Tribeca Film Festival 2020
Originally scheduled for April 15-26, 2020, the 19th Tribeca Film Festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the in person festival isn’t logistically feasible, the slate of films were announced in March and press and industry were able to screen some of the films. Here are a few that we’re most excited about and are eagerly following their trajectory into the public realm:
“Cowboys”
Announced as part of the U.S. Narrative Competition, this tale from Anna Kerrigan of a dad and his transgender son who are on the lamb in the wilderness of Montana is a compelling drama. With performances form Jillian Bell, Ann Dowd, Steve Zahn and Sasha Knight, this unforgettable film will propel the already recognizable Kerrigan into the well deserved spotlight.
“Kubrick by Kubrick”
Grégory Montro’s fascinating documentary about the legacy of Stanley Kubrick covers three decades of the famed director’s life and career via audio from interviews with the French critic Michel Ciment. This is a must see for fans of Kubrick’s work and life.
“499”
Announced in the Documentary Competition, this hybrid docu-fiction film from Rodrigo Reyes promises to join the past to the present in bold cinematic style. Examining the brutal legacy of colonialism nearly five centuries after Cortez arrived in the Aztec Empire, “499” provides a history lesson of colonial rule across Latin America, Africa and Asia as neocolonialism takes hold in those same regions.
“The Stand-In”
From filmmaker Jamie Babbit, this comedy features the megawatt talents of Drew Barrymore playing against, well, herself. Witty and clever, this story of a leading lady struggling to make a comeback after falling out of favor in Hollywood is the role that we’ve been waiting to see Barrymore sink her teeth into. And she does not disappoint.
“Socks on Fire”
This transgenerational docudrama from Bo McGuire is quite a debut, taking into account the family war between his homophobic aunt and drag queen uncle as they wage war over their grandmother’s estate in Alabama. Dealing with the fluid nature of identity, this film grew from a critically acclaimed short film called “Socks on Fire: Uncle John and the Copper Headed Water Rattlers” that hit the festival circuit in 2018.
“Fully Realized Humans”
The brainchild of indie darlings Joshua Leonard and Jess Weixler, “Fully Realized Beings” is a dramedy that looks at the life changing experience and fears going into becoming parents. Weixler, who also co-wrote the film, was eight months pregnant at the time of filming, which adds a humanizing aspect to a topic that has already been explored, but not in this way. The questions raised by this film are ones that everyone struggles with but are portrayed so beautifully.
We’re looking forward to the potential virtual events that are to come this year and to getting back to seeing the iconic Tribeca Film Festival in person again on the big screen. - Christine Connallon & Mike Perciaccante