The Tribeca Festival Is Coming Back And Here’s Your Complete Guide

The 2023 edition of the Tribeca Festival is coming back, and movie and TV lovers will have the chance to chase movies all over Manhattan in theaters from Tribeca up to Chelsea. It’s set to return on Wednesday, June 7 and run until Sunday, June 18!

The lineup this year features all types of films, from blockbusters directed by celebrities to smaller indie films. Plus, documentaries, foreign films, and shorts will be screening, allowing viewers to enjoy whatever style film they prefer. The festival features other types of media as well including TV debuts, panel talks, live music, and immersive experiences. Here are some of our favorite standouts from this year’s festival:

Films

The beauty of the Tribeca Festival is that the movies come from all corners of the globe, and from small to large creatives and directors. Whether you’re looking for a good laugh or a philosophical documentary, there is such a huge selection of screenings to pick from. Here are just some of the films that caught our eye:

• First Time Female Director: Actor turned director Chelsea Peretti makes her debut with this hilarious ensemble comedy set in a Glendale theater where a new female director struggles to fill the shoes of her male predecessor, putting her Southern rural drama in jeopardy.
• Stan Lee: Directed by Tribeca alumnus David Gelb, this film traces the life, career, and legacy of Stan Lee’s rise into the world of Marvel Comics.
• Downtown Owl: Based on the novel by Chuck Klosterman, this film is a stylish and energetic adaptation that thrusts viewers into small-town Owl, North Dakota, as a motley crew of characters brace for a historic blizzard.
• Fresh Kills: The daughters of the Larusso family struggle to break the unspoken code of the women behind the men in the mob world of NYC in the late ’80s and early ’90s. This mob movie reveals the women behind the men, and their stories of violence, fear, and unspoken rules.
• All Up in the Biz: This documentary tells the story of New York hip-hop legend Biz Markie.

Throughout the course of the festival over 109 feature films from 127 filmmakers across 36 countries will be screening across the city. Get the full lineup of titles here.

Talks

Looking for a little dose of celebrities? The Tribeca Festival’s series of talks and panels are pulling in some of the most famous names to talk about their creative processes. Everyone from Paul McCartney to Chance the Rapper to Lin-Manuel Miranda are included in their “Talks and Reunions” series. For a more film-driven focus, look into the “Director Series” and “Master Class” series which pull directors and filmmakers from around the country to discuss their films and the state of the industry. Here are some upcoming talks to consider:

• Paul McCartney in Conversation with Conan O’Brien: Beatles legend Paul McCartney sits down with TV personality Conan O’Brien to discuss McCarney’s new book 1964: Eyes of the Storm, which is being published on June 13. The book showcases 275 of McCartney’s rediscovered photos from his archive from the end of 1963 and beginning of 1964 when Beatlemania erupted.
• Patty Jenkins in conversation with Katie Holmes: Award-winning director, writer and producer best known for directing the blockbuster Wonder Woman and her debut Oscar-winning feature Monster chats with actress Katie Holmes.
• Gov Ball x Tribeca Presents: Diplo: Famous DJ Diplo sits down to discuss his career, range of genres in his music, plus more.

Check out the full lineup here.

Opening Night, Gala Events & Closing Night

• Opening Night: The first showing will be the North American premiere of Kiss the Future, a stirring documentary that follows the story of a community of underground musicians and creatives throughout the nearly four-year-long siege of Sarajevo, as well as the 1997 U2 concert celebrating the liberation of the Bosnian capital. The film is produced by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Sarah Anthony, and features U2’s Bono, The Edge, and Adam Clayton.
• Gala Events: This year’s gala events include a New York premiere of Disney and Pixar’s Elemental, world premieres of music documentaries about Grammy-winning artists Carlos Santana, Cyndi Lauper, and French Montana, and a live conversation with Megan Thee Stallion.
• Closing Night: Tribeca is commemorating the 30th anniversary of A Bronx Tale with a special screening of the classic film on Saturday, June 17. After the movie, the film’s director and star Robert De Niro, producer Jane Rosenthal, and writer and co-star Chazz Palminteri are participating in a live conversation with the editor of The New Yorker David Remnick.

TV and NOW lineup

If you’re looking for something outside the movie-sphere, consider their lineup of world premieres of new and returning television and original indie episodic series. This year’s slate features eight series premieres and two first looks at returning classics. Take a look at some new TV that we’re excited about:

• Full Circle: This limited series is about an investigation into a botched kidnapping that uncovers long-held secrets connecting multiple characters and cultures in present day New York City. It’s directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars Dennis Quaid, Claire Danes, Timothy Olyphant, Zazie Beetz, and Jharrel Jerome. (Max)
• The Golden Boy: A two-part documentary unpacking the spectacular myths and painful truths behind the life of Mexican-American boxing legend, business magnate, and cultural icon Oscar De La Hoya. (HBO Sports Documentaries)
• The Walking Dead: Dead City: A new series in The Walking Dead world, Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan star in a series that see them traveling into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan long ago cut off from the mainland. (AMC)

Check out all of the TV series getting premiered here!

Immersive Experiences & Games

For the first time, Tribeca Festival will introduce a Games & Immersive Experience, which will be held at Spring Studios on 50 Varick St. It celebrates the emergence of new forms of entertainment: “games that can be played at home, on the street, or in modern-day galleries,” alongside though-provoking immersive experiences by world-renowned artists. Check out some highlights below:

• The Fury: This 360-degree experience and video installation by Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat explores the sexual exploitation of female political prisoners.
• Colored: This mixed-reality installation is an adaptation from Tania de Montaigne’s award-winning biographical essay on 15-year-old Claudette Colvin who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus to a white passenger in the 1950s.
• Maya: The Birth (Chapter 1): A virtual reality animation from a multi-awarded studio Floréal and directed by renowned photographer and women’s rights activist Poulomi Basu.
• Kinfolk: Black Lands: This AR experience from Idris Brewster monumentalizes the past, present, and future of the Black communities that have built New York City.
• Pixel Ripped 1978: The newest title in the nostalgia-fueled Pixel Ripped virtual reality game-within-a-game series.

Tribeca Festival Ticket Information

All festival tickets can be purchase on their official site and prices can range from $25-$350 depending on the film or experience. Individual day passes or weekend passes are also available as well.

Also published on Medium.