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Tribeca Festival · 2021

Tribeca Festival 2021

Spotlight Documentary

Programme

13 films · 4 reviews

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A-ha The Movie

Review preview for A-ha The Movie

Few music documentaries get as close to the mechanics of interactive creative processes as this, and few enjoy such candid input from their subjects.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
Documentary portrait of the band behind Take On Me.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2021; Director: Thomas Robsahm; Writer: Thomas Robsahm)

Full review See: Interview with Thomas Robsahm about Aha The Movie , Interview with Thomas Robsahm about A-ha The Movie

World premiere

Bernstein's Wall

Profile of Leonard Bernstein.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Douglas Tirola)

World premiere

Bitchin': The Sound And Fury Of Rick James

Profile of funk/R&B icon Rick James.

(Year: 2021; Director: Sacha Jenkins)

World premiere

A Choice Of Weapons: Inspired By Gordon Parks

This documentary chronicles renaissance man Gordon Parks’ stellar career from staff photographer for LIFE magazine, through his artistic development photographing everyday Americans, through his evolution as a novelist and groundbreaking filmmaker.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: John Maggio; Stars: Gordon Parks, Gordon Parks)

World premiere

Father Of The Cyborgs

Review preview for Father Of The Cyborgs

If you have no prior knowledge of this type of science then it may take you a little while to find your feet. If you know it well, you'll find this more interesting as a character study than revelatory. Either way, it's a stimulating experience.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
A documentary about a doctor who made headlines for implanting electrodes in the brain of a paralysed man then teaching the patient to control a computer - and then decided to experiment on himself.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: David Burke; Writer: David Burke; Stars: Phil Kennedy)

Full review

Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story

Novelist Jackie Collins’s trailblazing and glamorous life is remembered and reconsidered.

(Country: UK; Year: 2021; Director: Laura Fairrie)

World premiere

LFG

A dive inside the US women’s national football league and their continuing fight for equal pay in an effort to create real change in women’s sports.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix; Writer: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix)

World premiere

The Lost Leonardo

Review preview for The Lost Leonardo

Koefoed isn't scared to treat his interviews as hostile witnesses on occasion, so that the film always seems to be on the side of the artwork rather than any individual.

Amber Wilkinson · 5 out of 5
The inside story behind the Salvator Mundi, the most expensive painting ever sold at $450 million, claimed to be a long-lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci.

(Country: Denmark, France, Sweden; Year: 2021; Director: Andreas Koefoed; Writer: Andreas Dalsgaard, Christian Kirk Muff, Andreas Koefoed, Mark Monroe, Duska Zagorac)

Full review

World premiere

The Neutral Ground

Review preview for The Neutral Ground

Though some aspects of the film will mean more to you if you have a New Orleans connection, Hunt strives to ensure that it's accessible to everyone.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
In December 2015, the New Orleans City Council voted to remove four Confederate monuments from public grounds. A forceful group of critics protested the decision, and fearing retaliation, no crew would agree to remove the statues.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: CJ Hunt; Writer: Jane Geisler, James Hamilton, CJ Hunt; Stars: CJ Hunt)

Full review See: James Hamilton in conversation on CJ Hunt’s The Neutral Ground

The Price of Freedom

The NRA has become an increasing force of political influence, challenging gun control legislation as a direct attack on personal freedom. This deep dive into American gun culture is a passionate call to action.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Judd Ehrlich)

World premiere

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain

Documentary about the chef and travel documentarian.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: Morgan Neville)

World premiere

Stockholm Syndrome

Musician and cultural icon A$AP Rocky explores his life and career while fighting for his freedom after being arrested in Stockholm, Sweden.

(Country: Sweden, US; Year: 2021; Director: The Architects)

World premiere

Wolfgang

Documentary about celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck.

(Country: US; Year: 2021; Director: David Gelb)

World premiere