alex has signed Skylar Grey, Imagine Dragons, Jamie N Commons, and X Ambassadors, as well as produce singles for Dr. Dre, Eminem, Nikki Minaj, B.o.B, Diddy, T.I., U2, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco and more.

In 2016, Alex Da Kid made musical history by collaborating with IBM Watson to create an original song. Watson’s ability to turn millions of unstructured data points into emotional insights helped Alex create a new kind of music that for the first time ever, listened to the audience.

Bryan Johnson

In 2016, Bryan started Kernel to build advanced neural interfaces to treat disease and dysfunction, and extend cognition. In 2014, he invested $100M to start OS Fund to support scientists who aim to benefit humanity by rewriting the operating systems of life. In 2007, Bryan founded Braintree, a payments provider, which was acquired in 2013 by PayPal for $800M. He is an outdoor-adventure enthusiast, pilot, and author of a children's book, Code 7.

GIPHY

GIPHY receives Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards 2017 at Tribeca Film Festival.

GIPHY is GIFs. The first and largest GIF search engine, GIPHY is where thousands of artists, brands, and pop culture moments make today’s expression, entertainment, and info a little more moving. GIPHY serves more than 1BN GIFs per day, seen by more than 100M daily active users who watch more than 2M hours of GIFs every day.

Compassionate Capitalism

This year’s honorees utilize their entrepreneurial spirit to make effective and lasting change affecting global poverty, access to art, health and wellness, the betterment of American culture and saving the world’s decreasing bee population.

Tory Burch

Tory Burch is CEO and Designer of Tory Burch LLC, an American lifestyle brand. Since launching the company in 2004, she has grown the brand into a global business with more than 200 stores. In 2015, she introduced Tory Sport, a performance activewear collection.

Tory has been recognized with numerous awards and serves on several boards, including the Tory Burch Foundation, which she launched in 2009 to empower women entrepreneurs.

Mikaila Ulmer

At age four, Mikaila Ulmer, learned that bees were an important part of our ecosystem and that they were dying. Armed with her great grandmother’s special recipe of lemonade Mikaila launched her business, Me & the Bees Lemonade, from her home in Austin, Texas in 2009. As one of Shark Tank’s most popular contestants, Mikaila landed a deal with Daymond John. Her lemonade empire has grown exponentially, and she has become one of country’s youngest entrepreneurs

Mick Ebeling

Mick Ebeling is an instigator of innovation. His company, Not Impossible, which will be premiering a special new project at the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards, develops defiant solutions for the world’s overlooked and underserved communities. For example, when Mick read about Daniel, a Sudanese boy whose arms were lost during a bombing of his village, Mick was inspired to help. Mick and his team of makers and inventors figured out how to 3D print a working prosthetic arm. They travelled illegally to the Nuba Mountains to print an arm for Daniel, who was able to feed himself for the first time in two years, and taught villagers how to use 3D printers to make prosthetic arms for the large number of amputees there. Mick has been named one of WIRED Magazine's "Make Tech Human" thought leaders, one of Ad Age's Top 50 Most Creative People and a Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year.

Roger McGuinn

Over the last six decades, the list of Roger McGuinn’s musical innovations, in both the analogue and digital realms, is nothing short of breath-taking. McGuinn has embraced innovation and preservation with continuity as well as change. As the front man for the Byrds, McGuinn is credited with combining folk music with rock and roll in such hits as “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Eight Miles High,” and “Turn Turn Turn.” He added compression to his Rickenbacker 12 string that resulted a whole new sound—the jingle jangle— that inspired Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Petty. McGuinn was an early adopter in the music industry’s transition from analogue to digital. He embraced the internet as a distribution channel a decade before Radiohead’s pay-what-you-want download of “In Rainbow.” He is the keeper of the flame for folk music through his 20 year project-- the Folk Den, recording one folk song per month and offering it as a free download. He continues performing in theaters as a solo artist.

Jessamyn Stanley

Jessamyn Stanley, is the author of Every Body Yoga, as well as an internationally recognized yoga teacher, award-winning Instagram star (@mynameisjessamyn), and body-positive advocate. She has been profiled by a wide range of media, including Good Morning America, TIME, New York, Glamour,Shape, People, Essence, Lenny Letter, and many others. When she’s not on the road teaching, she lives in Durham, North Carolina. Visit her online at: jessamynstanley.com, Twitter: @JessNotJazz, Facebook:/mynameisjessamyn.

Social Justice, Activism, and the Arts

Honorees practicing social justice and activism are finding creative ways to affect culture in America via race relations, homelessness, women’s right, prison reform, and our global world issues affecting poverty and the environment.

Jonathan Haidt

Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist and professor at NYU-Stern School of Business. Haidt is the author of The Happiness Hypothesis (2006), and The Righteous Mind (2012). As part of his research on morality and politics, Haidt has written about the dangers of political homogeneity and the suppression of dissent. To combat such homogeneity in American universities, Haidt co-founded (with Nicholas Rosenkranz and others) Heterodox Academy, a collaboration of 600 professors who advocate for viewpoint diversity.

Daryl Davis

Over the last 30 years, celebrated black musician Daryl Davis has employed a novel and controversial approach to improving race relations: he has established enduring relationships with members of the KKK. Having experienced prejudice while growing up Davis wanted to answer one burning question—“how can you hate me when you don’t even know me?” Over 30 of his “friends” have decommissioned themselves from the KKK as they have come to know Davis. His tool of choice is conversation. "When two enemies are talking, they are not fighting. They may be shouting and pounding their fists on the table, but at least they are talking. It’s when the talking ceases, that the ground becomes fertile for violence.”

Will Boyajian

Will Boyajian is an actor and musician from Albany, NY. Will is the founder of Hopeful Cases, based on his change collecting guitar case, a New York based charity. He created the organization after graduating from Ithaca College in 2012. The charity’s main focus is giving to New York City’s homeless population. Since moving to New York City Will has been performing in a number of Off-Broadway/Regional musicals. Will’s mission is to have New Yorkers change the way they think about giving. If you annualize what Will has been collecting and donating, equals $150,000 per year. Who am I to judge? Take more if you need it. Without being a billionaire, he is doing quite a bit of great work.

Chris Fabian

Christopher Fabian is a technologist and innovator who co-leads UNICEF’s Innovation Unit. Fabian works on finding solutions to big problems that face humanity, particularly children. Since 2007 he has held the title of Senior Advisor on Innovation to the Executive Director at UNICEF and Co-founder and Co-lead of the UNICEF Innovation Unit. He is best known for his work on tools for children and communities in low-infrastructure environments.

Paula Kahumbu

Dr. Paula Kahumbu is a Kenyan expert on elephants with a PhD from Princeton University. She is the CEO of Kenyan Conservation NGO WildlifeDirect and founded Hands Off Our Elephants, a Campaign that lead major legal reforms in tackling wildlife crime resulting in a drop in poaching of 80% over three years. She also Co-authored the bestselling children’s book Owen and Mzee and produces two wildlife television series, NTV Wild and NTV Wild Talk.

Fran Lebowitz

Fran Lebowitz, called the "funniest woman in America" by the Washington Post, is a national treasure known for her wit, humor, irreverence, social commentary and her own category on "Jeopardy." From the innovative lists in her 1978 bestseller "Metropolitan Life," to her Martin Scorsese-directed documentary "Public Speaking," to her current commentary on the lecture circuit, in Vanity Fair, on TV and on the web, Fran Lebowitz's observations have always been ahead of the times.

Alexa Meade

Alexa Meade applies paint directly to models and the surrounding scene, creating the illusion that real-life people and places are inside the world of a 2D painting. Her artwork has been exhibited at The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, The Saatchi Gallery, the Grand Palais, and the United Nations building. She has collaborated with theoretical physicists, movement artist Lil Buck, and magician David Blaine. Her TED Talk “Your Body is my Canvas,” has millions of views.

Vivian D. Nixon

Vivian D. Nixon is Executive Director of College & Community Fellowship (CCF), a nonprofit committed to removing individual and structural barriers to higher education for women with criminal record histories and their families. An alumna of CCF’s program, Nixon advocates nationally for criminal justice reform. Nixon is a Columbia University Community Scholar and a recipient of the John Jay Medal for Justice, the Ascend Fellowship at the Aspen Institute, and the Soros Justice Fellowship.

Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner Odede

Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner Odede are New York Times best-selling authors, internationally recognized social entrepreneurs, and the founders of Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), an organization that works to build vibrant, gender equitable services for all. Kennedy grew up in Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa. He started SHOFCO in 2004 with a 20 cent soccer ball, and was able to turn it into one of the world’s most influential community organizers. Together, Jessica & Kennedy built SHOFCO to what it is today - a grassroots organization that has served and empowered hundreds and thousands of people in the slums of Kenya.

Jeremy Travis

Jeremy Travis is president of John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York. Prior to his appointment, he served as a Senior Fellow in the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center, where he launched a national research program focused on prisoner reentry into society. From 1994-2000, Travis directed the National Institute of Justice, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice. EDIT

Jose Vargas

Jose Antonio Vargas is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, filmmaker, and media entrepreneur whose work centers on the changing American identity. After revealing himself to be an illegal immigrant, he found Define American, a non-profit media and culture organization that seeks to elevate the conversation around immigration and citizenship in America, and the founder of #EmergingUS, a media start-up that lives at the intersection of race, immigration, and identity in a multicultural America.

Tribeca 2017 announces Film Festival Awards Winners ~ Keep the Change, Son of Sofia, and Bobbi Jene Take Home Top Awards in! #Tribeca2017

April 27, 2017 @ArtShrian

16TH ANNUAL TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES JURIED AWARDS

Keep the Change, Son of Sofia, and Bobbi Jene Take Home Top Awards in

U.S. and International Narrative and Documentary Competitions

TREEHUGGER: WAWONA Wins Storyscapes Award;

Petra Volpe, Writer/Director for The Divine Order Wins 5th Annual Nora Ephron Prize

Top Winners in all Five Feature Categories Presented to Women-Directed Films

FESTIVAL AWARDS $145,000 IN CASH PRIZES

The 16th Tribeca Film Festival announced the winners of its competition categories at the awards ceremony tonight at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center. Top awards went to Keep the Change for Best U.S. Narrative, Son of Sofia for Best International Narrative, and Bobbi Jene for Best Documentary. The Festival, presented by AT&T, runs through April 30, 2017.

First - Michael Rappaport, NYC based actor did an amazing job of hosting the awards.

Awards were distributed in the following feature film competition categories: U.S. Narrative, International Narrative, Documentary, New Narrative Director, The Albert Maysles New Documentary Director, and the Nora Ephron Prize, honoring a woman writer or director. Awards were also given in the short film categories: Narrative, Documentary, Student Visionary and Animation.

For the fifth year, Tribeca awarded innovation in storytelling through its Storyscapes Award for immersive storytelling, which went to TREEHUGGER: WAWONA.

“It is more important than ever to celebrate artists both in front of and behind the camera who have the unique ability to share different viewpoints to inspire, challenge and entertain us,” said Jane Rosenthal, Executive Chair and Co-Founder, Tribeca Film Festival. “The winning creators from across the Festival program shared stories that did exactly that, and we are honored to recognize them tonight. And how wonderful is it that the top awards in all five feature film categories were directed by women.”

This year’s Festival included 97 feature length films, 57 short films, and 30 immersive storytelling projects from 41 countries.

The Festival’s competition categories continue to incorporate storytelling in all its forms with two awards that were given out earlier in the week, the Tribeca X Award, a juried section recognizing the intersection of advertising and entertainment, and the first Tribeca Snapchat Short Award, a new official category.

Screenings of the award–winning films will take place throughout the final day of the Festival: Sunday, April 30, at various venues. Specific times and ticketing information are available atwww.tribecafilm.com/festival

The winners of the Audience Awards, powered by AT&T, which are determined by audience votes throughout the Festival via the Festival app, will be announced on April 29.

In addition to cash awards and in-kind services provided by sponsors including AT&T, CHANEL, CNN Films, Netflix, and Nutella, the Festival presented the winners with original pieces of art created by contemporary artists: Urs Fischer, Walton Ford, John Giorno, Ella Kruglyanskaya, Jorge Pardo, R.H. Quaytman, Sterling Ruby, Aurel Schmidt, Ryan Sullivan, as well as longtime supporter Stephen Hannock.

The winners, awards, and comments from the jury who selected the recipients are as follows:

U.S. NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION CATEGORIES:

The jurors for the 2017 U.S. Narrative Competition were Josh Lucas, Melanie Lynskey, Denis O’Hare, Alex Orlovsky, and Stephanie Zacharek.

Uploaded by MyNewYorkEye on 2017-04-28.

The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – Keep the Change, written and directed by Rachel Israel. Winner receives $20,000, sponsored by AT&T, and the art award “Untitled” by Ella Kruglyanskaya. The award was given by Jane Rosenthal joined by Fiona Carter, AT&T Chief Brand Officer, and Josh Lucas, Denis O’Hare, Alex Orlovsky, and Stephanie Zacharek on behalf of the jury.

Jury Comment: “For her heartwarming, hilarious and consistently surprising reinvention of the New York romantic comedy, which opens a door to a world of vibrant characters not commonly seen on film, the U.S. Narrative Jury gives the Founders Award to Rachel Israel for Keep the Change.”

Best Actor in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film – Alessandro Nivola in One Percent More Humid. The award was given by Josh Lucas.

Jury Comment: “For his raw, complex and deeply human portrayal of middle-aged teacher and writer who tries to rekindle his creativity by plunging into an ill-advised affair with a student, the award for Best Actor goes to Alessandro Nivola, in Liz W. Garcia’s One Percent More Humid.”

Uploaded by MyNewYorkEye on 2017-04-28.

Best Actress in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film – Nadia Alexander in Blame. The award was given by Denis O’Hare.

Jury Comment: “For her powerful, multilayered and risky portrayal of a troubled teenager in Quinn Shepard’s accomplished directorial debut Blame, the award for Best Actress goes to Nadia Alexander.”

Best Cinematography in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film – Cinematography by Chris Teague for Love After Love. The award was given by Alex Orlovsky

Jury Comment: “For creating a visual style that beautifully mirrors the fraught and messy landscape of grief, the cinematography award goes to Love After Love, shot by Chris Teague.”

Best Screenplay in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film – Abundant Acreage Available written by Angus MacLachlan. Winner receives $2,500. The award was given by Stephanie Zacharek.

Jury Comment: “For its portrayal, both universal and intimate, of two families who meet, clash and ultimately discover what it means to call a place home, the best screenplay award goes toAbundant Acreage, written and directed by Angus MacLachlan.”

INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION CATEGORIES:

The jurors for the 2017 International Narrative Competition were Willem Dafoe, Peter Fonda, Tavi Gevinson, Alessandro Nivola, and Ruth Wilson.

The Best International Narrative Feature – Son of Sofia (O Gios tis Sofias) written and directed by Elina Psykou (Greece, Bulgaria, France). Winner receives $20,000, sponsored by Netflix, and the art award “Study for La Brea” by Walton Ford. The award was given by Alessandro Nivola and Willem Dafoe, on behalf of the jury.

Jury Comment: “When we were watching these movies we were looking for something we hadn’t seen before. We unanimously agree that one film challenged us to see in a new way, and we were seduced by the surprising humanity of its difficult characters. The direction was assured, and its tone unique, and we look forward to seeing Elina Psykou's next work. The BestInternational Narrative Feature Award goes to Son of Sofia.”

Best Actor in an International Narrative Feature Film – Guillermo Pfening in Nobody’s Watching (Nadie Nos Mira) (Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, USA, Spain). The award was given byAlessandro Nivola and Willem Dafoe, on behalf of the jury.

Jury Comment: “For a performance of extraordinary vulnerability and commitment that anchored the film, the Best Actor Award goes to Guillermo Pfening for Nobody’s Watching.”

Best Actress in an International Narrative Feature Film – Marie Leuenberger in The Divine Order (Die göttliche Ordnung) (Switzerland). The award was given by Alessandro Nivola and Willem Dafoe, on behalf of the jury.

Jury Comment: “For a performance that is patient, intelligent and graceful, that captured the liberation of a young woman the Best Actress Award goes to Marie Leuenberger for The Divine Order.”

Best Cinematography in an International Narrative Feature Film – Cinematography by Mart Taniel for November (Estonia, Netherlands, Poland). The award was given by Alessandro Nivola and Willem Dafoe, on behalf of the jury.

Jury Comment: “We were particularly impressed by the high level of the cinematography of the films we’ve just seen which had very different styles and demands. One film was particularlyaudacious and showed supreme command of its visual language. The Best Cinematography Award goes to Mart Taniel for November.”

Best Screenplay in an International Narrative Feature Film – Ice Mother (Bába z ledu) written by Bohdan Sláma (Slovakia, France). Winner receives $2,500. The award was given by Alessandro Nivola and Willem Dafoe, on behalf of the jury.

Jury Comment: “A screenplay can create a world. With warmth and humor, this movie leads us into a specific and eccentric world driven by an unlikely love story. The Best Screenplay Awardgoes to Bohdan Sláma for Ice Mother.”

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION CATEGORIES:

The jurors for the 2017 Documentary Competition were R.J. Cutler, Alma Har’el, Barbara Kopple, Anne Thompson, and David Wilson.

Best Documentary Feature – Bobbi Jene, directed by Elvira Lind (USA, Denmark, Israel). Winner receives $20,000, sponsored by Netflix, and the art award “THE REAPER” by Sterling Ruby. The award was given by Barbara Kopple.

Jury Comments: “In a diverse field of worthy films, one work captivated our jury with its exquisite blend of emotional depth and rigorous craft. Fulfilling the promise of classic cinema verite, where camera serves as both observer and provocation, this film connected two artists, filmmaker and subject, pushing nonfiction intimacy to bold new places. Our winner documents the deeply personal process of a brilliant woman finding her voice - paired with a director whose own artistic vision dances elegantly with that of her subject. We the jury give the Best Documentary Feature to Elvira Lind’s Bobbi Jene.”

Best Documentary Cinematography – Cinematography by Elvira Lind for Bobbi Jene (USA, Denmark, Israel). Winner receives $2,500. The award was given by David Wilson.

Jury Comments: “For the film’s extraordinary relationship to an artist who is willing to go bare not only in performance but in stunningly intimate scenes that are poetic, honest and moving, seemingly without barriers between camera and subject, we give Best Cinematography to Elvira Lind for Bobbi Jene.”

Best Documentary Editing – Editing by Adam Nielson for Bobbi Jene (USA, Denmark, Israel). Winner receives $2,500. The award was given by David Wilson.

Jury Comments: “For a film whose precise economy of construction creates space for the rich sensual palette of a committed artist going through a life change, and whose internal rhythms mirror the art it portrays, we give Best Editing to Adam Nielson for Bobbi Jene.”

- Special Jury Mention – True Conviction. “For its compelling storytelling and for introducing us to three heroic characters who transform the injustice they suffered into active change, we give a Special Jury Mention for Best Documentary Feature to Jamie Meltzer’s True Conviction.”

BEST NEW NARRATIVE DIRECTOR COMPETITION:

The jurors for the 2017 Best New Narrative Director Competition were Bryan Buckley, Clea Duvall, and Michael Pitt.

Best New Narrative Director – Rachel Israel, director of Keep the Change (U.S.). Winner receives $10,000 sponsored by Netflix, and the art award “Veridical” by Jorge Pardo. The award was given by Clea Duvall and Michael Pitt.

Jury Comments: “For this award, we were looking for a filmmaker with a fearless, authentic voice. Our decision was unanimous. This filmmaker created a world full of vibrant characters often under-represented in cinema. It is a unique, yet universal love story told in a way we’ve never seen. We anxiously await to see what this filmmaker does next. We are so thrilled to present the award for Best New Narrative Director to Rachel Israel for Keep the Change.”

BEST NEW DOCUMENTARY DIRECTOR COMPETITION:

The jurors for the 2017 Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award were Amy Berg, Alice Eve, Marilyn Ness, Zachary Quinto, and Shaul Schwarz.

SUITABLE GIRL directors Sarita Khurana & Smriti Mundra awarded Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award by Zachary Quinto at Tribeca 2017

Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award – Sarita Khurana and Smriti Mundhra for A Suitable Girl (U.S./India). Winner receives $10,000 sponsored by CNN Films, and the art award “GOD IS MANMADE” by John Giorno. The award was presented by Shaul Schwarz, Amy Berg, and Zachary Quinto on behalf of the jury, along with Alexandra Hannibal from CNN Films.

Jury Comments: “For the top prize we chose a film that helped us to rethink the dynamics of love through a moving portrayal of a cultural tradition. With incredible access, heartfelt scenes and it's strong verite style, The Albert Maysles Prize for first documentary feature goes to A Suitable Girl.”

- Special Jury Mention – Hondros. “In considering a wide range of subjects in our category we were moved by two different kinds of love stories. The film we decided to honor with a special mention delves into the fractured worlds of chaos and violence and the interconnectedness of humanity. A childhood friend carries on his legacy to show the enduring power of love. The special mention goes to Hondros.”

THE NORA EPHRON PRIZE
The 2017 Nora Ephron Prize, presented by CHANEL, jurors were Dianna Agron, Joy Bryant, Diane Lane, Zoe Lister-Jones, and Christina Ricci.

The Nora Ephron Prize: Petra Volpe, writer/director of The Divine Order (Switzerland). Winner receives $25,000, sponsored by CHANEL, and the art award “Fashion Voodoo 3” by Aurel Schmidt. The award was given by Diane Lane on behalf of her jurors Joy Bryant, Dianna Agron, Christina Ricci, Zoe Lister-Jones.

Jury Comments: “For its intrepid and compassionate storytelling, beautiful cinematography (DP-ed by a woman), complex characterization of the female experience, seamless navigation of both drama and comedy, and true embodiment of the personal being political, we award the Nora Ephron Prize to Petra Volpe for her film The Divine Order.”

Special Jury Mention: Keep the Change

SHORT FILM COMPETITION CATEGORIES:

The 2017 Best Narrative Short and Best Animated Short jurors were Udi Aloni, Brennan Brown, Gilbert Gottfried, Amy Heckerling, Sheila Nevins, Mark O’Brien, and Jesse Plemons.

Best Narrative Short – Retouch, directed by Kaveh Mazaheri (Iran). Winner receives $5,000 sponsored by Nutella, and the art award: “Study: Flooded Oxbow for Ophelia (MM#3800)” byStephen Hannock. The award was given by Udi Aloni, Brennan Brown, and Amy Heckerling on behalf of the jury, along with Eric Berger representing Nutella.

Jury Comments: “For its message of choice, liberty, and renewal where the lines of morality and honesty are blurred, leaving the audiences own projection of the events open for discussion and introspection. We appreciated the unification of the aesthetic and the ethical. The winner of the Best Narrative Short goes to Retouch.”

Best Animated Short – Odd is an Egg (Odd er et egg) directed by Kristin Ulseth (Norway). Winner receives $5,000 sponsored by Nutella. The award was given by Udi Aloni, Brennan Brown, and Amy Heckerling on behalf of the jury, along with Eric Berger representing Nutella.

Jury Comments: “We found the story of this animated short sweet and moving. We were also very impressed with beautiful visuals, which were artistic, cool and haunting. The filmmaker shows great promise. Best Animated Short goes to Kristin Ulseth for her film, Odd is an Egg.”

The 2017 Best Documentary Short and Student Visionary Award jurors were Priyanka Chopra, Olivia Thirlby, Ryan Eggold, Brendan Fraser, and Ileen Gallagher.

Best Documentary Short – The Good Fight directed by Ben Holman (U.S., UK, Brail). Winner receives $5,000 sponsored by Nutella, and the art award “Untitled” by Ryan Sullivan. The award was given by Ileen Gallagher and Ryan Eggold along with Eric Berger representing Nutella.

Jury Comments: “An unflinching portrait of finding hope in a world of danger; a journey of perseverance in the face of tragedy; an uplifting and visually compelling story of redemption. The winner of the Best Documentary Short is The Good Fight.”

- Special Jury Mention – Resurface: “Shedding light on the struggle for normalcy, hope, and recovery that US Veterans face every day, this is the story of reviving the human spirit through connecting with something deeply powerful and larger than the self: the Natural World.”
Student Visionary Award – Fry Day directed by Laura Moss (U.S.). Winner receives $5,000 sponsored by Nutella. The award was given by the Jury along with Eric Berger representing Nutella.

Jury Comments: “For its success in balancing an immersive coming of age experience with relevant social commentary in a historically specific context; compelling performances and expert filmmaking, the student visionary award goes to Fry Day.”

- Special Jury Mention – Dive: “Visceral, deeply moving meditative and exquisitely constructed / A nuanced examination of love and moving on after grief. Dive receives a Special Jury Mention.”

STORYSCAPES AWARD

The 2017 Storyscapes Award, presented by AT&T, which recognizes groundbreaking approaches in storytelling and technology, jurors were Lily Baldwin, Charlotte Cook, Julia Kaganskiy, Michael Premo, and Sarah Wolozin.

Storyscapes Award: TREEHUGGER: WAWONA created by Barnaby Steel (Co-Founder, Creative Director), Ersin Han Ersin (artist, Creative Director) and Robin McNicholas (Co-founder, Creative Director) of Marshmallow Laser Feast . Winner receives $10,000, presented by AT&T. The award was given by Lily Baldwin, Charlotte Cook, Julia Kaganskiy, Michael Premo, and Sarah Wolozin, along with Ryan Luckey, AVP, Corporate Sponsorships, AT&T.

Jury Comments: “The project we chose exemplifies the highest standards of artistry and inventiveness. It explores the potential for new visual forms and investigates unique modes of storytelling that allow us to tap into aspects the world and our lived experience that are intuitively known but seldom articulated. Through its use of poetic abstraction, embodiment, and the viewer’s own imagination and interpretation, we are able to unlock new ways of understanding and experiencing the world around us. We’ve selected this piece because we hope it will inspire others to start creating in ways that take risks and use the limitations of technology to revamp story and experience. The Storyscapes Award goes to TREEHUGGER: WAWONA.”

The Festival’s competition categories continue to incorporate storytelling in all its forms with two awards that were given out earlier in the week. The Tribeca X Award is a juried section recognizing the intersection of advertising and entertainment and Tribeca also presented the first Tribeca Snapchat Short Award, a new official category

Previously Announced:

TRIBECA X AWARD

The 2017 Tribeca X Award, presented by The Atlantic, jurors were Joanna Coles, Jae Goodman, Jenna Lyons, Eli Pariser, Tim & Eric,and a proprietary A.I. solution developed by Celtra,

Tribeca X Award: Chris Fonseca: Keep It Moving by 72andSunny for Smirnoff Ice. Directed by Zachary Heinzerling

TRIBECA SNAPCHAT SHORTS

The 2017 Tribeca Snapchat Short award jurors were Jason Biggs, Andy Cohen, Tracee Ellis Ross, Dillon Francis, and Eva Longoria.

● Tribeca Snapchat Short award: Magic Show directed by Annie Hubbard.

For more information on all of the films in the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, please visit tribecafilm.com/festival.

About the Tribeca Film Festival

The Tribeca Film Festival is a cultural event for the new age of storytelling that brings together visionaries across industries and diverse audiences. It celebrates the power of storytelling in a variety of forms – from film to TV, VR to online work, and music to gaming. As a platform for creative expression, independent filmmaking, and immersive entertainment, Tribeca champions emerging and established voices, discovers award-winning filmmakers and creators, curates innovative experiences, and introduces new technology and ideas through premieres, exhibitions, talks, and live performances.

The Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. With strong roots in independent film, the annual event has evolved into a destination for creativity, reimagines the cinematic experience, and explores how art can unite communities.

#Tribeca2017: COMMON & NELSON GEORGE TALK SOCIAL JUSTICE, HIP-HOP ROOTS AT 2017 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL

April 24, 2017 #ArtReports

Talk Followed Screening of a Never-Before-Seen Extended Version of Letter to the Free

Common Debuts New Song “Black Kennedy” During Live Performance

Academy Award®, Golden Globe®, and three time Grammy® winner Common joined director/screenwriter Nelson George on stage Sunday night, April 23, for a Tribeca Talk: Storytellers conversation, in partnership with Citi, as part of the Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T. The Festival runs April 19-30.

A never-before-seen extended version of Letter to the Free from director Bradford Young debuted prior to the conversation. Common closed out the sold-out event with a live performance, during which the renowned hip-hop artist and actor debuted a new song, “Black Kennedy,” in front of a standing room only crowd.

The conversation spanned musical influences of the 80s and 90s, social justice flashpoints, Common’s first acting gig on Tracee Ellis Ross & Mara Brock Akil’s Girlfriends, his respect for director Ava DuVernay, and activism in hip-hop today, name-dropping Chance the Rapper and Kendrick Lamar.

Excerpts from transcript of the conversation:

Question: Do you believe that when artists, rappers, musicians face some sort of social injustice flashpoint like a Donald Trump or the LA riots to react to, that it drives up the creativity and the timelessness of art, as opposed to when things are going well and the art suffers?

Nelson George: Every historical epoch where there’s conflict, it does help certain artists. Some people can be explicitly political but for others, it becomes an internal journey that can also be just as powerful. One of the best eras of hip hop was the crack era, which was terrible time in the country and under Reagan. And some great art came out of that. Often artists respond with some of their best work because it touches their friends and their community in a way that's inspiring. And anger, as much as love, inspires art.

Common: Artists, when we have something we’re passionate about, we speak up. It’s the truth that comes out at that time. But you have to be passionate about it. I think this era we’re in now is just as tough as the Reagan era in many instances, but the artists are speaking up. They feel it. They feel it in their spirits. I think the one thing we have in hip hop that you had in that 80s era is a lot of people were kind of educated politically to a certain degree; socially and politically so they knew what to talk about. I was learning about things from Chuck D and from KRS-One and I learned from them. They had something to say. They knew what was going on. I don’t know if it was age or whatever the case, but they knew. And even in this crucial era, I think that the music can be more powerful, the art can be more powerful when people are passionate about it and they really do care.

***

Nelson George: Ava [DuVernay]has had a profound effect on you. This film is dedicated to her. Can you talk a little bit about her impact? Tell me a little bit about how that relationship has shaped your thinking.

Common: Well, one day my daughter hit me and was like “You know if Ava is Malcolm X, you Martin Luther King” She’s at Howard now and she was trying to say I was softer than Ava I when it comes to the revolutionary aspect. And I was like embarrassed that she would say that about me. Don’t get me wrong, I do feel like Ava does have an unapologetic and unashamedly Blackness about her and she embraces that and does it universally but I was like DAMN. I do that too. But I think I’m always talking about love and extending the hand of love and embracing people. I’ve learned to embrace people that may not think the way I think or may be on the opposite side when it comes to politics. They may be on the opposite side of many things but my first step is to do what our former First Lady says “Go high when they go low” so that’s my mentality. So when my daughter said that, I said this is what it really is- I tried to explain to her. My relationship with Ava is really inspiring. She’s like for me…through working with her. And talking with her, I see somebody who is dedicated to putting Black culture and Black faces out in the world in the purest way. In a truthful way. In a way we don’t get to see all the time. And it reminds me - you know when you get around those friends, Nelson? well you Black like that so…but you know when you get around friends who just remind you of like who you are and what your mission is and to not be afraid. I think she has a lot of that in her and she’s very talented. And to me, one of her biggest gifts is knowing how to put people together. Because I’ve met some of the most talented and some of my best friends in the industry are people that I’ve met working on projects with Ava.

***

Common: I definitely have to first say that it was music in the late 80s and 90s was truly reflective of a movement. It was the movement of Black empowerment, Black love, consciousness, just being aware. It was all of the above and obviously, things go through evolutions, it changes. I don’t think right now as a whole, that we have that in hip hop. At that time, the majority of hip hop was a pro-Black movement. We had PE. We had Poor Righteous Teachers, Brand Nubians, Big Daddy Kane would do his pro-Black song. Moe Dee, N.W.A. had stuff that was saying something too. So, I don’t feel like we have that as a whole. I don’t think hip hop is the place we go to listen to that voice of ‘ok this is the revolution. this is how we’re changing things,’ but there are artists that do it, like Kendrick Lamar.

And I also think that the chance that we may not speak about like ‘ok this is Black consciousness. He has a Black consciousness about him, a self-awareness and spirituality,’ and I don’t want to overlook that because spirituality is something that is powerful in hip hop, whether it’s Islamic, the five percenters.

In hip hop, we don’t have it as much, but it still exists. I still can’t go to some hip hop but now, you know, I go to great speakers like Brian Stevenson or books to learn or listen to the people who talk about politics and I honestly try to give my own discernment to decide where I think the world is.

#Tribeca2017: Hillary Rodham Clinton Surprise Guest at Tribeca Film Festival Earth Day VR Talk with Kathryn Bigelow

April 23, 2017 #ArtReports

SURPRISE GUEST HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON JOINS TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL TALKS VR PANEL DISCUSSION ON EARTH DAY TO SHINE A LIGHT ON ELEPHANT POACHING

Panel Moderated by Academy Award®-Winning Director Kathryn Bigelow, and also Featured Director Imraan Ismail, African Parks CMO Andrea Heydlauf, and Nat Geo’s Rachel Webber

Talk Followed 250 Audience Members’ Simultaneous VR Experience of the World Premiere of Nat Geo’s The Protector’s: Walk in the Ranger’s Shoes

New York, NY [April 22, 2017] – Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared at the world premiere of the National Geographic Documentary Films’ VR short The Protector’s: Walk in the Ranger’s Shoes, the first VR short from Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow and Emmy-nominee Imraan Ismail. The 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, runs April 19-30.

Produced by Here Be Dragons, The Protectors was filmed deep in the Congo and shot in virtual reality to immerse viewers in the dangerous reality of those who risk their lives to protect elephants from poachers slaughtering the animals for their ivory tusks.

Tribeca co-founder Jane Rosenthal introduced the special event and then the panel discussion followed the screening of The Protector’s: Walk in the Ranger’s Shoes, with 250 audience members donning VR headsets simultaneously to experience the film together.

Highlight of comments said during the panel:

Hillary Rodham Clinton

· “Here it is Earth Day and we are marching on behalf of science. Part of science is understanding the intricate relationships we share with all those who are on this planet and in particular large mammals like elephants.”

· “It's really important for everyone here to know that there is something you can do. You can support organizations like African Parks and others.”

· “I'm very proud that under President Obama, the United States passed a near federal ban on the transportation and interstate trafficking of ivory in our own country.”

· “As critical as this problem is, there have been a lot of good effort made at a local, regional, national and now international level to try to address it.”

· “We [the Obama administration] had 3 overriding goals - stop the killing, stop the trafficking, and stop the demand...and part of that is protecting these rangers.”

Kathryn Bigelow, Co-Director, The Protectors

· “I realized that there was an intersection between poaching and terrorism, which led me to this project.”

· “These rangers are doing an extraordinarily heroic job of putting their life on the line every single day in order to protect these elephants and save them from extinction, and sometimes sadly they pay the ultimate price.”

· “The biggest challenge that Imraan and I looked at when making this piece was how to activate the audience. How do you take it from being informative one step further and engage the viewer with a call to action.”

· “We used VR to put people into a very active relationship with the subject.”

Imraan Ismail, Co-Director, The Protectors

· “The challenges, threats, dangers the rangers are facing each day are almost insurmountable. They're outmanned outgunned and they're putting themselves in the line of fire. As long as there are elephants, these rangers will just keep on doing it.”

Rachel Webber, EVP of Digital Product for National Geographic

· “With this specific piece, we can all rally around this specific mission.”

· “VR enables people to feel like they’re on the ground with these rangers. They become a part of the mission, a part of conservation. We need to continue pushing the boundaries of taking people on that conservation journey.”

Andrea Heydlauff, Chief Marketing Officer of African Parks

· “We’ve been holding the front line since 2015. This is ground zero in the poaching war.”

· “What these rangers are doing is providing connection for communities surrounding the parks. These are their families and friends and they see the direct benefit of what they are doing.”

· “Good news here is only the absence of bad news.”

More than 30,000 African elephants die each year at the hands of poachers, and despite the global outcry over the killings, trafficking continues. The Protectors: Walk in the Ranger’s Shoes is a call to action to help African Parks and to end the Ivory War. From National Geographic Documentary Films, the VR short chronicles a day in the life of a ranger in Garamba National Park, managed by the conservation non-profit African Parks, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These rangers often serve as the last line of defense in a race against extinction at the hands of poachers slaughtering elephants for their ivory tusks, facing constant danger and even the risk of death at the service of these sentient, noble creatures. The rangers of Garamba National Park are truly the unsung heroes in this race against time.

The Protectors debuted at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival Saturday night (Earth Day) in New York City. Following the VR short, Hillary Rodham Clinton joined a panel discussion moderated by Kathryn Bigelow. As Secretary of State, Clinton worked to bring the issue of global wildlife trafficking out of obscurity. Her family’s foundation has launched an initiative to combat elephant poaching.

Co-director Ismail also participated on the panel, along with Rachel Webber, EVP of Digital Product for National Geographic and Andrea Heydlauff, chief marketing officer of African Parks.

Elephant Poaching Statistics:

- An estimated 100 African elephants are killed each day by poachers seeking ivory, meat and body parts. (Source)
- As of 2016, there were still more African elephants being killed for ivory than are being born. (Source)
- It’s estimated only about 400,000 African elephants are remaining today. (Source)
- Some experts believe that at this current rate of poaching, elephants could be mostly extinct by the end of the next decade. (Source)

#Tribeca2017: Tribeca's Disruptive Innovation Awards

April 21, 2017 #ArtReports

On April 25th, The 2017 Tribeca Film Festival’s Eighth Annual Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards (TDIA), presented by AT&T, and supported by Bai, will unveil the diverse field of disruptors and thought-leaders whose breakthroughs are creating radical solutions to some of the world’s most vexing problems. If you are interested in interviewing participants for this year’s TDIA, or talking to Tribeca co-founder and TDIA leader Craig Hatkoff about the thinking behind the eclectic curation of the distinctive honorees, please let us know.

This year, TDIA will celebrate an exciting roster of visionaries, rebels, and game changers who are upending their industries, altering the human experience through their novel approaches to social justice and activism, and affecting the future of intelligence, both human and artificial.

TDIA is a collaboration with Harvard Business School Professor Clayton M. Christensen and helmed by Tribeca co-founder Craig Hatkoff. Christensen’s original Disruptive Innovation Theory was immortalized in the Innovator’s Dilemma, now celebrating its 20th anniversary. Disruptive innovation explains how simpler, cheaper technologies, products, and services can decimate industry leaders almost overnight, for the betterment of society. TDIA showcases applications of disruptive innovation which has spread far beyond the original technological and industrial realms into the fields of healthcare, education, international development, politics and advocacy, media, and the arts and entertainment.

Visit https://www.disruptorawards.com/ for more information.

About the Honorees:

Evolution of Intelligence

Watson (accepted by David Kenny)

Alex Da Kid + IBM

Bryan Johnson

GIPHY

Compassionate Capitalism

Tory Burch

Tory has been recognized with numerous awards and serves on several boards, including the Tory Burch Foundation, which she launched in 2009 to empower women entrepreneurs.

Mikaila Ulmer

Mick Ebeling

Roger McGuinn

Jessamyn Stanley

Jessamyn Stanley, is the author of Every Body Yoga, as well as an internationally recognized yoga teacher, award-winning Instagram star (@mynameisjessamyn), and body-positive advocate. She has been profiled by a wide range of media, including Good Morning America, TIME, New York, Glamour, Shape, People, Essence, Lenny Letter, and many others. When she’s not on the road teaching, she lives in Durham, North Carolina. Visit her online at:jessamynstanley.com, Twitter: @JessNotJazz, Facebook: /mynameisjessamyn.

Social Justice, Activism, and the Arts

Jonathan Haidt

Daryl Davis

Will Boyajian

Chris Fabian

Paula Kahumbu

Fran Lebowitz

Alexa Meade

Vivian D. Nixon

Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner Odede

Jeremy Travis

Jose Vargas

#Tribeca2017: The Short Film Festival and V.R. Reality Series Animated Shorts Curated by Whoopi Goldberg

April 20, 2017 Art Shrian & Lapacazo Sandoval

The Short Film Festival and V.R. Reality Series Animated Shorts Curated by Whoopi Goldberg “Dear Basketball,” directed by Glen Keane, written by Kobe Bryant Salma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault in “11th Hour”

There was a record 4,385 short films submitted for the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T; and only 57 were chosen including 36 world premieres. The sheer amount of inclusion is enough to make those champions stand up and cheer. Of the selected shorts, 40% were directed by women and include filmmakers from every corner of the globe. There are 10 distinct competition programs, consisting of five narrative, four documentary, and, for the second year, one animated program. In addition, there is the Sports Shorts program as part of the 11th annual Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival, sponsored by Mohegan Sun. The Shorts program, is sponsored by Nutella Originals and runs April 19-30.

“It’s wonderful to have shorts from such diverse countries like Iran, Venezuela, and South Korea to complement the American short films,” said Sharon Badal, Vice President of Filmmaker Relations and Shorts Programming. “This year’s shorts programs are evidence that storytelling has no boundaries, and creativity is global.”

Some of the celebrity talent in front and behind the camera are Bobby Cannavale, Salma Hayek, John Tuturro, Jim Sheridan, two-time Academy Award winner for Visual Effects Paul Franklin (“Interstellar”), Elisabeth Moss, marine life artist Wyland, and visual artist Chris Burkard.

Here are our selections that should not be missed at the 16th annual Tribeca Film Festival Short Film Festival.

“11th Hour,” directed by Jim Sheridan, written by Jim Sheridan, Oskar Slingerland. Based on a true story, 11th Hour recounts how, on the evening of 9/11, Maria José's bar is heaving with locals united in grief and a building rage; a cop pulls his gun and when a surprise visitor enters. In English, Spanish with subtitles. Starring Salma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault.

“Joy Joy Nails,” directed and written by Joey Ally. Sarah manages Joy Joy Nails with a cheerful iron fist – but she gets her manicured claws out when Chinese Mia, a manicurist trainee, looks to be stealing the boss's son's affections. In English, Korean, Mandarin with subtitles.

“The World In Your Window,” directed and written by Zoe McIntosh. Squeezed into a tiny caravan, eight-year-old Jesse and his grief-stricken father are in limbo until an accidental friendship with a V8-driving transsexual unlocks the means for Jesse to liberate his father and himself.

“Big City,” directed by Jordan Bond, Lachlan Ryan, written by Jordan Bond. Vijay, a lonely taxi driver picks up Chris, a stray drunk who befriends him, and over the course of the night, Chris experiences some of Vijay's troubles and Vijay learns to see the city in a new light.

“The Suitcase,” directed and written by Abi Damaris Corbin. The ordinary life of a Boston bred baggage handler is turned upside down when he steals a suitcase that contains terrorist plans. Inspired by true events on 9/11.

“For Flint, “ directed by Brian Schulz, written by Brian Schulz, Sharika Ajaikumar, Katharina Stroh. In the face of a federal emergency deeming its drinking water unsafe for consumption, Flint's resilient citizens rally together to forge a new narrative that is hopeful and optimistic.

“Blues Planet: Triptych,” directed and written by Wyland. Explores the Gulf Oil Spill disaster and its aftermath through environmental artist Wyland who, along with 30 of today's pre-eminent artists, recorded a new genre of global blues on the catastrophe's anniversary.

Animated Shorts Curated by Whoopi Goldberg returns with a selection ofimaginative storytelling in animation

Screening this year:

“Dear Basketball,” directed by Glen Keane, written by Kobe Bryant.

“Curpigeon,” directed and written by Dmitry Milkin.

“Summer Camp Island,” directed and written by Julia Pott.

“Odd is an Egg”, directed by Kristin Ulseth, written by Maria Avramova, Kristin Ulseth.

“Angel “, directed and written by Gregory Casares.

“The Talk: True Stories About The Birds & The Bees,” directed and written by Alain Delannoy.

“Second to None,” directed and written by Vincent Gallagher.

“Escape,” directed by Limbert Fabian, Brandon Oldenburg, written by Limbert Fabian, Brandon Oldenburg, Angus McGilpin

To follow 2017 Tribeca Film Festival presented by AT&T

https://tribecafilm.com/festival

Twitter: @Tribeca

Instagram: @tribeca

Facebook: facebook.com/Tribeca

Snapchat: TribecaFilmFest

Hashtag: #Tribeca2017

#Tribeca2017: CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED FILMMAKERS, AWARD-WINNING ACTORS, AND CULTURAL LEADERS MAKE UP 2017 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL JURIES

April 12, 2017 @ArtShrian

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED FILMMAKERS, AWARD-WINNING ACTORS, AND CULTURAL LEADERS MAKE UP 2017 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL JURIES

Jurors include Priyanka Chopra, R.J. Cutler, Willem Dafoe, Peter Fonda,

Diane Lane, Barbara Kopple, Tavi Gevinson, Josh Lucas, Alessandro Nivola, Sheila Nevins, Michael Pitt, Zachary Quinto, Christina Ricci, Ruth Wilson, and more

New York, NY [April 12, 2017] –The Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, today announced its jurors for the 16th edition, comprised of a group of critically acclaimed filmmakers, award-winning actors working across film, television, and stage, accomplished producers, and cultural leaders. Divided among the competitive Festival categories, the jury reflects the diversity of Tribeca’s program, which showcases storytelling in all forms, including film, television, virtual reality, and music. The winning films, filmmakers, actors, and storytellers in each category will be announced at the Tribeca Film Festival Awards ceremony at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center on Thursday, April 27 beginning at 5:30 pm and hosted by Michael Rapaport. The 2017 Tribeca Film Festival runs from April 19 –30.

The nine Tribeca juries for the film and immersive storytelling categories will award cash and prizes. Ten of the winners will also receive a work of original art by a renowned contemporary artist as part of the Tribeca Film Festival Artists Awards program, sponsored by CHANEL.

“This year’s jury reflects the diverse artistry represented in our Festival program, which has evolved over the past 15 years to showcase the breadth of storytelling across all mediums,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder, Tribeca Film Festival, and Executive Chair, Tribeca Enterprises. “Selecting winners in each category is no easy task, and we look forward to the thoughtful perspective and spirited debate our jurors will bring to the job.”

In addition to the main competition juries, the Festival also announced the all-female jury for the 2017 Nora Ephron Prize, which was founded four years ago to honor a woman filmmaker whose work embodies the spirit and vision of the legendary filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron. Tribeca previously announced five jurors for the second annual Tribeca X Award, which celebrates branded storytelling at the intersection of advertising and entertainment.

Following is a list of all 2017 Festival jurors and their respective categories.

Feature Film Competition Categories

The jurors for the 2017 US Narrative Competition section are:

· Josh Lucas: Actor Josh Lucas is best known for his roles in the films A Beautiful Mind, Sweet Home Alabama, Poseidon, and Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar, as well as on stage in “The Glass Menagerie” and “Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell.” He can currently be seen in Netflix’s The Most Hated Woman In America. Lucas is based in NYC.

Melanie Lynskey: New Zealand born Melanie Lynskey's first role came in 1994 with her award winning performance in Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures opposite Kate Winslet. Since then, she has amassed a number of credits both in features and television. Her credits include Steven Soderbergh's The Informant, Tom McCarthy's Win Win, Billy Ray's Shattered Glass, Sam Mendes' Away We Go, and Jason Reitman's Up in the Air.
Denis O’Hare: Denis O’Hare is a Tony Award winning and Emmy-nominated actor. Screen credits include Charlie Wilson’s War, Milk, Dallas Buyers Club, and American Horror Story.
Alex Orlovsky: Alex Orlovsky has been working as a producer for 15 years. In that time, he has produced The Discovery, The Wolfpack, I Origins, The Place Beyond the Pines, Blue Valentine, and Half Nelson, among others. Orlovsky’s films have been nominated for Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Independent Spirit Awards, and Gotham Awards, and have played in a number of major film festivals including Berlin, Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Tribeca, and Venice.
Stephanie Zacharek: Stephanie Zacharek is the film critic for Time magazine. She was previously chief film critic for the Village Voice and Salon.com, and was a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in criticism.

The jurors for the 2017 International Narrative Competition section are:

· Willem Dafoe: Two-time Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe is one of today’s most highly accomplished and versatile American film actors. He has performed in over 100 films in Hollywood and abroad.

· Peter Fonda: Peter Fonda is an award-winning actor who co-wrote, produced, and starred in the iconic film Easy Rider. Since his legendary role, he has continued to deliver impressive performances seen in films such as Ulee's Gold, The Tempest, 3:10 to Yuma, and Ghost Rider.

· Tavi Gevinson: Tavi Gevinson is an actress, writer, and the editor-in-chief of “Rookie”, a website for teenage girls which she founded in 2011. She can soon be seen opposite Michael Cera and Abbi Jacobson in the upcoming film Person To Person, which follows a variety of New York characters as they navigate personal relationships and unexpected problems over the course of one day.

· Alessandro Nivola: Alessandro Nivola is a Tony Award nominated film and stage actor and television producer. Film credits include American Hustle, Junebug, Coco Before Chanel, A Most Violent Year, and Selma.

· Ruth Wilson: Two-time Olivier Award-winner, Golden Globe winner and Tony Award nominated actress Ruth Wilson has paved her way in theatre, television and film. Best known for her portrayal of the character Alison in The Affair and of Alice in Luther, and for her work on the London stage, Wilson has become one of Britain’s most lauded young actresses.

The jurors for the 2017 World Documentary Competition section are:

R.J. Cutler: R.J. Cutler is an award-winning director and producer. His work includes the feature film If I Stay, the documentaries Listen to Me Marlon, The World According to Dick Cheney,The September Issue, A Perfect Candidate, and The War Room, and the television series Nashville, American High, Freshman Diaries, Black/White, and 30 Days.
Alma Har’el: Alma Har’el’s award winning, visionary work plunges deep into the heart of imagination and produces genre-redefining and fearless work that artistically blurs the line between documentary and fiction. In 2016, Har'el founded Free The Bid, an initiative designed to fight gender bias in the advertisement industry.
Barbara Kopple: Barbara Kopple is a two-time Academy Award winning filmmaker. She has produced and directed over 35 films, and counting.
Anne Thompson: Anne Thompson is Editor at Large at Indiewire, founder of Thompson on Hollywood, author of “The $11 Billion Year” and cohost of the weekly Screen Talk podcast.
David Wilson: David Wilson is a filmmaker and co-founder of the True/False Film Fest in Columbia, Missouri.

The jurors for the 2017 Best New Narrative Director Competition are:

· Bryan Buckley: Bryan Buckley is the director of the films Asad, The Bronze, and upcoming release, Dabka. He is known for his extensive commercial work, directing more than 50 Super Bowl spots.

· Clea Duvall: Clea DuVall is an actress and filmmaker. She currently stars in the Emmy award winning HBO series Veep, and recurs in AMC’s Better Call Saul. She starred in many award winning films including Argo, Passengers, Zodiac, Girl, Interrupted, and the cult favorites But I’m A Cheerleader and The Faculty.

· Michael Pitt: Michael Pitt is an American actor, writer, director, producer, and musician. Credits include Boardwalk Empire, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Dreamers, I Origins, Funny Games, and Last Days. His most recent role was Kuze in Ghost in the Shell. In 2015, Michael Pitt made his directorial debut with The Driver.

The jurors for the 2017 Albert Maysles Award (Best New Documentary Director Award) are:

· Amy Berg: Amy Berg is a critically acclaimed, Emmy-award winning and Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker whose company, Disarming Films, writes and produces docuseries for television and long-form documentaries focusing on social justice.

· Alice Eve: Alice Eve is an acclaimed British actress known for her roles in Star Trek into Darkness and Before We Go opposite Chris Evans. She can soon be seen in upcoming feature Please Stand By opposite Dakota Fanning and Toni Collette and Replicas opposite Keanu Reeves.

· Marilyn Ness: Marilyn Ness is a two-time Emmy®, DuPont, and Peabody Award-winning documentary producer and director best known for her work producing Cameraperson, Trapped, E-Team, and 1971 (Tribeca Film Festival 2014).

· Zachary Quinto: Zachary Quinto is a film, stage and television actor as well as a producer. His credits include Star Trek, Snowden, The Glass Menagerie, Heroes and two seasons of American Horror Story. In 2008, he began his production company Before the Door Pictures, which has gone on to produce such films as Margin Call, All Is Lost, Banshee Chapter, Breakup At a Wedding, A Most Violent Year, and the upcoming film Aardvark.

· Shaul Schwarz: Shaul Schwarz is a conflict photojournalist turned filmmaker. He's the director of the feature documentaries Narco Cultura (2013) and Trophy (2017).

Short Film Competition Categories

The jurors for the 2017 Narrative Short Film Competition are:

· Udi Aloni: Udi Aloni is a filmmaker and writer whose works frequently explore the interrelationships between art, theory, and activism. His most recent film, Junction 48, won the Best International Narrative Feature award at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Berlinale, among other awards.

· Brennan Brown: Brennan Brown can be currently seen as Robert Childan on the hit Amazon series The Man in the High Castle, as Dr. Sam Abrams on Chicago Med, and Edward Biben onMozart in the Jungle. A graduate of Yale School of Drama, his many film credits include I Love You Phillip Morris, Focus, and State of Play.

· Gilbert Gottfried: As a famed comic’s comic, Gilbert Gottfried puts aside political correctness for his live performance and fires an onslaught of jokes that know no boundaries. Credits include: a cast member on SNL, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Cosby Show, Late Night with David Letterman, The Howard Stern Show, and Aladdin, as the voice of the wise cracking parrot Iago.

· Amy Heckerling: Amy Heckerling came from the Bronx and wrote Clueless.

· Sheila Nevins: Sheila Nevins is President, HBO Documentary Films. She has been responsible for overseeing the development and production of more than 1,000 documentaries for HBO, HBO2, and Cinemax. As an executive producer or producer, she has received 32 Primetime Emmy® Awards, 7 News and Documentary Emmys®, and 42 George Foster Peabody Awards. During her tenure, HBO’s critically-acclaimed documentaries have gone on to win 26 Academy Awards®.

· Mark O’Brien: Mark O’Brien is an award-winning actor and filmmaker, best known for his roles in the Academy-Award nominated film Arrival and the AMC series Halt & Catch Fire. He can next be seen in the upcoming Sony/Amazon series The Last Tycoon, and a number of feature films including Kin, State Like Sleep, and Parallel.

· Jesse Plemons: Jesse Plemons is an actor. Credits include: Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad, Fargo, Black Mass, Bridge of Spies, The Master, and Other People. He will next appear in American Made, Hostiles, Black Mirror, and The Discovery.

The jurors for the 2017 Documentary and Student Visionary Competitions are:

· Priyanka Chopra: Priyanka Chopra is a multifaceted personality and one of the most recognized and applauded talents in the world. With more than 50 film credits, Priyanka currently stars in ABC's hit show Quantico and can be seen in the upcoming Baywatch movie, premiering on May 26th.

· Olivia Thirlby: A native New Yorker, Olivia Thirlby is best known for her work in features such as Juno, United 93, The Wackness, 2012 Tribeca film Being Flynn, The Stanford Prison Experiment, Between Us, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2016, and the Amazon/David E. Kelly series Goliath.

· Ryan Eggold: Ryan Eggold is an actor, writer, director, producer, and composer. He currently stars as the male lead in NBC’s The Blacklist: Redemption, the spinoff from the thriller drama, The Blacklist in which he also stars. Ryan has starred in various acclaimed film, TV, and theatre projects, and is also an accomplished musician, singer, and playwright.

· Brendan Fraser: Brendan Fraser is an award-winning actor. Credits include the Mummy franchise, The Quiet American, and Crash. He recently starred in the third season of Showtime’s award-winning TV show, The Affair.

· Ileen Gallagher: Ileen Gallagher produces memorable experiences and destinations, in projects ranging from new museums, corporate attractions, and citywide film/media celebrations to exhibitions, special events, the organization of archives, and beyond.

Storyscapes

The jurors for the 2017 Storyscapes Competition are:

· Lily Baldwin: Lily Baldwin is an NYC/LA-based filmmaker and dancer, whose directing work has appeared at SXSW, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the V&A Museum London, Art Basel Miami, ShortsHD, Filmmaker Magazine, NOWNESS, Fandor, and BitTorrent.

· Charlotte Cook: Charlotte Cook is a Co-Creator and Executive Producer of Field of Vision, and a programmer at CPH:DOX.

· Julia Kaganskiy: Julia Kaganskiy is the founding Director of NEW INC, the New Museum’s incubator for art, design and technology.

· Michael Premo: Michael Premo is an artist, journalist, and filmmaker.

· Sarah Wolozin: Sarah Wolozin is director of the MIT Open Documentary Lab.

Nora Ephron Prize

The jurors for the 2017 Nora Ephron Prize are:

· Dianna Agron: Dianna Agron was last seen in Luc Besson’s The Family opposite Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer. She will next be seen Sony Pictures Classics Novitiate which recently screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Agron is previously known for her roles on Glee and the feature film I Am Number Four.

· Joy Bryant: Award-winning actress Joy Bryant is best known as the star of NBC’s Parenthood. A former model, Bryant most recently portrayed civil rights activist Eleanor Holmes Norton in the Amazon series Good Girls Revolt and has a memorable cameo in the final season of HBO's Girls.

· Diane Lane: Diane Lane has been hailed as Best Actress by the New York Film Critics and National Society of Film Critics, and received Academy Award®, Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globe® and Emmy® nominations for her career work-to-date. Her next film, Paris Can Wait, directed by Eleanor Coppola will be released on May 12.

· Zoe Lister-Jones: Zoe Lister-Jones is an actor, writer, producer and director, currently starring on CBS’ Life in Pieces and in the indie comedy Band Aid, in which she also makes her directorial debut.

· Christina Ricci: Christina Ricci can currently be seen in the Amazon original series Z: The Beginning of Everything, in which she plays Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald.

Visit www.tribecafilm.com/festival for more information about the 2017 Festival programs and the full line-up.

Passes and tickets for the 2017 Festival

Single ticket are on sale and cost $21.00 for evening and weekend screenings, $12.00 for weekday matinee screenings, $40.00 for Tribeca Talks panels and special screenings, $30.00 for Tribeca TV, and $40.00 for Tribeca Immersive. Tickets can be purchased:

· Online at tribecafilm.com/festival/tickets

· Telephone at (646) 502-5296 or toll free at (866) 941-FEST (3378),

· Ticket outlets located at Cinepolis Chelsea (260 W. 23rd Street), or at the Oculus Westfield World Trade Center (185 Greenwich Street, located at Concierge Desk)

· The 2017 Tribeca Film Festival App, available on iTunes and Google Play

· Tickets to special events at Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre are available at Ticketmaster via tribecafilm.com

Also available for purchase now is The Hudson Pass, an all access pass to screenings and talks taking place at BMCC, Regal, Cinepolis Chelsea, and SVA as well as full access to all events at the Festival Hub at Spring Studios, which includes VR and immersive projects, special screenings with music performances, and access to the lounges.

The 2017 Festival will offer ticket discounts on general screenings and Tribeca Talks panels for students, seniors and select downtown Manhattan residents. Discounted tickets are available at Ticket Outlet locations only.

Stills are available at www.image.net. If you are not an image.net media user yet, please register using referral code 2604. If you have any issues or your need is time sensitive, please contactblin@TribecaFilmFestival.org

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About the Tribeca Film Festival

About the 2017 Partners

As Presenting Sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival, AT&T is committed to supporting the Festival and the art of filmmaking through access and innovation, while expanding opportunities to diverse creators around the globe. As one of the largest communications and entertainment companies, AT&T helps millions connect to their passions – no matter where they are.

The Tribeca Film Festival is pleased to announce its 2017 Signature Partners: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Bai Beverages, Bloomberg Philanthropies', Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), CHANEL, EFFEN® Vodka, ESPN, IWC Schaffhausen, The Lincoln Motor Company, National CineMedia, Nespresso, New York Magazine, Nexxus Salon Hair Care, Nutella, NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Spring Studios New York, and United Airlines.

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL® APRIL 19-30

April 10, 2017 Art Shrian & Lapacazo Sandoval

It is time for the annual TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL® when die-hard cinefiles get that wild, giddy expression. The selection continues to grow and the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, experienceda high record number of submissions. Cara Cusumano, in her new role as Director of Programming along with Artistic Director Frédéric Boyer narrowed down the selection to 32 films in competition section features: 12 documentaries, 10 U.S. narratives and 10 international narratives. The Spotlight Narrative section features 15 fiction films, while 16 nonfiction films will premiere in the Spotlight Documentary section. The Midnight section features five heart-stopping narratives and one documentary premiere.

In this current political climate — where the Presidential administration is attempting to use fear and division to help push their racist and sexist agendas to the people, the need for artist to express their opinions and present truth has never been more needed.

"It’s uncertain and tumultuous times like these that we need artists and storytellers the most, and this year's program is a testament to the unending capacity of film for impact, empathy, and even much needed escapism,” said Cara Cusumano, Tribeca’s new Director of Programming.

“In the current climate, both in the literal and political sense, it is more important than ever to elevate stories about the moments we are going through as a nation and as global citizens,” said Paula Weinstein, Executive Vice President of Tribeca Enterprises. “We were really moved by this group of projects that reflect our world and the critical tipping point we have reached.”

“This year’s film slate is perhaps our most varied yet in both the generosity in the stories told and the diversity of the styles of filmmaking, with the international films transcending geographical boundaries,” said Frédéric Boyer, Tribeca’s Artistic Director.

Some not to be missed highlights include:

“The Wedding Plan,” directed and written by Rama Burshtein. Spirited bride-to-be Michal is dumped by her fiancé a month before their wedding. Undeterred, she keeps her wedding date. Highly recommend!

“Saturday Church,” directed and written by Damon Cardasis. 14-year-old Ulysses is a shy and effeminate teen being raised in the Bronx by his strict Aunt Rose. With Regina Taylor.

“Holy Air,” directed and written by Shady Srour. Desperate to care for his pregnant wife and ailing father, Adam (writer/director Shady Srour) embarks on his latest, riskiest business venture: selling bottled holy air.

“King of Peking,” directed and written by Sam Voutas. Big Wong and his son Little Wong are traveling film projectionists, screening Hollywood movies for local villagers. A love letter to cinema.

“Newton,”, directed by Amit V Masurkar. India, the world’s largest democracy, is preparing for an election—and with more than 800 million voters, this is a logistical puzzle of epic proportions.

“Sambá,” directed by Laura Amelia Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas. Cisco has his back against the ropes. After spending 15 years in an American jail, he’s returned to the Dominican Republic yet is unable to get a job.

“Copwatch,” directed by Camilla Hall. The true story of We Copwatch, an organization that films police activity as a non-violent form of protest and deterrent to police brutality.

“The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson,” directed by David France. Featuring never-before-seen footage following a new investigation into the mysterious death of self-described “street queen” Marsha P. Johnson, one of the courageous black transgender activists who spearheaded the modern gay civil rights movement.

“Dabka,” directed and written by Bryan Buckley. A rookie journalist has an inspiring chance encounter with his idol (Al Pacino), uproots his life and moves to Somalia. Based on the true story an unprecedented first-person account of the pirates of Somalia.

“Frank Serpico,” directed and written by Antonino D'Ambrosio. With unprecedented access to a notoriously reclusive subject, D’Ambrosio creates a powerful portrait of Frank Serpico, the former NYPD officer who in the 1970s blew the whistle on the corruption and payoffs running rampant in the department.

“A Thousand Junkies,” directed by Tommy Swerdlow. Three heroin addicts crisscross Los Angeles in search of relief in this comedy balanced on the fine line between reliance and dependence.

To follow everything about the festival:

www.tribecafilm.com

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Tribeca Film Festival Announces Tribeca TV 2017 Lineup

March 24, 2017 #ArtReports

16th ANNUAL TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES SECOND ANNUAL TRIBECA TV PROGRAM FEATURING WORLD PREMIERES OF HIGHLY ANTICIPATED NEW SHOWS AND FAN FAVORITE RETURNING SERIES, AND A SLATE OF INDEPENDENT PILOTS

Premieres Include Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, NatGeo’s First Scripted Series Genius, USA Network’s The Sinner and Season Debuts of Audience Favorites Including Showtime’s Episode and Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Legendary Documentarian Ken Burns to Receive the Citizens Filmmaker Award and Present a Special Sneak Peek of His Upcoming Documentary The Vietnam War

For everything Tribeca, head over to https://tribecafilm.com and follow us: https://twitter.com/TribecaFilmFest https://instagram.com/tribeca

New York, NY [March 23, 2017] – The 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, today announced the lineup for the second annual television festival, Tribeca TV, featuring a mix of world premieres of some of the most talked-about new series, including The Handmaid’s Tale and Genius, season debuts of audience favorites such as Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Episodes, as well as documentary special previews, and indie pilots. Premiere screenings will be followed by dynamic conversations with some of the most creative and well-known actors, directors, writers, and producers in the business. Tribeca TV, which will run during the festival’s 16th edition, features 15 shows including five series premieres, four season premieres, three independent pilots, one feature documentary, and one very special sneak peek. The Tribeca Film Festival takes place April 19-30.

Tribeca TV debuted last year and launched a diverse selection of shows that went on to critical acclaim and commercial success, including HBO’s The Night Of and AMC’s The Night Manager. This year’s lineup includes series premieres of: Hulu’s highly anticipated The Handmaid’s Tale, followed by a conversation with the dynamic cast of Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Alexis Bledel, Samira Wiley, and Max Minghella; NatGeo’s first scripted series Genius about the fascinating life of Albert Einstein, followed by a conversation with executive producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, who also directs the first episode, and stars Emily Watson and Geoffrey Rush; USA’s crime thriller anthology series The Sinner, followed by a conversation with stars Jessica Biel and Bill Pullman, and director Antonio Campos; and There’s … Johnny!, from NBC’s new comedy service SeeSo, followed by a conversation with showrunners and cast including executive producers Paul Reiser and David Gordon Green, and star Tony Danza.

“Coming off of a very successful first year of Tribeca TV, we curated this year’s program to include an expanded, exceptional lineup of top-notch shows and dynamic storytellers both in front of and behind the camera,” said Cara Cusumano, Director of Programming at the Tribeca Film Festival. “As the TV landscape continues to evolve in exciting, cinematic directions, the festival creates a unique opportunity for audiences to discover together on a big screen what everyone else will eventually be talking about from their couches at home.”

Highlights also include season premieres of audience favorites including: season three premiere of the Netflix original series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, followed by a conversation with executive producers Tina Fey and Robert Carlock and stars Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski and Carol Kane; the premiere of Showtime’sEpisodes’ final season, followed by a conversation between Matt LeBlanc and creators David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik; season three premiere of Hulu’s family comedyCasual, followed by a conversation with creator Zander Lehmann, as well as executive producers and cast members; and season three premiere of Comedy Central’s Another Period, followed by a conversation with creators, writers, and stars Natasha Leggero and Riki Lindhome.

Tribeca TV will also host a special event for CNN’s new series Soundtracks: Songs That Defined History, executive produced by Dwayne Johnson, which explores music as a driving force behind social change, with the premiere of the series’ 9/11 episode at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. SpikeTV will premiere a new installment of their feature documentary series I Am, an inside look at the life of Heath Ledger, as told by his inner circle. Additionally, the new independent variety show from the mastermind behindcollective: unconscious, The Eyeslicer will premiere at the Festival, bringing together the next generation of alternative Americans under one strange roof.

This year Tribeca TV will highlight the work of independent productions for the first time, as part of the Festival’s mission of creator discovery. These three original new pilots will premiere together during a special event followed by a conversation with the creators: Black Magic for White Boys, Lost & Found, and Manic.

Ken Burns will be honored for his unparalleled work as one of the most influential and celebrated historical documentarians with the Festival’s new Citizen Filmmaker Award. Following the presentation, audience members will screen a special sneak-peek created especially for Tribeca of The Vietnam War, the unprecedented 10-part, 18 hour documentary film series about the Vietnam War directed by Burns and Lynn Novick, which will air on PBS this fall.

The TRIBECA TV Lineup:

With media support from Vulture the entertainment and culture site from New York Magazine

Another Period (Comedy Central) - Season 3 World Premiere

Executive Producers: Natasha Leggero, Riki Lindhome, Jeremy Konner, Debbie Liebling, Stuart Cornfeld, Mike Rosenstein, Ben Stiller.

Another Period tells the incredible story of the Bellacourt sisters, Lillian and Beatrice (played by Leggero and Lindhome). Defined by their family’s wealth, they care only about becoming super famous — which is a lot harder in 1902. The show follows the insanely decadent and outrageous life of the Bellacourt coterie. Before others claimed their fame, they were the one American family who epitomized all that was spoiled, shameless and stupid. The Bellacourts have more servants than relatives and days filled with money, sex, drugs…and more money.

After the episode: A conversation with creators, writers, and stars Natasha Leggero and Riki Lindhome, and cast members Paget Brewster and Brett Gelman.

Screening time: Wednesday, April 26, 6:15 PM, SVA-2

Casual (Hulu) - Season 3 World Premiere

Executive Producers: Zander Lehmann, Liz Tigelaar, Helen Estabrook, Jason Reitman.

Season 3 returns with everyone's favorite co-dependent siblings Valerie and Alex. They continue to live deep in each other’s emotional lives as they raise Valerie's daughter Laura. Following dramatic life changes at the end of the last season, Valerie and Alex are adjusting to a new normal while continuing to struggle to maintain boundaries with each other.

After the episode: A conversation with creator and executive producer Zander Lehmann, executive producers, Liz Tigelaar, Helen Estabrook, and cast members Michaela Watkins, Tommy Dewey, and Tara Lynne Barr. Moderated by editor for New York Magazine and Vulture, Stacey Wilson Hunt.

Screening time: Saturday, April 29, 6:15PM, SVA-2

Episodes (Showtime) - Final Season Premiere

Executive Producer: Jimmy Mulville.

Episodes, the award-winning, razor-sharp comedy about the insanity of making a television show, returns for its fifth and final season. Lauded English television writers Sean and Beverly Lincoln were lured to Hollywood to adapt their much-loved British boarding-school comedy, Lyman’s Boys. Their American network has mangled the show into Pucks!, a sitcom about a high school hockey coach starring Matt LeBlanc (played brilliantly by himself). After a dismal run, the sitcom was finally put out of its misery. Now Sean and Beverly struggle to create a successful new project in this country without completely losing their integrity, while Matt desperately attempts to revitalize his disappearing acting career.

After the episode: A conversation with creators David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik, and cast member Matt LeBlanc. Moderated by editor for New York Magazine and Vulture,Stacey Wilson Hunt.

Screening time: Sunday, April 30, 5:30 PM, SVA-1

The Eyeslicer - New Series Premiere

Executive Producers: Dan Schoenbrun, Vanessa McDonnell.

The Eyeslicer is a new variety TV show that brings the next generation of alternative American filmmakers together under one strange roof. The hour-long show will slice, dice, and then mince your eyeballs into delicious ceviche. Each episode is a handcrafted mixtape, blending boundary-pushing short form work into a weird, wild, uninterrupted whole.The Eyeslicer premieres at Tribeca with the episode "Facial Reconstruction", featuring work from acclaimed indie filmmakers Lauren Wolkstein, Erin Vassilopoulos, Shaka King, Danny Madden, and Leah Shore.

After the episode: A conversation with co-creators Dan Schoenbrun and Vanessa McDonnell, and filmmakers Lauren Wolkstein, Erin Vassilopoulos, Shaka King, Danny Madden, and Leah Shore.

Screening time: Friday, April 28, 9:00 PM, SVA-2

Genius (National Geographic) - New Series World Premiere

Executive Producers: Ken Biller, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Gigi Pritzker, Sam Sokolow.

Genius charts how Albert Einstein (Geoffrey Rush), an imaginative, rebellious patent clerk who struggled to land an academic post in his early years, went on to become the greatest scientific mind of the 20th century. The show explores his rise as he juggles his volatile, passionate and complex personal relationships. Based on Walter Isaacson’s acclaimed biography.

After the episode: A conversation with director and executive producer Ron Howard, executive producers Brian Grazer and Gigi Pritzker, showrunner Ken Biller, and cast members Geoffrey Rush, Johnny Flynn, Emily Watson, and Samantha Colley.

Screening time: Thursday, April 20, 6:00 PM, BMCC

The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu, MGM) - New Series World Premiere

Executive Producer: Bruce Miller.

Based on Margaret Atwood's acclaimed novel, The Handmaid’s Tale is the story of Gilead, a modern-day totalitarian society facing environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate, ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property. As one of the few fertile women, Offred is forced into sexual servitude in a desperate attempt to repopulate the world. In a society where one wrong word could end her life, Offred has one goal: survive and find the daughter taken from her.

After the episode: A conversation with executive producers Bruce Miller, Warren Littlefield, and cast members Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Samira Wiley, Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, O.T. Fagbenle, and Max Minghella. Moderated by writer for The New York Times Magazine, Jenna Wortham.

Screening time: Friday, April 21, 6:00 PM, BMCC

I Am Heath Ledger (Spike TV) - World Premiere

Producer/Co-Director: Derik Murray. Co-Director: Adrian Buitenhuis.

Told through excerpts of his greatest performances, interviews with friends and family (including Ben Mendelsohn, Naomi Watts, Ang Lee, and Ben Harper), and the lens of his own camera, I Am Heath Ledger is an intimate celebration of the actor, artist, and icon. An artist of exceptional depth and courage, Ledger was equally talented behind the camera. This stirring documentary paints a rich portrait of one of the great artists of his generation.

Screening times:

Sunday, April 23, 5:00 PM, Tribeca Festival Hub

Monday, April 24, 6:45 PM, RGL-9

Wednesday, April 26, 8:00 PM, CIN-6

Thursday, April 27, 8:00 PM, CIN-6

The Sinner (USA/Universal Cable Productions) - New Series World Premiere

Executive Producers: Derek Simonds, Jessica Biel, Michelle Purple, Charlie Gogolak.

A young mother is overcome by an inexplicable fit of rage and commits a startling act of violence. The event launches an inverted and utterly surprising crime thriller whose driving force is not the “who” or the “what,”—but the “why.” Soon the investigator finds himself obsessed with uncovering the woman's buried motive. From Universal Cable Productions, The Sinner is a riveting psychological thriller, with a pilot stylishly directed by acclaimed filmmaker Antonio Campos (Afterschool, Christine).

After the episode: A conversation with executive producer and director of the pilot Antonio Campos, executive producer Derek Simonds, executive producer and cast memberJessica Biel, and cast members Christopher Abbott and Bill Pullman.

Screening time: Tuesday, April 25, 6:15 PM, SVA-1

Soundtracks: Songs That Defined History (CNN)

Executive Producers: Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Maro Chermayeff, Jeff Dupre.

Soundtracks explores seminal moments in history through the music that defines them. Featuring original interviews with legendary musicians as well as celebrated journalists, historians, and writers, the series reveals how music has been a driving force behind social change. In a Tribeca screening at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York, the show will explore how songs like Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” took on new and heightened meaning, as music took center stage for a country fighting to heal. Co-hosted by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

After the episode: A conversation with CNN anchor of New Day, Chris Cuomo, and professor at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, Jason King. Moderated by Executive Vice President and Deputy Director for Museum Programs at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Clifford Chanin.

Screening times: Tuesday, April 25, 7:00PM, 9/11 Memorial & Museum

Wednesday, April 26, 3:00 PM, SVA-2

After the episode: A conversation with executive producers Maro Chermayeff and Jeff Dupree

There’s… Johnny! (Seeso) - New Series World Premiere

Executive Producers: Paul Reiser, David Steven Simon, David Gordon Green, Jeff Sotzing, Brian Volk-Weiss, Craig Knizek, Cisco Henson, Michael Pelmont, Matt Ochacher, Evan Shapiro, Kelsey Balance.

It's 1972, and everyone goes to bed together... with Johnny Carson, TV's biggest star. 19 year old Nebraskan Andy Klavin stumbles his way into a gig as a gofer at Carson's "The Tonight Show" and into a world that will change his life. There's… Johnny! takes a fictional comedic trip back in time, to go behind the man in front of the curtain, and look at the lives and loves of the people who make all of America laugh.

After the episode: A conversation with creator Paul Reiser, executive producers David Steven Simon and David Gordon Green, and cast members Tony Danza, Ian Nelson,and Jane Levy.

Screening time: Thursday April 27, 6:15 PM, SVA-2

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix) - Season 3 World Premiere

Executive Producers: Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, Jeff Richmond, David Mine.

After living in a cult for fifteen years, Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) decides to reclaim her life and start over in New York City. Season 3 opens with Kimmy in an unfamiliar position with the Reverend back in her life. Meanwhile, Titus returns from his cruise and auditions for an exciting new role, and Lillian has to break up with her boyfriend Robert Durst.

After the episode: A conversation with co-creators and executive producers Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, and cast members Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski, and Carol Kane. Moderated by co-host of Morning Joe, Willie Geist.

Screening time: Friday, April 28, 6:00 PM, BMCC

The Vietnam War (PBS) - Special Sneak Peek

Producers: Sarah Botstein, Ken Burns, Lynn Novick.

Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s ten-part, 18-hour documentary series tells the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never been told before. Featuring testimony from nearly 100 witnesses, including Americans who fought in the war, those who opposed it, and Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both the winning and losing sides. The Vietnam Waris an immersive, 360 degree narrative of a seminal period of history.

After the episode: A conversation with filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.

Screening time: Friday, April 28, 5:30 PM, SVA-1

Pilot Season

For the first time in 2017, Tribeca opened submissions to independently produced TV pilots. This showcase program represents the strongest new voices bringing their talents to the episodic space.

After the screening: Join us for a conversation with the creators.

Screening times: Sunday, April 23, 9:00PM, CIN-07

Monday, April 24, 4:45 PM, CIN-01

Friday, April 28, 10:45 PM, CIN-01

Saturday, April 29, 3:15 PM, RGL-01

· Black Magic for White Boys - World Premiere

Executive Producers: Jamie Block, Ronald Guttman. An aging magician is about to lose his small New York theater, but has a devilish plan to save it. A middle-aged man finds his sovereignty in jeopardy when he impregnates a woman he barely knows. A real estate mogul is frustrated that he can't raise the rent on this tenants. These characters converge in Tribeca alum Onur Tukel’s bizarre comic tale about testing boundaries, gentrification, and how old New York is fading away. With: Onur Tukel, Ronald Guttman, Jamie Block.

· Lost & Found - World Premiere

Executive Producers: Haroula Rose, Melonie Diaz.

Stella and Ian are separating. But for this modern LA couple, that’s nothing to be sad or ashamed about. They decide to host an “un-wedding” party to celebrate. As friends and family descend on their home for the occasion, secrets are revealed and loyalties tested in this comedy-drama about family, friendship, and marriage. With: Melonie Diaz, Will Janowitz, Jennifer LeFleur, Terence Nance, Avi Rothman, Laura Lee Botsacos, Abby Wathen, Nick Thurston, Haroula Rose, Ethan Gold.

· Manic - World Premiere

Executive Producers: Kimberley Browning, Kate Marks.

Aurora Carter, an Ivy League-bound, AP Exam enthusiast finds that her over-achieving obsessiveness lands her in a boarding school for kids with mental illnesses. Now she has a singular goal: prove she doesn’t belong with the rest of the freaks. Determined to fight the system, Aurora makes alliances with the other girls one by one and inspires them to take control of their lives. With: Shanice Williams, Dot-Marie Jones, Russell Andrews, Nicki Micheaux, VyVy Nguyen.

Passes and tickets for the 2017 Festival

Single ticket sales begin Tuesday, March 28 and cost $21.00 for evening and weekend screenings, $12.00 for weekday matinee screenings, $40.00 for Tribeca Talks panels and special screenings, $30.00 for Tribeca TV, and $40.00 for Tribeca Immersive. Tickets can be purchased online at tribecafilm.com/festival/tickets, or by telephone at (646) 502-5296 or toll free at (866) 941-FEST (3378) or at the ticket outlet located at Cinepolis Chelsea (260 W. 23rd Street).

Packages and passes are now available for purchase on the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival App, on:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tribeca-2017/id1208189515?mt=8

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tff2017.android

Tickets for events at the Beacon Theatre and at Radio City Music Hall are available for purchase online only at www.ticketmaster.com

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About the Tribeca Film Festival

About the 2017 Partners

Tribeca Film Festival Announces Tribeca Talks Series

March 21, 2017 #ArtReports

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES TRIBECA TALKS® LINEUP

FEATURING ENGAGING CONVERSATIONS WITH NOAH BAUMBACH, KATHRYN BIGELOW, KOBE BRYANT, COMMON, LENA DUNHAM, JON FAVREAU, GLEN KEANE, JENNI KONNER, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, AND MORE

Celebrated Artists Paired with Notable Creatives Including Nelson George,

Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Rodriguez, and More

for Intimate One-on-One Conversations

Audiences can Experience Live Podcasts Throughout Festival

New York, NY [March 20, 2017] – Be a fly on the wall of intimate, once-in-a-lifetime conversations between some of today’s most sought-after creative forces at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T. The exciting, eclectic lineup of panels and discussions announced today feature the industry’s most critically and commercially successful filmmakers, artists, and entertainers, including: Noah Baumbach, Kathryn Bigelow, Kobe Bryant, Common, Lena Dunham, Jon Favreau, and Bruce Springsteen, as well as previously announced participantsAlejandro González Iñárritu and Barbra Streisand. The Tribeca Talks® program will run throughout the 16th annual Tribeca Film Festival, taking place April 19-30.

Intimate one-on-one discussions are a hallmark of the Tribeca Talks: Directors Series and Tribeca Talks: Storytellers Series. Acclaimed directors participating in the Tribeca Talks: Directors Series include Jon Favreau in conversation with Scarlett Johansson, Noah Baumbach with Dustin Hoffman, and a conversation with Alejandro González Iñárritu. Now in its second year, Tribeca Talks: Storytellers, which spotlights pioneering creators who work across mediums to tell their stories, will feature Common in conversation with Nelson George, Kobe Bryant and legendary animator Glen Keane with Michael Strahan, a conversation with Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner, Bruce Springsteen with Tom Hanks, and Barbra Streisand in conversationwith Robert Rodriguez. For the first time, the Festival will feature a Virtual Reality Premiere Talk Event with Kathryn Bigelow and Imraan Ismail. The popular Tribeca Talks: Master Class conversations return with a focus on specific sectors of the filmmaking process, including cinematography with Ellen Kuras, production and costume design, and creating sound and music for film.

“It is an incredible privilege to get a glimpse into the creative process of some of the most brilliant figures in film, music, and culture – and one of my favorite parts of the festival experience,” said Tribeca’s Paula Weinstein. “The Tribeca Talks series allows audiences to join the discussions, and offers a chance to peek into the minds of their favorite entertainers to better understand their creative journeys.”

Tickets for the Bruce Springsteen/Tom Hanks talk taking place at the Beacon Theatre go on sale tomorrow, March 21 at Ticketmaster via www.tribecafilm.com. Tickets for all other Tribeca Talks go on sale Tuesday, March 28, and can be purchased online at www.tribecafilm.com, by telephone (866) 941-FEST (3378), or at the ticket outlet located at Cinepolis Chelsea (260 W. 23rd Street). Also visit the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival App on iTunes and Google Play.

The 2017 Tribeca Talks series schedule follows:

Tribeca Talks: Directors Series

With media support from Entertainment Weekly

Today’s most groundbreaking filmmakers discuss their careers and highlights.

Jon Favreau with Scarlett Johansson

Filmmaker Jon Favreau will talk to actress Scarlett Johansson about his distinguished and diverse career as a director, successful across both indie and blockbuster franchises, ranging from the indie hit Swingers to the blockbuster Iron Man eries. He will also discuss his initiation into virtual reality with Gnomes & Goblins nd the landmark live action effort, The Jungle Book, truly embodying the spirit of a director who knows no bounds.

DATE: Friday, April 21

TIME: 5:00PM

LOCATION: SVA 1

Alejandro González Iñárritu

Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu, one of only three directors to ever win consecutive Oscars and the first to do so in 65 years, will talk about his beautifully varied work on films such as Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Biutiful, Babel, and most recently, The Revenant. Iñárritu is the first Mexican filmmaker to have been nominated for Best Director and Best Producer in the history of the Academy Awards.

DATE: Saturday, April 22

TIME: 2:30PM

LOCATION: SVA 1

Noah Baumbach with Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman will speak with director and writer Noah Baumbach about his career, which includes his Academy Award®-nominated film The Squid and the Whale and the groundbreakingFrances Ha.

DATE: Monday, April 24

TIME: 6:00PM

LOCATION: BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center

Tribeca Talks: Virtual Reality

Kathryn Bigelow and Imraan Ismail - The Protectors

At a special VR premiere, Academy Award®-winning director Kathryn Bigelow and co-creator Imraan Ismail discuss their collaboration on Virtual Reality documentary The Protectors: A Walk in the Ranger’s Shoes. The experience, from National Geographic, Here Be Dragons, Annapurna Pictures, and African Parks chronicles a day in the life of the rangers in Garamba National Park. Conversation to be followed by the VR premiere.

DATE: Saturday, April 22

TIME: 8:15PM

LOCATION: The Tribeca Festival Hub, located at Spring Studies – 50 Varick Street

Tribeca Talks: Storytellers

With media support from Entertainment Weekly

Some of today’s most innovative creators broke from traditional roles and pioneered their own forms of storytelling, often mastering multiple mediums. This series will celebrate the illustrious careers of those individuals who have broken from the mold.

Kobe Bryant and Glen Keane with Michael Strahan

Basketball great Kobe Bryant collaborated with visionary animator Glen Keane on an animated short film that explores what it is like to say goodbye to something you love. In an onstage conversation led by Hall of Famer, NFL analyst on Fox and co-host of Good Morning America, Michael Strahan, Bryant and Keane focus on what story means to them and what it is like to truly step out of your own lane.

After the Movie: Bryant and Keane’s conversation with Michael Strahan will follow a screening of Dear Basketball, Kobe Bryant's inspiring poem, stunningly drawn to life by veteran animation director Glen Keane and set to the music of legendary composer John Williams.

DATE: Sunday, April 23

TIME: 4:30PM

LOCATION: BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center

Common with Nelson George

Beginning as a rapper in Chicago, Academy Award®, Golden Globe, and three time Grammy winner Common has crafted an impressive career as a renowned hip-hop artist and notable actor. Director/screenwriter Nelson George joins Common to discuss the power of the combination of film and music.

After the Movie: This conversation will begin with a screening of a never-before-seen extended version of Letter to the Free, followed by a conversation with Nelson George and a live performance by Common.

DATE: Sunday, April 23

TIME: 8:00PM

LOCATION: The Tribeca Festival Hub, located at Spring Studies – 50 Varick Street

Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner

Initially discovered for her original voice in breakout film Tiny Furniture, Lena Dunham has since gone on to win a Golden Globe for her performance in Girls, which was created by Dunham and is helmed by Jenni Konner, whose other work includes the series Help Me Help You. The duo also co-founded the media brand Lenny, home of the feminist weekly newsletter Lenny Letter (LennyLetter.com). In a can’t miss conversation, Dunham and Konner will discuss Girls, the industry, and the highs and lows of their careers.

DATE: Tuesday, April 25

TIME: 6:00PM

LOCATION: The Tribeca Festival Hub, located at Spring Studies – 50 Varick Street

Bruce Springsteen with Tom Hanks

Bruce Springsteen has had an illustrious career spanning over 40 years of unforgettable cultural achievements. The musician sits down with celebrated actor and longtime friend Tom Hanks to discuss Springsteen's unique place in American musical history and look forward to the future.

DATE: Friday, April 28

TIME: 5:00PM

LOCATION: Beacon Theatre

Barbra Streisand with Robert Rodriguez

Widely recognized as an icon in multiple entertainment fields, Barbra Streisand has attained unprecedented achievements as a recording artist, actor, director, producer, concert performer, author and songwriter. Streisand has been awarded two Oscars®, five Emmys, ten Golden Globes, eight Grammys plus two special Grammys, a special Tony award in 1970, and two CableACE Awards – the only artist to receive honors in all of those fields of endeavor. She will converse on her unparalleled career and force field of creativity with filmmaker Robert Rodriguez.

DATE: Saturday, April 29

TIME: 6:00PM

LOCATION: BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center

Tribeca Talks: Master Class (Free events)

Tribeca Talks: Master Class are free events featuring conversations focusing on a specific sector of the filmmaking process.

Dolby: Image and Sound Master Class with Imogen Heap

The new animated short film Escape utilizes exciting new imaging and sound technologies, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, to present a euphoric vision of the future. Join composer/sound designer Imogen Heap, directors Limbert Fabian and Brandon Oldenburg, and other members of the film’s creative team as they discuss how they used audio technologies to tell this compelling story

DATE: Sunday, April 23

TIME: 12:00PM

LOCATION: Dolby Cinema at AMC Empire 25, 234 W 42 St

Production and Costume Design Master Class

Kristi Zea, the venerated production designer who has collaborated with directors such as Martin Scorsese and Jonathan Demme, sits down with a prominent costume designer for a conversation about creating the overall look and feel of film.

DATE: Saturday, April 29

TIME: 3:00PM

LOCATION: SVA 2

Cinematography Master Class

Acclaimed cinematographer Ellen Kuras, frequent collaborator with directors Michel Gondry and Spike Lee, takes you behind the camera, from choosing the right lenses to crafting a specific vision. Academy Award-nominated for her directorial debut documentary film, The Betrayal – Nerakhoon, she will offer tips and provide examples from her work on films including Blow andEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

DATE: Sunday, April 30

TIME: 3:00 PM

LOCATION: SVA 2

Tribeca Talks: Podcasts

This year the Tribeca Film Festival partners with Slate to offer access to podcasts covering culture and political humor, as well as the popular Gilbert Gottfried comedy podcast.

Live from The Tribeca Film Festival: Slate’s Represent

Slate’s Represent is a space for discussion about culture created by women, people of color, and those in the LGBTQ community. Host Aisha Harris dives deep into conversations with critics about the latest pop cultural news, and filmmakers in the industry about what they do and how they do it.

DATE: Monday, April 24

TIME: 6:45 PM

LOCATION: SVA2

Live from The Tribeca Film Festival: Slate’s Trumpcast

Get a dose of politics and comedy with Slate’s Trumpcast Live. Host Jacob Weisberg is joined by Slate Chief Political Correspondent Jamelle Bouie, author Virginia Heffernan, and more for a frank conversation on the first 100 days of the Trump administration.

DATE: Sunday, April 30

TIME: 8:15 PM

LOCATION: SVA1

Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast! Live

Acclaimed comedian and actor Gilbert Gottfried and cohost Frank Santopadre are joined by special celebrity guests for a live recording of their hilarious and informative podcast. Vanity Faircalled "Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast!" "gripping" and the Village Voice named it 2015's "Best Podcast of the Year."

DATE: Sunday, April 23

TIME: 5:30 PM

LOCATION: Regal

Panelists, moderators and podcasts are subject to change. For the most updated schedule, visit www.tribecafilm.com

About the Tribeca Film Festival

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About the 2017 Partners

Passes and tickets for the 2017 Festival

Advance selection ticket packages are now on sale through the end of day on March 20th. All advance selection packages can be purchased online at tribecafilm.com/festival/tickets, or by telephone at (646) 502-5296 or toll free at (866) 941-FEST (3378).

Single tickets cost $21.00 for evening and weekend screenings, $12.00 for weekday matinee screenings, $40.00 for Tribeca Talks panels and special screenings, $30.00 for Tribeca TV, and $40.00 for Tribeca Immersive. Single ticket sales begin Tuesday, March 28 and can be purchased online, by telephone, or at the ticket outlet located at Cinepolis Chelsea (260 W. 23rd Street). The 2017 Festival will offer ticket discounts on general screenings and Tribeca Talks panels for students, seniors and select downtown Manhattan residents. Discounted tickets are available at Ticket Outlet locations only.

Packages and passes are now available for purchase on the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival App, on:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tribeca-2017/id1208189515?mt=8

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tff2017.android

Tickets for events at the Beacon Theatre and at Radio City Music Hall are available for purchase online only beginning March 21.

Tribeca Film Festival Closing, Galas, and Specials Announcement Release

March 9, 2017 #ArtReports

16th ANNUAL TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES EPIC BACK-TO-BACK SCREENINGS OF THE GODFATHER AND THE GODFATHER PART II TO CLOSE FESTIVAL,

ALONG WITH EXCITING GALAS AND SPECIAL SCREENINGS

Announced Galas Include: Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: The Bad Boy Story,

The Circle starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson,

and the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Gala Mike and the Mad Dog

Along with Special Anniversary Screenings of Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine, Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, and Disney’s Aladdin

New York, NY [March 8, 2017] – Unprecedented screenings and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, including the reunion of talent and creators from iconic films and musical acts, will be showcased at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T. The 16th edition of the annual cultural festival today announced the program’s Closing Night, Galas, Special Screenings, as well as the titles premiering under the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival banner. The Tribeca Film Festival takes place from April 19 to April 30 and opens with the world premiere of the feature documentary Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives at Radio City Music Hall, followed by a special concert featuring performances by Aretha Franklin, Jennifer Hudson, Earth, Wind & Fire, and more.

To close the Festival, Tribeca will celebrate the 45th anniversary of The Godfather’s theatrical release with an epic screening of the legendary crime saga’s first two parts. The Godfather and The Godfather Part II will play back-to-back at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday, April 29, followed by a once-in-a-lifetime panel discussion with Academy Award®-winning director Francis Ford Coppola and actors Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, and Robert De Niro.

This year’s Galas section features larger-than-life figures from the worlds of music and sports, including Sean “Diddy" Combs’ Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: The Bad Boy Story documentary celebrating the first 20 years of Bad Boy Entertainment record label; the World Premiere of James Ponsoldt’s The Circle, starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson; and the World Premiere of Mike and the Mad Dog, which kicks off The Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival, sponsored by Mohegan Sun.

“From Clive Davis, to Sean Combs, to Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival is brimming with exciting and can’t miss special screenings and events,” said Tribeca’s Paula Weinstein. “With the lineup of film, music, and sports legends who are coming together to entertain and inform, this could be the most memorable year of Tribeca yet.”

Special Screenings are a Tribeca tradition, offering audiences the opportunity to continue the cinematic experience with a deeper dive into a topic, either through a conversation or performance after the premiere screening. This year, the special screenings include the world premieres of House of Z, a documentary that follows fashion superstar Zac Posen; The Public Image is Rotten, a documentary about Sex Pistols’ lead singer Johnny Rotten (AKA John Lydon); and Dare to be Different, the story of 1980’s rebel Long Island radio station WLIR, which will include live performances by Flock of Seagulls, The Alarm, and The English Beat.

“From cinema to music, sports to virtual reality, we pride ourselves on curating experiences that you won’t find anywhere else,” said Tribeca’s Director of Programming Cara Cusumano. “The very nature of a festival is for people to come together to be moved by stories. This year’s selection of special screenings provides that and more, paired with talks, performances, and commemorative reunions that take the experience off the screen and into the audience.”

Tribeca will also give a nod to the past with a series of anniversary retrospectives, including: the 25th anniversary of Aladdin with a special sing-along; the 15th anniversary of Bowling for Columbine followed by a critical conversation with Academy Award®-winning director Michael Moore; and the 25th anniversary of Quentin Tarantino’s influential and celebrated classic, Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino and members of the cast will participate in a conversation following the film.

The complete film selections for Closing Night, Galas, Special Screenings, and Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival sections are as follows:

CLOSING NIGHT

The 45th anniversary of The Godfather screening followed by The Godfather Part II and conversation

The Godfather & The Godfather: Part II, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. (USA). Arguably two of the best films ever made, and winners of nine Academy Awards between them, Coppola’s epic masterpieces paint a chilling, multigenerational portrait of the Corleone crime family's rise and near fall from power in America. Tribeca celebrates the legacy of one of the most influential film sagas of all time with this anniversary screening and reunion event. Part I: With Marlon Brando, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Al Pacino, Talia Shire, John Cazale, Abe Vigoda. In English, Italian, Latin with subtitles. Part II: With Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, William Bowers, James Caan, John Cazale, Giuseppe Sillato, Lee Strasberg. In English, Italian, Latin, Sicilian, Spanish with subtitles.

After the Movie: A 45th anniversary conversation with Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, and Robert De Niro.

GALAS

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: The Bad Boy Story, directed by Daniel Kaufman. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. A raw and exclusive look behind the scenes at the history and legacy of Bad Boy through a complex portrait of the label’s mastermind, Sean “Diddy” Combs aka Puff Daddy, as he tries to reunite his Bad Boy Family in the course of a frantic three-week rehearsal period. This Live Nation Productions documentary finds him reuniting with the biggest names from Bad Boy’s history for a wildly successful pair of concerts at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center. With Notorious B.I.G., Ma$e, Lil' Kim, Faith Evans, Total.

The Circle, directed by James Ponsoldt, written by James Ponsoldt and Dave Eggers. (USA) - World Premiere, Narrative. When Mae (Emma Watson) is hired to work for the world’s largest and most powerful tech and social media company, she sees it as an opportunity of a lifetime. As she rises through the ranks, she is encouraged by the company’s founder, Eamon Bailey (Tom Hanks), to engage in a groundbreaking experiment that pushes the boundaries of privacy, ethics and ultimately her personal freedom. Her participation in the experiment, and every decision she makes begin to affect the lives and future of her friends, family and that of humanity. With Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, John Boyega, Karen Gillan, Ellar Coltrane, Patton Oswalt, Glenne Headly, Bill Paxton. An STXfilms release.

TRIBECA/ESPN SPORTS FILM FESTIVAL GALA

Sponsored by Mohegan Sun

Mike and the Mad Dog, directed by Daniel H. Forer. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. Dive into the inner workings of one of the sports world's most unlikely partnerships: Mike Francesa and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, the voices that launched a thousand sports radio imitators. The hosts, their colleagues, and a who's-who of sports heavyweights tell the story of their surprise rise to stardom and 19 years as the iconic voices of New York sports. An ESPN Films release.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

Blues Planet: Triptych, directed and written by Wyland. (USA) - World Premiere. Blues Planet: Triptych explores the Gulf Oil Spill disaster and its aftermath through environmental artist Wyland who, along with 30 of today's pre-eminent artists, recorded a new genre of global blues on the catastrophe's anniversary.

After the Movie: Taj Mahal and the Wyland Blues Planet Ban will perform.

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, directed and written by Alexandra Dean. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. Known for her unmatched beauty, Hedy Lamarr’s fans never knew she also possessed a beautiful mind. Immigrating to Hollywood in the 1940s, Lamarr acted by day and sketched inventions by night, even devising a “secret communication system” for the Allies to beat the Nazis. Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story reveals how Lamarr gave her patent away to the Army, receiving no credit for her engineering innovations, even as she was immortalized as a legend of the silver screen. Executive produced by Susan Sarandon. With Mel Brooks, Diane Kruger, Peter Bogdanovich, Denise Loder DeLuca, Anthony Loder, Richard Rhodes.

After the Movie: Tribeca Film Institute and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation will host an exclusive panel with director Alexandra Dean and prominent women in both entertainment and STEM, focusing on how both groups have been historically underrepresented in their respective fields.

Chris Gethard: Career Suicide, directed by Kimberly Senior, written by Chris Gethard. (USA) - World Premiere, Narrative. In this deeply personal and profoundly funny one man show, comedian Chris Gethard dives deep into his own personal struggles with mental health issues. He will have you laughing at stories of Barb his therapist one minute, then revealing incredibly personal experiences the next, using comedy to lend insight in a way that only humor can. An HBO release.

After the Movie: A conversation with comedian/actor/writer Chris Gethard and fellow comedians.

Dare to be Different, directed by Ellen Goldfarb, written by Jay Reiss. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. Featuring interviews and rare footage of U2, Blondie, Duran Duran, Joan Jett, The Cure, Billy Idol, and Depeche Mode, Dare to Be Different is a nostalgic look at WLIR 92.7, the radio station that introduced these bands to a US audience. Director Ellen Goldfarb tells the story of the rise and fall of this institution, and the birth of the punk and new wave communities. With Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, Billy Idol, and others.

After the movie: A live music tribute to WLIR from A Flock of Seagulls, The English Beat, and The Alarm.

The Exception, directed by David Leveaux, written by Simon Burke. (U.K., USA) - US Premiere, Narrative. A riveting World War II thriller, The Exception follows German soldier Stefan Brandt, tasked with investigating exiled German Monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II, only to find himself drawn into an unexpected and passionate romance with mysterious housemaid Mieke. When Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, comes for an unexpected visit, secrets are revealed, allegiances tested, and Brandt is forced to make the ultimate choice between honoring his country and following his heart. With Christopher Plummer, Jai Courtney, Lily James, Janet McTeer, Eddie Marsan, Ben Daniels. A DirecTV/A24 release.

After the movie: A conversation with director David Leveaux and actor Christopher Plummer.

From The Ashes, directed by Michael Bonfiglio. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. From the Ashes captures Americans in communities across the country as they wrestle with the legacy of the coal industry and what its future should be under the Trump Administration. From Appalachia to the West’s Powder River Basin, the film goes beyond the rhetoric of the “war on coal” to present compelling and often heartbreaking stories about what’s at stake for our economy, health, and climate. From the Ashes invites audiences to learn more about an industry on the edge and what it means for their lives.

Before the movie: Special introduction by three-term Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg.

After the movie: A conversation with director Michael Bonfiglio and special guests to discuss the state of the American coal industry.

House of Z, directed by Sandy Chronopoulos, written by Sandy Chronopoulos, Sherien Barsoum. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. Zac Posen rocketed to fashion stardom at a young age with his unique design aesthetic and charismatic presence, becoming one the most recognizable faces in the business today. But like any journey to great success it hasn't come without cost. Sandy Chronopoulos’ film looks past the glamor of the red carpet and the runway to shine a light on the trials and tribulations of running one of the country’s most successful fashion houses. With Naomi Campbell, Sean Diddy Combs aka Puff Daddy, André Leon Talley, Paz de la Huerta.

After the movie: A conversation with director Sandy Chronopoulos and the film’s subject Zac Posen.

Intent to Destroy, directed by Joe Berlinger, written by Joe Berlinger, Cy Christiansen. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. Embedding himself on the epic film set of Terry George’s The Promise (starring Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale), Academy Award®-nominated director Joe Berlinger takes an unwavering look at the Armenian genocide after a century of denial by the Turkish government and its strategic allies. A cinematic window into the historical and emotional web of responsibility.

After the movie: A conversation with director/screenwriter Joe Berlinger, poet and nonfiction writer Peter Balakian, composer Serj Tankian, and producer Eric Esrailian.

Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait, directed and written by Pappi Corsicato. (Italy) - World Premiere, Documentary. A titan of painting and filmmaking, Julian Schnabel’s art is among the most important work of the late 20th and early 21st century. Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait captures the artist in the studio and at home, incorporates archival footage and private home videos, and interviews family and friends to build a complex image of the man and his work. With Al Pacino, Willem Dafoe, Bono, Emmanuelle Seigner, Vito Schnabel. A Cohen Media release.

After the movie: A conversation with director Pappi Corsicato and the film’s subject Julian Schnabel.

Paris Can Wait, directed and written by Eleanor Coppola. (USA) - New York Premiere, Narrative. Long married to a successful but inattentive film producer, Anne is at a crossroads in her life. Enter Jacques, a French bon vivant, who offers to drive Anne from Cannes to Paris. What begins as an innocent favor quickly turns into an unexpectedly wandering road trip filled with fine cuisine and looming romance. Eleanor Coppola’s elegant journey takes us to the heart of a woman surprised to find long-buried memories resurface and unforeseen attraction arise. With Diane Lane, Alec Baldwin, Arnaud Viard. A Sony Pictures Classics release.

After the movie: A food and film experience inspired by Paris Can Wait.

The Public Image is Rotten, directed by Tabbert Fiiller. (USA) - World Premiere. Within months of the demise of the Sex Pistols in 1978, lead singer Johnny Rotten (aka John Lydon) formed post-punk outfit Public Image Ltd., an innovative and influential band which has accumulated a legion of fans since its founding. In this incisive, entertaining doc, Lydon opens up the book on his decades as a music provocateur, while past and present band members fill in the gaps and add their perspectives. With Thurston Moore, Flea, Adam Horovitz, Moby.

After the movie: A conversation with director Tabbert Fiiller and the film’s subject John Lydon a.k.a. Johnny Rotten.

The Third Industrial Revolution, directed by Oliver Ressler, Eddy Moretti. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. The global economy is in crisis. Economists warn that we face 20 more years of declining productivity, slow growth, rising unemployment, and steep inequality. And now, climate change is ravaging the planet. Where do we go from here? Economic theorist Jeremy Rifkin outlines a journey into the Third Industrial Revolution — a new era of sustainable development, accompanied by vast new economic opportunities in a smart green digital global economy.

"After the Movie: A conversation with director Eddy Moretti and economic and social theorist Jeremy Rifkin.”

Warning: This Drug May Kill You, directed by Perri Peltz. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. Warning: This Drug May Kill You takes an unflinching look at the devastating effects of opioid addiction in the U.S., profiling four families whose lives have been decimated by addictions that all began with legitimate prescriptions to dangerous painkillers. Through the personal and emotional stories of people on the front lines of this epidemic, this film is an eye-opening look at a terrifying epidemic that is devastating communities across this country, and the toll it has taken on its victims and their families. An HBO Documentary release.

After the Movie: A conversation with Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Dr. Andrew Kolodny, Co-Director of Opioid Policy Research Collaborative Brandeis University, Gail Cole, film subject and co-founder, Hope and Healing After an Addiction Death, and producer Sascha Weiss. Moderated by the film’s director Perri Peltz.

RETROSPECTIVES

Tribeca will provide a nod to the past with these three special screenings:

Aladdin, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, written by Ron Clements & John Musker and Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio. (USA). Disney’s beloved animated masterpiece will make your heart race and your spirit soar. Experience the laughter, adventure and Academy Award-winning music (1992: Best Music, Original Song, “A Whole New World,” Original Score) on the big screen at Tribeca’s 25th anniversary celebration for the whole family. With Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman, Frank Welker, Gilbert Gottfried.

Before the Movie: Join Brad Kane, the singing voice of Aladdin, for a special 25th anniversary performance of a soundtrack favorite before the screening.

Bowling for Columbine, directed by Michael Moore. (USA). In 2002, Michael Moore explored the roots of America’s relationships with guns and the firearms industry following the devastating mass shooting at Columbine High School. The film went on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary. In the current moment of frequent mass shootings and ongoing legislative battles, 15 years after the film’s release, Moore’s confrontational documentary remains relevant as ever.

After the Movie: On the 15th anniversary of the documentary, and on the exact day of the massacre 18 years ago, a conversation with director Michael Moore and others on the timeliness of the film today.

Reservoir Dogs, directed and written by Quentin Tarantino. (USA). They were perfect strangers, assembled to pull off the perfect crime. Then their simple robbery explodes into a bloody ambush and the ruthless killers realize one of them is a police informant. But which one? Twenty-five years ago, auteur filmmaker Quentin Tarantino reinvigorated cinema with his singular voice in his canonical feature Reservoir Dogs. He has generously provided a 35mm print from his archive for this special 25th anniversary screening. With Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Edward Bunker, Quentin Tarantino.

After the Movie: A 25th anniversary conversation with director Quentin Tarantino and cast from the film.

TRIBECA/ESPN SPORTS FILM FESTIVAL

Sponsored by Mohegan Sun

The 11th annual Tribecas/ESPN Sports Film Festival, the premier showcase of sports and competition films, offers sports fans and film buffs alike the opportunity to screen new films that are changing the sports landscape. The section features stories about some of the greatest, and in some cases unknown teams, competitions, and superior athletes.

Features:

Chuck, directed by Philippe Falardeau, written by Jeff Feuerzeig, Jerry Stahl. (USA) - US Premiere. Chuck is the true story of Chuck Wepner (Liev Schreiber), the man who inspired the billion-dollar film series Rocky—a liquor salesman from New Jersey who went 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali. Wepner suffered numerous losses, knockouts, and broken noses in his ten years in the ring, and lived an epic life of drugs, booze, and wild women outside of it. With Elisabeth Moss, Ron Perlman, Naomi Watts, Jim Gaffigan, Michael Rapaport. An IFC Films release.

No Stone Unturned, directed by Alex Gibney. (USA, Northern Ireland) - World Premiere. In 1994, six men were gunned down and five wounded in a pub while watching a World Cup soccer match in Loughinisland, Northern Ireland. With a police investigation that was perfunctory at best, the case remained unsolved. In this non-fiction murder mystery, Academy Award-winning documentarian Alex Gibney reopens the original case to investigate why no culprit was ever brought to justice.

Sambá, directed by Laura Amelia Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas, written by Ettore D'Alessandro, Carolina Encarnacion. (Dominican Republic) - World Premiere. Cisco has his back against the ropes. After spending 15 years in an American jail, he’s returned to the Dominican Republic yet is unable to get a job, a problem compounded by his mother’s ailing health and his younger brother’s delinquent habits. To make money, he’s resorted to illegal street fighting. But Cisco finds a possible salvation in Nichi, an Italian ex-boxer who sees dollar signs in Cisco’s gritty fighting skills. With Algenis Pérez Soto, Ettore D'Alessandro, Laura Gómez, Ricardo A. Toribio. In Spanish with subtitles.

Year of the Scab, directed by John Dorsey. (USA) - World Premiere. During the 1987 NFL strike, teams scrambled to assemble temporary replacements to fill in for their boycotting players. The Washington Redskins were notable for their "scabs," a collection of cast-offs who nonetheless rode a surprising wave of momentum against all odds. “Year of the Scab” revisits this ultimate underdog story and the men whose ordinary lives were interrupted. Those so-called “scabs” helped break the strike and bring their team to victory, only to struggle for their place in the sports history books.

An ESPN Films release.

Shorts:

The Amazing Adventures of Wally and the Worm, directed by Colin Hanks. (USA) - New York Premiere. When Dennis Rodman hurts his knee with four weeks to go in the Chicago Bulls '96-'97 NBA championship season, young assistant trainer Wally Blasé is assigned to oversee his rehab, and the two forge a close friendship over 10 wild days of fast living recounted by director Colin Hanks through animation and first-person confessions. Short Program: Sports Shorts

Bump & Spike, directed by Michael Jacobs. (USA) - World Premiere. The spectacular rise and fall of the International Professional Volleyball Association, which existed between 1975–1980 complete with "party lifestyle," rocking arena matches and stars on the court and in the stands, is chronicled in this Michael Jacobs-directed film. Short Program: Sports Shorts

The Counterfeiter, directed by Brian Biegel. (USA) - World Premiere. Featuring actual wiretapped phone calls and surveillance video, this film explores how the FBI brought down the largest counterfeit operation in U.S. history during the summer of 1998, thanks to the help of some major league baseball players. Short Program: Sports Shorts

Resurface, directed by Josh Izenberg, Wynn Padula. (USA) - New York Premiere. Struggling with trauma and depression after his military service, Iraq war veteran Bobby Lane wants to cross surfing off his bucket list before taking his life. Short Program: Surf’s Up

Revolution in the Ring, directed by Jason Sklaver. (USA) - World Premiere. The story of Cuban boxer Teofilo Stevenson, who in 1962 chose to stay in his home country rather than defect, this film examines through the lens of Cuban-American politics how his life and the life of the Cuban people were dramatically altered by the embargo. In English, Spanish with subtitles. Short Program: Sports Shorts

Run Mama Run, directed by Daniele Anastasion. (USA) - World Premiere. Run Mama Run is an examination of motherhood and athleticism through the eyes of Sarah Brown, an elite track athlete who will continue to train through pregnancy and postpartum with help of her trainer and husband Darren Brown. Short Program: Sports Shorts

Under an Arctic Sky, directed by Chris Burkard, written by Ben Weiland, Chris Burkard. (USA) - World Premiere. A group of surfers along with photographer Chris Burkard journey to Iceland’s north coast in search of perfect waves during the largest storm to make landfall in 25 years. Short Program: Surf’s Up

Passes and tickets for the 2017 Festival

Advance selection ticket packages are now on sale. All advance selection packages can be purchased online at www.tribecafilm.com/festival/tickets or by telephone at (646) 502-5296 or toll free at (866) 941-FEST (3378).

Packages and passes are now available for purchase on the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival App, on:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tribeca-2017/id1208189515?mt=8

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tff2017.android

Tickets for events at The Beacon Theatre and at Radio City Music Hall are available for purchase online only beginning March 21.

Images for the film and Festival can be accessed at:

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About the Tribeca Film Festival

About the 2017 Partners

Hank Chen embodies INCLUSION! #Sundance

February 5, 2017 @ArtShrian

Hank Chen is a very talented actor and comedian who can be seen next in Jacza Bravo’s directorial debut, Lemon, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2017. The film has a talented cast that includes Michael Cera, Nia Long, Megan Mullally, and Shiri Appleby. Hank can also be seen in the web series “Strangers" and “The Chances," both also premiering at the Sundance Film Festival 2017.

We had a chance to talk to him at Sundance. Here it is:

What did you enjoy most about this project? Why should audience watch it?

- The film I'm lucky enough to be in, Lemon, is a labor of love that took the producers, Janicza Bravo, the director, and her husband, Brett Gelman, the star of the film over 5 years to get made. Because of that, I was on a set where everyone cared so much and it showed in the environment, and the work. The audience should definitely watch it if they've ever felt weird or like an underdog. When you watch the ordeal Brett's character goes through, trust me when I say you won't feel so alone anymore. Oh, and if you're Jewish. There are some moments where I felt like only someone truly Jewish could understand and appreciate, and all I could do was smile and clap along.

What's your most favorite memory of Sundance?

- I attended the SAG Indie actors brunch and literally in the course of half an hour, met a ton of my acting heroes and simultaneously reconnected with 10 people I had worked with or known back in New York and Los Angeles. None of whom I knew would be attending Sundance, and some I'm back in touch with now. I have a few coffees and lunches lined up that I'm really looking forward to. Moments like that are terrific because it makes you realize just how small and inter-connected the artistic community is.

Hank Chen at Sundance 2017 with film Lemon. He loves Gambit, but not sure if he wants to play it LOL. Wonderful actor & wonderful guy!

What do you think about state of inclusion in Hollywood?

- I think Hollywood has done an okay job. There's always more and never enough, so you can't lose sight. But it's important to acknowledge and commend people when change is being made in the right direction - even if it's incremental. Because, hey, at least it's still forward movement.

What's your experience and what do you think we all can do to improve the situation?

- Like every actor, my experience is going to be unique because no two careers are alike. But what I can say is that as a member of two minority groups, there are advantages and disadvantages. For instance, it might be easier for me to get through a door to get seen because my line isn't as long as, say, the young blonde ingenue line. But on the other hand, that door I'm walking through... the roles available to me are limited in their size and influence. I've played waiters more times that I can count and not interested in doing that anymore.

What do you like about being a storyteller and artist? What's your message to other aspiring storytellers?

- If I'm doing my job correctly, I love getting to reflect the human condition. When a performer moves you, it's because the audience sees in them something they see in themselves - whether you're willing to admit it to yourself or not. For me, art helped me come out, and ultimately influence my identity as a gay man. Was I terrified to watch shows with queer themes like, Six Feet Under? Absolutely. But I also felt that show speak to me and understand me in a way no one in my current world was able to, so I couldn't look away.

- My message to other storytellers is to tell a story that is uniquely yours and don’t try to be anyone else. Sundance is all about films with strong single visions and new perspectives. Don't water it down for a mass audience. Make it your voice, and make it heard.

What's your most favorite and least favorite thing about NYC?

Favorite: that there's variety in New York - it doesn't seem like everyone is in show business. New York is the pinnacle of finance, art, fashion, media, food, museums, you name it. You run into (literally and figuratively) a lot more people doing different things in New York and that keeps things, life, and your circle of friends interesting.
Least favorite: the weather. Only 4 good months out of the year. Two in the spring, and two in the fall.

---------------

Hank will be seen in season 2 of "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders,” later this March, and the feature film directorial debut of Hallie Meyers-Shyer's Home Again, produced by Nancy Meyers, starring Reese Witherspoon, Michael Sheen, and Candice Bergen and is set for a wide holiday release fall of 2017. Hank is known for Amazon’s “Transparent," TV Land's “Lopez,” and CBS's "NCIS: Los Angeles." Other television roles include Netflix’s "Grace and Frankie,” ABC Family’s “Baby Daddy,” and CBS’s “Blue Bloods." One of Hank’s favorite roles to date is working alongside Robin Williams in his final theatrical release, The Angriest Man in Brooklyn.

Ben Milken, director of "Lake Alice" #Sundance

February 4, 2017 @ArtShrian

Ben Milliken directs the film Lake Alice, which will premiere at Sundance in January 2017. The English-born actor starred in the independent feature film, “Newcastle,” which made its world premiere at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Ben’s other roles include “Melrose Place” (CW) and “Gigantic” (Teen Nick), “CSI- Miami” (CBS) and was the male lead in the TV movie, Deadly Sibling Rivalry (Lifetime). He also played the lead male role in Blue Crush 2 (Universal Pictures). Ben’s passion for storytelling and filmmaking led him into the role of producer as he went on to produce the single take romantic comedy Somebody Marry Me. Ben then made his directorial debut with the thriller Lake Alice in early 2015. In 2016, Ben returned to the silver screen landing a role in the feature film Emerald Run.

We had a chance to catch up with him at Sundance 2017. here are the excerpts:

What's your most favorite memory of Sundance?
The buzz of the place. there is so much excitement and anticipation that fills the air.
What did you enjoy most about this project? Why should audience watch it?
All the actors were such a joy to work with. It felt like a collaborative journey we were all on together.
What do you like about being a storyteller and artist? What's your message to other aspiring storytellers?
To be able to bring ideas to life, for an audience to see. I would say, don't focus on money or fame, it's always about the work.
What was your experience of being behind the camera? What was most painful and most satisfying aspect?
It was a very rewarding experience to be able to take something from an idea to a finished product. To be able to bring a story to life visually. The most painful part of this project was the extreme cold we faced while shooting. -30 degrees.
What's your most favorite and least favorite thing about NYC?
Favorite thing - the city is alive, there is always something to do, somewhere to go, something new to see. My least favorite - winter. too cold.

Viola Davis's JuVee brings "NIGHT SHIFT" @ #Sundance

January 30, 2017 @ArtShrian

Executive produced by Viola Davis and Juvee Productions, Marshall Tyler's NIGHT SHIFT was selected for the 2017 Sundance Film Festival Shorts program. It's definitely one of the best short films at Sundance 2017, and the competition is tough there. It's not only an intriguing and interesting story that's beautifully acted and shot. But it's also a movie that showcases diversity & inclusion, in a truly entertaining way. The film brings several new voices to Hollywood. It's a wonderful time for black art, with Black History Month approaching in February. NIGHT SHIFT explores uncharted ground and is a part of a new millenium of the black art movement epitomized by films like Moonlight.

With NIGHT SHIFT, director Marshall Tyler makes his transition from the documentary world to narrative film with a richly-textured piece that zooms in on one man's last chance to change his life. Starring famed musician Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio) and with new original compositions from producer Michael Uzowuru ( Nights, the stand out track from Frank Ocean's acclaimed 2016 album blond). The film also stars CHINA SHAVERS, a native New Yorker who grew up in Spanish Harlem.

We had a chance to talk to Marshall, Tunde, China and rest of the amazing cast. Here it is:

Director Marshall Tyler and the cast of wonderful short NIGHT SHIFT, talk to Art Shrian at Sundance 2017

“Marshall has such a unique voice and, with JuVee, we're always looking for ways to support the next wave of up-and-coming artists and filmmakers like him." - Viola Davis

Written, Produced and Directed by Marshall Tyler
Presented by JuVee Productions, New Bumper & Paint and Flourishing Films
Exec-Producers: Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, John Evangelista, Bryan H Carroll
Producers: Moira Griffin, Efuru Flowers

Get a glimpse into one night in the life of a bathroom attendant in a Los Angeles nightclub. Starring Tunde Adebimpe and China Shavers. Written & Directed by Marshall Tyler. Featuring music from Michael Uzowuru, Tunde Adebimpe and Timo Chen. A New Bumper and Paint Production in association with Juvee Productions & Flourishing Films. Executive Producers Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, John Evangelista and Bryan H Carroll.

SYNOPSIS:

OLLY JEFFRIES (Tunde Adebimpe - Nasty Baby) is an on-again off-again actor whose stagnant career leads him to a long-term gig as a bathroom attendant in an LA nightclub called “The Fix.” At first, it was quick, easy, tax-free money to hold him over between jobs. But it didn't take long for him to realize that the strange solitude of the job agreed with him. Olly has always found joy in being invisible, it's something he calls the art of disappearing and besides this, working in close quarters with random strangers gives him the perfect opportunity to study human behavior in its purest, unadulterated form...bathroom habits. Even as the attendant part of him eclipsed the actor part of him, he never stopped telling himself that this is something he can use to create believable performances if ever cast in something again.

But on this particular night, a series of random and sometimes degrading encounters become too much to bear and Olly is forced to overcome the disrespect of his customers and confront the specter of his failed marriage and his soon-to-be ex-wife TRACEY (China Shavers- Mulignans) in a bid for another shot at the visible side of life.

Amanda Kernell, director of SAMI BLOOD #Sundance

January 28, 2017 @ArtShrian

Following strong premieres at TIFF, Venice and Dubai, Amanda Kernell's striking drama SAMI BLOOD (SAMEBLOD) screened at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in the Spotlight section. The film will be released in the US in May 2017 by Synergetic Distribution. We had a chance to talk to the wonderful director, Amanda. Here it is:

Amanda Kernell talks w/ Art Shrian, about her film SAMI BLOOD, cultural identity, women in films & more at Sundance 2017

SAMI BLOOD is a compelling coming-of-age story set in the 1930s about a young girl who makes a radical and brave decision to abandon her culture and tradition, leave her family behind, and pass herself off as Swedish, after facing prejudice at school due to her Lapland heritage. The film is a unique and intimate perspective on the history of the Lapland people, and tells a story of oppression that resonates across borders, generations and genders.

SAMI BLOOD features a breakthrough performance from its young lead actress Lene Cecilia Sparrok, and is a strong debut from writer/director Amanda Kernell, who based the narrative off of her own Grandmother's life.

Elle Marja går på samisk internatskola med sin lillasyster och ska snart ta över som renskötare I familjen. Samtidigt drömmer hon om ett annat liv, långt borta från bybornas blickar/hårda ord/förakt och skolans regler och kolttvång. Allt faller samman efter de rasbiologiska undersökningarna som hålls på skolan och Elle Marja bestämmer sig för att lämna allt och bli svensk.

Directed by: Amanda Kernell
Cast: Lene Cecilia Sparrok, Mia Sparrok, Maj Doris Rimpi, Olle Sarri

Synopsis:
Elle Marja, 14, is a reindeer-herding Sámi girl. Exposed to the racism of the 1930s and race biology examinations at her boarding school she starts dreaming of another life. To achieve this other life she has to become someone else and break all ties with her family and culture.

Live, from Park City, Utah: It’s the 2017 Sundance Film Festival! Watch 13 Festival Panels, Three Short Films and One Special Event Online

January 18, 2017 #ArtReports

Watch 13 Festival Panels, Three Short Films and One Special Event Online

Full Music and Panels Lineup Announced Today, Including Art of Film Weekend (January 26-28)

Special Edition of Annual Celebration of Music and Film on January 21

Live Stream Events with Former Vice President Al Gore, Jon Hamm, Sam Elliott, Common, Ava DuVernay, Jenny Slate, Kumail Nanjiani, Issa Rae, John Cho, Nick Offerman and More at sundance.org/festival

Park City, UT — The excitement of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival happens both on-screen and off, with a robust slate of panels and music performances, many of which are free and live streamed so independent film and music fans can tune in from anywhere.

John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, “The conversations that start at the Festival and spread well beyond the mountain can now do so in realtime. Thanks to our live streams, fans of independent film and the latest in storytelling can connect with creative minds, get stories from behind the screen, and add context to the work we showcase.”

The Festival will live stream both panels in its longstanding Power of Story series. Power of Story: The New Climate, announced previously, will convene former Vice President of the United States Al Gore, global entrepreneur and philanthropist Jeff Skoll, scientist and broadcaster Dr. David Suzuki, former President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed, filmmaker Heather Rae, and moderator Amy Goodman.

As part of the Festival’s Art of Film Weekend (January 26-28), which celebrates the art and craft of creative storytelling, Power of Story: Art of Episodic Writing will gather Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Rock Bythewood (Shots Fired), Larry Karaszewski (The People v. O.J. Simpson), Marti Noxon (To the Bone), Issa Rae (Insecure), Jill Soloway (Transparent), and moderator Michelle Satter (Founding Director, Sundance Institute Feature Film Program). Also in the Art of Film Weekend, the live-streamed Creative Tensions: Empathy will explore the forces that shape how and why we say we care for others.

A Celebration of Music and Film, hosted annually by the Sundance Institute Film Music Program as the centerpiece of its music programming at the Festival, returns this year with a special edition centered around the theme “There is a Crack In Everything / That's How the Light Gets In,” based on lyrics by Leonard Cohen. The evening will feature music and readings that celebrate free speech, diverse voices, and the power of art to unite us and propel us forward. Featuring a wide range of artists, including Common, Jim James, Andra Day, Jenny Slate, Nick Offerman, Hunter Hayes, Ava DuVernay and Gael Garcia Bernal, the event will be streamed in 360-degree virtual reality from Festival Base Camp presented by Canada Goose to Festival Village presented by Acura.

Live music at the Festival includes performances at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café (free and open to all Festival credential holders 21 and older) by Michael Franti, Rooney, Clare Bowen, Josh Kelley and Andy Shauf, and performances at Festival Base Camp presented by Canada Goose by Thundercat, R.LUM.R, Chrome Canyon and live DJ set by Elijah Wood, Samora Pinderhughes, Lalah Hathaway, Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal as well as the first-ever local music showcase, featuring Talia Keys, Joshy Soul & The Cool, Bboy Federation Performers. The annual BMI Snowball Showcase will feature Angela McCluskey, Paul Cantelon , Sean McConnell , The National Parks, Rachel Crow, and The Hearings .

Other noteworthy live streamed conversations at the Festival include the Cinema Café daily series of informal chats, which this year will include conversations between Jon Hamm and Sam Elliott, Kumail Nanjiani and John Cho and others; more conversations will appear on sundance.org/program shortly.

Three short films from the 2017 Festival are available online: Dear Mr Shakespeare, an exploration of Shakespeare's intentions when writing Othello; Deer Squad: The Movie, one filmmaker’s story of going viral after befriending a group of wild deer in his backyard; and Project X, an undercover journey to the site of a hidden partnership, based on NSA documents. From the Special Events section, the pilot of I Love Dick is available on Amazon.

For dates, times, locations and ticket information for these and other offscreen events, including panels and live music hosted by our sponsors, visit sundance.org/festival.

Day One Press Conference (streaming live)
Thursday, January 19, noon PT / 1:00 p.m. MT / 3:00 p.m. ET
Sundance Institute President & Founder Robert Redford will participate in a conversation with Institute-supported artists Sydney Freeland (Deidre and Laney Rob a Train) and David Lowery (A Ghost Story), moderated by John Horn of KPCC-FM “The Frame,” followed by a Q&A with press in attendance with Redford, Institute Executive Director Keri Putnam and Sundance Film Festival Director John Cooper.

Cinema Cafe: Jon Hamm and Sam Elliott (streaming live)
Saturday, January 21, 10:30 a.m. PT / 11:30 a.m. MT / 1:30 p.m. ET

Post-Truth and Consequences (streaming live)
Saturday, January 21, 1:30 p.m. PT / 2:30 p.m. MT / 4:30 p.m. ET
The film community shares a basic tenet of journalism in questioning society and challenging political orthodoxies. But how do we contend with a post-truth society? Lacking a fact-based shared reality, can media speak across the divide? Journalist David Folkenflik (NPR), filmmaker Peter Nicks (The Force), filmmaker Laura Poitras (Project X) and journalist James Risen (New York Times) explore how we re-legitimize truth.

A Celebration of Music and Film
Saturday, January 21, 6:00-9:00 p.m. PT / 7:00-10:00 p.m. MT / 9:00 p.m.-midnight ET
Centered on the theme “There is a Crack in Everything / That’s How the Light Gets In” based on lyrics by Leonard Cohen, join us for an evening of music and readings celebrating free speech, diverse voices, and the the power of art to unite us and propel us forward. Musical performances from Common, Andra Day, Hunter Hayes, Jim James (My Morning Jacket) and Rotana Tarazbouni with speakers including Gael Garcia Bernal, Ava DuVernay, Jenny Slate, Rory Kennedy, Nick Offerman and more to be announced.

Power of Story: The New Climate (streaming live)
Sunday, January 22, 1:30 p.m. PT / 2:30 p.m. MT / 4:30 p.m. ET
We are living in a new climate, and not just the one created by global warming. As our political outlook shifts toward deeper denial, and corporate interests work to obscure the story and the science, how can visual storytellers create new narratives that change the conversation, the culture, and possibly the world? Former Vice President Al Gore, global entrepreneur and philanthropist Jeff Skoll, scientist and broadcaster Dr. David Suzuki, former President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed, filmmaker Heather Rae, and moderator Amy Goodman discuss how filmmakers can elevate understanding and urgency among policymakers and the public alike.

Cinema Cafe: Kumail Nanjiani and John Cho (streaming live)
Monday, January 23, 10:30 a.m. PT / 11:30 a.m. MT / 1:30 p.m. ET

Women in Science (streaming live)
Tuesday, January 24, 1:00 p.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. MT / 4:00 p.m. ET
Although women have conducted pioneering scientific work for centuries, their stories are too seldom told. Why are there still relatively few female scientists, in the real world and on screen? How are they depicted in film? Join cognitive neuroscientist Heather Berlin (Science Goes to the Movies), systems engineer Tracy Drain (NASA Jet Propulsion Lab), screenwriter Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy), filmmaker Jennifer Phang (Advantageous), and moderator Nell Greenfieldboyce (NPR). Supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Power of Story: Art of Episodic Writing (streaming live) — ART OF FILM WEEKEND
Thursday, January 26, 1:30 p.m. PT / 2:30 p.m. MT / 4:30 p.m. ET
The episodic storytelling landscape continues to evolve, inspiring groundbreaking work populated by unforgettable characters. No longer limited by traditional production or distribution platforms, independent artists and media outlets are exploring how to reach and sustain audiences in changing times. Join Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Rock Bythewood (Shots Fired), Larry Karaszewski (The People v. O.J. Simpson), Marti Noxon (To the Bone), Issa Rae (Insecure), Jill Soloway (I Love Dick), and moderator Michelle Satter (Sundance Institute) in conversation about creating and navigating the future of episodic storytelling.

Look Over Here: Crafting VR Narratives — ART OF FILM WEEKEND
Thursday, January 26, 3:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. MT / 6:30 p.m. ET
Lynette Wallworth (Collisions) and Saschka Unseld (Dear Angelica) are at the forefront of an emerging medium. Wallworth frequently explores environmental and social justice themes in her work, and Unseld is creating a collection of VR films with emotions at their core. In this fireside chat, the filmmakers will compare notes on writing and directing for a 360-degree screen.

Creative Tensions: Empathy (streaming live) — ART OF FILM WEEKEND
Friday, January 27, 2017, 9:00 a.m. PT / 10:00 a.m. MT / noon ET
This is not your typical panel. Join us for Creative Tensions: Empathy to explore the forces that shape how and why we say we care for others. In a conversation expressed through movement, participants reveal their stance on issues by where they stand in the room. Can art make people more tolerant? Is it possible to empathize with those who don’t share our core values? Where do you "stand" on the purpose of art? Presented by the Sundance Institute Theatre Program, in partnership with IDEO.

Producers Confidential — ART OF FILM WEEKEND
Friday, January 27, 1:00 p.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. MT / 4:00 p.m. ET
Producers are often seen as a film’s construction foreman—asked to find financing and to stay on budget and on time. But rarely are they recognized as artists. Join producers Alix Madigan-Yorkin (L.A. Times) and Joslyn Barnes (Strong Island) in an intimate conversation with moderator Anne Lai (Sundance Institute) to hear about their toughest failures, their proudest moments, and what continues to inspire each of them as a creative force.

Vision Builders: The Art of Production Design — ART OF FILM WEEKEND
Saturday, January 28, 1:00 p.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. MT / 4:00 p.m. ET
Production designers' work extends far beyond building sets. They shapestoryworlds, creating intricate environments that unfold narratives, develop characters, and articulate themes. But how do you build an entire world (on a budget)—and incorporate emotion, psychology, and other intangibles? Production designers David Gropman (Fences), Jeannine Oppewall (L.A. Confidential) andInbal Weinberg (Blue Valentine) explore how concepts become reality.

The Sundance Film Festival®
The Sundance Film Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most groundbreaking films of the past three decades, including Boyhood, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Whiplash, Brooklyn, Twenty Feet from Stardom, Life Itself, The Cove, The End of the Tour, Blackfish, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Super Size Me, Dope, Little Miss Sunshine, sex, lies, and videotape, Reservoir Dogs, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious and Napoleon Dynamite. The Festival is a program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®. 2017 Festival sponsors include: Presenting Sponsors – Acura, SundanceTV, Chase Sapphire®, and Canada Goose; Leadership Sponsors – Adobe, AT&T, DIRECTV, Omnicom, Stella Artois® and YouTube; Sustaining Sponsors – American Airlines, Canon U.S.A., Inc., Creators League Studio, Daydream, Francis Ford Coppola Winery, GEICO, The Hollywood Reporter, IMDb, Jaunt, Kickstarter, Oculus and the University of Utah Health. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations helps offset the Festival’s costs and sustain the Institute's year-round programs for independent artists. Look for the Official Sponsor seal at their venues at the Festival. sundance.org/festival

Sundance Institute
Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides and preserves the space for artists in film, theatre, and new media to create and thrive. The Institute's signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences to artists in igniting new ideas, discovering original voices, and building a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, The Invisible War, The Square, Dirty Wars, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

THE AFRICAN DIASPORA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: Nov 25 - Dec 11

December 5, 2016 @ArtShrian

The African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) is back for its 24th edition from Nov. 25 to Dec. 11 with a total of 66 films from 30 countries including 34 US and NY Premieres. You still have an entire week of screenings left, of some wonderful films, right here in NYC. The Festival - which runs until Dec. 11 - will present quite a few very strong and exciting New York and US Premieres over the next few days at Teachers College, Columbia University, Cinepolis Chelsea Cinemas and MIST Harlem.

The films in ADIFF 2016 – some coming directly from important international film festivals such as Toronto, Cannes, Vancouver, Montreal or Rotterdam - illustrate the diversification of the global film industry, from impressive epic dramas (93 days, 76) to intimate stories that will touch the audience in many ways (While We Live, Sins of the Flesh, Montreal White City, Jerusa’s Day).

National and international celebrities as well as award-winning filmmakers are celebrated in ADIFF this year including Zeinabu Irene Davis, Jimmy Jean Louis, Dani Kouyaté, Eugene Corr, Danny Glover, O.C. Ukeje, Ramsey Nouah, Rita Dominic, Khaled El Hagar and Darlene Jonhson.

As shared with myNewYorkeye by Dr. and Mrs. Spech, Co-Directors of ADIFF

"It is always very satisfying for us to be able to showcase new films that are both very entertaining and revealing. Our goal is for our audience to come out of the theater richer with knowledge, understanding and well being than when they come in. We think the selection of ADIFF 2016 is a crowd pleaser! "

SOME OF ADIFF 2016 HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

Spotlight on Nigerian Cinema
Directly from TIFF comes a selection of four Nigerian films (93 days, 76, the Arbitration & Taxi Driver) by a new generation of filmmakers who both advance and challenge Nollywood with bigger budgets and greater artistic ambition. In 93 Days by Steve Gukas, Danny Glover leads a team of doctors fighting a potential Ebola outbreak in Nigeria. In historic drama 76 by Izu Ojukwu the pregnant wife of a young soldier accused of complicity in the abortive coup of 1976 helps him prove his innocence.

Aboriginal Australian filmmaker Darlene Johnson in NY for ADIFF
The Aboriginal Australian experience is at the center of Ms. Johnson’s work. She will attend the festival to present seven of her films and discuss with the audience Australia’s colonial past and how arts and culture are agents of change in the life of Australian Aboriginal people.

Jimmy Jean-Louis, an International Actor
Jimmy Jean Louis is well known for his role as the Haitian in the Heroes series. With a rich acting career domestically and internationally, Mr. Jean-Louis is a guest of the festival in his capacity of actor, producer and Ambassador at large of his native country, Haiti. Jimmy Jean-Louis will present Opening Night romantic comedy Everything But a Man by Nnegest Likké.

Also part of ADIFF 2016 Double Feature Opening Night event is Black British romantic comedy The Naked Poet by Jason Barret, a sharp, witty, sexy, deep and quite emotional exploration of the complexities of love presented from a Black male’s perspective in contemporary London.

Zeinabu Irene Davis, filmmaker of the “L.A. Rebellion”
The need to have an alternative voice is the aim of Closing Night film Spirits of Rebellion, black cinema from UCLA, a documentary that tells the story of a small group of critically acclaimed, but relatively unknown black filmmakers who wanted to change the black film narrative in the USA.

ADIFF Gala Screening While We Live
Sweden based Burkinabe filmmaker Dani Kouyaté (Keita, The Heritage of the Griot, Sia, The Dream of the Python) will present his latest fiction film While We Live, an entertaining and thoughtful family drama that travels between Sweden and Gambia to explores issues of family dynamics and identity.

ADIFF Centerpiece Screening Gang of the French Caribbean / Le Gang des Antillais
Jean-Claude Barny, a French director originally from Guadeloupe and Trinidad & Tobago will attend the Red Carpet Centerpiece screening of his hot new crime-drama Gang of the French Caribbean.

USA/Cuban documentary Ghost Town to Havana
There is much talk about Cuba lately. However, the films coming out of this new interaction between Cuba and the USA are still limited and often plagued by clichés. Not so with Ghost Town to Havana by Eugene Corr, an incredible social commentary that explore through the game of baseball how both Cuba and the USA nurture their youths.

Sneak preview screening of TIFF 2016 selection Mali Blues
This musical documentary by Lutz Gregor follows Malian Global Pop stars Fatoumata Diawara, Bassekou Kouyaté Master Soumy and Ahmed Ag Kaedi fighting against Radical Islamists in Mali with music. Other highlights include Khaled El Hagar’s Sins of the Flesh, a love story set in the backdrop of the Egyptian Revolution; Paul Sapiano’s Driving While Black, a dark comedy about the troubles and tribulations of a young Black pizza delivery man; Death by a Thousand Cuts by Jake Kheel and Juan Mejia Botero, a suspenseful documentary that explores the tensions at the Dominican/Haitian border; the first fiction film by documentarian Jawad Rhalib Rebel / Insoumise about a young woman seeking social justice in Morocco and Belgium; the identity documentary Invisible Roots: Afro-Mexicans in Southern California by Tiffany Walton and Montreal White City by Bachir Bensaddek about an Algerian taxi driver in Montreal who picks up a former pop star whom he thought was dead.

ABOUT THE AFRICAN DIASPORA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Described by film critic Armond White as “a festival that symbolizes diaspora as more than just anthropology,” ADIFF has managed to increase the presence of independent Afrocentric films from all over the world in the general American specialty movie scene by launching films such as The Tracker by Rolf de Heer (Australia), Kirikou and the Sorceress by Michel Ocelot (France), Gospel Hill by Giancarlo Esposito (USA), Darrat/Dry Season by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Chad), The First Rasta by Helene Lee (France/Jamaica), The Story of Lovers Rock by Menelik Shabazz (UK) Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story by Yousry Nasrallah (Egypt), and The Pirogue by Moussa Touré among others.

Attracting a wide cross-section of cinephiles and audiences of African-American, Caribbean, African, Latino and European ethnic backgrounds who share a common interest for thought provoking, well crafted, intelligent and entertaining stories about the human experience of people of color, ADIFF is now a national and international event with festivals held in New York City, Chicago, Washington DC, and Paris, France.

ADIFF 2016 FACT SHEET

WHAT: 24th Annual African Diaspora International Film Festival
WHEN: November 25 to December 11, 2016
WHERE:
* MILBANK CHAPEL, TEACHERS COLLEGE, CU - 525 W 120th St.- 125 Zankel
* COWIN CENTER, TEACHERS COLLEGE, CU - Entrance between 120th and 121th St. On Broadway
* CINEPOLIS CHELSEA CINEMAS - 260 W 23rd St. (Betw. 7th and 8th Aves.)
* MIST HARLEM - at 46 W 116th St (at Malcolm X Blvd)
TICKETS: From $11 to $65 depending on screening/event.
4 GALA SCREENINGS:
Opening, Gala, Centerpiece, Closing
10 PROGRAMS:
Meet Jimmy Jean-Louis; Black Australia; Spotlight on Nigerian Cinema; Meet David Dontoh; Senegal Connection; Dancing While Black; ADIFF Cinematheque; Afro-Latino Program; Public Award for the Best Film Directed by a Woman of Color; ADIFF School Program.
66 FILMS IN 30 COUNTRIES:
Algeria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Gambia, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, Uruguay, USA.
34 PREMIERES
20 SPECIAL GUESTS
17 DAYS

http://www.nyadiff.org/

2017 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: COMPETITION AND NEXT LINEUP ANNOUNCED

December 1, 2016 #ArtReports

2017 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: COMPETITION AND NEXT LINEUP ANNOUNCED

66 Provocative, Bold Feature Films From 22 Countries

‘New Climate’ Program Showcases Stories and Conversations on the Environment and Climate Change

Sundance Institute convenes a full slate of provocative and agenda-setting independent films at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, beginning with today’s announcement of the 66 films selected for U.S. Competition, World Competition and NEXT, as well as a slate of environmentally focused programming under the Festival’s New Climate program. The Festival hosts screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort January 19-29.

The Festival celebrates creativity and independence at the summit of the Institute’s year-round public programming, which also includes festivals in London, Hong Kong and Los Angeles. Sundance Institute programs support artists year-round, with more than $2.5 million in grants and 25 global residency Labs across theatre, film, New Frontier and episodic content.

Robert Redford, President and Founder of Sundance Institute, said, "From the passion and chaos of creativity, independent filmmakers make decisions to harness that energy, break new ground and tell their stories. This year’s Festival reflects every step of that journey, and shows how art can engage, provoke and connect people all over the world."

Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, "It’s more crucial now than ever to have storytellers illuminating the world around us. Artists help us better understand one another and recognize what we have in common. We are proud to champion and amplify original independent work through the Festival and our year-round programs."

John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, "The films in this year’s Festival show the human sides of issues, people and places we don’t often see. Independent filmmakers, with their fearless, bold perspectives, are challenging us to witness our world's whole story. These artists, armed with their films, will lead us into the future."

For the first time, the Festival is focusing its programming efforts to drive attention and action around a specific theme: climate change and environmental preservation. The New Climate program builds on the Institute’s longstanding commitment to showcasing environmental films and projects, including An Inconvenient Truth, Blackfish, The Cove, Gasland, Chasing Ice, Racing Extinction and Collisions. The program includes Chasing Coral, which follows a team of divers, photographers and scientists documenting the world's changing coral reefs; Trophy, an in-depth look at the controversial, multi-billion-dollar big-game hunting industry; Water & Power: A California Heist, an investigation of California's convoluted water system; Plastic China, an examination of employee life at a Chinese recycling plant; and Machines, a portrait of the rhythm of life and work in a gigantic textile factory in Gujarat, India.

About New Climate, Redford said, "My own engagement on climate change began more than 40 years ago, and the urgency I felt then has only grown stronger given its very real and increasingly severe consequences. If we’re going to avoid the worst-case scenario, then we must act boldly and immediately, even in the face of indifference, apathy and opposition."

For the 2017 Festival, 113 feature-length films were selected, representing 32 countries and 37 first-time filmmakers, including 20 in competition. These films were selected from 13,782 submissions including 4,068 feature-length films and 8,985 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 2,005 were from the U.S. and 2,063 were international. Ninety-eight feature films at the Festival will be world premieres. In 2016, the Festival drew 46,600 attendees, generated $143.3 million in economic activity for the state of Utah and supported 1,400 local jobs.

Recent films that have premiered in the sections announced today include Morris From America, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Swiss Army Man, City of Gold, Fruitvale Station, The Diary of A Teenage Girl, Whiplash, Blackfish, Life, Animated, All These Sleepless Nights, Weiner and First Girl I Loved.

More films, including additional New Climate programming, will be announced soon; watch sundance.org/festival.

U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature films, the Dramatic Competition offers Festivalgoers a first look at groundbreaking new voices in American independent film.

Band Aid / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Zoe Lister-Jones) — A couple who can't stop fighting embark on a last-ditch effort to save their marriage: turning their fights into songs and starting a band. Cast: Zoe Lister-Jones, Adam Pally, Fred Armisen, Susie Essman, Hannah Simone, Ravi Patel. World Premiere

Beach Rats / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Eliza Hittman) — An aimless teenager on the outer edges of Brooklyn struggles to escape his bleak home life and navigate questions of self-identity, as he balances his time between his delinquent friends, a potential new girlfriend, and older men he meets online. Cast: Harris Dickinson, Madeline Weinstein, Kate Hodge, Neal Huff. World Premiere

Brigsby Bear / U.S.A. (Director: Dave McCary, Screenwriters: Kevin Costello, Kyle Mooney) — Brigsby Bear Adventures is a children's TV show produced for an audience of one: James. When the show abruptly ends, James's life changes forever, and he sets out to finish the story himself. Cast: Kyle Mooney, Claire Danes, Mark Hamill, Greg Kinnear, Matt Walsh, Michaela Watkins. World Premiere

Burning Sands / U.S.A. (Director: Gerard McMurray, Screenwriters: Christine Berg, Gerard McMurray) — Deep into a fraternity's Hell Week, a favored pledge is torn between honoring a code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing. Cast: Trevor Jackson, Alfre Woodard, Steve Harris, Tosin Cole, DeRon Horton, Trevante Rhodes. World Premiere

Crown Heights / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Matt Ruskin) — When Colin Warner is wrongfully convicted of murder, his best friend, Carl King, devotes his life to proving Colin's innocence. Adapted from This American Life, this is the incredible true story of their harrowing quest for justice. Cast: Keith Stanfield, Nnamdi Asomugha, Natalie Paul, Bill Camp, Nestor Carbonell, Amari Cheatom. World Premiere

Golden Exits / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Alex Ross Perry) — The arrival of a young foreign girl disrupts the lives and emotional balances of two Brooklyn families. Cast: Emily Browning, Adam Horovitz, Mary-Louise Parker, Lily Rabe, Jason Schwartzman, Chloë Sevigny. World Premiere

The Hero / U.S.A. (Director: Brett Haley, Screenwriters: Brett Haley, Marc Basch) — Lee, a former Western film icon, is living a comfortable existence lending his golden voice to advertisements and smoking weed. After receiving a lifetime achievement award and unexpected news, Lee reexamines his past, while a chance meeting with a sardonic comic has him looking to the future. Cast: Sam Elliott, Laura Prepon, Krysten Ritter, Nick Offerman, Katherine Ross. World Premierem looking to the future. Cast: Sam Elliott, Laura Prepon, Krysten Ritter, Nick Offerman, Katherine Ross. World Premiere

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Macon Blair) — When a depressed woman is burglarized, she finds a new sense of purpose by tracking down the thieves, alongside her obnoxious neighbor. But they soon find themselves dangerously out of their depth against a pack of degenerate criminals. Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Elijah Wood, David Yow, Jane Levy, Devon Graye. World Premiere. DAY ONE

Ingrid Goes West / U.S.A. (Director: Matt Spicer, Screenwriters: Matt Spicer, David Branson Smith) — A young woman becomes obsessed with an Instagram lifestyle blogger and moves to Los Angeles to try and befriend her in real life. Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Wyatt Russell, Billy Magnussen. World Premiere

Landline / U.S.A. (Director: Gillian Robespierre, Screenwriters: Elisabeth Holm, Gillian Robespierre) — Two sisters come of age in ’90s New York when they discover their dad’s affair—and it turns out he’s not the only cheater in the family. Everyone still smokes inside, no one has a cell phone and the Jacobs finally connect through lying, cheating and hibachi. Cast: Jenny Slate, John Turturro, Edie Falco, Abby Quinn, Jay Duplass, Finn Wittrock. World Premiere

Novitiate / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Maggie Betts) — In the early 1960s, during the Vatican II era, a young woman training to become a nun struggles with issues of faith, sexuality and the changing church. Cast: Margaret Qualley, Melissa Leo, Julianne Nicholson, Dianna Agron, Morgan Saylor. World Premiere

Patti Cake$ / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Geremy Jasper) — Straight out of Jersey comes Patricia Dombrowski, a.k.a. Killa P, a.k.a. Patti Cake$, an aspiring rapper fighting through a world of strip malls and strip clubs on an unlikely quest for glory. Cast: Danielle Macdonald, Bridget Everett, Siddharth Dhananjay, Mamoudou Athie, Cathy Moriarty. World Premiere

Roxanne Roxanne / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael Larnell) — The most feared battle emcee in early-'80s NYC was a fierce teenager from the Queensbridge projects with the weight of the world on her shoulders. At age 14, hustling the streets to provide for her family, Roxanne Shanté was well on her way to becoming a hip-hop legend. Cast: Chanté Adams, Mahershala Ali, Nia Long, Elvis Nolasco, Kevin Phillips, Shenell Edmonds. World Premiere

To the Bone / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Marti Noxon) — In a last-ditch effort to battle her severe anorexia, 20-year-old Ellen enters a group recovery home. With the help of an unconventional doctor, Ellen and the other residents go on a sometimes-funny, sometimes-harrowing journey that leads to the ultimate question—is life worth living? Cast: Lily Collins, Keanu Reeves, Carrie Preston, Lili Taylor, Alex Sharp, Liana Liberato. World Premiere

Walking Out / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Alex Smith, Andrew Smith) — A father and son struggle to connect on any level until a brutal encounter with a predator in the heart of the wilderness leaves them both seriously injured. If they are to survive, the boy must carry his father to safety. Cast: Matt Bomer, Josh Wiggins, Bill Pullman, Alex Neustaedter, Lily Gladstone. World Premiere

The Yellow Birds / U.S.A. (Director: Alexandre Moors, Screenwriter: David Lowery) — Two young men enlist in the army and are deployed to fight in the Gulf War. After an unthinkable tragedy, the surviving soldier struggles to balance his promise of silence with the truth and a mourning mother’s search for peace. Cast: Tye Sheridan, Jack Huston, Alden Ehrenreich, Jason Patric, Toni Collette, Jennifer Aniston. World Premiere

U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Sixteen world-premiere American documentaries that illuminate the ideas, people and events that shape the present day.

Casting JonBenet / U.S.A., Australia (Director: Kitty Green) — The unsolved death of six-year-old American beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey remains the world’s most sensational child murder case. Over 15 months, responses, reflections and performances were elicited from the Ramsey’s Colorado hometown community, creating a bold work of art from the collective memories and mythologies the crime inspired. World Premiere

Chasing Coral / U.S.A. (Director: Jeff Orlowski) — Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world. World Premiere. NEW CLIMATE

City of Ghosts / U.S.A. (Director: Matthew Heineman) — With unprecedented access, this documentary follows the extraordinary journey of "Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently"—a group of anonymous citizen journalists who banded together after their homeland was overtaken by ISIS—as they risk their lives to stand up against one of the greatest evils in the world today. World Premiere

Dina / U.S.A. (Directors: Dan Sickles, Antonio Santini) — An eccentric suburban woman and a Walmart door-greeter navigate their evolving relationship in this unconventional love story. World Premiere

Dolores / U.S.A. (Director: Peter Bratt) — Dolores Huerta bucks 1950s gender conventions by co-founding the country’s first farmworkers' union. Wrestling with raising 11 children, gender bias, union defeat and victory, and nearly dying after a San Francisco Police beating, Dolores emerges with a vision that connects her newfound feminism with racial and class justice. World Premiere

The Force / U.S.A. (Director: Pete Nicks) — This cinema verité look at the long-troubled Oakland Police Department goes deep inside their struggles to confront federal demands for reform, a popular uprising following events in Ferguson and an explosive scandal. World Premiere

ICARUS / U.S.A. (Director: Bryan Fogel) — When Bryan Fogel sets out to uncover the truth about doping in sports, a chance meeting with a Russian scientist transforms his story from a personal experiment into a geopolitical thriller involving dirty urine, unexplained death and Olympic Gold—exposing the biggest scandal in sports history. World Premiere

The New Radical / U.S.A. (Director: Adam Bhala Lough) — Uncompromising millennial radicals from the United States and the United Kingdom attack the system through dangerous technological means, which evolves into a high-stakes game with world authorities in the midst of a dramatically changing political landscape. World Premiere

NOBODY SPEAK: Hulk Hogan, Gawker and Trials of a Free Press / U.S.A. (Director: Brian Knappenberger) — The trial between Hulk Hogan and Gawker Media pitted privacy rights against freedom of the press, and raised important questions about how big money can silence media. This film is an examination of the perils and duties of the free press in an age of inequality. World Premiere

Quest / U.S.A. (Director: Jonathan Olshefski) — For over a decade, this portrait of a North Philadelphia family and the creative sanctuary offered by their home music studio was filmed with vérité intimacy. The family's 10-year journey is an illumination of race and class in America, and it's a testament to love, healing and hope. World Premiere

STEP / U.S.A. (Director: Amanda Lipitz) — The senior year of a girls’ high school step team in inner-city Baltimore is documented, as they try to become the first in their families to attend college. The girls strive to make their dancing a success against the backdrop of social unrest in their troubled city. World Premiere

Strong Island / U.S.A., Denmark (Director: Yance Ford) — Examining the violent death of the filmmaker’s brother and the judicial system that allowed his killer to go free, this documentary interrogates murderous fear and racialized perception, and re-imagines the wreckage in catastrophe’s wake, challenging us to change. World Premiere

Trophy / U.S.A. (Director: Shaul Schwarz, Co-Director: Christina Clusiau) — This in-depth look into the powerhouse industries of big-game hunting, breeding and wildlife conservation in the U.S. and Africa unravels the complex consequences of treating animals as commodities. World Premiere. NEW CLIMATE

Unrest / U.S.A. (Director: Jennifer Brea) — When Harvard PhD student Jennifer Brea is struck down at 28 by a fever that leaves her bedridden, doctors tell her it’s "all in her head." Determined to live, she sets out on a virtual journey to document her story—and four other families' stories—fighting a disease medicine forgot. World Premiere

Water & Power: A California Heist / U.S.A. (Director: Marina Zenovich) — In California's convoluted water system, notorious water barons find ways to structure a state-engineered system to their own advantage. This examination into their centers of power shows small farmers and everyday citizens facing drought and a new, debilitating groundwater crisis. World Premiere. NEW CLIMATE

Whose Streets? / U.S.A. (Director: Sabaah Folayan, Co-Director: Damon Davis) — A nonfiction account of the Ferguson uprising told by the people who lived it, this is an unflinching look at how the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown inspired a community to fight back—and sparked a global movement. World Premiere. DAY ONE

WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Twelve films from emerging filmmaking talents around the world offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles.

Axolotl Overkill / Germany (Director and screenwriter: Helene Hegemann) — Mifti, age 16, lives in Berlin with a cast of characters including her half-siblings; their rich, self-involved father; and her junkie friend Ophelia. As she mourns her recently deceased mother, she begins to develop an obsession with Alice, an enigmatic, and much older, white-collar criminal. Cast: Jasna Fritzi Bauer, Arly Jover, Mavie Hörbiger, Laura Tonke, Hans Löw, Bernhard Schütz. World Premiere

Berlin Syndrome / Australia (Director: Cate Shortland, Screenwriter: Shaun Grant) — A passionate holiday romance takes an unexpected and sinister turn when an Australian photographer wakes one morning in a Berlin apartment and is unable to leave. Cast: Teresa Palmer, Max Riemelt. World Premiere

Carpinteros (Woodpeckers) / Dominican Republic (Director and screenwriter: José María Cabral) — Julián finds love and a reason for living in the last place imaginable: the Dominican Republic’s Najayo Prison. His romance with fellow prisoner Yanelly must develop through sign language and without the knowledge of dozens of guards. Cast: Jean Jean, Judith Rodriguez Perez, Ramón Emilio Candelario. World Premiere

Don't Swallow My Heart, Alligator Girl! / Brazil, Netherlands, France, Paraguay (Director and screenwriter: Felipe Bragança) — In this fable about love and memories, Joca is a 13-year-old Brazilian boy in love with an indigenous Paraguayan girl. To conquer her love, he must face the violent region's war-torn past and the secrets of his elder brother, Fernando, a motorcycle cowboy. Cast: Cauã Reymond, Eduardo Macedo, Adeli Gonzales, Zahy Guajajara, Claudia Assunção, Ney Matogrosso. World Premiere

Family Life / Chile (Directors: Alicia Scherson, Cristián Jiménez, Screenwriter: Alejandro Zambra) — While house-sitting for a distant cousin, a lonely man fabricates the existence of a vindictive ex-wife withholding his daughter, in order to gain the sympathy of the single mother he has just met. Cast: Jorge Becker, Gabriela Arancibia, Blanca Lewin, Cristián Carvajal. World Premiere

Free and Easy / Hong Kong (Director: Jun Geng, Screenwriters: Jun Geng, Yuhua Feng, Bing Liu) — When a traveling soap salesman arrives in a desolate Chinese town, a crime occurs, and sets the strange residents against each other with tragicomic results. Cast: Gang Xu, Zhiyong Zhang, Baohe Xue, Benshan Gu, Xun Zhang. World Premiere

God's Own Country / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Francis Lee) — Springtime in Yorkshire: isolated young sheep farmer Johnny Saxby numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex, until the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker, employed for the lambing season, ignites an intense relationship that sets Johnny on a new path. Cast: Josh O'Connor, Alec Secareanu, Ian Hart, Gemma Jones. World Premiere

My Happy Family / Georgia (Directors: Nana & Simon, Screenwriter: Nana Ekvtimishvili) — Tbilisi, Georgia, 2016: In a patriarchal society, an ordinary Georgian family lives with three generations under one roof. All are shocked when 52-year-old Manana decides to move out from her parents' home and live alone. Without her family and her husband, a journey into the unknown begins. Cast: Ia Shugliashvili, Merab Ninidze, Berta Khapava, Tsisia Qumsishvili, Giorgi Tabidze, Dimitri Oragvelidze. World Premiere

The Nile Hilton Incident / Sweden (Director and screenwriter: Tarik Saleh) — In Cairo, weeks before the 2011 revolution, Police Detective Noredin is working in the infamous Kasr el-Nil Police Station when he is handed the case of a murdered singer. He soon realizes that the investigation concerns the power elite, close to the President’s inner circle. Cast: Fares Fares, Mari Malek, Mohamed Yousry, Yasser Ali Maher, Ahmed Selim, Hania Amar. World Premiere

Pop Aye / Singapore, Thailand (Director and screenwriter: Kirsten Tan) — On a chance encounter, a disenchanted architect bumps into his long-lost elephant on the streets of Bangkok. Excited, he takes his elephant on a journey across Thailand in search of the farm where they grew up together. Cast: Thaneth Warakulnukroh, Penpak Sirikul, Bong. World Premiere. DAY ONE

Sueño en otro idioma (I Dream in Another Language) / Mexico (Director: Ernesto Contreras, Screenwriter: Carlos Contreras) — The last two speakers of a millennia-old language haven’t spoken in 50 years, when a young linguist tries to bring them together. Yet hidden in the past, in the heart of the jungle, lies a secret concerning the fate of the Zikril language. Cast: Fernando Álvarez Rebeil, Eligio Meléndez, Manuel Poncelis, Fátima Molina, Juan Pablo de Santiago, Hoze Meléndez. World Premiere

The Wound / South Africa (Director: John Trengove, Screenwriters: John Trengove, Thando Mgqolozana, Malusi Bengu) — Xolani, a lonely factory worker, travels to the rural mountains with the men of his community to initiate a group of teenage boys into manhood. When a defiant initiate from the city discovers his best-kept secret, a forbidden love, Xolani's entire existence begins to unravel. Cast: Nakhane Touré, Bongile Mantsai, Niza Jay Ncoyini. World Premiere

WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Twelve documentaries by some of the most courageous and extraordinary international filmmakers working today.

The Good Postman / Finland, Bulgaria (Director: Tonislav Hristov) — In a small Bulgarian village troubled by the ongoing refugee crisis, a local postman runs for mayor—and learns that even minor deeds can outweigh good intentions. North American Premiere

In Loco Parentis / Ireland, Spain (Directors: Neasa Ní Chianáin, David Rane) — John and Amanda teach Latin, English and guitar at a fantastical, stately home-turned-school. Nearly 50-year careers are drawing to a close for the pair who have become legends with the mantra: "Reading! ’Rithmetic! Rock ’n’ roll!" But for pupil and teacher alike, leaving is the hardest lesson. North American Premiere

It's Not Yet Dark / Ireland (Director: Frankie Fenton) — This is the incredible story of Simon Fitzmaurice, a young filmmaker who becomes completely paralyzed from motor neurone disease but goes on to direct an award-winning feature film through the use of his eyes. International Premiere

Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower / U.S.A. (Director: Joe Piscatella) — When the Chinese Communist Party backtracks on its promise of autonomy to Hong Kong, teenager Joshua Wong decides to save his city. Rallying thousands of kids to skip school and occupy the streets, Joshua becomes an unlikely leader in Hong Kong and one of China’s most notorious dissidents. World Premiere

Last Men in Aleppo / Denmark (Directors: Feras Fayyad, Steen Johannessen) — After five years of war in Syria, Aleppo’s remaining residents prepare themselves for a siege. Khalid, Subhi and Mahmoud, founding members of The White Helmets, have remained in the city to help their fellow citizens—and experience daily life, death, struggle and triumph in a city under fire. World Premiere

Machines / India, Germany, Finland (Director: Rahul Jain) — This intimate, observant portrayal of the rhythm of life and work in a gigantic textile factory in Gujarat, India, moves through the corridors and bowels of the enormously disorienting structure—taking the viewer on a journey of dehumanizing physical labor and intense hardship. North American Premiere. NEW CLIMATE

Motherland / U.S.A., Philippines (Director: Ramona Diaz) — The planet's busiest maternity hospital is located in one of its poorest and most populous countries: the Philippines. There, poor women face devastating consequences as their country struggles with reproductive health policy and the politics of conservative Catholic ideologies. World Premiere

Plastic China / China (Director: Jiu-liang Wang) — Yi-Jie, an 11-year-old girl, works alongside her parents in a recycling facility while dreaming of attending school. Kun, the facility’s ambitious foreman, dreams of a better life. Through the eyes and hands of those who handle its refuse, comes an examination of global consumption and culture. International Premiere. NEW CLIMATE

RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked The World / Canada (Director: Catherine Bainbridge) — This powerful documentary about the role of Native Americans in contemporary music history—featuring some of the greatest music stars of our time—exposes a critical missing chapter, revealing how indigenous musicians helped shape the soundtracks of our lives and, through their contributions, influenced popular culture. World Premiere

Tokyo Idols / United Kingdom, Canada (Director: Kyoko Miyake) — This exploration of Japan’s fascination with girl bands and their music follows an aspiring pop singer and her fans, delving into the cultural obsession with young female sexuality and the growing disconnect between men and women in hypermodern societies. World Premiere

WINNIE / France (Director: Pascale Lamche) — While her husband served a life sentence, paradoxically kept safe and morally uncontaminated, Winnie Mandela rode the raw violence of apartheid, fighting on the front line and underground. This is the untold story of the mysterious forces that combined to take her down, labeling him a saint, her, a sinner. World Premiere

The Workers Cup / United Kingdom (Director: Adam Sobel) — Inside Qatar’s labor camps, African and Asian migrant workers building the facilities of the 2022 World Cup compete in a football tournament of their own. World Premiere. DAY ONE

NEXT
Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program. Digital technology paired with unfettered creativity promises that the films in this section will shape a "greater" next wave in American cinema. Presented by Adobe.

Columbus / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kogonada) — Casey lives with her mother in a little-known Midwestern town haunted by the promise of modernism. Jin, a visitor from the other side of the world, attends to his dying father. Burdened by the future, they find respite in one another and the architecture that surrounds them. Cast: John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Parker Posey, Rory Culkin, Michelle Forbes. World Premiere

Dayveon / U.S.A. (Director: Amman Abbasi, Screenwriters: Amman Abbasi, Steven Reneau) — In the wake of his older brother’s death, 13-year-old Dayveon spends the sweltering summer days roaming his rural Arkansas town. When he falls in with a local gang, he becomes drawn to the camaraderie and violence of their world. Cast: Devin Blackmon, Kordell "KD" Johnson, Dontrell Bright, Chasity Moore, Lachion Buckingham, Marquell Manning. World Premiere. DAY ONE

Deidra & Laney Rob a Train / U.S.A. (Director: Sydney Freeland, Screenwriter: Shelby Farrell) — Two teenage sisters start robbing trains to make ends meet after their single mother's emotional meltdown in an electronics store lands her in jail. Cast: Ashleigh Murray, Rachel Crow, Tim Blake Nelson, David Sullivan, Danielle Nicolet, Sasheer Zamata. World Premiere

A Ghost Story / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Lowery) — This is the story of a ghost and the house he haunts. Cast: Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, Will Oldham, Sonia Acevedo, Rob Zabrecky, Liz Franke. World Premiere

Gook / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Justin Chon) — Eli and Daniel, two Korean American brothers who own a struggling women's shoe store, have an unlikely friendship with 11-year-old Kamilla. On the first day of the 1992 L.A. riots, the trio must defend their store—and contemplate the meaning of family, their personal dreams and the future. Cast: Justin Chon, Simone Baker, David So, Curtiss Cook Jr., Sang Chon, Ben Munoz. World Premiere

L.A. Times / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michelle Morgan) — In this classically styled comedy of manners set in Los Angeles, sophisticated thirtysomethings try to determine whether ideal happiness exists in coupledom or if the perfectly suited couple is actually just an urban myth. Cast: Michelle Morgan, Dree Hemingway, Jorma Taccone, Kentucker Audley, Margarita Levieva, Adam Shapiro. World Premiere

Lemon / U.S.A. (Director: Janicza Bravo, Screenwriters: Janicza Bravo, Brett Gelman) — A man watches his life unravel after he is left by his blind girlfriend. Cast: Brett Gelman, Judy Greer, Michael Cera, Nia Long, Shiri Appleby, Fred Melamed. World Premiere

Menashe / U.S.A. (Director: Joshua Z Weinstein, Screenwriters: Joshua Z Weinstein, Alex Lipschultz, Musa Syeed) — Within Brooklyn’s ultra-orthodox Jewish community, a widower battles for custody of his son. A tender drama performed entirely in Yiddish, the film intimately explores the nature of faith and the price of parenthood. Cast: Menashe Lustig. World Premiere

Person to Person / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Dustin Guy Defa) — A record collector hustles for a big score while his heartbroken roommate tries to erase a terrible mistake, a teenager bears witness to her best friend’s new relationship and a rookie reporter, alongside her demanding supervisor, chases the clues of a murder case involving a life-weary clock shop owner. Cast: Abbi Jacobson, Michael Cera, Tavi Gevinson, Philip Baker Hall, Bene Coopersmith, George Sample III. World Premiere

Thoroughbred / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Cory Finley) — Two teenage girls in suburban Connecticut rekindle their unlikely friendship after years of growing apart. In the process, they learn that neither is what she seems to be—and that a murder might solve both of their problems. Cast: Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Anton Yelchin, Paul Sparks, Francie Swift, Kaili Vernoff. World Premiere

Three films announced today were funded in part through Kickstarter campaigns: Dayveon, Gook and Unrest.

Sundance Institute
Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides and preserves the space for artists in film, theatre, and new media to create and thrive. The Institute's signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences to artists in igniting new ideas, discovering original voices, and building a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, The Invisible War, The Square, Dirty Wars, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

PERSON TO PERSON World Premiere at Sundance 2017

November 30, 2016 #ArtReports

PERSON TO PERSON to Make World Premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival
Michael Cera, Tavi Gevinson, Abbi Jacobson, Bene Coopersmith and George Sample III Head up Ensemble Cast

PERSON TO PERSON, written and directed by Dustin Guy Defa, will make its World Premiere in the NEXT Section at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Film Festival takes place January 19-29 with screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort, Utah.

In PERSON TO PERSON, a record collector hustles for a big score while his heartbroken roommate tries to erase a terrible mistake, a teenager bears witness to her best friend’s new relationship, and a rookie reporter, alongside her demanding supervisor, chases the clues of a murder case involving a life-weary clock shop owner. The film boasts a talented ensemble of actors including Abbi Jacobson (“Broad City”), Michael Cera (SUPERBAD, JUNO), Tavi Gevinson (ENOUGH SAID), Isiah Whitlock, (25TH HOUR), Michaela Watkins (Hulu’s “Casual”), Olivia Luccardi (IT FOLLOWS), Ben Rosenfield (6 YEARS), Buddy Durress (HEAVEN KNOWS WHAT), Bene Coopersmith (L FOR LEISURE),George Sample III (HUNTER GATHERER) and Philip Baker Hall (MAGNOLIA).

Dustin Guy Defa said, “I'm so proud of our talented cast and dedicated crew who collaborated to make this film. There’s no place I’d rather be presenting their hard work to its first audiences than at Sundance.”

Defa’s films have won critical raves and garnered him much attention on the film festival circuit and beyond; he was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces in Independent Film” in 2014. He directed the feature-length film BAD FEVER, which premiered at SXSW 2011, as well as several short films including “Person To Person” (winner, DAAD Short Film at Berlinale 2014; winner, Special Jury Award for Narrative short at SXSW 2014), “Lydia Hoffman Lydia Hoffman” (BAMcinemaFest 2013), “Declaration of War” (2013), and “Family Nightmare” (BAMcinemaFest 2011, Locarno Film Festival 2012). The Film Society of Lincoln Center screened a retrospective of his short films in 2015.

PERSON TO PERSON is produced by Sara Murphy, Toby Halbrooks, and James M. Johnston and co-produced by Allison Rose Carter and Jon Read. It is Executive Produced by Joe Swanberg, Eddie Linker and Peter Gilbert of Forager Films and Matthew Perniciaro and Michael Sherman of Bow and Arrow Entertainment, in association with Sailor Bear and Park Pictures.

Lin-Manuel Miranda urges all Hamilton fans & everyone else, VOTE!

October 7, 2016 @ArtShrian

Alexander Hamilton was just a founding father on the $10 bill for most, until Lin-Manuel Miranda made the broadway super hit "Hamilton: An American Musical". The show has become a phenomena, making Hamilton and Lin a household name all over the country. And here comes a documentary on PBS, "Hamilton's America" by Alex Horowitz. The film debut at the 54th New York Film Festival, on Oct 1, was attended by Alex and Lin himself, with Tony award winner forHamilton musical, Renee Elise Goldberg and Ron Chernow, the author of the book on Hamilton, that inspired Lin to create the hip-hop musical.

Alex is Lin's friend since they were 19. He started video recording Lin couple years before the show, to document his journey. It starts with Lin starting to move into his new apartment, up in the heights. He goes to Whitt house to perform his first song at the poetry slam, that went viral, And then goes through the process of him writing 2 songs in 2 yrs, to kicking it up on his directors push. The film reflects on Lin's struggles as a writer and artist to come up with his songs & story.

It shows the research Lin and the cast of the show had to go through different historic sites part ofHamilton's lie in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The film also features interviews with the team of Hamilton, Ron Chernow, Lin with The President Barrack Obama, President George W Bush, Senator ...

The screening was followed by Q&A with Alex, Lin, Renee and Ron. Lin thanked his father who is an immigrant from Puerto Rico, and shared how he's been inspiration for his characterization ofHamilton in the show. When Art Shrian asked Lin about "Immigrant's America", to reflect on what's going in the currently right now and what role we could play, his response was "VOTE". In his own words:

New York Film Festival: PBS documentary Hamilton's America panel discussion with Lin Manuel Miranada, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Ron Chernow and director Alex Horowitz.

“There is a long tradition of using the word ‘immigrant’ as an epithet of distrust of the latest group of people who have gotten here. It is a very easy thing to do for a politician — it happens every 20 years of so, usually happens around the election cycle where you point at the people who got here most recently and say, ‘They’re the reason you don’t have a job.'

"It happened with the Irish at the turn of the 19th century, it’s happening with Mexican-Americans right now, and this is about as virulent a form of this virus as I’ve seen in my lifetime,."

"We have to survive it. And if it bothers you, vote.”

Last, but not the least - The documentary will also feature several songs from the original broadway cast.

Hamilton's America airs Friday, Oct. 21, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on PBS.

Following the world premiere of the documentary Hamilton's America at the 54th New York Film Festival, director Alex Horwitz joined Lin-Manuel Miranda, Renée Elise Goldsberry, and more on stage for a Q&A. Lin-Manuel Miranda takes us inside the making of his groundbreaking American musical Hamilton, winner of eleven Tonys, as well as the Pulitzer Prize, and a Grammy Award.