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Tribeca Festival · 2016

Tribeca Festival 2016

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Programme

25 films · 5 reviews

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14 Minutes from Earth

On October 24th, 2014, a secret three-year mission by a small crew of engineers came to fruition deep in the desert of New Mexico. There, a human being was launched higher than ever before without the aid of a spacecraft — shattering all records. This film documents the mission and its greater implications for the scientific community and stratospheric exploration.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Jerry Kolber, Adam "Tex" Davis, Trey Nelson, Erich Sturm)

Documentary. World premiere

Adult Life Skills

Review preview for Adult Life Skills

Charm' is just one of the words, and others like 'winsome' are right there - it manages this without ever feeling forced, without ever feeling twee - and that makes it a triumph.

Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
Anna is stuck: she’s approaching 30, living in her mother’s shed, and spending her time making movies with her thumbs. Her mom wants her to move out; she just wants to be left alone.

(Country: UK; Year: 2016; Director: Rachel Tunnard; Writer: Rachel Tunnard; Stars: Jodie Whittaker, Edward Hogg, Lorraine Ashbourne, Alice Lowe, Brett Goldstein, Andrew Buckley, Christian Contreras, Eileen Davies, David Anderson, Rachael Deering, Ozzy Myers)

Full review

Narrative. World premiere

Abortion: Stories Women Tell

In 1973, the US Supreme court decision Roe v. Wade gave every woman the right to have an abortion. In 2016, abortion remains one of the most divisive issues in America, especially in Missouri.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Tracy Droz Tragos)

Documentary. World premiere

Actor Martinez

Arthur Martinez is a computer repairman and aspiring actor who commissions indie directors Mike Ott and Nathan Silver to film his life. In the directors’ first collaboration, we see them follow Arthur as he goes to work, drives around, and auditions for a love interest, leading them to question the meaning of the project, and ultimately that of identity and stardom.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Mike Ott, Nathan Silver; Writer: Mike Ott, Nathan Silver; Stars: Lindsay Burdge, Mike Ott, Nathan Silver, Andy Hankins, Connor Long, Cory Zacharia, Michael Haskins, Bobby Black, Kenneth Berba, Sanaz Fatemi, Jennifer Lynne Jorgenson, Katharyn Grant, Rae Radke, Cindy Silver, Arthur Martinez)

Narrative. World premiere

After Spring

Close to 80,000 Syrian refugees live in the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan. After Spring immerses us in the rhythms of the camp, the role of the aid workers, and the daily lives of two families as they contemplate an uncertain future.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Ellen Martinez, Steph Ching)

Documentary. World premiere

As I Open My Eyes (À peine j'ouvre les yeux)

Tunis, summer 2010, a few months before the Revolution: Farah, 18 years old, has just graduated and her family already sees her as a future doctor. But she doesn't have the same idea.

(Country: France, Belgium, Tunisia; Year: 2015; Director: Leyla Bouzid; Writer: Leyla Bouzid, Marie-Sophie Chambon; Stars: Baya Medhaffer, Ghalia Benali)

Narrative. US premiere

Between Us

A couple are afraid that if they finally tie the knot it would mean the end of their days as free-spirited urbanites. But a whirlwind night apart involving temptations from a duo of strangers will either make them realise why they are together or finally drive them apart forever.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Rafael Palacio Illingworth; Writer: Rafael Palacio Illingworth; Stars: Analeigh Tipton, Ben Feldman, Olivia Thirlby, Adam Goldberg, Lesley Ann Warren, Betsy Brandt, John Ross Bowie, Raychel Diane Weiner, Peter Bogdanovich, Alison Sudol, Cherilyn Wilson, Scott Haze, Azize Erim, Jedediah Jenk, Emma Farabee)

Narrative. World premiere

Califórnia

A coming-of-age tale about a high school student, Estela, growing up in São Paulo in the 1980s. Estela is doing all she can to get to California to visit her glamorous and cultured uncle.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2015; Director: Marina Person; Writer: Francisco Guarnieri, Marina Person, Mariana Veríssimo; Stars: Clara Gallo, Caio Horowicz, Caio Blat, Giovanni Gallo, Letícia Fagnani, Livia Gijon, Virginia Cavendish, Paulo Miklos, Gilda Nomacce, Amanda Chaptiska, Cristiano Damasi, Pedro Goifman, Francisco Guarnieri, Ivo Müller, Joelson Oliveira)

Narrative. North American premiere

The Charro Of Toluquilla

Jaime García appears to be the quintessentially machismo mariachi singer, yet beneath his magnetic confidence lies a man struggling to maintain a relationship with his estranged family while living as an HIV-positive man.

(Country: Mexico; Year: 2016; Director: Jose Villalobos)

Documentary. International premiere

Children Of The Mountain

When a young woman gives birth to a deformed and sickly child, she becomes the victim of cruelty and superstition in her Ghanaian community. Discarded by her lover, she is convinced she suffers from a ‘dirty womb,’ and embarks on a journey to heal her son and create a future for them both.

(Country: US, Georgia, Ghana; Year: 2016; Director: Priscilla Anany; Writer: Priscilla Anany; Stars: Rukiyat Masud, Adjetey Anang, Agbeko Mortty, Akofa Edjeani Asiedu, Grace Omaboe, Jessica Dablo, Mynna Otoo, Mea Vita Otoo-Panou, Stacy Afful, Eli Cecilson, Faustina Kumesi, Agnes Vemegah, Silvia Tettegah, William Addo, Frank M. Ahearn)

Narrative. World premiere

Detour

After his mother ends up in a coma under suspicious circumstances, a law student decides to drown his sorrows at a seedy bar. The next morning, he wakes up to the realisation that he may have hired a hitman.

(Country: UK, South Africa; Year: 2016; Director: Christopher Smith; Writer: Christopher Smith; Stars: Emory Cohen, Bel Powley, Tye Sheridan, Stephen Moyer, Gbenga Akinnagbe, John Lynch, Sibo Mlambo, Jenna Saras, Nick Boraine, Jared Abrahamson, Francis Chouler, Dylan Edy, Joe Vaz, Daniel Fox, Reine Swart)

Narrative. World premiere

Equals

Review preview for Equals

A ragbag of cliches that owe a debt to everything from Romeo and Juliet to THX 1138.

Amber Wilkinson · 2 out of 5
A futuristic love story set in a world where emotions have been eradicated but where a genetic glitch means some people can still fall in love.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Drake Doremus; Writer: Nathan Parker; Stars: Kristen Stewart, Nicholas Hoult, Bel Powley, Guy Pearce, Claudia Kim, Toby Huss, Jacki Weaver, Kate Lyn Sheil, Aurora Perrineau, Rebecca Hazlewood, David Selby, Scott Lawrence, Rizwan Manji, Kai Lennox, Shunsuke Okubo)

Full review See: Venice Festival report: Looking For Grace, The Daughter, Equals, The Childhood Of A Leader

Narrative. US premiere

Haveababy

Amanda Micheli’s haveababy opens with a YouTube-based competition for a free round of in vitro fertilization, courtesy of a Las Vegas fertility clinic. Through this controversial contest, Micheli explores the complexities of America's burgeoning fertility industry and paints an intimate portrait of the many resilient couples determined to have a baby against all odds.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Amanda Micheli)

Documentary. World premiere

High-Rise (High Rise)

Review preview for High-Rise

In the literal act of performance there is room to talk about self as performance, and that is where High-Rise is strongest.

Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
Class war breaks out in a tower block.

(Country: UK; Year: 2015; Director: Ben Wheatley; Writer: Amy Jump, based on the novel by JG Ballard; Stars: Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss, James Purefoy, Keeley Hawes, Dan Renton Skinner, Sienna Guillory, Enzo Cilenti, Peter Ferdinando, Reece Shearsmith, Augustus Prew, Stacy Martin, Leila Mimmack) , Trailer

Full review

Narrative. New York premiere

Houston, We Have A Problem!

Review preview for Houston, We Have A Problem!

Even when we are ready to dismiss something presented to us as 'scientific' evidence, we are still ready to swallow a lie if it comes with an emotionally satsifying coating.

Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
Creating the myth of a space-race power deal.

(Country: Slovenia, Croatia, Germany, Czech Republic, Qatar; Year: 2016; Director: Žiga Virc; Writer: Žiga Virc, Boštjan Virc)

Full review

Documentary. World premiere

The Human Thing (La Cosa Humana)

A thief breaks into the home of a famous writer, and unknowingly steals what turns out to be the only manuscript of his upcoming story. In desperate need of money, he submits it to a contest, which will see him competing with the very writer he robbed.

(Country: Cuba; Year: 2016; Director: Gerardo Chijona; Writer: Francisco García, Gerardo Chijona)

Narrative. International premiere

Keepers Of The Game

Lacrosse is a sacred game for Native Americans, traditionally reserved for men. When a women's varsity team forms in upstate New York, they aim to be the first Native women’s team to take the championship title away from their rivals Massena High. But when their funding is slashed, and the indigenous community is torn, they find more than just the championship is on the line.​

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Judd Ehrlich)

Documentary. World premiere

The Loner

A reformed mobster is haunted by memories of being a child soldier in Iran in the 1980s. As he pursues the American Dream in Los Angeles, he finds it increasingly difficult to stay away from the seedy underbelly of the city.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Daniel Grove; Writer: Daniel Grove, Daniel Grove, Reza Sixo Safai; Stars: Reza Sixo Safai, Helena Mattsson, Parviz Sayyad, Julian Sands, Dominic Rains, Laura Harring, Nikolai Kinski, Nikohl Boosheri, David Diaan, Gregory Kasyan, Daniel Zolghadri, Kristof Konrad, Eric Etebari, Ardeshir Radpour, April Martucci)

Narrative. World premiere

Nerdland

An R-rated cartoon comedy about celebrity, excess, and two showbiz nobodies, John and Elliott, with a plan to become famous — or even infamous — by the end of the night.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Chris Prynoski; Writer: Andy Kevin Walker; Stars: Patton Oswalt, Paul Rudd, Hannibal Buress, Laraine Newman, Mike Judge, Kate Micucci & Riki Lindhome, Molly Shannon)

Opening film. Narrative. World premiere

Night School

Indianapolis has one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the country. For adult learners Greg, Melissa, and Shynika, a high school diploma could be a life-changing achievement.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Andrew Cohn)

Documentary. World premiere

Obit

Within the storied walls of The New York Times, a team of writers is entrusted with reflecting upon the luminaries, icons, and world leaders of our day.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Vanessa Gould; Stars: Bruce Weber, William McDonald, Margalit Fox, William Grimes, Jack Kaddan, Douglas Martin, Jeff Roth, Daniel Slotnik, Paul Vitello, Peter Keepnews, Jon Pareles, Dolores Morrison)

Documentary. World premiere

Poor Boy

Romeo and Samson Griggs, two reckless, misfit brothers living on the outskirts of town, survive by hustling, gambling, and thieving. In an attempt to leave their lot behind for good, they design their most complex and financially rewarding long con yet.

(Year: 2016; Director: Robert Scott Wildes; Writer: Logan Antill, Robert Scott Wildes; Stars: Michael Shannon, Amanda Crew, Justin Chatwin, Dale Dickey, Lou Taylor Pucci, Stephanie Hunt, Jon Foster, Pat Healy, Amy Ferguson, Eszter Balint, Dov Tiefenbach, Andy Bean, Amber Rothwell, Zach Garcia, Lenna Karacostas)

Narrative. World premiere

The Ride

The annual 300-mile trek through the South Dakota Badlands. There, young men and women of the Lakota Sioux ride horseback and reflect upon the history of their ancestors.

(Country: France; Year: 2016; Director: Stéphanie Gillard)

Documentary. World premiere

Solitary

Portrait of life inside solitary confinement within a supermax prison. Filmed over the course of one year.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Kristi Jacobson)

Documentary. World premiere

Southwest Of Salem: The Story Of The San Antonio Four

Review preview for Southwest Of Salem: The Story Of The San Antonio Four

Esquenazi's approach is cool and focused.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Documentary about a trial that was infused with homophobic prejudice.

(Country: US; Year: 2016; Director: Deborah Esquenazi)

Full review

Documentary. World premiere