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Tribeca Festival · 2014

Tribeca Festival 2014

Spotlight

With its focus on marquee directors, prominent actors, and star performers, Spotlight is Tribeca’s showcase for launching breakout films.

Programme

31 films · 8 reviews

Jump to a film

5 to 7

A young aspiring novelist meets the sophisticated wife of a French Diplomat. They soon embark on a “cinq-a-sept” affair that challenges Brian’s traditional American ideas of love and relationships.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Victor Levin; Writer: Victor Levin; Stars: Anton Yelchin, Olivia Thirlby, Bérénice Marlohe, Glenn Close, Eric Stoltz, Frank Langella, Lambert Wilson, Joe D'Onofrio, Dov Tiefenbach, Jocelyn DeBoer, Amina Robinson, Gregg Micheals, Heather Warren, Kelly Hartnett, Paul Thornton)

World premiere. Narrative.

About Alex

A circle of twentysomething friends reunite for a weekend away to console a suicidal member of their group. Yet, despite their best efforts to enjoy themselves, a tinderbox of old jealousies, unrequited love, and widening political differences leads to an explosion of drama that, coupled with the flammable combination of drugs, wine, and risotto, cannot be contained.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Jesse Zwick; Writer: Jesse Zwick; Stars: Maggie Grace, Aubrey Plaza, Jane Levy, Max Greenfield, Jason Ritter, Max Minghella, Nate Parker, Rey Lucas, Adam Saunders, Devon)

World premiere. Narrative.

Alex Of Venice

Workaholic environmental attorney Alex (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has always relied on her husband George (Chris Messina) to take the reins at home. But when he unexpectedly asks for a break, his departure forces Alex to reevaluate her life as she juggles the care of her son and needs of an aspiring-actor father (Don Johnson), all amid the most important case of her life.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Chris Messina; Writer: Jessica Goldberg, Katie Nehra, Justin Shilton; Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Don Johnson, Chris Messina, Derek Luke, Julianna Guill, Matthew Del Negro, Michael Chernus, Troy Garity, Will McCormack, Tom Yi, Glenn Kessler, Katie Nehra, Vanessa Aspillaga, Tom O'Brien, Skylar Gaertner)

World premiere. Narrative.

All About Ann: Governor Richards Of The Lone Star State

Celebrates the achievements of larger-than-life Ann Richards, who became the first elected female governor of Texas.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Keith Patterson, Phillip Schopper; Writer: Keith Patterson; Stars: Willie Nelson, Bill Clinton, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, Nancy Pelosi, Liz Smith, Ann Richards)

World premiere. Documentary.

Boulevard

Nolan Mack, a soft-spoken bank employee, undoubtedly loves his wife Joy, though their cavernous empty house only underscores how disconnected they’ve always been from each other. Nolan finds himself drifting from his familiar present-day life in pursuit of lost time after meeting a troubled young man named Leo on his drive home. What begins as an aimless drive down an unfamiliar street turns into a life-altering series of events.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Dito Montiel; Writer: Douglas Soesbe; Stars: Robin Williams, Bob Odenkirk, Kathy Baker, Giles Matthey, Clay Jeffries, J. Karen Thomas, Roberto Aguire, Brandon Hirsch, Eleonore Hendricks, Curtis Gordon, Landon Marshall, Henry Haggard, Vernon Mitchell, Sondra Morton Chaffin, Charlie Accavallo)

World premiere. Narrative.

Bright Days Ahead (Les beaux jours)

A newly retired woman in her 60sfinds herself tumbling into an affair with a much younger man, her computer teacher at the local seniors’ club.

(Country: France; Year: 2013; Director: Marion Vernoux; Writer: Fanny Chesnel, Marion Vernoux, Fanny Chesnel, Marc Syrigas; Stars: Fanny Ardant, Laurent Lafitte, Patrick Chesnais, Jean-François Stévenin, Fanny Cottençon, Catherine Lachens, Alain Cauchi, Marie Rivière, Marc Chapiteau, Féodor Atkine, Olivia Cote, Emilie Caen, Eléonore Bernheim, Maud Le Guenedal, Roman Tabar-Nouval)

US premiere. Narrative.

Chef

Review preview for Chef

As if it's not bad enough that Chef is marinated in sticky sentiment, Favreau's occasional attempts to sprinkle in heavy-handed drama make for a stodgy mix.

David Graham · 3 out of 5
A chef trying to recover his flagging reputation finds inspiration in romance.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Jon Favreau; Writer: Jon Favreau; Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr., Sofía Vergara, Jon Favreau, Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman, John Leguizamo, Sandy Garza, Amy Sedaris, Oliver Platt, Garry Shandling, Emjay Anthony, Noa Lindberg, Joseph Fischer, Meghan Aruffo)

Full review

New York premiere. Narrative.

Every Secret Thing

Review preview for Every Secret Thing

What makes this film so much more than a thriller is the very terrible human emotional territory it dares to venture in.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4 out of 5
Two young women with a dark past come under suspicion when a child goes missing.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Amy Berg; Writer: Nicole Holofcener, based on the book by Laura Lippman; Stars: Elizabeth Banks, Dakota Fanning, Diane Lane, Nate Parker, Colin Donnell, Bill Sage, Renee Goldsberry, Clare Foley, Julito McCullum, Tonye Patano, Lily Pilblad, Sarah Sokolovic, Jack Gore, Danielle Macdonald, Jason Pendergraft)

Full review

World premiere. Narrative.

In Order Of Disappearance (Kraftidioten)

Review preview for In Order Of Disappearance

The neat trick of Aakeson and Moland is to balance the humour with unexpected moments of poignancy and humanity as fathers from both sides of the criminal tracks share the common ground of parenthood.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
Vengeance thriller.

(Country: Norway; Year: 2014; Director: Hans Petter Moland; Writer: Kim Fupz Aakeson; Stars: Stellan Skarsgård, Bruno Ganz, Kristofer Hivju, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Jakob Oftebro, Pål Sverre Hagen, Sergej Trifunovic, Tobias Santelmann, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Stig Henrik Hoff, Arthur Berning, Atle Antonsen, Goran Navojec, Jon Øigarden, David Sakurai)

Full review

North American premiere. Narrative.

In Your Eyes

East Coast housewife Rebecca (Zoe Kazan) lives a comfortable, sheltered life, but she always knew there was something special about herself. Charismatic ex-con Dylan (Michael Stahl-David) has paid his debt to society and is ready for a fresh start in New Mexico, including a burgeoning flirtation with local good-time-gal Donna (Nikki Reed). When the two polar opposites realise they are strangely connected, an unique metaphysical romance begins.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Brin Hill; Writer: Joss Whedon; Stars: Jennifer Grey, Steve Howey, Nikki Reed, Zoe Kazan, Preston Bailey, Steve Harris, Mark Feuerstein, Michael Stahl-David, Reed Birney, Liz Stauber, Tom Choi, Stephen Taylor, Kate Lacey, Joe Unger, Braden Fitzgerald)

World premiere. Narrative.

Just Before I Go

A down-on-his-luck everyman decides he’s had enough of the hard knocks life has thrown his way. But before saying his final adieu, he returns to his hometown to right a few wrongs.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Courteney Cox; Writer: David Flebotte; Stars: Olivia Thirlby, Missi Pyle, Seann William Scott, Garret Dillahunt, Kate Walsh, Kyle Gallner, Rob Riggle, Michaela Watkins, Noah Munck, Griffin Gluck, Elise Falanga, Jack McGee, Cleo King, George Finn, Mackenzie Marsh)

World premiere. Narrative.

Keep On Keepin On

Eighty-nine year old trumpeting legend Clark Terry has mentored jazz wonders like Miles Davis and Quincy Jones, but Terry’s most unlikely friendship is with Justin Kauflin, a 23-year-old blind piano player with uncanny talent, but debilitating nerves. As Justin prepares for the most pivotal moment in his budding career, Terry’s ailing health threatens to end his own.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Alan Hicks; Writer: Davis Coombe, Alan Hicks; Stars: Bill Cosby, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves, Clark Terry, Terri Lyne Carrington, Mulgrew Miller, Arturo Sandoval, Gwen Terry, Frank Kauflin, Justin Kauflin, Candy, Quincy Cavers, Phylis Kauflin)

World premiere. Documentary.

Life Partners

Nearing 30, Sasha and Paige realize their codependent friendship is preventing either of them from settling down. But when Paige meets the dorky yet lovable Tim, Sasha fears that she’s being replaced.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Susanna Fogel; Writer: Susanna Fogel, Joni Lefkowitz; Stars: Leighton Meester, Gillian Jacobs, Adam Brody, Gabourey Sidibe, Abby Elliott, Kate McKinnon, Julie White, Rosanna DeSoto, Greer Grammer, Beth Dover, Monte Markham, Simone Bailly, Elizabeth Ho, Brennan Murray, Matthew Cardarople)

World premiere. Narrative.

Love Is Strange

Review preview for Love Is Strange

Courageous and uncompromising

Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
The consequences of a gay marriage on family and friends.

(Country: US, France; Year: 2014; Director: Ira Sachs; Writer: Ira Sachs, Mauricio Zacharias; Stars: John Lithgow, Alfred Molina, Marisa Tomei, Darren E. Burrows, Charlie Tahan, Eric Tabach, John Cullum)

Full review

New York premiere. Narrative.

Lucky Them

Review preview for Lucky Them

Griffiths enjoys showing us the particulars of Ellie's life and it doesn't feel like exposition though it might look a little ersatz.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4 out of 5
A music journalist goes on a troubling journey into her own past.

(Country: US; Year: 2013; Director: Megan Griffiths; Writer: Huck Botko, Caroline Sherman, Emily Wachtel; Stars: Ryan Eggold, Toni Collette, Thomas Haden Church, Joanne Woodward, Ahna O'Reilly, Oliver Platt, Amy Seimetz, Lynn Shelton, Nina Arianda, Tony Doupe, Jake Robards, Linas Phillips, Gary Gulman, Conner Marx, Wally Dalton)

Full review See: Conversation with Megan Griffiths about Lucky Them

US premiere. Narrative.

Manos Sucias

Towing a submerged torpedo in the wake of their battered fishing boat, a desperate fisherman and a naive kid embark on a journey trafficking millions of dollars worth of cocaine.

(Country: US, Colombia; Year: 2014; Director: Josef Wladyka; Writer: Alan Blanco, Josef Wladyka; Stars: Cristian James Abvincula, Jarlin Javier Martinez)

International premiere. Narrative.

Match

A Seattle couple travels to New York to interview an eccentric former dancer.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Stephen Belber; Writer: Stephen Belber; Stars: Carla Gugino, Patrick Stewart, Matthew Lillard, Jaime Tirelli, Rob Yang, Maduka Steady)

World premiere. Narrative.

Miss Meadows

A prim schoolteacher is a secret vigilante, taking it upon herself to right the wrongs in this cruel world by whatever means necessary. Things get complicated, however, when she falls for the town sheriff.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Karen Leigh Hopkins; Writer: Karen Leigh Hopkins; Stars: Katie Holmes, James Badge Dale, Callan Mulvey, Mary Kay Place, Jean Smart, Stephen Bishop, James Landry Hébert, Ava Kolker, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Kate Linder, Charlotte Labadie, Elle Labadie, Tyler Corbet, Harry Zinn, Anna Moravcik)

World premiere. Narrative.

The Newburgh Sting

Just 60 miles north of New York City sits the poverty-stricken town of Newburgh, where, in 2009, four men were arrested for a plan to bomb two Jewish centers in the Bronx. But their leader, a suspicious Pakistani businessman planted by the government as an informant, led these men straight into the hands of the authorities.

(Year: 2014; Director: David Heilbroner, Kate Davis; Writer: David Heilbroner)

World premiere. Documentary.

Night Moves

Review preview for Night Moves

Reichardt observes the game coolly, yet provides more than enough detail to show the contradictions in her players' gambits.

Anton Bitel · 3.5 out of 5
Three people plot an act of eco-terrorism.

(Country: US; Year: 2013; Director: Kelly Reichardt; Writer: Jonathan Raymond, Kelly Reichardt; Stars: Dakota Fanning, Jesse Eisenberg, Peter Sarsgaard, Alia Shawkat, James Le Gros, Clara Mamet, Lew Temple, Katherine Waterston, Nate Mooney, Logan Miller, Matt Malloy, Kai Lennox, Barry Del Sherman, Griffin Newman, Bart McCarthy)

Full review

US premiere. Narrative.

The One I Love

Struggling with a marriage on the brink of falling apart, a couple escapes for the weekend in pursuit of their better selves, only to discover an unusual dilemma waiting for them.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: Charlie McDowell; Writer: Justin Lader; Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Mark Duplass, Ted Danson)

New York premiere. Narrative.

The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip Of Bob Weir

Drop out of school to ride with the Merry Pranksters. Form America’s most enduring jam band. Become a family man and father. Never stop chasing the muse. Bob Weir took his own path to and through superstardom as rhythm guitarist for The Grateful Dead. Mike Fleiss re-imagines the whole wild journey in this magnetic rock doc and concert film, with memorable input from bandmates, contemporaries, followers, family, and, of course, the inimitable Bob Weir himself.

(Year: 2014; Director: Mike Fleiss)

World premiere. Documentary.

Palo Alto

Review preview for Palo Alto

If there's a wish for more in Palo Alto, it's largely because what is here works so well.

Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
Snapshot of teenage angst.

(Country: US; Year: 2013; Director: Gia Coppola; Writer: Gia Coppola, based on the short stories by James Franco; Stars: James Franco, Emma Roberts, Val Kilmer, Nat Wolff, Christian Madsen, Chris Messina, Keegan Allen, Colleen Camp, Olivia Crocicchia, Zoe Levin, Don Novello, Bo Mitchell, Sam Dillon, Jack Kilmer, Claudia Levy) , Official site

Full review

US premiere. Narrative.

The Search for General Tso

Documentary about the classic American Chinese spicy chicken dish.

(Country: US, Taiwan, China; Year: 2013; Director: Ian Cheney; Writer: Ian Cheney)

World premiere. Documentary.

Silenced

Only 11 Americans have ever been charged under the Espionage Act of 1917; eight of them since President Obama took office. James Spione returns to TFF with the incredible personal journeys of two members of that octet, Thomas Drake and John Kiriakou, along with accountability advocate, Jesselyn Radack, who helped bring their cases to light.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: James Spione; Stars: Michael Wren Gucciardo, Connie Romano, Hiroko Tanaka, Marvin Johnson)

World premiere. Documentary.

Sister

When unstable Connie (Barbara Hershey) is tragically widowed, she finds it impossible to care for her delinquent adolescent daughter, Nicki, forcing her son, Bill (Reid Scott), to take his sister in. As the two begin to forge a healthy bond, well-meaning Bill implements his own method of treatment for Nicki’s mental troubles, but, when turmoil persists, he must reconcile his beliefs with what actually may be best for his sister.

(Country: US; Year: 2014; Director: David Lascher; Writer: Todd M Camhe, David Lascher; Stars: Reid Scott, Grace Kaufman, Illeana Douglas, Alexis Dziena, Nadine Velazquez, Serinda Swan, Barbara Hershey, John Heard, Bruce Davison, Patricia Belcher, Lee Garlington, Isabella Acres, Dameon Clarke, Adam Shapiro, Assaf Cohen)

World premiere. Narrative.

Slaying The Badger

Before Lance Armstrong, there was Greg LeMond, who is now the first and only American to win the Tour de France. In this engrossing documentary, LeMond looks back at the pivotal 1986 Tour, and his increasingly vicious rivalry with friend, teammate, and mentor Bernard Hinault. The reigning Tour champion and brutal competitor known as “The Badger,” Hinault ‘promised’ to help LeMond to his first victory, in return for LeMond supporting him in the previous year. But in a sport that purports to reward teamwork, it’s really every man for himself.

(Year: 2014; Director: John Dower; Writer: John Dower)

World premiere. Documentary.

Super Duper Alice Cooper

Documentary about the man behind the make-up.

(Country: Canada; Year: 2014; Director: Sam Dunn, Reginald Harkema, Scot McFadyen; Writer: Sam Dunn, Reginald Harkema, Scot McFadyen; Stars: Iggy Pop, Elton John, Alice Cooper, Dee Snider, Shep Gordon, Bernie Taupin, John Lydon, Sheryl Cooper, Robert Ezrin, Ella Furnier, Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith) , Official site

World premiere. Documentary.

Third Person

Three stories set in cities known for romance — New York, Rome, and Paris — take raw and personal twists as characters grapple with the difficulties of modern relationships.

(Country: UK, US, Germany, Belgium; Year: 2013; Director: Paul Haggis; Writer: Paul Haggis; Stars: Olivia Wilde, Liam Neeson, Mila Kunis, James Franco, Adrien Brody, Maria Bello, Kim Basinger, Caroline Goodall, Moran Atias, David Harewood, Riccardo Scamarcio, Isabella Blake-Thomas, Gisella Marengo, Loan Chabanol, Emanuela Postacchini)

US premiere. Narrative.

Untitled Daniel Junge and Kief Davidson Documentary

Stay tuned for more information on this new documentary exploring the fans of a beloved childhood toy.

(Year: 2014)

World premiere. Documentary.

Venus In Fur (La Venua À La Fourrure)

Review preview for Venus In Fur

Seigner is wonderfully playful and her bold risk taking shows how much she trusts Polanski.

Anne-Katrin Titze · 4.5 out of 5
An actress endeavours to convince a director of her talents so she can win a part in the play based on Sacher-Masoch's novel.

(Country: France, Poland; Year: 2013; Director: Roman Polanski; Writer: Roman Polanski, based on the play by David Ives; Stars: Emmanuelle Seigner, Mathieu Amalric)

Full review

North American premiere. Narrative.