19/04/2024 - Movies from the UK, Sweden, France and Germany dominate the European contingent as the gathering announces its first expansion plans on the continent, with an edition in Lisbon

The Tribeca Film Festival is gearing up for its 23rd edition, set to take place from 5-16 June in New York City, where it will showcase a raft of European films. The festival features a diverse array of 103 features from 114 filmmakers across 48 countries, with 86 world premieres, reflecting a broad spectrum of genres and global issues. Half of the competition films are directed by women, while 35% are by BIPOC directors. The line-up also includes 30 works by first-time filmmakers and 25 by returning directors, all selected from a record number of 13,016 submissions.

Europe's contribution is particularly robust, featuring a wide range of films from the UK, Sweden, France and Germany, among others. The festival will present works from both emerging talents and established filmmakers. Tribeca Film Festival director and SVP of programming Cara Cusumano remarked, “In a year of record-high submissions, and despite the industry's challenges and global instability, our filmmaking community has excelled, delivering some of the most surprising, inspiring and entertaining films we've had the honour of showcasing. […] These pictures tackle a spectrum of issues from the crisis of global democracy to intimate human dramas, reaffirming the profound impact of great cinema in shedding light on our world.”

The International Narrative Competition will spotlight a diverse selection of films, including Yasemin Şamdereli's Samia [+see also:
interview: Yasemin Şamdereli, Deka Moh…
film profile], from Germany. The movie portrays the determined young woman Samia Yusuf Omar, who aspires to be an Olympic athlete in war-torn Somalia. From Poland, Mara Tamkovich's Under the Grey Sky [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mara Tamkovich
film profile] depicts a journalist's fight against oppressive regimes. Additionally, the dark comedy Family Therapy [+see also:
film review
interview: Sonja Prosenc
film profile] by Sonja Prosenc (Slovenia/Italy/Norway/Croatia/Serbia), about the bursting of the idyllic bubble a wealthy family has always lived in, Eternal Playground [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (France) by Pablo Cotton and Joseph Rozé, which follows a young music teacher who reunites his five former best friends at their now-abandoned childhood school after his twin sister's death, and Hunters on a White Field [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Sarah Gyllenstierna (Sweden), about three friends who spend a weekend in a remote cabin intending to hunt in the woods, are featured. The other titles with European involvement are Bikechess [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Assel Aushakimova (Kazakhstan/France/Norway), The Dog Thief [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vinko Tomičić Salinas
film profile] by Vinko Tomičić Salinas (Bolivia/Chile/Mexico/Ecuador/France/Italy), The Freshly Cut Grass by Celina Murga (Argentina/Uruguay/Germany/Mexico/USA), IFFR Tiger Competition entry Swimming Home [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Justin Anderson (UK/Greece/Netherlands/Brazil) and Berlinale Encounters entry Some Rain Must Fall [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Qiu Yang (China/USA/France/Singapore).

European documentaries in the competition section delve into a variety of compelling topics, from political scandals to narratives with worldwide relevance. Antidote (UK) by James Jones provides an intense exploration of activists resisting Vladimir Putin's regime, Simon Klose's Hacking Hate [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Sweden/Denmark/Norway) examines the disturbing increase in online extremism, while Checkpoint Zoo, a US-Ukrainian documentary by Joshua Zeman, follows the harrowing efforts of zookeepers at Kharkiv's zoo who strive to save the animals while trapped behind enemy lines. The other title with European involvement in this section is Made in Ethiopia by Xinyan Yu and Max Duncan (USA/Ethiopia/Denmark/UK/Canada/South Korea).

The Viewpoints strand, renowned for showcasing innovative filmmaking, will for the first time be part of a competition. The section will introduce films such as Jed Hart's Restless (UK), which tells the story of a middle-aged empty nester whose life is disrupted by the arrival of hard-partying, potentially dangerous new neighbours; Elizabeth Sankey's Witches [+see also:
film review
film profile] (UK), examining the depiction of women's issues through both historical and modern narratives surrounding witchcraft; and Carlos Vargas' Era Oculta - Hidden Era [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carlos Vargas
film profile] (Germany/Mozambique/Colombia), an exploration of societal norms and the power of art against the backdrop of Rastafarianism in Mozambique.

In addition, Tribeca Enterprises has announced its first European edition of the Tribeca Film Festival, Tribeca Festival Lisboa, to be held from 17-19 October in Lisbon, Portugal. This expansion marks a significant milestone for the international arts community, and will feature an array of Portuguese and international films, live talks and immersive installations. The festival, led by Cara Cusumano in collaboration with Portuguese broadcast company SIC and its streaming platform OPTO, will be hosted at the Beato Innovation District on Lisbon's waterfront. Keynote speakers include Patty Jenkins, Whoopi Goldberg and Griffin Dunne. Tribeca Festival Lisboa aims to celebrate and uplift the local and global arts community, offering a platform for networking and showcasing emerging talents.

Here is the full list of titles announced so far that have European involvement:

International Narrative Competition

Swimming Home [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Justin Anderson (UK/Greece/Netherlands/Brazil)
Bikechess [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Assel Aushakimova (Kazakhstan/France/Norway)
Eternal Playground [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Pablo Cotten, Joseph Rozé (France)
Hunters on a White Field [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Sarah Gyllenstierna (Sweden)
The Freshly Cut Grass - Celina Murga (Argentina/Uruguay/Germany/Mexico/USA)
Family Therapy [+see also:
film review
interview: Sonja Prosenc
film profile] - Sonja Prosenc (Slovenia/Italy/Norway/Croatia/Serbia)
Samia [+see also:
interview: Yasemin Şamdereli, Deka Moh…
film profile] - Yasemin Şamdereli (Italy/Germany)
Some Rain Must Fall [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Qiu Yang (China/USA/France/Singapore)
Under the Grey Sky [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mara Tamkovich
film profile] - Mara Tamkovich (Poland)
The Dog Thief [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vinko Tomičić Salinas
film profile] - Vinko Tomičić Salinas (Bolivia/Chile/Mexico/Ecuador/France/Italy)

Documentary Competition

Antidote - James Jones (UK)
Hacking Hate [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Simon Klose (Sweden/Denmark/Norway)
Made in Ethiopia - Xinyan Yu, Max Duncan (USA/Ethiopia/Denmark/UK/Canada/South Korea)
Checkpoint Zoo - Joshua Zeman (USA/Ukraine)

Spotlight+

Desire: The Carl Craig Story - Jean-Cosme Delaloye (UK/Switzerland)

Spotlight Narrative

Firebrand [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Karim Aïnouz (UK/USA)
Crossing [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Levan Akin
film profile] - Levan Akin (Sweden/Denmark/Georgia/Turkey/France)
The Wasp - Guillem Morales (UK)
The Damned - Thordur Palsson (UK/Iceland/Ireland/Belgium)
Kneecap [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Rich Peppiatt (Ireland)
Treasure [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Julia von Heinz (Germany/France)

Spotlight Documentary

Avicii - I’m Tim - Henrik Burman (Sweden/USA)
Federer: Twelve Final Days [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Asif Kapadia and Joe Sabia (UK/USA)
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger [+see also:
film review
film profile] - David Hinton (UK)
They All Came Out to Montreux - Oliver Murray (UK)
Jago: Into the White [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Luigi Pingitore (Italy)
Rebel Nun - Dominic Sivyer (USA/UK)
Soldiers of Song - Ryan Smith (USA/Ukraine)
Missing from Fire Trail Road - Sabrina Van Tassel (USA/France)

Viewpoints

Restless - Jed Hart (UK)
Witches [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Elizabeth Sankey (UK)
Era Oculta - Hidden Era [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carlos Vargas
film profile] - Carlos Vargas (Germany/Mozambique/Colombia)

Midnight

The Devil’s Bath [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala
film profile] - Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz (Austria/Germany)

Escape from Tribeca

She Loved Blossoms More [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Yannis Veslemes (Greece/France)