APRIL 2017
April is here and that means Cannes on the Hudson hits Lower Manhattan. The Tribeca Film Festival is back and it’s bigger and better than ever. Due to the paper’s deadline, I will share with you what I know and what I intend to attend and see. You know that I go to a number of film festivals here in the U.S. and elsewhere, with Sundance being the one I most care about, quickly followed by the New York Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF). I like it when a festival keeps its own identity and does not try to emulate another festival.
TFF was born literally in the smoke, fumes, and ash of the World Trade Center 9/11 attack. I will never forget how good it made me feel to attend the first TFF in the spirit of a true New Yorker. I knew that, as horrible as it was to live downtown that unforgettable day, we all had gone through it. No terrorist, homegrown or foreign, was going to make us New Yorkers tremble in fear. TFF went on with a thumb to the noise of fear and opened on schedule.
Of course, TFF has grown much larger. It would be impossible in this limited space to cover all of it. So, here’s a SUGGESTION: Download the TFF app (it’s terrific) and explore. What I will share with you is my “blind date dance card,” so to speak, of what, as of today I look forward to attending. Yes, there are panels, “talks” (Both Barbra Streisand and Bruce Springsteen will separately be in conversation), podcasts, and interactive offshoots. The Video Arcade is back and will operate this year throughout the whole festival. It is showcasing immersive work (Virtual Reality) that is both experimental and replete with storytelling that pushes boundaries. I also suspect that the sideshows of the cinematic circus will be up and running: the Drive–In Movies, the Sports Film component, and Family Day.
What I want to provide you now is my MOVIE LIST. I waded through the 200+ films. I think most of you readers know that I do not write about movies I have not seen. But the press screenings have just begun as I write and I have a deadline. So, this time I will, like you, be selecting films. My selections for the most part are based on gut feelings, subject matter, and personality (relating to directors, awards, actors, writers, etc.)
Here is my “blind date dance card”—a list that you can read and by accessing the TFF app or website understand why the films were selected. Space does not allow me to fully describe why I want to see a film, but if you check out my schedule, you will hopefully have your curiosity piqued as mine has been.
Let’s Go to the Movies…
What to See at The Tribeca Film Festival
Here are my recommendations…maybe we can sit together in the dark!
A Gray State; A Thousand Junkies; ACORN And The Firestorm; Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World; Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story; City of Ghosts; Dog Years; ELIÁN; For Ahkeem; Frank Serpico; Get Me Roger Stone; The Last Poker Game; Hell on Earth; I AM EVIDENCE; La Belle Et La Bête / The Philip Glass Ensemble; The Divine Order; My Friend Dahmer; No Man’s Land, No Stone Unturned; Permission; Saturday Church; Shadowman; The Boy Downstairs; The Circle; The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson; The Dinner; The Farthest; The Public Image is Rotten; The Sensitives; The Third Industrial Revolution; Tom of Finland; Whitney: Can I Be Me.
And here are my Video Arcade (Virtual Reality) choices:
Unrest (World Premiere) – France/USA; Testimony (World Premiere) – USA; The Other Dakar (World Premiere) – Senegal; Hallelujah (World Premiere) – USA; Becoming Homeless: A Human Experience (World Premiere) – USA; Broken Night (World Premiere) – USA; The Protectors: Walk in The Ranger’s Shoes (World Premiere) – USA Project.
Now let’s talk tickets.
If you have a spare $15,000 you can get the VIP perk-filled PLATINUM package (enjoy). Rush tickets are available the day of the performance. Yes, there are public discounts, which are available at ticket outlets only and are not redeemable online or by phone. Discounts are available for students and seniors (age 62+) with valid ID, and downtown Manhattan residents with proof of residency in the following zip codes: 10002, 10004, 10005, 10006, 10007, 10012, 10013, 10014, 10038, 10048, 10280, 10281, and 10282.
There is a $6.00 discount for each $21.00 General Screening Ticket and a $10.00 discount for each $30.00 and $40.00 Ticket. (There is no discount for $12.00 Matinee Tickets). Check the TFF website or app for the complete rules.
As we get closer to the Tribeca Film Festival, we will have more information available here on the WestView News website under “Jim Fouratt’s REEL DEAL: Movies That Matter” column.
Jim Fouratt: culturalinstigator@gmail.com.
