Everything You Need to Know About the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival

This year’s feature films and all the ways to experience the festival, plus what’s new.

Image courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival 2021.

The Tribeca Film Festival kicked off its 2021 season with the world premiere of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights at the United World Theater on Wednesday night. This is the first major festival in North America to host live, in-person screenings. With a mix of virtual and live events, viewers can enjoy films from the comfort of their own home or from one of several New York City screening locations.

For 20 years, the Tribeca Film Festival has been a center for boundary-pushing creativity in the film industry. It hasn’t remained static, however. With two innovative offerings, an immersive virtual reality experience and its inaugural podcast category, the festival is proving its ability to stay fresh amidst a changing landscape.

From June 9 to 20, the festival will feature a lineup of 66 films from filmmakers around the world, including 54 world premieres.

 

Here is a list of the categories and feature films in the 2021 lineup:

U.S. Narrative Competition

  • Catch the Fair One, written and directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka.
  • God’s Waiting Room, written and directed by Tyler Riggs.
  • Mark, Mary & Some Other People, written and directed by Hannah Marks.
  • The Novice, written and directed by Lauren Hadaway.
  • Poser, directed by Ori Segev, Noah Dixon, written by Noah Dixon.
  • Queen of Glory, written and directed by Nana Mensah.

Documentary Competition

  • All These Sons, directed by Bing Liu, Joshua Altman.
  • Ascension (Ascension 登楼叹), directed by Jessica Kingdon.
  • Blind Ambition, directed by Robert Coe, Warwick Ross, written by Warwick Ross, Robert Coe, Paul Murphy, Madeleine Ross.
  • Fathom, directed by Drew Xanthopoulos.
  • The Kids, directed by Eddie Martin.
  • Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres, written, directed and produced by Suzanne Joe Kai.
  • On The Divide, directed and written by Leah Galant, Maya Cueva.
  • The Scars of Ali Boulala, directed by Max Eriksson, written by Max Eriksson, Mikel Cee Karlsson.

International Narrative Competition

  • All My Friends Hate Me, directed by Andrew Gaynord, written by Tom Palmer, Tom Stourton.
  • Brighton 4th, directed by Levan Koguashvili, written by Boris Frumin, Levan Koguashvili.
  • Do Not Hesitate, directed by Shariff Korver, written by Jolein Laarman.
  • Roaring 20’s (Années 20), directed by Elisabeth Vogler, written by François Mark, Elisabeth Vogler, Noémie Schmidt, Joris Avodo.
  • Souad, directed by Ayten Amin, written by Mahmoud Ezzat, Ayten Amin.
  • Wild Men (Vildmænd), directed by Thomas Daneskov, written by Thomas Daneskov, Morten Pape.

Spotlight Narrative

  • False Positive, directed by John Lee, written by John Lee, Ilana Glazer.
  • How It Ends, directed and written by Daryl Wein, Zoe Lister-Jones.
  • India Sweets and Spices, written and directed by Geeta Malik.
  • Italian Studies, written and directed by Adam Leon.
  • The Last Film Show, written and directed by Pan Nalin.
  • No Man of God, directed by Amber Sealey, written by Kit Lesser.
  • 12 Mighty Orphans, directed by Ty Roberts, written by Ty Roberts, Lane Garrison, Kevin Meyer.
  • Werewolves Within, directed by Josh Ruben, written by Mishna Wolff.

Spotlight Documentary

  • A-ha the Movie, written and directed by Thomas Robsahm, co-directed by Aslaug Holm.
  • Bernstein’s Wall, written and directed by Douglas Tirola.
  • BITCHIN’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James, directed by Sacha Jenkins, written by Sacha Jenkins, Steve Rivo, Jason Pollard.
  • A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks, directed by John Maggio.
  • Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story, directed by Laura Fairrie.
  • LFG, directed by Andrea Nix Fine, Sean Fine, written by Andrea Nix Fine.
  • The Lost Leonardo, directed by Andreas Koefoed.
  • The Price of Freedom, directed by Judd Ehrlich.
  • Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, directed by Morgan Neville.
  • Stockholm Syndrome, directed by The Architects.
  • Wolfgang, directed by David Gelb, written by Brian McGinn.

Viewpoints

  • 7 Days, directed by Roshan Sethi, written by Karan Soni, Roshan Sethi.
  • Accepted, directed by Dan Chen.
  • as of yet, directed by Chanel James, Taylor Garron, written by Taylor Garron.
  • The Beta Test, directed and written by Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe, written by Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe.
  • Building a Bridge, directed by Evan Mascagni, Shannon Post.
  • The Conductor, directed by Bernadette Wegenstein, written by Bernadette Wegenstein and Stefan Fauland.
  • The Death Of My Two Fathers, directed by Sol Guy, written by Sol Guy, Matthew Cooke, Shoshana Guy.
  • The Justice of Bunny King, directed by Gaysorn Thavat, written by Sophie Henderson.
  • The Legend of the Underground, directed and produced by Giselle Bailey, Nneka Onuorah.
  • North By Current, directed and written by Angelo Madsen Minax.
  • Perfume de Gardenias, directed by Macha Colón, written by Gisela Rosario Ramos.
  • Sisters on Track, directed by Corinne van der Borch, Tone Grøttjord.
  • Wu hai, directed and written by Ziyang Zhou.

Midnight

  • Shapeless, directed by Samantha Aldana, written by Kelly Murtagh, Bryce Parsons-Twesten.
  • Ultrasound, directed by Rob Schroeder, written by Conor Stechschulte.
  • We Need To Do Something, directed by Sean King O’Grady, written by Max Booth III.

Movies Plus

  • The Father of the Cyborgs, directed and written by David Burke.
  • The Neutral Ground, directed and written by CJ Hunt.
  • No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics, directed by Vivian Kleiman.
  • The One and Only Dick Gregory, The One and Only Dick Gregory, written and directed by Andre Gaines.
  • Paper & Glue, a JR Project. Produced by Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Dallas Brennan Rexer, Marc Azoulay.
  • Reflection: a walk with water, written and directed by Emmett Brennan.
  • With/In. Produced by Celine Rattray, Trudie Styler, Peter Sobiloff, Michael Sobiloff.

Tribeca Critics’ Week 

  • Ailey, directed by Jamila Wignot.
  • The Ballad of a White Cow (The Ghasideyeh Gave Sefid), directed by Behtash Sanaeeha, Maryam Moghaddam, written by Maryam Moghaddam, Behtash Sanaeeha, Mehrdad Kouroshnia.
  • Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It, directed by Mariem Pérez Riera.

To see descriptions of each of the categories, as well brief summaries of the films click here.

This year’s festival offers a huge variety of films, and so many different ways to experience them. Special live performances and chats with filmmakers, actors and more, also contribute to the unique and modernized festival. They also signal a return to the vibrancy of festivals and in-person events in New York and across the country.

Be sure to check out all it has to offer over the coming days, whether you can make it to a theater, or you’re just enjoying it from the couch.

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