Get ready, New York, for a bounty of indie and international bangers.
Arising from the ashes of the 2001 terrorist attack on New York City, the Tribeca Festival has long established itself on the annual calendar as a home for edgy indie and international films. They self-describe their feature film lineup as "highlighting politically, culturally and socially relevant films from diverse storytellers."
The film portion of the 2024 Tribeca Festival kicks off Wednesday, June 5, with the world premiere of Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge, directed by Trish Dalton and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Screen Anarchy will have two contributing writers on the ground in Tribeca over the next 10 days -- Olga Artemyeva and Edward Fuhrman -- supplemented by remote review coverage by my fellow editor J Hurtado and myself.
We've pored over the program and picked out a selection of films that deserve notice, with quoted descriptions from the official festival site. We'll be reviewing some (most?) of the films in the gallery below, along with any others that catch our eye.
To quote the official festival verbiage: "This year’s program includes 103 feature films from 114 filmmakers across 48 countries. The lineup comprises 86 world premieres, two international premieres, six North American premieres, and eight New York premieres. Half of the films in competition are directed by women. Additionally, 35% (36) of feature films are directed by BIPOC filmmakers. There are 30 films directed by first-time filmmakers and 25 directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects."
Hunters on a White Field (Directed by Sarah Gyllenstierna)
"Three men go on an extended weekend hunting trip deep in the Swedish forest."
What catches my eye here is the film, described as a tense psychological thriller about men who are "spurred on overactive male bravada," was directed by a woman, so I'm gambling that it is not just macho-posturing. Also, it's Swedish, which is usually a fairly good indicator of a promising production. -- Peter Martin
Slave Play. Not a Movie. A Play. (Directed by Jeremy O. Harris)
"A self-portrait of playwright Jeremy O. Harris at work as he deconstructs his provocative and Tony-nominated play, Slave Play."
Before he created a sensation on Broadway with Slave Play, Harris contributed to our site, believe it or not. His new documentary sounds sizzling and intriguing. Besides, I never got to New York (or Los Angeles) to see the play for myself, so I'm definitely very intrigued -- Peter Martin
Bang Bang (Directed by Vincent Grashaw)
"Back in his glory days, Bernard Rozyski, better known as 'Bang Bang,' was a beloved prizefighter boxer riding high on his success."
I love me some Tim Blake Nelson, so this is an automatic pick for me, especially since he appears to be playing a lovable loser. The tone seems be quite dark, which also plays into my weak spot for boxing movies. -- Peter Martin
The A-Frame (Directed by Calvin Lee Reeder)
One of our favorite nightmare architects is back with what is likely his most accessible feature yet! Calvin Lee Reeder has created a world of dissonance over the last decade-plus with his features The Oregonian and The Rambler, as well as his numerous award winning shorts, this year he steps up to the plate in Tribeca's Midnight section with a black comedy about teleportation, cat testicles, cancer, and acceptance. It's funny, heart-wrenching, and very gooey. If you've seen his Huluween short, The Ripper, you've got some idea of what to expect. -- J Hurtado
The Weekend (Directed by Daniel Oriahi)
Bringing a romantic partner home to meet the family is always stressful, but rarely has it been as dangerous as it is in Daniel Oriahi's latest feature. Nikya is joining her new fiance Luke's family for a holiday weekend, but things get very strange, very quickly and it soon becomes apparent that she may not make it out alive. Blending pitch black humor with social commentary and plenty of twisted secrets, The Weekend is a wicked Midnight selection that is sure to get people talking. -- J Hurtado
She Loved Blossoms More (Directed by Yannis Veslemes)
Fans of lo-fi science fiction and Greek absurdist cinema should be on the lookout for Yannis Veslemes's (Norway) latest feature, She Loved Blossoms More. A trio of brothers have constructed a time machine in an unassuming wardrobe in an attempt to bring their dearly departed mother back from the other side, but it doesn't go exactly as planned leading to a psychedelic journey through their own grief. Intricately art directed and a fully lived-in aesthetic set the scene for some truly wild visuals and bizarro body horror. This one is a trip, don't miss it. -- J Hurtado
New Wave (Directed by Elizabeth Ai)
"Ai’s commanding exploration of cultural identity and community resilience makes for an intimate, emotionally-attuned watch."
During the late 1970s and early 80s, New Wave music that I heard in Los Angeles swept me into its post-punk, synth-heavy currents. For the Vietnamese-American community in the U.S., though, it was much more of a deeper cultural phenomenon that helped them to deal with their transforming identity and the lasting repercussions of the war that made them (or their parents) refugees, forced to flee from their homeland. All this makes me very much interested in seeing this documentary. -- Peter Martin
#AMFAD: All My Friends Are Dead (Directed by Marcus Dunstan)
Everyone loves a good, old fashioned slasher, and with #AMFAD: All My Friends are Dead, Saw franchise vet Marcus Dunstan delivers a fun one.
Seven friends on their way to a music festival get sidetracked by car trouble and wind up at an out of the way AirBNB. Things seem peachy at first, but before too long a mysterious masked killer begins picking them off, one by one, with each death following a particularly biblical theme. Classic slasher rules apply, with a few clever updates to the social media age and an appearance by former kiddie pop star and current iconoclast, Jojo Siwa. -- J Hurtado
A Family Guide to Hunting (Directed by Zao Wang)
"When Eva, a doomsday prepper, takes her uptight Korean-American parents and all-American boyfriend on a bonding hunting trip, things go from bad to grisly."
Usually we don't cover short films, which is a reflection of our relatively limited time that's available for our coverage, but I couldn't resist the premise, which sounds like 'the family that gets grisly together, stays together.' We'll have to see how the film turns out; it's only 15 minutes, though, so that counts in its favor. -- Peter Martin
Adult Best Friends (Directed by Delaney Buffett)
"Nothing holds a mirror up to your life more than the examination of a friend from childhood."
here is seemingly some sort of a curious trend going on right now, having filmmakers drawing inspiration from their real-life friendships. Adult Best Friends, co-written by the duo Delaney Buffett and Katie Corwin (both also star in it), is exactly what the title suggests: a bittersweet story about growing apart. Zachary Quinto is one of the executive producers and a national treasure who lights up the screen whenever he’s on. -- Olga Artemyeva
Darkest Miriam (Directed by Naomi Jaye)
"The fog of grief shrouding Miriam, a branch librarian, begins to lift when she starts a love affair with cab driver Janko. But what’s the deal with the vaguely threatening letters she keeps finding?"
Featured in the Viewpoints section, the sophomore film by Naomi Jaye (executive produced by Charlie Kaufman), is an imaginative metamodern brain-teaser which quite gracefully dances around several genres. Based on Martha Bailie's famous novel The Incident Report. -- Olga Artemyeva
All That We Love (Directed by Yen Tan)
"Following the death of her family dog, Emma (Margaret Cho) finds herself at a crossroads where grief and release play together."
Director Yen Tan has crafted a series of films, both shorts and features, that address the human condition, so that automatically gets my interest up. I'm further intrigued by the idea of Margaret Cho tackling a meaty dramatic part. -- Peter Martin
Restless (Directed by Jed Hart)
Also in the Viewpoints program, Restless is a debut film by Jed Hart and another exercise in a multi-genre cinematic game. A thriller with some dark comedy bits, Hart’s debut will surely turn out relatable to lots of people – after all, having difficult new neighbors who just refuse to not be obnoxious is an actual problem. -- Olga Artemyeva
Jazzy (Directed by Morissa Maltz)
Featured in the US Narrative Competition, Jazzy follows up on Morrisa Maltz’ previous film, a spiritual road trip The Unknown Country. Jasmine Bearkiller Shangreaux and Syriah Fool Head Means play fictionalized versions of themselves (while Lily Gladstone also comes back and executive produces the film too) in a coming-of-age story that promises to become an addition to the great cinematic tradition of depicting childhood as a wonderful yet painful experience. -- Olga Artemyeva
Vulcanizadora (Directed by Joel Potrykus)
Part of the US Narrative Competition, this is a new outing by an auteur Joel Potrykus (Buzzard, Relaxer) who specializes in creative mindbenders. The new film is unmistakably one of those – a visionary tale about a weird trip to the woods. Potrykus himself stars here alongside his long-time collaborator Joshua Burge who played in his debut Ape that grabbed some awards at the Locarno International Film Festival in 2012. -- Olga Artemyeva
The Freshly Cut Grass (Directed by Celina Murga)
"In mirroring stories of marital perfidy, two university professors - one man and one woman - step out on their spouses with younger students and step into tricky emotional and professional terrain. Presented by Martin Scorsese."
Honestly, if the combination of "martial perfidy" and "presented by Martin Scorsese" do not grab your attention, I don't even know you. -- Peter Martin
Piropolis (Directed by Nicholas Medina)
"Visually astounding. ... Drops the viewer in the fiery port city of Valparaíso, Chile and observes a pack of determined volunteer firefighters as they band together."
Some years ago, I visited Chile and spent a couple hours in Valparaiso, which is an exquisitely beautiful seaside city, so naturally I am intensely curious about this documentary, especially since it's described as "visually astounding." I'm always fascinated by (respectful) fire docs. -- Peter Martin
Winter Spring Summer or Fall (Directed by Tiffany Paulsen)
"Jenna Ortega and Percy Hynes White star in this sweet teen love story about a Harvard-bound girl genius and a laid-back guy who find each other in their final year of high school."
That doesn't sound like something we would cover around here, but Jenna Ortega is rapidly becoming an actress whose work demands attention, no matter the genre. I'll keep my ears open for any positive reactions. -- Peter Martin