Watch As Tribeca Announces Its Second Annual TV Lineup
Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
This year's Oscars marked a change that we as black Americans have been rightfully waiting for. With winners such as Moonlight, Mahershala Ali and Viola Davis still enjoying their statues — we are now entering Tribeca Film Festival SZN. As the organizers have reached out to us here @Okayplayer to bring you the illest and freshest films from ground floor off of Canal Street in New York City — we are excited to share with you the films, special screenings and world premieres that we are looking forward to seeing.
For those who believe that the film industry is already diverse enough, well, the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival will prove you wrong. Running in its 16th year, we are focusing on the films that cater to the audiophile within you, plus your cherished cinephile. The films, which you can check out on the following page, are surely going to go on to find its way to your streaming service, theater or in-home screening room very soon.
We are very impressed by the films that are being screened and debuted this year. Without further ado, we present the 10 Tribeca Films that we’re looking forward to seeing on the big screen.
Witness these risk-takers by checking out the new narrative below!
Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Whitney. Can I Be Me
Directed by Nick Broomfield and Rudi Dolezal, written by Nick Broomfield. (U.K.) - World Premiere.
Whitney Houston was the most awarded female recording artist of all time, with more consecutive number one hits than The Beatles, and on top of that she was America’s Sweetheart. Yet despite her fame, talent, and success, she died tragically at the age of 48. Featuring largely never-before-seen footage and Broomfield and Dolezal’s moving documentary tells the story of the girl behind the voice.
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Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
White Riot: London
Directed by Rubika Shah, written by Ed Gibbs, Rubika Shah. (U.K.) - New York Premiere.
This experimental music documentary explores how a generation united against the neo-Nazi National Front in 1970s Britain through a punk fanzine, with black and white coming together through popular culture at a terrifying time of turmoil and division.
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Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Saturday Church
Directed and written by Damon Cardasis. (USA) - World Premiere.
14-year-old Ulysses is a shy and effeminate teen being raised in the Bronx by his strict Aunt Rose. He finds escape in a rich fantasy life of music and dance, and soon with a vibrant transgender youth community called Saturday Church. Damon Cardasis’ directorial debut is a rousing celebration of one boy’s search for his identity. With Luka Kain, Margot Bingham, Regina Taylor, Marquis Rodriguez, MJ Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Alexia Garcia.
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Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
The Public Image is Rotten
Directed by Tabbert Fiiller. (USA) - World Premiere.
Within months of the demise of the Sex Pistols in 1978, lead singer Johnny Rotten (aka John Lydon) formed post-punk outfit Public Image Ltd., an innovative and influential band which has accumulated a legion of fans since its founding. In this incisive, entertaining doc, Lydon opens up the book on his decades as a music provocateur, while past and present band members fill in the gaps and add their perspectives. With Thurston Moore, Flea, Adam Horovitz, Moby.
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Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives
Directed by Chris Perkel. (USA) – World Premiere.
Based on Clive Davis’ 2013 bestselling autobiography, the film chronicles the historic influence of "The Man with the Golden Ears,” who rose from humble beginnings, and in a compelling and riveting journey, became one of the music industry’s most iconic figures.
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Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: The Bad Boy Story
Directed by Daniel Kaufman. (USA) - World Premiere.
A raw and exclusive look behind the scenes at the history and legacy of Bad Boy through a complex portrait of the label’s mastermind, Sean “Diddy” Combs aka Puff Daddy, as he tries to reunite his Bad Boy Family in the course of a frantic three-week rehearsal period. This Live Nation Productions documentary finds him reuniting with the for a wildly successful pair of concerts at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center. With Notorious B.I.G., Ma$e, Lil' Kim, Faith Evans, Total.
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Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
ACORN and the Firestorm
Directed and written by Reuben Atlas and Sam Pollard. (USA) - World Premiere.
For 40 years, the community-organizing group ACORN advocated for America’s poorest communities, while its detractors accused it of promoting government waste and the worst of liberal policies. Riding high on the momentum of Barack Obama’s presidential victory in 2008, ACORN was at its social zenith when a hidden-camera video sparked a national scandal and brought it all crashing down.
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Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Copwatch
Directed by Camilla Hall. (USA) - World Premiere.
Copwatch is the true story of We Copwatch, an organization that films police activity as a non-violent form of protest and deterrent to police brutality. In her feature film debut, director Camilla Hall crafts an intriguing and timely profile of citizen-journalist-activists- including Ramsey Orta who filmed Eric Garner’s fatal arrest- who seek to disrupt the ever-present challenge of police violence.
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Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
For Ahkeem
Directed by Jeremy S. Levine and Landon Van Soest. (USA) - North American Premiere.
Beginning one year before the events in Ferguson, Missouri, Levine and Van Soest’s intimate and cinematic For Ahkeem is the coming of age story of 17-year-old Daje Shelton in neighboring North St. Louis. Falling in love and fighting with mom, Daje struggles with typical teen growing pains, but also must increasingly combat the institutional and social roadblocks that keep black teens like her from succeeding in America.
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Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
LA '92
Directed by Dan Lindsay, TJ Martin. (USA) - World Premiere.
Few images are seared into the American consciousness with the anger and clarity of the beating of Rodney King and the riots following his abusers’ acquittal. Twenty-five years later, Academy Award-winning directors Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin draw on archival news images and unseen footage to paint an in-depth portrait of those riots and the tempestuous relationship between Los Angeles’ African-American community and those charged with protecting it.
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Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
I LIVED: Brooklyn
Directed by Jonathan Nelson and produced by Danielle Andersen (USA) - World Premiere.
I LIVED: Brooklyn was created by director/cinematographer Jonathan Nelson and audio producer Danielle Andersen. Nelson and Andersen both live in Brooklyn and I LIVED was born from a desire to investigate the intricacies of place and identity in the borough’s distinct neighborhoods.
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Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Dare to be Different
Directed by Ellen Goldfarb, written by Jay Reiss. (USA) - World Premiere.
Featuring interviews and rare footage of U2, Blondie, Duran Duran, Joan Jett, The Cure, Billy Idol and Depeche Mode, Dare to Be Different is a nostalgic look at WLIR 92.7, the radio station that introduced these bands to a US audience. Director Ellen Goldfarb tells the story of the rise and fall of this institution, and the birth of the punk and new wave communities. With Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, Billy Idol and others.
Don't be shy... Introduce yourself to us if you see our favorite neighborhood managing editor Kevito Clark out at Radio City Music Hall on 4/19.
