It’s the Best of African and African-American filmmakers and stories at the 2017 New York Film Festival 55 — September 28 to October 15

Seven films with black star power will make their impact on the 2017 New York Film Festival — running from September 28 to October 15, 2017. And that includes an evening with director Ava DuVernay (October 6th) who will choose an artist to join her for a special onstage conversation, which will include wide-ranging discussion about the state of the cinematic arts.  

The overall festival is built around a thoroughly vetted main slate culled from films seen in top global festivals (and meant for theatrical runs) but, this year, has many drawn from the streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon. ell.

This year, the 55th edition of the New York Film Festival will also feature the Convergence section (which runs from September 29 – October 1). In its sixth edition, the highly anticipated annual program delves into the world of immersive storytelling via interactive experiences, and features virtual reality, augmented reality, live labs and demos, and more.  From October 6th-9th, the Projections section screens eight features and eight shorts programs which present an international selection of film and video work that expands upon our notions of what the moving image can do and be

Among the 18 days of the fest, check out these picks of the must-see films at the 2017 NYFF:

“Mudbound" by writer/director Dee Rees

This is a historical epic about a failing economy of Mississippi during the World War II era. Two families, one white (the landlords) and one black (the sharecroppers) work the same miserable piece of farmland. A Netflix release.

“Félicité” directed by Alan Gomis 

A feature made by a French director of Guinea-Bissauan and Senegalese descent. This story is set the Congo where a woman named Félicité (Véro Tshanda Beya Mputu) scrapes together a living as a singer in a makeshift bar (her accompanists are played by members of the Kasai Allstars band).  

“Boom For Real - The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat” directed by Sara Driver 

A look at Jean-Michel Basquiat's life pre-fame, and how New York City, the times, the people and the movements around him formed the artist he became.

“The Rape of Recy Taylor” directed by Nancy Buirksi 

From the Spotlight on Doc section comes this film about Recy Taylor, a 24-year-old black mother, and sharecropper, who was gang-raped by six white boys in 1944 Alabama — something that happened far too often in the Jim Crow South. Recy Taylor bravely identified her rapists.                                               

“Tonsler Park,” directed by Kevin Jerome Everson

On Election Day, 2016 Everson’s 16mm camera quietly observed a community of mostly African-American voters and volunteers at a local polling precinct in Charlottesville, Virginia.

“The Mike Henderson program” (Projections)  

A singular cinematic figure, San Francisco's Mike Henderson became one of the first independent African-American artists to make inroads into experimental filmmaking in the 1960s.

“Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun?” by director-screenwriter-producer-editor Travis Wilkerson  

Another Spotlight on Doc film, this unique production tries to answer how is it that some people escape the racism and misogyny in which they are raised, and some cling to it as if it were their reason for existence? This film/theater hybrid investigates the creator’s great-grandfather's killing of a black man in 1946.

“Piazza Vittorio” directed by Abel Ferrara

Also in the Spotlight on Doc program, this film illuminates the African musicians and restaurant workers, and others who call Rome’s biggest public square, Piazza Vittorio, (built in the 19th century) home. 

Seinfeld, Hart, Apatow, take the stage at JFL 2017, + "Stand Up On The Spot"

Yesterday, the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal heated up with performances from some of the world's top comedians, including Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Hart and Mike Birbiglia. It was a big day for the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, now with its 35th annual event in full swing. 

Jerry Seinfeld made his return to the festival since his performance in the 1980s, bringing him face-to-face with his French doppelgänger, Gad Elmelah, on stage for the first time in a shared co-headlined event. Elmelah, an emerging comedic superstar around the world, is often referred to as the "Jerry Seinfeld of France" and the two comedians have even joked that their similarities go way beyond similar comedy styles as it's been said that they also share similar physical appearances. 

Kevin Hart, who is attending the festival this week to announce the winners of "Eat My Shorts”, a talent search competition for his LOL Network, gave a surprise midnight performance to excited festival goers, bringing him back to his stand-up roots at the very same festival that gave him his start when he was named a “New Face” in 2001. Hart's set touched on his life experiences as a parent, including his excitement (and anxiety) over his forthcoming third child.

Stand Up on the Spot (Photo Credit. Just for Laughs-Joseph Fuda)

Check out this photo from the "Stand Up On The Spot" show. One the best parts of this festival is that it shows the comedian camaraderie. It’s “comedian summer camp” where they all want to hang out with each other, and do pop up sets at each other's shows. From left to right: David Kau, Tom Segura, Jeffrey Ross, Judd Apatow, Russell Peters, Chris D'Elia and Wayne Federman. Credit: Just For Laughs/ Joseph Fuda

The day also featured galas hosted by David Spade, as well as SNL's Michael Che and Colin Jost, showcasing a range of talent from today's top comedians, including Jeff Ross, The Lucas Bros., Katherine Ryan, K. Trevor Wilson, Godfrey, Arj Barker, Jim Norton, Lil Rey Howery, Sarah Millican, Steve Byrne, Ivan Decker, Phil Hanley, and David Baddiel. 

Audiences were also treated to stand-up sets from Mike Birbiglia and Tom Segura.

Finally, always a highly-anticipated annual event, Just for Laugh's "New Faces" showcase introduced 2017's top emerging names in comedy to watch out for. The event previously introduced some of today's comedic heavy hitters, including Kevin Hart, Amy Schumer,Hannibal Buress, and Demetri Martin. Hosted by Montreal's very own, Sugar Sammy, this year's talent showcase included Jared Freid, Taylor Tomlinson, Martin Urbano, Preacher Lawson, Blair Socci, Yedoye Travis, Charles Gould, Danny Jolles, Rae Sanni, and JR De Guzman. 

NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL (June 30 – July 16)

FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER and SUBWAY CINEMA Announce Full Lineup for THE 16th NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL
(June 30 – July 16, 2017)

Opening Gala is the International Premiere of Thai high school thriller Bad Genius, Centerpiece Gala is the North American Premiere of slow-burning Filipino thriller Birdshot, and Closing Gala is the U.S. Premiere of Jung Byung-gil’s revenge thriller The Villainess

Just shy of 60 films, the festival features a 20th Anniversary Hong Kong Panorama with an eye on emerging talent, a focus on LGBTQ films, Nikkatsu’sRoman Porno Reboot Project, and spotlights on the cinemas of mainland China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia

Plus the brand new NYAFF Main Competition featuring seven diverse films by first- and second-time directors receiving their North American Premiere

Festival honorees include Star Asia Lifetime Achievement awardee Tony Leung Ka-fai (Hong Kong), Star Asia Award recipient Gang Dong-won (South Korea), and Screen International Rising Star Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying (Thailand)

Other prominent guests will include director Lawrence Lau and actress Carrie Ng (Hong Kong), Korean actress Han Ye-ri, Korean-Chinese director Zhang Lu, and more

 The Film Society of Lincoln Center and Subway Cinema announced today the complete lineup for the 16th New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), which will take place from June 30 to July 13 at the Film Society and July 14 to 16 at the SVA Theatre. North America’s leading festival of popular Asian cinema will showcase 57 feature films, including 3 International Premieres, 21 North American Premieres, 4 U.S. Premieres, and 15 films making their New York City debuts. The festival will feature in-person appearances by more than 20 international filmmakers and celebrity guests from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

This year, all three of NYAFF’s Gala screenings are brilliant reinventions of the thriller genre. The Opening Gala will be the International Premiere of Nattawut Poonpiriya’s Bad Genius, the first Southeast Asian film to open the festival, with the director and stars in attendance. In this exhilarating high-school thriller, straight-A students Lynn (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying) and Bank (Chanon Santinatornkul) stage a heist that will undermine the U.S. university entrance system after they lose their own scholarships.The Centerpiece Gala of the festivalwill be the North American Premiere of Mikhail Red’s Birdshot, a continuation of the festival programmers’ efforts to champion films from Southeast Asia, and the Philippines in particular. The Closing Gala is the U.S. Premiere of Jung Byung-gil's The Villainess, fresh from its Midnight screening in Cannes. The adrenaline-soaked action film stars Kim Ok-vin as a ruthless female assassin trained in China who starts a new life with South Korea’s Intelligence Agency.

New to NYAFF in 2017 is the Main Competition section, featuring seven diverse works by first or second-time directors that are all having their North American premieres at the festival. Competing are Bad Genius (Thailand), Birdshot (Philippines), A Double Life (Japan), The Gangster’s Daughter (Taiwan), Kfc (Vietnam), Jane (South Korea), and With Prisoners (Hong Kong). The competition jury will be announced at a later date, with winners revealed on the festival’s final night at Film Society of Lincoln Center on July 13.

“We were seeking a range of original films from young, first-time directors, films that represent the diversity of filmmaking from Asia, stories that say something both very local and specific to their countries of origin and something very universal: we hope we achieved at least some of this with our inaugural competition selection, which includes films from seven countries/cities in the region in a broad variety of genres,” NYAFF executive director Samuel Jamier said. “It’s important for us to champion new filmmaking from Asia, and the diversity of film made there at a time when other festivals in North America seem to be reducing the size of their Asian lineups.”

The New York Asian Film Festival 2017: Sweet 16th Edition June 30-July 16, 2016 at Film Society of Lincoln Center (June 30-July 13) and SVA Theatre (July 14-July 16) 57 films from Asia http://subwaycinema.com http://filmlinc.org

More now than ever, Hong Kong cinema is at the core of the festival’s programming: faithful to its Chinatown origins, this year’s edition celebrates the best filmmaking from the Special Administrative Region with a central Hong Kong Panorama section, commemorating the 20th anniversary of its establishment, with major support from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York. Over the past two decades, Hong Kong cinema has continuously influenced and inspired many filmmakers in Asia and in the world. This year’s lineup proves the originality and excellence of its production is intact: from a powerful condemnation of life inside the territory’s juvenile detention centers (With Prisoners),  to a tale of corruption and redemption set in the underbelly of 1960s Hong Kong (Dealer/Healer), the films bear testimony to the city’s rich cinema history.

The core of the panorama will be a special (and first of its kind) focus on the exciting new generation of directors, titled Young Blood Hong Kong. As part of the 20th anniversary, the festival is looking to the future of Hong Kong cinema, rather than its past: these recent Hong Kong directors are working in various genres, tackling a range of social issues, and paying homage to the film traditions they grew up with, from tenement dramas to vampire comedies. Meanwhile, NYAFF continues to bring established, major filmmakers from the region: Lawrence Lau, who, along with Ann Hui, is one of Hong Kong’s best neorealist directors, will be introducing his star-studded crime action drama Dealer/Healer; the Panorama will spotlight the new generation from the region with guest filmmaker Wong Chun and screenwriter Florence Chan with Mad World, Derek Hui with This Is Not What I Expected, and Alan Lo with Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight. Other films by first-time Hong Kong directors in this year’s lineup are Derek Tsang’s Soul Mate, Yan Pak-wing and Chiu Sin-hang’s Vampire Cleanup Department, and Andrew Wong’s With Prisoners.

The 2017 lineup also includes five LGBTQ-themed films: two dramas with transsexual protagonists, Naoko Ogigami’s Close-Knit from Japan, and Cho Hyun-hoon’s drama Jane from South Korea; two coming-of-age high-school youth dramas, Ahn Jung-min’s Fantasy of the Girlsfrom South Korea, andLeste Chen’s 2006 Eternal Summer from Taiwan, which merits a second look a decade on; and Lee Sang-il’s wild and violent mystery thriller Rage, featuring Go Ayano (NYAFF 2016 Rising Star Asia awardee) as a homeless stranger invited into the home of a semi-closeted salaryman (Satoshi Tsumabuki) as his live-in-lover.

Another highlight of this year’s festival are three films that celebrate Japan's unique "Roman Porno" genre, each having their North American premieres: Aroused by Gymnopedies, Dawn of the Felines, and Wet Woman in the Wind. Nikkatsu, Japan’s oldest film studio, is celebrating 45 years since they birthed the softcore Roman Porno genre (roman derives from the French word for novel). Invented to save a dying industry, they gave carte blanche to directors with minimal rules: keep it under 80 minutes with a sex scene every ten. This allowed for wild stream of consciousness works of both the highest and lowest caliber. Now, Nikkatsu has enlisted top contemporary talent for the Roman Porno Reboot Project, taking the provocative, envelope-pushing format to a whole new level.

In addition to the festival’s screenings, the NYAFF awards a number of honorees each year, including this year’s recipients:
 

·       The 2017 NYAFF Lifetime Achievement Award goes to veteran Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Ka-fai, who will attend a three-film tribute, including Johnnie To’s Election, Longman Leung & Sunny Luk’s Cold War 2 and Tsui’s Hark’s The Taking of Tiger Mountain 3D. In a career spanning 35 years, Leung has worked with the iconic directors Li Han-hsiang, Wong Kar-wai, Stanley Kwan, and Jean-Jacques Annaud, and starred opposite the screen legends Jackie Chan, Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau, Jet Li, and Fan Bingbing. Leung was arguably the first Hong Kong star to become an international heartthrob, in Jean-Jacques Annaud’s The Lover.

·       Our Star Asia Award recipient is Korean movie star Gang Dong-won, whose charisma and emotional investment in his performances gives his films a unique edge. His most iconic films include Lee Myung-se’s Duelist, Park Jin-pyo’s Voice of a Murderer, and Jang Hoon’s Secret Reunion. Last year, NYAFF presented two of his films, The Priests and A Violent Prosecutor, and in 2017, the festival will be joined by Gang to present a special screening of the magical fable Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned.

·       The Screen International Rising Star Asia Award will be given to Thailand’s Chutimon “Aokbab” Chuengcharoensukying. The 21-year-old model, who is still a student at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, found fame last year in Thank You for Sharing, an eight-minute, viral short about cyber-bullying. The NYAFF is opening with her feature debut, Bad Genius, in which she stars as a high-school student who masterminds an ambitious heist of the American university entrance exam system. It's a demanding role, in which her quick-witted character must navigate a complex moral universe where parents and teachers don’t always know best.

Tickets go on sale June 15, with Film Society and Subway Cinema members receiving an early access period beginning June 13. Tickets are $14; $11 for students and seniors (62+); and $9 for Film Society members. See more and save with a 3+ film discount package and All Access Pass. Learn more at filmlinc.org.

Credits:

Curated by executive director Samuel Jamier, deputy director Stephen Cremin, and programmers Claire Marty and David Wilentz.

The New York Asian Film Festival is co-presented by Subway Cinema and the Film Society of Lincoln Center and takes place from June 30 to July 13 at Film Society’s Walter Reade Theater (165 West 65th St), and July 14 to 16 at SVA Theatre (333 West 23 St).

Keep up to date with information at www.filmlinc.org and www.subwaycinema.com. Subway Cinema can be followed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nyaff and Twitter at www.twitter.com/subwaycinema.

FULL LINEUP :

Titles in bold are included in the Main Competition

CHINA:
Co-presented with Confucius Institute Headquarters and China Institute

- Battle of Memories (Leste Chen, 2017)

- Blood of Youth (Yang Shupeng, 2016)

- Duckweed (Han Han, 2017)

- Extraordinary Mission (Alan Mak & Anthony Pun, 2017)

- Someone to Talk to (Liu Yulin, 2016)

- Soul on a String (Zhang Yang, 2016)


HONG KONG PANORAMA :
Presented with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York

- Cold War 2 (Longman Leung, Sunny Luk, 2016)

- Dealer/Healer (Lawrence Lau, 2017)

- Election (Johnnie To, 2005)

- Mad World (Wong Chun, 2016)

- Soul Mate (Derek Tsang, 2016)

- The Taking of Tiger Mountain (Tsui Hark, 2014)

- This Is Not What I Expected (Derek Hui, 2017)

- Vampire Cleanup Department (Yan Pak-wing, Chiu Sin-hang, 2017)

- With Prisoners(Andrew Wong, 2017)

- Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight (Alan Lo, 2017)
 

JAPAN:

- Aroused by Gymnopedies (Isao Yukisada, 2016)

- Close-Knit (Naoko Ogigami, 2017)

- Dawn of the Felines (Kazuya Shiraishi, 2016)

- Destruction Babies (Tetsuya Mariko, 2016)

- A Double Life (Yoshiyuki Kishi, 2016)

- Happiness (Sabu, 2016)

- Japanese Girls Never Die (Daigo Matsui, 2016)

- The Long Excuse (Miwa Nishikawa, 2016)

- Love and Other Cults (Eiji Uchida, 2017) 

- The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio (Takashi Miike, 2016) 

- Rage (Lee Sang-il, 2016)

- Suffering of Ninko (Norihiro Niwatsukino, 2016)  

- Survival Family (Shinobu Yaguchi, 2017)

- Traces of Sin (Kei Ishikawa, 2016) 

- Wet Woman in the Wind (Akihiro Shiota, 2016)


SOUTH KOREA:

Presented with the support of Korean Cultural Center New York

- Fabricated City (Park Kwang-hyun, 2017)

- Fantasy of the Girls (Ahn Jung-min, 2016)

- Jane (Cho Hyun-hoon, 2016)

- Ordinary Person (Kim Bong-han, 2017)

- A Quiet Dream (Zhang Lu, 2016)

- A Single Rider (Lee Joo-young, 2017)

- Split (Choi Kook-hee, 2016)

- The Tooth and the Nail (Jung Sik, Kim Whee, 2017)

- The Truth Beneath (Lee Kyoung-mi, 2016)

- Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned (Uhm Tae-hwa, 2016)

- The Villainess (Jung Byung-gil, 2017)

SOUTHEAST ASIA

- Bad Genius(Nattawut Poonpiriya, Thailand, 2017)

- Birdshot (Mikhail Red, Philippines, 2016)

- Kfc (Le Binh Giang, Vietnam, 2017)

- Mrs. K (Ho Yuhang, Malaysia, 2016)

- Saving Sally (Avid Liongoren, Philippines, 2016)

- Town in a Lake (Jet Leyco, Philippines, 2015)

TAIWAN
Presented with the support of the Taipei Cultural Center of TECO in New York

- Eternal Summer (Leste Chen, 2006)

- The Gangster’s Daughter (Chen Mei-juin, 2017)

- Godspeed (Chung Mong-hong, 2016)

- Mon Mon Mon Monsters (Giddens, 2017)

- The Road to Mandalay (Midi Z, 2016)

- The Village of No Return (Chen Yu-hsun, 2017)

 

DOCUMENTARIES

- Bamseom Pirates Seoul Inferno (Jung Yoon-suk, 2017)

- Mrs. B., A North Korean Woman (Jero Yun, 2016)
 

NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL (NYAFF)

Now in its 16th year, the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) is North America’s leading festival of popular Asian cinema, which The Village Voice has called “the best film festival in New York,” and The New York Times has called “one of the city’s most valuable events.” Launched in 2002 by Subway Cinema, the festival selects only the best, strangest, and most entertaining movies to screen for New York audiences, ranging from mainstream blockbusters and art-house eccentricities to genre and cult classics. It was the first North American film festival to champion the works of Johnnie To, Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook, Takashi Miike, and other auteurs of contemporary Asian cinema. Since 2010, it has been produced in collaboration with the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

 

FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER
The Film Society of Lincoln Center is devoted to supporting the art and elevating the craft of cinema. The only branch of the world-renowned arts complex Lincoln Center to shine a light on the everlasting yet evolving importance of the moving image, this nonprofit organization was founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international film. Via year-round programming and discussions; its annual New York Film Festival; and its publications, including Film Comment, the U.S.’s premier magazine about films and film culture, the Film Society endeavors to make the discussion and appreciation of cinema accessible to a broader audience, as well as to ensure that it will remain an essential art form for years to come.

The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from The New York Times, Shutterstock, Variety, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. For more information, visit www.filmlinc.org and follow @filmlinc on Twitter.

 

ABOUT SUBWAY CINEMA

Subway Cinema is America’s leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the exhibition and appreciation of Asian popular film culture in all forms, building bridges between Asia and the West. With year-round festivals and programs, the organization aims to bring wide audience and critical attention to contemporary and classic Asian cinema in the U.S. In 2002, Subway Cinema launched its flagship event, the annual New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), which is North America’s leading festival of popular Asian cinema. Subway cinema’s other events and initiatives include Old School Kung Fu Fest (OSKFF).

For more information, visit www.subwaycinema.com, www.facebook.com/NYAFF, and follow @subwaycinema on Twitter (#nyaff16).

Subway Cinema receives generous, year-round support from the Kenneth A. Cowin Foundation and sponsorships from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York, Korean Cultural Center New York, Taipei Cultural Center of TECO in New York, China Institute, Manhattan Portage, Tsingtao Beer, Japan Foundation New York, Maven Wine, Bruce R. Watts, and thanks their media partners: Screen International, Asian Crush, China Film Insider, Chopsticks NY.

NYC'S IFC CENTER UNVEILS ADDITIONAL LINEUP FOR INAUGURAL SPLIT SCREENS FESTIVAL

NYC'S IFC CENTER UNVEILS ADDITIONAL LINEUP FOR INAUGURAL SPLIT SCREENS FESTIVAL 

Week-Long Event, Programmed And Moderated By Critic/Author Matt Zoller Seitz,

To Present First Legacy Award to Actress/Director/Trailblazer Lee Grant, Monday, June 5th

Additional Panels Showcasing Acclaimed, Highly Anticipated Scripted Content Include: Premiere of USA Network’s ‘The Sinner’; Special Screening of ‘The Sopranos’ Pine Barrens Episode With Creator David Chase, Recipient of The Festival’s Vanguard Award; An In-Depth Look at Margo Martindale’s Many Roles Including Amazon’s ‘Sneaky Pete’; An Exploration of Web Series; A Deep-Dive into the End of ‘Hannibal’;

A Discussion About the Art & Craft of Amazon’s ‘The Man In The High Castle’;

Plus A Look at the Art of TV Criticism Featuring Seitz and TV’s Most Prominent Critical Voices

Festival To Take Place from June 2-8; Tickets Now on Sale at SplitScreensFestival.com

[New York, May 22, 2017] – IFC Center today announced the remaining events scheduled during the inauguralSplit Screens Festival (www.splitscreensfestival.com) taking place Friday, June 2 through Thursday, June 8, 2017, at the IFC Center in New York City.  

 

Details announced last week, including a premiere of HBO's period drama, "The Deuce,"  plus panels for “Difficult People” (Hulu), “The Get Down” (Netflix), “Orphan Black” (BBC AMERICA), “Search Party (TBS); “The Girlfriend Experience”(STARZ), “Underground” (WGN America); “Billions" (Showtime), “Brockmire”(IFC), “Mr. Robot” (USA Network),  and “Better Call Saul” (AMC), laid the groundwork for what is expected to be New York's premiere television festival event this summer.

 

As previously announced, the festival will be anchored by four signature categories: PREMIERES, an opportunity for audiences to be  among the first to screen an anticipated new series; CLOSE-UP, focused primarily on the work of one or two celebrated actors in a series; SHOWCASE, which will take a deeper look at a series through the lens of its creators, producers and stars;  and REWIND, revisiting an iconic episode of television via a screening and conversation with the creatives who have brought their vision to life.

 

IFC Center along with Split Screens’ curator/moderator Matt Zoller Seitz said that the Festival will feature several signature events and presentations including the first-ever Legacy Award, sponsored by AMC Networks, an annual honor presented to a television leader who has broken new ground and reshaped the landscape and the industry over the course of a significant career.  On Monday, June 5 at 6:30 PM, the 2017 Legacy Award will be presented to actress/director and trailblazer, Lee Grant followed by a thoughtful exchange between Grant and Seitz about Grant's body of work over the past seven decades.  Most recently, Grant created a short piece for YouTube entitled “Battered: The Assault on Hillary Clinton,” a montage of what Grant saw Clinton endure during the presidential campaign.  

 

New festival highlights announced today include: PREMIERE of USA’s “The Sinner”; CLOSE-UP conversation featuring Margo Martindale of “Sneaky Pete” (Amazon); a REWIND panel on “Hannibal” (NBC); SHOWCASE event on “The Man in the High Castle” (Amazon); and lastly two SPECIAL EVENT panels: “The Evolution of Television Criticism” featuring some of the country's most well-respected critical voices as they dissect the latest and (sometimes not so) greatest moments in TV and “New Platforms, New Voices” exploring the creation of web series.

 

In addition to the Legacy Award, Split Screens will present the Festival’s Vanguard Award to “The Sopranos” visionary David Chase, a creative master whose work has demonstrably shifted the direction of the television industry. The June 5th event, scheduled for 8:30 PM, includes a special screening of the classic Pine Barrens episode directed by Steve Buscemi, who will be in attendance, and will present the award along with co-writer and co-executive producer Terence Winter.

 

Most festival screenings and panel discussions will be hosted and moderated by Split Screens artistic director Matt Zoller Seitz. As Editor-in-Chief of RogerEbert.com, TV critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism, and the author of TV (The Book) and studies on Wes Anderson, Oliver Stone and Mad Men, Seitz, the ultimate TV fan, knows that audiences can't get enough of good television content.

 

“We spent hours considering those talented individuals whose work and ethic stood out amongst a long list of brilliant creatives,” noted Matt Zoller Seitz.  “In the end, we chose to honor two individuals who we believe have changed the face of the entertainment industry --Lee Grant, a woman whose long record of excellence both in front of and behind the camera speaks for itself, and David Chase whose masterful work was on the leading edge of what we now call Peak TV.  It’s an honor and a privilege to have them with us during the week of the festival and we look forward to getting their take on the world of television today.”

 

Split Screens Festival is made possible by Major Sponsors SHOWTIME®, AMC Networks; Supporting Sponsor BBC AMERICA; Event Sponsors USA Network, FX Networks. Additional support from Friends of the Festival include WGN America, Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and Wheelhouse Creative.

 

Social Media Handles:

Facebook:           https://www.facebook.com/SplitScreensTV

Twitter:                @SplitScreensTV

Instagram:          @SplitScreensTV

 

Ticket Information:

  • Tickets for the opening night premiere of “The Deuce” are $30 ($25 IFC Center members)
  • Tickets for individual events are $12-$19 ($10-$16 IFC Center members)
  • A festival pass, providing admission to all festival programs, is available for $125 ($95 IFC Center members)

 

Tickets, festival passes and additional program information are available online at SplitScreensFestival.com, or in person at the IFC Center box office at 323 Sixth Ave. (at West 3rd St.), open daily 10:30am-10:00pm

 

Press Contacts:

FerenComm for Split Screens Festival

SplitScreensPR@ferencomm.com

212-983-9898

For sponsorship information, please contact sponsorship@splitscreensfestival.com

To download Split Screens Festival logo click HERE

 

SPLIT SCREENS FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

 

FRIDAY, JUNE 2  

7:00PM - “THE DEUCE” (HBO) PREMIERE

In person: Series producer and co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal, pilot director Michelle MacLaren and series co-creator George Pelecanos

 

To download image click HERE

 

Split Screens premieres the pilot episode of HBO’s eagerly anticipated New York period drama from executive producers David Simon and George Pelecanos (The Wire), about the rise of the porn industry in and around Times Square in the 1970s. The cast includes Maggie Gyllenhaal as an entrepreneurial sex worker and James Franco as twin brothers who serve as fronts for the Mafia. True to form for a producing team that shepherdedThe Wire and Treme into existence, The Deuce is a beating-heart-of-the-city drama that explores the interconnectedness of characters from different social classes and ethnicities, some of whom find themselves at odds over money, honor and the obligation to uphold the law.

 

SATURDAY, JUNE 3  

1:00 PM - THE EVOLUTION OF TELEVISION CRITICISM  SPECIAL EVENT

In person: Sonia Saraiya, Variety; Emily Nussbaum, The New Yorker; Angelica Jade Bastien, contributor to Vulture and The Atlantic; and Matt Zoller Seitz

 

Much of early television was, to quote Edward R. Murrow’s exhausted call for substance in TV journalism, little more than lights and wires in a box. And TV criticism was a similarly disreputable arm of print journalism, the job you took if no other discipline would tolerate you.  It consisted largely of rote descriptions of what aired last night and teasers for whatever was coming up tomorrow, plus listings, and, if the readers were lucky, the writer was funny and would throw in a not-terrible joke.

 

The medium evolved through the years, though, and critics evolved with it, treating Murrow’s idiot box as a window into and mirror of the world at large. Reflecting the diversity of its subject, TV criticism has exploded into dozens of different subgenres, from sociopolitical “hot takes” to deep-dish formal analysis to recaps of individual episodes and even video essays that use bits and pieces of the shows themselves in order to analyze, praise or decry them. A panel of distinguished columnists with experience that spans three decades will take us through the changes and talk about where both TV and TV criticism might be headed.

 

2:45 PM - BUILDING THE WORLD OF “THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE” (AMAZON) SHOWCASE

In person: Production designer Drew Boughton and costume designer J.R. Hawbaker

 

 

To download image click HERE

 

Based on Philip K. Dick's Hugo Award-winning 1962 novel, Amazon's The Man in the High Castle visualizes an alternate reality in which the Axis powers won World War Il. The continental United States has been divvied up into three zones: the East Coast, run by Germany; the West coast, run by imperial Japan, and the middle part of the country, a no-man's land that suggests an industrialized version of the mythic Wild West of yore. This lavishly produced nightmare adventure is one of the most thoroughly imagined worlds ever built for television, mixing an array of cultural, architectural and historical influences to suggest how competing world views express themselves in daily life. This special panel will reveal how the High Castle team works to convince the audience that this is all actually happening, using everything from green-screen composited digital skyscrapers to cleverly fabricated documents, cigarette packages, high heeled shoes and "vintage" revolvers, none of which ever existed in our world.

 

4:30 PM – “MR. ROBOT” (USA Network) CLOSE-UP with Rami Malek

In person: Actor Rami Malek

 

To download image click HERE

 

It’s tricky enough to be the lead actor on a TV drama, more so when you’re in almost every scene, and trickier still when your character narrates the show. USA Network’s Golden Globe® award winner Mr. Robot tasks its star, Rami Malek, with all these responsibilities, then adds more: It’s one of the most relentlessly interior shows, inviting you into the headspace of its lead character—computer expert and secret vigilante hacker Elliot Alderson—and showing you the world as he sees it.

Through clips and discussion, the event takes a deep dive with Malek into his performance as the show’s title character. Playing an introvert turned underground revolutionary, Malek shapes his role through research and prep work, posture and gestures, and even the way he modulates his voice between Elliot’s dialogue with different characters and his voiceover narration directly to the audience. Co-presented By USA Network.

7:00 PM - “THE SINNER” (USA NETWORK) PREMIERE

In person: Series creator and showrunner Derek Simonds and executive producer and director Antonio Campos.

 

To download image click HERE

 

In this remarkable new psychological thriller, Jessica Biel stars as Cora Tannetti, a young mother who is suddenly and mysteriously subsumed by rage and commits a shocking act of violence in plain view of others. Bill Pullman costars as Detective Harry Ambrose, who tries to understand why she did it, a question that no one, Cora included, can answer.  Created by screenwriter Derek Simonds and featuring a pilot directed by independent filmmaker Antonio Campos (Simon Killer, Christine), it’s a rare potboiler that’s more concerned with the psychology of disturbed people than with the procedural details that too often bog down these kinds of stories. Everyone knows what happened and who did it; the big question is why. Co-presented by USA Network. 

 

9:00 PM – “SEARCH PARTY” (TBS) SHOWCASE

In person: Series creators, co-directors and executive producers Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, and executive producer Lilly Burns

 

To download image click HERE

 

It’s rare to encounter a TV series that could accurately be described as a satire, much less an unsparing one, butSearch Party absolutely qualifies. It’s a mystery about people trying to get to the bottom of a young woman’s disappearance, but that’s just what’s happening on the surface. The detective story is the gimmick that draws you in so that this exceptional and surprising show — credited to a rogue’s gallery of executive producers, including Michael Showalter, Sarah-Violet Bliss, and Charles Rogers — can work its dark magic. The vanishing is a device that the show uses to explore Dory’s (Alia Shawkat) world and make uncomfortable observations about modern life, in particular the tendency to confuse the ego-stroking virtual busywork of the text- and social media-driven era for actual, meaningful action. There’s an even deeper level to this series, something on the order of an existential quest, a long journey into the heroine’s emotional interior. The condition of believing oneself sensitive while feeling very little has rarely been examined with such exactness.

 

SUNDAY, JUNE 4

12:30 PM - “SNEAKY PETE” (Amazon) CLOSE-UP with Margo Martindale

In person: Actress Margo Martindale  

 

 

To download image click HERE

 

Born and raised in Jacksonville, Texas, Margo Martindale was a reliable character actor on stage and in films and television series for decades before she suddenly and delightfully became a star on FX Networks’ crime saga Justified, playing Mags Bennett, a Ma Barker-styled Kentucky crime boss who dispatches her foes with poisoned moonshine. A string of very different, equally eye-catching roles followed, in such series as The Americans (playing Claudia, a devious KGB handler) and the Netflix animated series Bojack Horseman (playing a version of herself, appropriately referred to by other characters as “Esteemed Actress Margo Martindale”).

 

Her most recent role might be her most all-encompassing: on Amazon’s Sneaky Pete, Martindale plays the grandmother of Giovanni Ribisi’s con man hero, a small town bail bondswoman who is determined to keep her family together even as it threatens to buckle under the pressure of repaying a debt to a gangster (series co-creator Bryan Cranston). Mixing Mags’ ferocious family loyalty, Claudia’s barbed wire ruthlessness and the eccentric warmth she brought to the short-lived CBS sitcom The Millers (which Martindale still recalls fondly), it’s a milestone role in a career that continues to surprise and delight.

 

2:30 PM - “THE GET DOWN” (NETFLIX) SHOWCASE

In person: co-creator and executive producer Stephen Adly Guirgis, supervising producer Nelson George

 

To download image click HERE

 

“Unfold your own myth,” blares a graffiti tag on the skin of a subway car in The Get Down. Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adly Guirgis’s 1970s musical melodrama about the birth of hip-hop and the fall of dirty-glorious Gotham is forever characterizing itself this way: like a rapper nimbly reframing a story as he tells it. It’s a multimedia work—television, cinema, a novel, a scrapbook; collage, decoupage, a montage barrage. The sheer, shameless entertainment value of The Get Down camouflages how formally inventive it is. The gleeful way that the image texture (1970s TV news video, 16mm, what looks like enhanced YouTube footage) changes from shot to shot suggests the filmmakers are glorying in a crazy-quilt aesthetic instead of knocking themselves out trying to make every piece seem like part of a seamless whole. The show is sampling pop culture history, New York City history and music history to create its own sound.

 

4:30 PM – “DIFFICULT PEOPLE” (HULU) SHOWCASE

In person: Series creator, co-executive producer and costar Julie Klausner

 

 

To download image click HERE

 

Julie Klausner’s series about brilliant, acerbic, self-defeating best buds on the fringes of stardom is tailor-made for the YouTube era, when artists and entertainers act as their own agents, publicists and managers and watch their colleagues’ successes and failures unfold in real time, with envy or glee, depending.

 

Julie (Klausner) and Billy (Billy Eichner) keep hatching schemes like a couple of Lucy Ricardos, even though their quest is motivated less by a burning urge to express themselves than a lust for fame and comfort. They pop others’ delusions and preserve their own, but even at their pettiest, there are moments when they speak the truth, and some of their most penetrating insights have to do with the show you’re watching and the medium that spawned it. One of Difficult People’s fiercest convictions is that a sitcom’s first obligation is to be funny and engaging, a surprisingly contrarian point of view now that every form of scripted entertainment is striving to subvert rather than embrace proven formulas. “When did comedies become 30-minute dramas?” Billy asks, with an aghast tone that suggests Difficult People is not interested in becoming one.

 

6:15 PM – “BETTER CALL SAUL” (AMC) CLOSE-UP with Michael McKean as Chuck McGill

In person: Actor Michael McKean and series co-creator and co-executive producer Peter Gould

 

 

To download image click HERE

Better Call Saul, Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s improbably just-as-good prequel to Breaking Bad, is a showcase for ace character actors, none as sneakily great as Michael McKean, who costars as the slippery hero’s straight-arrow older brother, Chuck McGill. Chuck is a feared trial lawyer at a top Albuquerque, New Mexico law firm who claims to be hypersensitive to electricity, and is equally allergic to laziness and ethical short cuts. In lesser hands, he could have been an amusing if one-note foil. But McKean, a wizardly comic actor with the soul of a Method chameleon, imbues him with so many layers of personality, all operating simultaneously, that you can’t help feeling for him and understanding Chuck even when the character grates on you. This Close-Up panel will explore McKean’s collaboration with the character’s creator, writer-producer Peter Gould, and delve into McKean’s long and rich career as a dramatic and comedic actor and improvisational comic.

 

MONDAY, JUNE 5

6:30 PM - SPECIAL EVENT

FIRST ANNUAL LEGACY AWARD: HONORING ACTRESS/DIRECTOR LEE GRANT

In person: Lee Grant

 

 

To download image click HERE

 

Split Screens is proud to announce the inaugural Legacy Award, presented by AMC Networks, honoring an individual whose career has had a lasting impact on television, to actress, director, author and activist Lee Grant. Born in Manhattan to Russian Jewish immigrants, Grant scored her first Oscar® nomination playing opposite Kirk Douglas in 1951’s Detective Story. But her budding career was temporarily derailed the following year, when the House Un-American Activities Committee, angered by her criticism of their methods, demanded she testify against her husband, playwright Arnold Manoff. Her refusal led to her being blacklisted.

 

When the political climate cooled, she returned to stardom in an Emmy-winning role on the first successful nighttime soap opera, Peyton Place, a series controversial for its frank, often sexual themes. She won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar® for her role as Warren Beatty’s lover in 1975’s Shampoo, then channeled her political awareness into a career as a director of socially aware fiction and nonfiction films, tackling such hot-button subjects as workplace discrimination (A Matter of Sex), transgender identity (What Sex Am I?), poverty and Reaganomics (the Oscar®-winning documentary Down and Out in America), and sexism in medical treatment (the TV movie Nobody’s Child, for which Grant became the first woman to win a Director’s Guild of America award). She is also the author of the acclaimed 2014 memoir I Said Yes to Everything. Grant will touch on these highlights and more in a one-on-one interview about her extraordinary life and career.

 

8:30 PM- VANGUARD AWARD: HONORING DAVID CHASE followed by a special screening of “THE SOPRANOS” (HBO) Season Three: “Pine Barrens” SPECIAL EVENT

In person: Creator and executive producer David Chase; co-executive producer and co-writer Terence Winter; director and actor Steve Buscemi.

 

To download image click HERE

 

David Chase’s gangster series shattered the industry’s preconceptions and showed what TV drama could be. Part crime thriller, part domestic drama, and part social satire, The Sopranos was also innovative in its structure. It split the difference between serialized, long-form storytelling, in which an entire season was united by ongoing plot strands, and more traditional TV narrative, where characters and conflicts were introduced at the start of an episode and resolved neatly at the end.

 

These qualities and more are exemplified by Season Three’s “Pine Barrens,” in which Paulie Walnuts and Christopher Moltisanti ineptly try to kill a Russian gangster in a snowy stretch of New Jersey forest, with an ending that is classic Sopranos, offering a conclusion at once inevitable and surprising—and also prankishly frustrating, denying both characters and viewers the closure they crave. In that respect, it feels like a harbinger of the show’s notorious 2007 cut-to-black ending, which Sopranos fans argue about to this day. The episode’s screenwriter Terence Winter and director Steve Buscemi will present Chase with Split Screens’ first-ever Vanguard Award, then take us behind the scenes of one of the greatest of all Sopranos episodes.

 

TUESDAY, JUNE 6

6:30 PM – “ORPHAN BLACK” (BBC AMERICA) SHOWCASE

In person: Actors Tatiana Maslany, Jordan Gavaris, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Kristian Bruun, Kevin Hanchard, Evelyne Brochu and Ari Millen, and executive producers Graeme Manson and John Fawcett

 

To download image click HERE

 

BBC AMERICA’s clone conspiracy thriller stars Emmy® award winner Tatiana Maslany as multiple genetically identical women. But this is not merely a series about clones; it’s a continuous study in nature versus nurture that routinely puts Maslany in conversations with iterations of herself, and each iteration feels like a distinct human being rather than a sketch-comedy caricature. Graeme Manson and John Fawcett create a maze-like world where the reflections can not only talk, but have their own opinions. The result is sorcery, and Maslany is at the center, playing as many as four personalities at once while a constellation of gifted supporting players, including, Jordan Gavaris, Kristian Bruun, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Kevin Hanchard, Evelyn Brochu, and others swirl around her. The show’s bottomless inventiveness and persistent sense of fun are infectious. In addition to the suspense generated by the story itself, there’s a secondary thrill from watching the cast and crew struggle to top themselves in sheer outrageousness. Co-presented by BBC AMERICA.

 

8:45 PM - “BILLIONS” (SHOWTIME) CLOSE-UP with Asia Kate Dillon

In person: Actor Asia Kate Dillon and creators David Levien and Brian Koppelman

 

 

To download image click HERE

 

In its second season, Showtime’s hit drama series Billions made history by introducing TV’s first gender non-binary major character, Taylor Mason (played by Asia Kate Dillon), an intern at Axe Capital who unexpectedly becomes a favorite of macho hedge funder Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis). Dillon, who uses the singular they pronoun, auditioned for the role shortly after playing the racist skinhead Brandy on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black. Sharing the stage with series creators and executive producers Brian Koppelman and David Levien, our three guests will discuss the second season of Billions and the joys and challenges of playing a trailblazing character in a medium where starkly defined gender roles still rule the perceptions of casting directors and viewers alike.

 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7

7:00 PM - “BROCKMIRE” (IFC) CLOSE-UP with Hank Azaria and Amanda Peet

In person: Series executive producer and star Hank Azaria and star Amanda Peet

 

To download image click HERE

 

Although he’s perhaps best known as one of the versatile repertory actors on The Simpsons, Hank Azaria is also a formidable live-action performer who can adjust his body to suit the needs of a role as deftly as he can his voice. Jim Brockmire, a minor-league sportscaster struggling with alcoholism and his own monstrous ego, gives the actor a rare opportunity to hold the spotlight for the entire running time of a series, as a character he’s been developing for years. The results are dazzling.

He’s matched by Amanda Peet, who brings a no-nonsense toughness to the role of Jules James, the owner of both the team and a local bar. Peet is equally comfortable as a romantic leading lady, a kitchen-sink drama actress and a pratfaller, and she gets to combine all three of those talents here. This detailed one-on-one discussion will delve into Peet and Azaria’s varied careers, their chemistry on the show, and the fine points of bringing these two eccentric characters to life.

7:30PM - NEW PLATFORMS, NEW VOICES  SPECIAL EVENT

In person: “Bravest Warriors” executive producer Fred Seibert; “Eat Your Feelings” creators and writers Emma Jane Gonzalez and Sasha Winters; “The Outs” writer and director Adam Goldman; “Gunner Jackson” creator and star Christian Strevy.

 

Series on the web, which originally served as an alternative ecosystem for storytellers who couldn't get their work onto larger platforms, now serves as an unofficial farm team for those same platforms, birthing such recent web-to-cable successes as “Insecure,” “High Maintenance” and “Broad City.” But the format is equally fascinating as an incubator for new voices and storytelling forms that might not be possible in traditional venues.  

Split Screens' inaugural web series panel spotlights four titles, each with a distinct style and point-of-view: “Bravest Warriors,” from “Adventure Time” mastermind Pendleton Ward, follows four teenaged heroes-for-hire as they warp through the universe to save adorable aliens and their worlds using the power of their emotions; “Eat Your Feelings,” a combination sitcom and cooking show that follows two Brooklyn 20-somethings cooking and eating their way through life's challenges; “The Outs,” which tells the story of broken-up couple, Jack and Mitchell, in non-linear scenes, and “Gunner Jackson,” in which a 26-year-old inventor tries to prove he's being surveilled by the U.S. Government.

8:45 PM – “THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE” (STARZ) REWIND with “Separation”

In person: Co-executive producers Lodge Kerrigan and Amy Seimetz

 

To download image click HERE

 

The most narratively complex single episode of an ongoing series since the hero of Louie went to China, this alternately unnerving, baffling and hilarious half-hour of The Girlfriend Experience works as a psychological X-ray of the show’s heroine, escort Christine (Riley Keough); a play within a play; and a meditation on voyeurism, exhibitionism, sex, and acting. Co-written by series creators Amy Seimetz and Lodge Kerrigan, and directed by Kerrigan, the episode doesn’t just avoid the traditional sorts of closure that TV viewers tend to crave; it throws the totality of the show’s first season into question, making us question the intent and substance of everything we’ve seen. As such, it owes less to current trends in scripted TV, even the most rarified kinds, than to 1960s European art cinema classics like Blow-Up, Last Year at Marienbad and The Exterminating Angel.

 

THURSDAY, JUNE 8

7:00 PM –“UNDERGROUND” (WGN America) REWIND Season Two: “Minty” episode

In person: Actor Aisha Hinds and executive producer/director Anthony Hemingway

 

To download image click HERE

 

WGN America’s groundbreaking series “Underground” made television history with the extended episode “Minty” that originally aired April 12.  During her hour-long solo, and career-defining, performance, Aisha Hinds brought Harriet Tubman back to life when she delivered a monumental and definitive speech in character as the Underground Railroad's most famous conductor.  Set in 1858 against the backdrop of a nation deeply divided by race, class and gender, Tubman makes a passionate plea to abolitionists to shift their thinking as she challenges them to take swift action against those who are determined to oppress others.  “Minty,” was written by series co-creators Misha Green and Joe Pokaski, and directed by Emmy and Golden Globe Award® winner Anthony Hemingway. Co-presented by WGN America.

 

9:00 PM –”HANNIBAL” (NBC) REWIND Season Three: “The Wrath of the Lamb”

In person: Leila Taylor, Creative Director at the Brooklyn Public Library; novelist Rob Hart (New Yorked, The Woman from Prague); composer Matt Marks of Alarm Will Sound; illustrator and author Janice Poon, food stylist for Hannibal and author of Feeding Hannibal.(Via Skype) Hannibal creator and executive producer Bryan Fuller.

 

 

To download image click HERE

 

A special theatrical screening of the finale of NBC’s “Hannibal,” a nightmare fantasy from Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) that reinterpreted Thomas Harris' novels through the eyes of an expressionist, polymorphous sensualist. Reworking much of the plot of Harris’ Red Dragon, but in a more hallucinatory way than in earlier film versions, the finale builds to an orgiastic release of pent-up intellectual and sexual energy so intense that viewers may need a cigarette and a towel afterward.  Fuller will join the audience via Skype to discuss the finale, the legacy of his cult classic, his new Starz series American Gods, and what a hypothetical fourth season of “Hannibal” would look like. A panel of New York-based Fannibals will discuss the legacy of the show, including its impact on popular art.

 

ABOUT SPLIT SCREENS FESTIVAL

Split Screens Festival (www.splitscreensfestival.com) is produced and presented by IFC Center, one of New York’s leading independent cinemas, and is organized by the core team of its successful DOC NYC documentary film festival, including Executive Director Raphaela Neihausen, Partnerships Director Deborah Rudolph and Operations Director Dana Krieger. Collaborating with broadcasters, cable networks and streaming services, the annual festival will highlight acclaimed and anticipated content from a range of platforms to bring together the creative talent behind TV’s most acclaimed shows and sophisticated New York audiences.

 

ABOUT IFC CENTER

IFC Center is a five-screen, state-of-the-art cinema in the heart of New York’s Greenwich Village that opened in June 2005 following an extensive renovation of the historic Waverly Theater. Headed by Senior VP and General Manager John Vanco, IFC Center presents the very best in new foreign-language, American independent and documentary features to audiences and is also known for its innovative repertory series and festivals, showing short films before its regular features in the ongoing “Short Attention Span Cinema” program, and special events such as the guest-programmed “Movie Nights” and frequent in-person appearances by filmmakers. In 2010, IFC Center launched the acclaimed DOC NYC festival, a high-profile showcase that celebrates nonfiction filmmaking and is now the largest documentary festival in the US. For additional theater information, current and upcoming program details and more, visit ifccenter.com.

'THE SUITCASE' director Abi Damaris Corbin - "Just tell the story authentically, diversity naturally occurs"

Tribeca Film Festival 2017 had some wonderful short films this year. It's a clear example of how the quality of short films is better than ever, and content just keeps getting more interesting, intriguing and exciting. One of those examples was the film THE SUITCASE. The film inspired by true events, tells the story of a Boston bred baggage handler, whose ordinary life is turned upside down when he steals a suitcase that contains terrorist plans of 9/11. 

We talked to Abi Damaris Corbin, the director, writer, and co-producer of THE SUITCASE. Here are the excerpts.

Art Shrian: Congratulations on your wonderful film. It's very well produced, and well made. So, what inspired you to make a movie about 9/11, specially at this time?

Abi Corbin: I do not necessarily consider this a 9/11 story. It's people's story. I'm from Boston, and I particularly remember the news of Boston Marathon bombing. It shook me up. I remember 9/11 myself. Innocence was snatched from Americans on 9/11 and in many ways we’re a generation living in the shadow of that day. Since then America has become inundated with attacks — marathon, subway, school, club; the list is long — and when writing this I was overwhelmed by the desire to affect change. In a world where nothing I did seemed to make a difference, I idealistically wanted to matter. When I came across this story it clicked for me that change makers — real heroes — shaped the world by their integrity in tough everyday moments and actions.

AS: What was the most difficult part of making this film?

AC: We knew jumping into the project the TARMAC LOCATIONS would be our biggest challenge — and it certainly was.  It came to the wire — we were 4 weeks out and not satisfied with airport options. Committed to authentic story telling and high production value, we kept at the search and finally uncovered San Bernardino Airport. Thankfully my editors wife is an excellent cook and her banana bread accompanied by the persuasive powers of myself, the producers and the kindness of the incredible SB staff secured us the tarmac location. We then married San Bernardino’s tarmac with a warehouse and a Boston splinter unit and voila we were had our “Boston Logan Airport.”

AS: What you did there is something all new filmmakers need to learn. Congratulations to you and your producers for making it happen. How was your experience screening your film at Tribeca?

AC: The film’s not complete until you share it with an audience — so WOW — it was gratifying and fulfilling to see an audience take heart from our story. 

Ben Thompson and Sharon Badal, our Tribeca champions, positioned our premiere across from the 9/11 memorial at the Regal Cinema. When we pulled up to screen — seeing the Freedom Tower and the names of victims etched into the memorial gave me spine shivers. It was one of the distinct honors of my life to share this story in NYC.

AS: What's next after this project? Do you plan to evolve this project into something larger or moving to something else?

AC: I’m in the midst of writing a feature film called SWATTED. It’s a cousin to SUITCASE in that it’s about a down on his luck Boston guy who longs to matter – but this story is set against the backdrop of the eSports world. Getting "swatted" is a phenomena in gaming world. And this guy's life changes in a moment, when he gets swatted. It's the story of how far he's willing to go. And what happens from there.

AS: Sounds very interesting. I really look forward to it. Talk to us little bit about being a woman storyteller in the industry. Diversity & Inclusion have become big words in Hollywood. What's your experience been and what's your message to other storytellers?

AC: First and foremost, I'm born a storyteller and born a woman. So I have stories to tell, that are inherently about where I'm from, and who I am. It's not an obstacle. You just embrace, that you are going to tell the stories that I'm born to tell. And you move forward. There may not be tons of diversity behind the camera right now, but there's lot of initiatives going on to improve that. I myself have been part of some of them in several programs, and panels etc. They are striving to make sure that all voices are represented. But more so, just tell your story. That's the most important thing for me. Tell the story authentically and honestly, find the best people that are able to tell that story, and diversity naturally occurs.

AS: Very well said. I cannot agree more. Last, but not the least. What's your most favorite and least favorite thing about NYC?

AC: F. Scott Fitzgerald has this phrase in GATSBY that captures NYC — “The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world.”

For me NYC’s promise isn’t just seen from the bridge — it’s etched all over the city — in the imposing power of the financial district buildings, snapshots of fierce hope at the 9/11 museum, art at the Met, New Yorkers doing life on the Highline in Chelsea… I could go on about NYC haunts all day – but it’s the spirit of promise that makes me want to design my own I love NYC tee.

Least favorite... The train commute between Tribeca and Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. I lived all the Buzzfeed jokes — the pole hugger, the napper, squeezer — we’re all friends now. Also I’m fairly sure there’s a dude in Brooklyn who owes me a pair of sunglasses – if you’re reading this I want them back!

AS: Well. Someone somewhere is rocking your sunglasses, and probably thanking you right now! Thank you so much for talking to us and many congratulations and All the best. We look forward to hearing more of you. CHEERS!

More about THE SUITCASE:

https://tribecafilm.com/filmguide/suitcase-2017

  • Director: Abi Damaris Corbin

  • Screenwriter: Abi Damaris Corbin

  • Cinematographer: Jon Keng

  • Editor: Chris Witt

  • Composer: Nathan Matthew David

  • Production Designer: Lauren Meyer

  • Executive Producer: Elena Bawiec, Jean de Meuron, Erik Weaver

  • Producer: Abi Damaris Corbin, Drew Diamond, Daniela Ruiz

  • Associate Producer: Chris Witt

  • Supervising Sound Editor/ Re-recording Sound Mixer: Peter Bawiec

  • Casting Director: Selina Ringel

  • Costume Designer: Christine Bald

  • Visual Effects Supervisor: Gregory Jones

  • Cast: Mojean Aria, Joseph D. Reitman, Charley Rossman

CineKink Announces Kick-Off Gala Redux

The annual kick-off gala for CineKink NYC, “the kinky film festival,” will take place Tuesday, May 23rd, 8:00 PM to midnight, at M1-5 Lounge (52 Walker St., bet. Church & Broadway, NYC).

Rescheduled from its original March date, when a blizzard shut down the city, CineKink Kick-Off Gala Redux will be a “pansexual celebration of epic proportions.” In addition to burlesque performances, the event will feature “sexy sensation” stations for samplings by the kink-curious, a raffle of sex goodies, and some favorite CineKink film shorts.

While the gala is normally the kick-off to CineKink’s annual film festival, organizers are looking at it as a launch to a fundraising campaign that will help it recover from this season’s weather-related losses, and put the festival in a strong position for its 15th anniversary appearance next spring.

“We’re excited at the chance to toast what we’ve accomplished over the past decade and a half,” said Lisa Vandever, CineKink co-founder and director. “And, with the help of the CineKink community, we look forward to really building on that in the year ahead.”

Entertainer and activist Witti Repartee will serve as the Mistress of Ceremonies for the gala, with Clara Coquette, Mary Cyn and Anja Keister scheduled to perform.

Meanwhile, several “sensation stations” will allow revelers to sample a range of kinky activities, with experts including Lolita Wolf (rope bondage), Veronica Vera (feminization and transformation), N1 (spanking and impact play), and Infinity Rising with Martyn Fire (electrical play).

Sponsors for the event, several of whom have also donated raffle items, include Bowery Bliss and njoy, along with Purple Passion, plus Leather Archives & Museum, National Coalition for Sexual Freedom and Pleasure Salon.

Suggested admission for the gala is $20 door/$15 advance; 21 and over only.

For more information on the event, visit
http://cinekink.com/programs-and-events/nyc/cinekink-nyc-2017/kick-off-gala-redux/

To purchase advance tickets or to make a donation to CineKink, visit https://cinekink2017kickoff.eventbrite.com

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ABOUT CINEKINK NYC
Billing itself as “the kinky film festival,” CineKink NYC returned for its 14th annual appearance March 14-19, 2017, and will be followed by a national showcase tour. Presented by CineKink, an organization dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of sex-positive and kink-friendly depictions in film and television, works featured at CineKink range from documentary to drama, comedy to experimental, mildly spicy to quite explicit – and everything in between.

New York Indian Film Festival 2017, closes with "You Are My Sunday"

The 17th New York Indian Film Festival closed last night, with the screening of Milind Dhaimade's directorial debut, YOU ARE MY SUNDAY (Tu Hai Mera Sunday). The slate of films this year was exceptional with over 85 wonderful films, with several of them having their New York premiere.

Uploaded by MyNewYorkEye on 2017-05-02.

The quality of Indian cinema is better than ever, on par with not just American & European cinema, and this festival brought several examples of that in narrative, documentary shorts and all categories. Films like SHAB by Onir, POORNA by Rahul Bose, A DEATH IN THE GUNJ by Konkona Sen Sharma (who won the best actress award & best director award at the festival this year), TRAPPED by Vikramditya Motwani, KASAAV by Sunil Sukthankar, AN INSIGNIFICANT MAN by Khushboo and Vinay Shukla, are just some of the examples of the exceptional quality of films that are being produced by Indian diaspora.

Uploaded by MyNewYorkEye on 2017-05-06.

The festival also had various other events for filmmakers and audiences. The highlight was the 2 day workshop for "SHOOT A SHORT", by three time National Award winning Indian filmmaker Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni. The workshop primarily aimed at guiding film enthusiasts and beginners to make short films. It focused on the process of translating an idea to a complete short film. Umesh gave some very practical and valuable advice about how to plan the production, how to write and shoot your film, and how to make it into an exceptional piece of art, by putting every piece together beautifully.

Another big event was the meeting and panel discussion with David Tagioff from CAA. This was an opportunity for filmmakers and story tellers to understand the business from an agency's side. David and his associate Jason gave a deep insight into value of Indian cinema and content in the international arena. CAA has been ahead of the curve, when it comes to International programming. David and his team has been leading that effort, and his commitment and passion to great storytelling was quite inspiring to all.

The closing night film YOU ARE MY SUNDAY, is the feature directorial debut of ex ad man Milind Dhaimade, who quit at the height of his career to pursue his dream of making movies. His first feature film, definitely does not disappoint. It's a joyful tale of group of friends (Cast - Barun Sobti, Shahana Goswami, Avinash Tiwary, Rasika Duggal, Vishal Malhotra) who are just looking for a place to play football every Sunday, in Mumbai. But there personal lives, there own journeys, and their own fights become a metaphor of how urban lives have become so convoluted for simplicity of life. People are not able to enjoy simple things in life, due to the hustle & bustle of there career, wishes, goals, or lack of those.

"You Are My Sunday/Tu Hai Mera Sunday", panel (Director - Milind Dhaimade, cast Shahana Goswami, Rasika Duggal, Producer - Vishal Malhotra), talk at New York Indian Film Festival (#NYIFF2017)

The film is beautifully shot between Mumbai and Goa. The entire cast is wonderful, and does a great job. It's breakout performance by Barun and Shahana Goswami. Shahana breaks the mould she has been cast in, and gives a joyful performance as Kavi, a MBA working in marketing, trying to care for her father, and figure out her life. Without being overtly feminist or preachy, the film does a good job of portraying some honest stories. The screening was followed by a panel discussion with Milind, Shahana and Rasika.

The night and the festival, ended with a fun after-party at Gramercy Theater. Delicious Indian food, live music by Punjabi band - Rhythm Tolee, beer by BIRA (they do make good white beer) and wine by Mirza Ghalib.  

The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is the oldest, most prestigious film festival screening premieres of feature, documentary and short films made from, of, and about the Indian subcontinent in the Independent, arthouse, alternate and diaspora genres. Seven days of screenings, post-screening discussions, industry panels, award ceremony, special events, nightly networking parties, red carpet galas, media attention and packed audiences build an awareness of Indian cinema, entertain & educate North Americans about the real India, and add to the amazing cultural diversity of New York City. Please visit: www.iaac.us/NYIFF2017/index.htm

Montclair Film Festival 2017, closes with BAND AID, by Zoe Lister-Jones

The 6th Montclair Film Festival that ran from April 28th to May 7th, had its closing night celebrations. The closing night film was Zoe Lister-Jones's directorial debut BAND AID. A house-full screening at the iconic Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, and a live discussion with Zoe herself, was followed by A filmmakers party at MFF's new & beautiful headquarters at Cinema505. the party was joined by several filmmakers and film lovers from New Jersey, New York and nationwide, enjoying delicious food by Events by Joni and drinks by New Jersey Beer Co. The Filmmaker Party was the perfect ending to ten days of great cinema, conversations, and community!

Closing night film BAND AID came to MFF on the heels of Sundance, where the film had its world premiere. It well deservedly got great response there, and got picked by IFC & Sony Pictures Worldwide for theatrical release on June 2, 2017.

The film is a beautiful tale of a couple (played by Zoe and Adam Pally) who love and hate each other. Maybe more fighting than loving. But that hate and fighting inspires them to write hate songs. And they love that. They end up forming a band, with their weird sexaholic neighbor and drummer, Dave (played wonderfully by Fred Armisen). The film is very musical and very funny, thanks to the wonderful cast and good writing. The film also gets quite emotional and the right moments, making it a good mix of drama and comedy.

The film does tend to be very feminist, for some people's taste, but it does not really get offensive. For many people, its close to truth (Ben dealing with his pain through video games!). Zoe mentioned that it was entire women crew that made the film. And the diversity/inclusion in her casting is quite evident. Zoe does a great job of making an impactful first film.

The screening was followed by a discussion with Zoe. You can watch it here

Zoe Lister-Jones at Montclair Film Festival 2017. Her directorial debut BAND AID, was the closing night film.

The best 6 short films at Tribeca Film Festival 2017

Those days are gone when short films were just a showcase for for up & coming filmmakers, or just a pitch to do something. Short films and short content has become a medium for all kind of storytellers to tell wonderful stories in narrative, animation and even docs. Film festivals happen to be one of those few venues where you get to see lot of good short films. And Tribeca Film Festival in particular does a great job of curating wonderful short films.

Here are our picks for short films from Tribeca Film Festival 2017

  • Big City - Vijay, a lonely taxi driver who recently moved to Melbourne, 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.
    Director: Jordan Bond, Lachlan Ryan
    The film tells a very simple but beautiful story, of how a random interaction between 2 people in one night, can tell tale of racism, friendship, loneliness and more. 
  • Joy Joy Nails - 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, soon discovering that under the varnish, everyone's a victim.
    Director: Joey Ally
    A nail salon, filled with immigrant workers who speak Korean & Chinese. You may think that it could be tale of racism or something. But it's just a tale of discrimination & molestation with in the community. And how a woman (or two), deals with it.
  • The Suitcase - 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.
    Director: Abi Damaris Corbin
    Now here's film well produced and well made. Director Abi D Corbin's directorial debut tells a true untold story from the horrific day of 9/11. A thief, a culprit, a hero? She doesn't make those judgment for you, but tells you a wonderful story, beautifully told.
  • Viola Franca - It's Sicily in 1965, and Franca is forced to marry her rapist to avoid becoming a pariah in her traditionalist community, but she rebels against the established custom and sets a precedent that alters the course of Italian history, paving the way for women's rights.
    Director: Marta Savina
    The film is beautifully shot in Italy, and looks wonderful. And the painful story onto screen is told by the wonderful actors, beautifully as well. This courageous true story, does move you.
  • The World In Your Window - Squeezed into a tiny caravan, eight-year-old Jesse and his grief-stricken father are in limbo, existing more than living – until an accidental friendship with a V8-driving transsexual unlocks the means for Jesse to liberate his father and himself.
    Director: Zoe McIntosh
    A film with not much dialogue, but lot of beautiful story telling. The film speaks about family, love,  grief, friendship and also normalizes LGBT in that process. 
  • Curpigeon - A heartwarming story about the power of community support during a time of grief, this action-oriented CG-animated short film centers around a group of park pigeons and their old men pals who come together to help one of their own get through a great loss.
    Director: Dmitry Milkin
    Last, but not the least. This wonderful animated film by the very talented director Dmitry Milkin, tells a lovely story of friendship between people, and between people and animals/birds, or pigeons to be more specific. The film does make you tear up a lil towards the end, and has a strong message of love & togetherness. 

 

New York Indian Film Festival 2017 opens with "LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA" #NYIFF2017

The 17th New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) opened up today at Village East Cinema, in Manhattan, New York City. The opening night was attended by several Indian celebrities: Rahul Bose (actor, writer, director with a film POORNA at the festival); Alankrita Shrivastava (director of LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA); Aahna Kumra (actress from LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA); Salman Rushdie (author & filmmaker); Tanushree Dutta (Miss India Universe & Bollywood Actress); and many others.

The opening night film LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA had its New York premiere at the festival. The film is a wonderful story of 4 women at different ages and stages of their lives, who are just trying to live a free life, in a very conservative male dominant society. Buaji (wonderfully played by Ratna Pathak) is a complex owner shielding several of her renters from a new builder trying to force-relocate them. She reads adult story books, and fantasizes about young hot men. In that complex lives 3 other girls: Shirin (Konkona Sen Sharma), Leela (Aahana Kumra), Rehana (Plabita Borthakur). Shirin is an enterprising mom of 3, whose husband doesn't really care to stays her in any way. Leela is a budding beautician, who wants to start a business of honeymoon photography with her boyfriend. But she is being forced in to an arranged marriage. Rehana just wants to be able to dress up, sing and have fun in college. But she also likes to shoplift. 

All the characters have their flaws. And they all have their goals. It's not just there flaws that get in their way, but it's also the society, the norms and other people's sexist expectations that block their way. The film deals with multiple generations, and issues that are specific to them. Which probably helps the film connect with a wider audience through different characters. It does portal a fair picture of sexism that still exists in many parts of India, and probably can be reflected in many parts of this world. 

Even though ealing with a heavy subject like that, the film is still able to keep comedy in its spirit. You may call it a real "dramedy", where drama takes over at several instances, but comedy keep things funny, light, but still on the point. The film is beautifully written with wonderful dialogue as well. It may seem too bold or vulgar to certain audience, but the story and the wonderful actors carry that dialogue and every scene really well. The film is cast really well, and all the actors do justice to their roles. It's a very well made film, and the director Alankrita deserves applause, along with her editor, cinematographer and rest of the team.

17th Annual NEW YORK INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL April 30-May 7, 2017

Starting tomorrow, there are several wonderful films that will be screening at the festival. More details can be found at the link below, along with purchase of the ticket as well. The closing night on May 7th would also be followed by an after-party with Indian music & Indian food. All the tickets can be purchased before they are sold out. So do it ASAP.
http://www.iaac.us/nyiff2017/
Schedule
http://www.iaac.us/nyiff2017/schedule.htm
Tickets
http://www.iaac.us/nyiff2017/tickets.htm

NYIFF is the oldest, most prestigious Indian film festival in the United States, screening premieres of feature, documentary and short films made from, of, and about the countries in the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan) in the Independent, arthouse, alternate and diaspora genres. Eight days of screenings, post-screening discussions, industry panels, an award ceremony, special events, nightly networking parties, red carpet galas, media attention and packed audiences build an awareness of Indian cinema, entertain & educate North Americans about the realities of the lives and people in the Indian Sub-Continent,  and add to the amazing cultural diversity of New York City. NYIFF is the flagship event of the Indo-American Arts Council.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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.

 

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

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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Hashtag: #Tribeca2017

Tribeca Film Festival Announces Tribeca TV 2017 Lineup

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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·         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.

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·         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.

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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).

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.

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

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.

 

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 Announces Tribeca Talks Series

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

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.

 

Find the Tribeca Film Festival on and use #Tribeca2017

·         www.tribecafilm.com

 

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, TUMI, and United Airlines.

 

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).

 

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.

 

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.