The Tribeca Film Festival, which begins today in NYC, may not be as prestigious as Cannes or Sundance, but it's still a notable place to debut a film. Of the ten entries in this year's US Narrative Competition, half are directed by women, and many star a familiar face or two. So, in no particular order, let's preview the films in competition.
MapplethorpePlot: In the late 1960s, art-school dropout Robert Mapplethorpe moves into the Chelsea Hotel with dreams of stardom. He quickly becomes the enfant terrible of the photography world as the downtown counterculture of 1970s New York reaches its zenith.
Stars: Matt Smith, Marianne Rendón, John Benjamin Hickey, Mark Moses
Director: Ondi Timoner, a female director best known for her documentaries.
All About NinaPlot: Nina Geld’s passion and talent have made her a rising star in the comedy scene, but she’s an emotional mess offstage. When a new professional opportunity coincides with a romantic one, she is forced to reckon with the intersection of her life and her art.
Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Common, Chace Crawford, Camryn Manheim, Clea DuVall
Director: Eva Vives - this is her first feature film.
MainePlot: A married woman’s journey of self-discovery and introspection while solo-hiking the Appalachian Trail ends up sidetracked when she encounters a lone hiker.
Stars: Pete Burris, Laia Costa, Pat Dortch, Thomas Mann
Director: Matthew Brown (
In The Treetops)
O.G.Plot: An inmate entering the final weeks of a twenty-plus-year sentence must navigate between old loyalties and a new protégé, while he also grapples with the looming uncertainty of his return to life outside bars in this drama
Stars: Jeffrey Wright, William Fictner, Boyd Holbrook, Mare Winningham
Director: Madeleine Sackler, whose previous work is mostly documentaries.
DianePlot: Diane is a devoted friend and caretaker, particularly to her drug-addicted son. But as those around her begin to drift away in the last quarter of her life, she is left to reckon with past choices and long-dormant memories in this haunting character study.
Stars: Mary Kay Place, Jake Lacy, Andrea Martin, Phyllis Somerville
Director: Kent Jones (
Hitchcock/Truffaut)
Little WoodsPlot: In this dramatic thriller set in the fracking boomtown of Little Woods, North Dakota, two estranged sisters are driven to extremes when their mother dies, leaving them with one week to pay back her mortgage.
Stars: Tessa Thompson, Lily James, James Badge Dale, Lance Reddick
Director: Nia DaCosta - it's her first feature.
Duck ButterPlot: Two women, jaded by dishonest and broken relationships, make a pact to spend 24 uninterrupted hours together, having sex on the hour. Their romantic experiment intends to create a new form of intimacy, but it doesn't quite go as planned.
Stars: Alia Shawkat, Laia Costa, Mae Whitman, Hong Chau
Director: Miguel Arteta (
Beatriz at Dinner)
State Like SleepPlot: Following the mysterious death of her husband, Katherine travels to Brussels, where a few loose ends become a whole web of secrets as she untangles her late spouse’s last days alive in this noir thriller.
Stars: Katherine Waterston, Luke Evans, Michael Shannon, Michael Huisman
Director: Meredith Danluck (
North of South, West of East)
Ghostbox CowboyPlot: In this darkly comedic morality tale, tech entrepreneur Jimmy Van Horn arrives in China armed with an invention and confidence, only to learn that being American is not enough to succeed.
Stars: David Zellner, Specialist, Robert Longstreet, Vincent Xie
Director: John Maringouin, who has previously directed documentaries.
Song of Back and NeckPlot: A hapless man seeking treatment for his back pain discovers a very unusual talent and unexpected love in this inventive romantic comedy.
Stars: Paul Lieberstein, Rosemarie DeWitt, Paul Feig, Brian d'Arcy James, Jessica McKenna
Director: Paul Lieberstein (
The Office)
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12345678910111213141516171819202122What looks good, ONTD? Anyone going to any Tribeca screenings?
