Tribeca Film Festival 2015 Announces World Narrative, Spotlight Screenings, Documentary, Short Film, and Midnight Line-Up

It’s that time again! One of my favorite things about springtime in New York City is the Tribeca Film Festival. The good people at Tribeca announced what’s in store for movie lovers in New York for 2015: Check out some of this year’s line up below:

World Narrative:

• The Adderall Diaries, directed and written by Pamela Romanowsky. (USA) – World Premiere. Elliott (James Franco), a once-successful novelist inflicted with writer’s block and an Adderall addiction strives to escape his problems by delving into the world of a high-profile murder case. Amber Heard, Ed Harris, and Cynthia Nixon co-star in this adaptation of Elliott’s best-selling memoir.
• Bridgend, directed by Jeppe Rønde, co-written by Jeppe Rønde, Torben Bech, and Peter Asmussen. (Denmark) – North American Premiere. Sara (Hannah Murray) and her dad arrive in a town haunted by a spate of teenage suicides. When she falls in love with Jamie (Josh O’Connor), she becomes prey to the depression that threatens to engulf them all. Jeppe Rønde’s debut is based on the real-life Welsh county borough of Bridgend, which has recorded at least 79 suicides since 2007.
• Dixieland, directed and written by Hank Bedford. (USA) – World Premiere. In the hot lazy days of a Mississippi summer two star-crossed lovers, a recently released ex-con (Chris Zylka) and an aspiring stripper (Riley Keough), become trapped in a downward spiral of crime and obsessive love, as they try to ditch their small town lives. Featuring an impressive performance by Faith Hill.
• Franny, directed and written by Andrew Renzi. (USA) – World Premiere. Richard Gere delivers a bravura performance as the title character, a rich eccentric who worms his way into the lives of a deceased friend’s young daughter (Dakota Fanning) and her new husband (Theo James). The narrative feature debut of writer-director Andrew Renzi, Franny is a warm and winsome drama about the pangs of the past, and the families we choose.
• Meadowland, directed by Reed Morano, written by Chris Rossi. (USA) – World Premiere. Sarah and Phil’s son goes missing, shattering their life together and forcing each to find their own way to cope. Cinematographer-turned-director Reed Morano presents a masterfully crafted contemplation on a relationship strained to the breaking point. Olivia Wilde and Luke Wilson capture the unraveling emotions with remarkable power, alongside Kevin Corrigan, John Leguizamo, Elisabeth Moss, Giovanni Ribisi, Juno Temple, and Merritt Wever.
• Men Go to Battle, directed and written by Zachary Treitz, co-written by Kate Lyn Sheil. (USA) – World Premiere. Kentucky, 1861. Francis and Henry Mellon depend on each other to keep their unkempt estate afloat as winter encroaches. After Francis takes a casual fight too far, Henry ventures off in the night, leaving each of them to struggle through the wartime on their own.
• Necktie Youth, directed and written by Sibs Shongwe-La Mer. (Netherlands, South Africa) – North American Premiere. Jabz and September are two twenty-something suburbanites drifting through a day of drugs, sex, and philosophizing in their privileged Johannesburg neighborhood, ill-equipped to handle a tragedy that has interrupted the hollowness of their daily lives. Using rich black and white photography, Sibs Shongwe-La Mer paints a raw, unique portrait of self-obsessed youth facing adulthood in an increasingly divided city. In Afrikaans, English, isiZulu with subtitles. 
• The Survivalist, directed and written by Stephen Fingleton. (Northern Ireland, UK) – World Premiere. Self-preservation takes on a new level of meaning in this organic post-apocalyptic drama, where the only way to get food is to farm it. A man is threatened when two starving women stumble across his cabin and demand to stay. Each new mouth to feed strains the limits of what the farm can produce and diminishes their chance for survival.
• Sworn Virgin (Vergine Giurata), directed and written by Laura Bispuri, co-written by Francesca Manieri. (Albania, Germany, Italy, Kosovo, Switzerland) – North American Premiere. As a young woman living within the confines of a Northern Albanian village, Hana longs to escape the shackles of womanhood, and live her life as a man. To do so she must take an oath to eternally remain a virgin. Years later, as Mark, she leaves home for the first time to confront a new set of circumstances, leading her to contemplate the possibility of undoing her vow. In Albanian, Italian with subtitles.
• Viaje, directed and written by Paz Fábrega. (Costa Rica) –World Premiere. After meeting at a party, Luciana and Pedro spark up a spontaneous rendezvous when Luciana accompanies Pedro to a national forest on a work trip. Eschewing the fraudulent nature of traditional relationships, the pair explores the beauty in the nature that surrounds them as they indulge in the passions of their encounter and navigate the various meanings of commitment. In Spanish with subtitles.
• Virgin Mountain, directed and written by Dagur Kári. (Iceland, Denmark) – North American Premiere. Fúsi is a mammoth of a man who at 43-years-old is still living at home with his mother. Shy and awkward, he hasn’t quite learned how to socialize with others, leaving him as an untouchable inexperienced virgin. That is until his family pushes him to join a dance class, where he meets the equally innocent but playful Sjöfn. In Icelandic with subtitles.
• Wednesday 04:45 (Tetarti 04:45), directed and written by Alexis Alexiou. (Germany, Greece, Israel) – World Premiere. A life’s work becomes a prison for jazz club owner Stelios when a shady Romanian gangster calls in his debts. This gripping, underworld drama is a parable on the perils of accumulated debt, and a depiction of the descent of a mostly decent man. Director Alexis Alexiou perfectly balances the complex emotions that drive a man to take the most drastic measures available. In Greek with subtitles.

Documentary:

• Autism in Love, directed by Matt Fuller. (USA) – World Premiere. What does it mean to love and be loved? With remarkable compassion, director Matt Fuller examines the reality of autistic adulthood and shows how the members of this often-misunderstood community cope with the challenge of keeping romance alive. Autism in Love is a celebration of accepting the differences in others, and in ourselves.
• The Birth of Saké, directed by Erik Shirai. (USA) – World Premiere. Traditional and labor-intensive, the production of Saké has changed very little over the centuries. Erik Shirai’s love song to the artisans who have dedicated their lives to carrying on this increasingly rare artform follows the round-the-clock process for six straight months, offering a rare glimpse into a family-run brewery that’s been operating for over 100 years. In Japanese with subtitles.
• Democrats, directed and written by Camilla Nielsson. (Denmark). – North American Premiere. In the wake of Robert Mugabe’s highly criticized 2008 presidential win, Zimbabwe’s first constitutional committee was created in an effort to transition the country away from its authoritarian leadership. With unprecedented access to the two political rivals overseeing the committee, this riveting, firsthand account of a country’s fraught first steps towards democracy plays at once like an intimate political thriller and unlikely buddy film. In English, Shona with subtitles.
• Havana Motor Club, directed and written by Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt. (Cuba, USA) – World Premiere. Reforms have offered opportunity in Cuba but the children of the Revolution are unsure of the best route forward. For a half-dozen drag racers, this means last-minute changes to their beloved American muscle cars, as they prepare for the first sanctioned race in Cuba since 1960. Punctuated by a lively Cuban soundtrack, Havana Motor Club offers a fascinating glimpse at the resilience and ingenuity of the competitive spirit. In Spanish with subtitles.
• In My Father’s House, directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, co-written by Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg, and Pax Wassermann. (USA) – World Premiere. After moving into his childhood home on Chicago’s South Side, Grammy Award–winning rapper Che “Rhymefest” Smith hesitantly sets out to reconnect with his estranged father, the man who abandoned him over twenty years ago. In My Father’s House is a stirring, multigenerational chronicle of Che’s sincere but often-fraught journey to build a future for his own family by reconnecting with his traumatic past.
• In Transit, co-directed by Albert Maysles, Nelson Walker, Lynn True, David Usui, and Ben Wu. (USA) – World Premiere. The Empire Builder is America’s busiest long-distance train route, running from Chicago to Seattle. Throughout these corridors sit runaways, adventurers, and loners – a myriad of passengers waiting to see what their journey holds. A touching and honest observation, co-directed by the iconic documentarian Albert Maysles, In Transit breathes life into the long commute, and contemplates the unknowns that lie at our final destination.
• Indian Point, directed and written by Ivy Meeropol. (USA) – World Premiere. Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant looms just 35 miles from Times Square. With over 50 million people living in close proximity to the aging facility, its continued operation has generated controversy for the surrounding community. In the brewing fight for clean energy and the catastrophic possibilities of complacency, director Ivy Meeropol weaves a startling portrait of our uncertain nuclear future.
• Palio, directed by Cosima Spender, written by John Hunt. (UK, Italy) – World Premiere. In the world’s oldest horse race, the Palio, taking bribes and fixing races threatens to extinguish the passion for the sport itself. Giovanni, unversed in corruption, challenges his former mentor, who dominates the game. What ensues is a thrilling battle, filled with the intoxicating drama that is at the center of Italian tradition. In Italian with subtitles.
• Song of Lahore, directed by Andy Schocken and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. (USA, Pakistan) – World Premiere. Until the late 1970s, the Pakistani city of Lahore was world-renowned for its music. Following the ban of music under Sharia law, many artists were forced to abandon their life’s work. Song of Lahore turns the spotlight on a stalwart group of lifelong musicians who continue to play despite their circumstances. They end up attracting listeners from all over the world. In English, Punjabi, and Urdu with subtitles.
• Thank You for Playing, co-directed and co-written by David Osit and Malika Zouhali-Worrall. (USA) – World Premiere. For the past four years, Ryan and Amy Greene have been working on That Dragon, Cancer, a videogame about their son Joel’s fight against that disease. Following the family through the creation of the game and the day-to-day realities of Joel’s treatment, David Osit and Malika Zouhali-Worrall create a moving testament to the joy and heartbreak of raising a terminally ill child.
• Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle, directed and written by Nick Berardini. (USA) – World Premiere. Do you blame the technology or the person wielding it? With damaging reports of taser-related deaths at the hands of police officers, this conundrum spurs a carefully constructed argument that tasers are in fact lethal, discrediting claims by Taser International that stun guns save lives. Yet more than 17,000 police departments in the United States continue to use the electric rifle.
• Very Semi-Serious, directed by Leah Wolchok. (USA) – World Premiere. The New Yorker is the benchmark for the single-panel cartoon. This light-hearted and sometimes poignant look at the art and humor of the iconic drawings shows why they have inspired and even baffled us for decades. Very Semi-Serious is a window into the minds of cartooning legends and hopefuls, including editor Bob Mankoff, shedding light onto their how their humor evolves.
•  All Eyes and Ears, directed and written by Vanessa Hope. (China, USA) – New York Premiere, Documentary. When former Utah governor Jon Huntsman was appointed United States Ambassador to China, the charming career politician arrived at his new post with his entire family—including his adopted Chinese daughter, Gracie. Huntsman’s diplomatic struggles and triumphs are explored in the broader context of China’s relationship with the rest of the world, and intersected with Gracie’s personal experience living in China as a Chinese-American. In Mandarin, Cantonese, English, with subtitles.
• Applesauce, directed and written by Onur Tukel. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. TFF alumnus Onur Tukel plays a husband who innocently reveals on talk radio the worst thing he’s ever done. Though his gaffe never makes it on air, it sets off a chain of hilariously uncontrollable events that draw his wife and another couple into an uneasy mixture of infidelities, confessions, and severed body parts.
• Bad Hurt, directed and written by Mark Kemble, co-written by Jamieson Stern. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Life for the Kendalls has been burdened by grief and claustrophobia. Faced with caring for one child with special needs and another with PTSD, the family struggles for a sense of stability at home in their Staten Island hamlet. When a secret from the past is revealed, it threatens to tear them apart.
• Bare, directed and written by Natalia Leite. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative.
• Sarah’s (Dianna Agron) mundane life in a Nevada desert town is turned upside down with the arrival of Pepper (Paz de la Huerta), a mysterious female drifter, who leads her into a life of seedy strip clubs and illicit drugs. Their passion inspires Sarah to break free of her past and seek out a new life of her own.
• Being 14 (À 14 ans), directed and written by Hélène Zimmer. (France). – International Premiere, Narrative. Adopting an observational style, Being 14 captures all the secrets, trials, and anguish of adolescence, as experienced by best friends Sarah, Louise, and Jade in their final year of middle school. The narrative plays like a documentary in each true-to-life scene; the camera is witness to their lives unfolding, as it unobtrusively records the moments of a year, after which everything will change. In French with subtitles
• Come Down Molly, directed and written by Gregory Kohn. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. In this expressionist odyssey exploring the lonely side of entering adulthood, struggling new mother Molly (Eléonore Hendricks) joins her old high school group of guy friends at a secluded mountain home. Amidst tears, laughter, and mushrooms, they connect with nature, one another, and themselves.
• A Courtship, directed by Amy Kohn. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Amy Kohn’s fascinating documentary offers a peek into the practice of Christian courtship, wherein a woman hands over the responsibility of finding a husband to her parents and the will of God. Such is Kelly’s path, enlisting her adopted spiritual family to find her Mr. Right.
• Crocodile Gennadiy, directed and written by Steve Hoover. (USA)– World Premiere, Documentary. Crocodile Gennadiy, a real-life, self-appointed savior, who works tirelessly to rescue homeless, drug-addicted youth from the streets of Mariupol, Ukraine. At the same time, he challenges dealers and abusers. Despite criticism, Gennadiy is determined to continue his work. Sundance Award-winning director Steve Hoover’s second feature is a bold portrait of a man on a mission. In English, Russian with subtitles.
• Cronies, directed and written by Michael Larnell. (USA) – New York Premiere, Narrative. Louis begins to question his lifelong friendship with Jack, after a simple errand to buy his daughter a birthday gift turns into a visit to a drug dealer. Director Michael Larnell combines an earnestly realistic narrative with documentary-style interviews in which the characters muse on their futures, their impact on those they love, and the nature of friendship.
• dream/killer, directed by Andrew Jenks. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. In the fall of 2005, 20-year-old Ryan Ferguson received a 40-year prison sentence for a murder that he did not commit. Over the next ten years, his father Bill engages in a tireless crusade to prove Ryan’s innocence. Interspersed with footage from the Ferguson family archive, Andrew Jenks’ film looks at the personal consequences of a wrongful conviction.
• El Cinco (El 5 de Talleres), directed and written by Adrián Biniez. (Argentina) – North American Premiere, Narrative. Patón, with his fiery temper and aggressive play, is the veteran star of his city’s soccer team. When his transgressions land him a lengthy suspension, he considers retirement, while discovering a world that consists of more than just feet and fists. This coming-of-middle-age tale reveals the predicament of leaving the arena where you most feel at home. In Spanish with subtitles.
• GORED, directed and written by Ido Mizrahy, co-written by Geoffrey Gray. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Gored centers on Spanish bullfighter Antonio Barrera, holder of the dubious title of “Most Gored Bullfighter in History,” as he grapples with the end of his career. Captivating footage of past and present bullfights reveal Barrera’s tremendous passion for the sport, as well as his seemingly irresistible urge to confront death at every opportunity. In Spanish with subtitles.
• Jackrabbit, directed and written by Carleton Ranney, co-written by Destin Douglas. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. When a friend’s suicide leaves behind a mysterious computer drive, a fringe hacker and accomplished computer technician come together to decipher the message left in his wake. First-time filmmaker Carleton Ranney effortlessly combines a low-fi aesthetic with an intensely ambitious sci-fi story, creating a work that manages to satisfy as both a retro throwback and a forward-thinking indie drama.
• King Jack, directed and written by Felix Thompson. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Growing up in a rural town filled with violent delinquents, Jack has learned to do what it takes to survive, despite having an oblivious mother and no father. After his aunt falls ill and a younger cousin comes to stay with him, the hardened 15-year-old discovers the importance of friendship, family, and looking for happiness even in the most desolate of circumstances.
• Lucifer, directed and written by Gust Van den Berghe. (Belgium, Mexico) – United States Premiere, Narrative. An angel falling from heaven to hell unexpectedly lands in a Mexican village where his presence affects the villagers in surprising ways. Inspired by the biblical story, Lucifer is a mesmerizing, moving, and unique exercise in form, presented in the director’s own format, Tondoscope. In Spanish with subtitles.
• Orion: The Man Who Would Be King, directed and written by Jeanie Finlay. (UK) – World Premiere, Documentary. Millions of Americans clung to the hope that Elvis Presley faked his death. For the executives at Sun Records that fantasy became an opportunity in the form of Orion, a mysterious masked performer with the voice of The King. But who was the man behind the mask? In this stranger-than-fiction true story, Jeanie Finlay explores a life led in service to those who couldn’t let Elvis go.
• Shut Up and Drive, directed and written by Melanie Shaw. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Uptight and insecure Jane breaks down when her live-in boyfriend must move from Los Angeles to New Orleans for an acting gig. Jane’s anxiety worsens upon the arrival of Laura, Austin’s wild childhood friend. Unable to deal with each other without Austin, the two women embark on a road trip to see him, forming an unexpected friendship along the way.
• Slow Learners, co-directed by Sheena Joyce and Don Argott, written by Matt Serword. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative.  High school teachers Jeff and Anne (Adam Pally and Sarah Burns) are work BFFs all too familiar with the woes of romance. Desperate to turn their luck around they take on new personas and embark, with gusto, on an adventurous summer of uncharacteristic encounters. Slow Learners is a charming, comedic crash course in discovering who you really are.
• Stranded in Canton (Nakangami na Guangzhou), directed by Måns Månsson, co-written by Måns Månsson, Li Hongqi, and George Cragg. (Sweden, Denmark, China)– North American Premiere, Narrative. Lebrun is an entrepreneur from The Democratic Republic of Congo who goes to China intent on making a fortune selling political T-shirts. When things don’t go as planned Lebrun spends more time in karaoke bars and falling in love than he does on business. Somewhere between documentary and fiction, this fascinating story explores new trade routes and their impact in two separate continents. In Cantonese, English, French, Lingala, Mandarin with subtitles.
• Sunrise (Arunoday), directed and written by Partho Sen-Gupta. (India, France) – North American Premiere, Narrative. Social Service officer Lakshman Joshi is led on a chase through the dark gutters and rain-soaked back alleys of Mumbai by a shadowy figure. His pursuit leads him to Paradise, a seedy nightclub seemingly at the center of the kidnapping ring he is investigating. Joshi’s hunt brings back memories of his own kidnapped daughter, as his past and current reality converge. In Marathi with subtitles.
• Tenured, directed and written by Christopher Modoono, co-written by Gil Zabarsky. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. In Chris Modoono’s hilarious directorial debut, a broody and foul-mouthed elementary school teacher, Ethan Collins, finds his life turned upside down when his wife leaves him. Stuck with a group of precocious fifth graders, and fraught with fizzling writing aspirations, Ethan uses the school play as a last-ditch effort to fix his marriage. Will this be his greatest accomplishment or his most misguided lesson to date?
• (T)ERROR, directed by Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe. (USA) – New York Premiere, Documentary. A rare, insider’s view of an FBI undercover investigation in progress, (T)ERROR follows a 63-year-old informant in his attempt to befriend a suspected Taliban sympathizer, and build a fraudulent case against him. Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe’s startling and timely exposé questions the sacrifices that are being made to prevent terror in the United States.
• Toto and His Sisters (Toto Si Surorile Lui), directed and written by Alexander Nanau. (Romania) – North American Premiere, Documentary. Shot over a period of 15 months, this hands-off documentary follows siblings living in a Bucharest slum. With their mother in jail, Toto and his two sisters, Ana and Andreea, live in what appears to be a communal drug den. As Ana drifts away with frequent drug use, Toto and Andreea must stick together in an orphanage, awaiting their mother’s return. In Romanian with subtitles.
• TransFatty Lives, directed by Patrick O’Brien, co-written by Patrick O’Brien, Scott Crowningshield, Lasse Jarvi, Doug Pray. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Director Patrick O’Brien is TransFatty, the onetime NYC deejay and Internet meme-making superstar. In 2005, O’Brien began to document his life after being diagnosed with ALS and given only two to five years to live.TransFatty Lives is a brazen and illustrative account of what it’s like to live when you find out you are going to die.
• Uncertain, co-directed and co-written by Ewan McNicol and Anna Sandilands. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. An aquatic weed threatens the lake of the small American border town of Uncertain, Texas, and consequently the livelihoods of those who live there. As some of the men in town attempt to figure out their future, they confront a past that haunts them.
• We Are Young. We Are Strong. (Wir Sind Jung. Wir Sind Stark.), directed by Burhan Qurbani, co-written by Martin Behnke and Burhan Qurbani. (Germany) – North American Premiere, Narrative. A group of disillusioned teenagers wander about in the restless hours leading up to an anti-immigrant riot that took place in Rostock, Germany, in August of 1992. The impending incident is seen through the experiences of three individuals: a Vietnamese factory worker, a local politician, and the politician’s teenage son, Stefan.In German, Vietnamese with subtitles.
• The Wolfpack, directed by Crystal Moselle. (USA) – New York Premiere, Documentary. Everything the Angulo brothers know about the outside world they learned from obsessively watching movies. Shut away from bustling New York City by their overprotective father, they cope with their isolation by diligently re-enacting their favorite films. When one of the brothers escapes, the world as they know it will be transformed. A Magnolia Release.

Spotlight:

• Aferim!, directed and written by Radu Jude, co-written by Florin Lazarescu . (Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic) – North American Premiere, Narrative. A police officer and his son travel across Wallachia in 1835, hunting down a runaway gypsy slave. In their journey across the countryside they encounter people of different religions and nationalities, each with their own prejudices and opinions on the state of the country. Shot in black-and-white, Radu Jude’s Aferim! is a gripping look into the political and religious landscape of 19th century Romania. In Romanian with subtitles.
• Aloft, directed and written by Claudia Llosa. (Canada, France, Spain) – New York Premiere, Narrative.
• In parallel narratives, single-mother Nana (Jennifer Connelly) has a mysterious experience at the hands of a traveling healer, years later her troubled son Ivan (Cillian Murphy) sets out in search of his now absent mother. Academy Award®–nominee Claudia Llosa’s (The Milk of Sorrow) decade-spanning family drama is a dreamlike rumination on faith, forgiveness, and family, set against an otherworldly frozen landscape. A Sony PicturesClassics Release.
• Among the Believers, co-directed by Hemal Trivedi and Mohammed Ali Naqvi, written by Jonathan Goodman Levitt. (Pakistan) – World Premiere. An unsettling and eye opening exploration into the spread of the radical Islamic school Red Mosque, which trains legions of children to devote their lives to jihad, or holy war, from a very young age. With incredible access and chilling footage, Among the Believers is a timely and relevant look into the causes that have led to the growth of radical Islam in Pakistan and around the world. In Urdu with subtitles.
• Anesthesia, directed and written by Tim Blake Nelson. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. On a snowy night in New York City, a Columbia professor is brutally mugged on the doorsteps of an apartment building. Director Tim Blake Nelson’s haunting meditation of city life traces the chain of events that precipitate the attack, examining the inextricable and unforeseen forces that bring a group of disparate individuals together. Featuring a star-studded ensemble including Sam Waterston, Kristen Stewart, Glenn Close, and Cory Stoll.
• Angry Sky, directed by Jeff Tremaine. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. In the 1960s, truck-driver Nick Piantanida discovered skydiving, and set out to break the world record for highest parachute jump by taking a helium balloon to the edge of space. Over the course of a year, his dream to launch the first civilian space program drove him to obsession. An ESPN Films release.
• The Armor of Light, directed by Abigail Disney. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. This inspiring documentary digs into the deep affinity between the evangelical Christian movement and our country’s gun culture — and how one top minister and anti-abortion activist undergoes a change of consciousness to challenge prevailing attitudes toward firearms among his fellow Christians.
• As I AM: the Life and Times of DJ AM, directed and written by Kevin Kerslake. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Adam Goldstein, better known as DJ AM, was a man with deep passions and aggressive demons.  As I AM is an insider’s look into the life of the late, famed mash-up pioneer: his professional successes that made him the first million-dollar deejay in the United States and his incredibly complex personal life that was lived under the specter of drug addiction.
• Ashby, directed and written by Tony McNamara. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Awkward Ed Wallis (Nat Wolff) needs help fitting in and turns to his neighbor Ashby Holt (Mickey Rourke) for help. Ashby’s unforgiving brand of tough love soon tests their friendship, and it hardly helps when Ed learns that Ashby is a former CIA assassin. Peppered with upbeat music and standout performances, Ashby is a spirited, self-referential update on Harold and Maude for a John Wick generation. With Emma Roberts and Sarah Silverman.
• Backtrack, directed and written by Michael Petroni. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. In this spine-tingling supernatural thriller, troubled psychotherapist Peter Bowers (Adrien Brody) is suffering from nightmares and eerie visions. When he uncovers a horrifying secret that all of his patients share, he is put on a course that takes him back to the small hometown he fled years ago. There he confronts his demons and unravels a mystery 20 years in the making.
• Bleeding Heart, directed and written by Diane Bell. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Reserved yoga instructor May’s (Jessica Biel) peaceful, clean-living life is thrown out of balance by the arrival of her long-lost sister Shiva (Zosia Mamet), a street-smart yet naive young woman trapped in an abusive relationship. May feels compelled to rescue the hapless Shiva, but she finds herself increasingly drawn out of her sedate world and deeper into Shiva’s chaotic one. With Edi Gathegi, Joe Anderson, Kate Burton, and Harry Hamlin.
• Cartel Land, directed by Matthew Heineman. (USA, Mexico) – New York Premiere, Documentary. A portrait of two men, both leaders of small paramilitary groups that police different sides of the Mexican drug war. With unprecedented access, this film brings forward deep questions about the breakdown of order and entanglement of modern-day vigilante movements at a time when the government cannot provide basic security for its people. In Spanish and English with subtitles. A release by The Orchard.
• The Cut, directed and written by Fatih Akin, co-written by Mardik Martin. (Germany) – North American Premiere, Narrative. Fatih Akin’s historic epic follows one man’s journey through the Ottoman Empire after surviving the 1915 Armenian genocide. Deported from his home in Mardin, Nazareth (Tahar Rahim) moves onwards as a forced laborer. When he learns that his daughters may still be alive, his hope is revived and he travels to America to find them. In Arabic, Armenian, and Spanish with subtitles.
• Dirty Weekend, directed and written by Neil LaBute. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Neil LaBute returns to Tribeca with this sharp-edged comedy treat about the ripple effects of desire, whether it’s followed or left unredeemed. Matthew Broderick and Alice Eve are wonderful together as colleagues with secrets who come to depend on each other for understanding as they go to find a spark of excitement in Albuquerque, after dark.
• Down in the Valley, directed by Jason Hehir. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. How far would you go to save your hometown team? For many Sacramento residents, faced with the nearly certain relocation of their beloved Kings, no boardroom was too distant. One native son proved it. Follow former NBA superstar turned Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson as he battles owners and executives to keep the Kings at home, in this a roaring testament to the passion and power of the small-market fan. An ESPN Films release.
• The Driftless Area, directed and written by Zachary Sluser. (Canada, USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Pierre Hunter (Anton Yelchin), a bartender with unyielding optimism, returns to his tiny hometown after his parents’ death. When he falls for the enigmatic Stella (Zooey Deschanel), Pierre is unknowingly pulled into a cat-and-mouse game that involves a duffel bag full of cash, a haphazard yet determined criminal (John Hawkes), and a mystery that will determine all of their fates. With Alia Shawkat, Frank Langella, Aubrey Plaza, and Ciarán Hinds.
• DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: The Story of the National Lampoon, directed and written by Douglas Tirola, co-written by Mark Monroe. (USA) – New York Premiere, Documentary. Using rare, never-before-seen archival footage and in-depth interviews with fans and founders, Douglas Tirola traces National Lampoon’s evolution from underground countercultural movement to mainstream household brand. Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead is a riotous and revealing chronicle of a trailblazing comedic institution and a celebration of creative expression at its radical, envelope-pushing finest.
• The Emperor’s New Clothes, made by Michael Winterbottom & Russell Brand (UK) – International Premiere. Cinema’s prolific writer/director Michael Winterbottom and comedian/provocateur Russell Brand join forces in this polemical expose about inequality and the financial crisis. From London to New York the film combines documentary style, archive footage and comedy to explore how the crisis has gravely affected the 99% and only benefited the 1%.
• Far From Men (Loin des Hommes), directed and written by David Oelhoffen. (France) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. During the height of the Algerian War, an unlikely bond forms between a reserved French teacher (Viggo Mortensen) and the elusive dissident (Reda Kateb) he must turn over to the authorities. Based on a short story by Albert Camus, David Oelhoffen’s classically conceived period Western is a tense and timely study of war’s political and personal sacrifices. In French with subtitles. A Tribeca Film release.
• Fastball, directed and written by Jonathan Hock. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Since 1912, baseball has been a game obsessed with statistics and speed. Thrown at upwards of 100 miles per hour, a fastball moves too quickly for human cognition and accelerates into the realm of intuition. Fastball is a look at how the game at its highest levels of achievement transcends logic and even skill, becoming the primal struggle for man to control the uncontrollable.
• A Faster Horse, directed by David Gelb, and written by Mark Monroe. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. As the fiftieth anniversary of the Mustang approaches, Ford is launching a redesign, placing the jobs and expectations of thousands squarely on the shoulders of Chief Program Engineer Dave Pericak. Masterfully crafted by TFF alumnus David Gelb (Jiro Dreams of Sushi), A Faster Horse moves beyond a car lover’s documentary to a resonant examination of American ingenuity, workmanship, and resilience.
• Good Kill, directed and written by Andrew Niccol. (USA) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Major Tommy Egan (Ethan Hawke) is fighting a war from the safety of a Nevada trailer, but commitment to the mission comes at a price. Gattaca director Andrew Niccol reunites with Ethan Hawke for this timely drama about the human costs of advanced war technology. Co-starring January Jones and Zoe Kravitz. An IFC Films Release
• Grandma, directed and written by Paul Weitz. (USA) – New York Premiere, Narrative. Reeling from a recent breakup and still mourning the loss of her longtime partner, once-famous poet Elle Reid (Lily Tomlin) is surprised to find her teenage granddaughter on her doorstep in need of $600 and a ride. The two embark on an all-day road trip that ends up rattling skeletons and digging up secrets all over town. Co-starring Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden, Judy Greer, Laverne Cox, and Sam Elliott. A Sony Pictures Classics release.
• Hungry Hearts, directed by Saverio Costanzo. (Italy) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. After a chance meeting and a whirlwind romance in New York City, Jude (Adam Driver) and Mina (Alba Rohrwacher) become pregnant. Convinced their child will be harmed by the pollutions in the outside world, Mina becomes consumed by protecting her baby, forcing Jude to recognize a terrible truth about why his son’s life could be in danger. A Sundance Selects Release
• Jimmy’s Hall, directed by Ken Loach, written by Paul Laverty. (UK, Ireland, France) – North American Premiere, Narrative. James Gralton returns from exile and reopens a public dancehall, bravely pushing back against the sharply drawn religious and political margins of his time. Ken Loach (Winner, Palme-d’or 2006, The Wind that Shakes the Barley) paints a romantic drama about a leftist leader, and a 1930s Ireland that celebrates free speech and thought in the face of oppressive dogma. A Sony Pictures Classics Release.
• Maggie, directed by Henry Hobson, written by John Scott 3. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. There’s a deadly zombie epidemic threatening humanity, but Wade (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a small-town farmer and family man, refuses to accept defeat even when his daughter Maggie (Abigail Breslin) becomes infected. As Maggie’s condition worsens and the authorities seek to eradicate those with the virus, Wade is pushed to the limits in an effort to protect her. Joely Richardson co-stars in this post-apocalyptic thriller. Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions release.
• Mojave, directed by and written by William Monahan. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. William Monahan’s second feature, starring Oscar Isaac and Garrett Hedlund, is a delirious trip from the fringes of the desert to the center of the film industry. Armed with little more than a knife and two handles of vodka, an on-edge Hollywood director sets out to the Mojave Desert, where he finds a drifter brandishing a rifle and claiming to be the Devil.
• Our Fathers, the Nazis, directed by David Evans, written by Philippe Sands (UK) – World Premiere, Documentary. Can you imagine what it means to grow up as the child of a mass murderer? While studying the Nuremberg trials, a lawyer becomes fascinated with two men: both sons of famous Nazi Generals, and both with polar opposite views of their fathers’ hand in the war. A forthright dive into individual perception, Our Fathers, the Nazis adds new meaning to the ties that bind us
• The Overnight, directed and written by Patrick Brice. (USA) – New York Premiere, Narrative. Alex and Emily have just moved to LA with their young son. Eager to make new friends, they accept an invitation to a party from the father of their son’s playground mate. After the kids fall asleep, the “playdate” takes a bizarre turn in this racy and hilarious romp. Featuring Judith Godrèche, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman, and Adam Scott. A release by The Orchard.
• Peggy Guggenheim – Art Addict, directed by Lisa  Immordino Vreeland, written by Bernadine Colish, Lisa Immordino Vreeland,  and John Northrup. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary.  Bouncing between Europe and the US as often as she would between lovers, Peggy Guggenheim’s life story was as swirling as the design of her uncle’s museum, and reads more like fiction than any reality imaginable. Art Addict is a picture into Guggenheim’s world: abstract, colorful, and as salacious as the artwork she revered.
• Prescription Thugs, directed by Christopher Bell, written by Josh Alexander. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Americans consume 80% of the world’s prescription drugs. After losing his own brother to the growing epidemic of prescription drug abuse, documentarian Chris Bell (Bigger, Stronger, Faster) sets out to demystify this insidious addiction. While the war has raged against illegal drugs, Bell attempts to break the hardened correlation that legal means safe.
• Requiem for the American Dream, directed and written by Peter Hutchison, Kelly Nyks and Jared P. Scott. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Anchored by a series of interviews with Noam Chomsky, this definitive documentary of the “Two Americas” is an unvarnished account of how policies have helped concentrate wealth in the hands of a few at expense of everyone else. This is an eye-opening, revised vision of the American Dream, in the wake of a dying middle class.
• Roseanne for President!, directed by Eric Weinrib. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Comedian Roseanne Barr always went against the odds, first as an assertive housewife struggling to pay the bills on her sitcom. Now she tests the limits of the two-party system, vying for candidacy on the 2012 ballot. Roseanne for President! follows her impassioned campaign journey.
• Sleeping With Other People, directed and written by Leslye Headland. (USA) – New York Premiere, Narrative. Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie star as two romantic failures whose years of serial infidelity and self-sabotage have led them to swear that their relationship will remain strictly platonic.  But can love still bloom while you’re sleeping with other people? Writer/director Leslye Headland’s (Bachelorette) sexy romantic comedy co-stars Amanda Peet, Adam Scott, and Natasha Lyonne. An IFC Films Release
• Slow West, directed by John Maclean. (UK, New Zealand) – New York Premiere, Narrative. At the end of the nineteenth century, 16-year-old Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee) journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. He is joined by Silas (Michael Fassbender), a mysterious traveler, and hotly pursued by an outlaw (Ben Mendelsohn) along the way.  Sundance 2015 World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic.  An A24/DIRECTV release.
• Steak (R)evolution, directed and written by Franck Ribière, co-written by Vérane Frédiani (France) – International Premiere, Documentary. Grass fed, grain finished, intricately marbled, and dry aged — the concept of what makes the best steak varies greatly, and it continues to evolve as we move toward more sustainable farming practices. In this gourmet, across-the-world road trip, chefs, farmers, butchers, journalists and other experts weigh in on the various factors at play to help us understand the (r)evolution taking place right now and the challenges ahead. In English, French with subtitles. A Kino Lorber release.
• Thought Crimes, directed by Erin Lee Carr. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Convicted yet then acquitted of conspiring to kidnap, rape, kill, and eat several women, NYPD officer Gilberto Valle quickly rose to infamy as New York’s own “Cannibal Cop”. With exclusive access to Valle, Erin Lee Carr’s unflinching documentary asks a fundamental question that challenges our beliefs about the criminal justice system, and even the very nature of right and wrong: can you be guilty of a crime you only thought about committing? An HBO Documentary Film.
• Tumbledown, directed and written by Sean Mewshaw, co-written by Desi Van Til. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Years after the accidental death of her folk-singer husband, Hannah (Rebecca Hall) has yet to fully accept her small-town life without him. Then she is approached by a charming New York writer (Jason Sudeikis) intent on penning a biography of her late husband’s life, and Hannah finds herself opening up again. Also featuring performances by Dianna Agron, Blythe Danner, Griffin Dunne, Joe Manganiello, and Richard Masur
• The Wannabe, directed and written by Nick Sandow. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Gotti-obsessed and hopelessly in love, Tommy (Boardwalk Empire’s Vincent Piazza) and Rose (Academy Award^®–winner Patricia Arquette) are New York nobodies who get their moment in the sun when they begin robbing New York’s mafia elite in this real-life crime story of mob culture and amour fou. Based on true events surrounding the 1992 trial of John Gotti. From writer-director Nick Sandow (“Orange is the New Black”) and executive producer Martin Scorsese.
• When I Live My Life Over Again, directed and written by Robert Edwards. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Jude (Amber Heard) is a would-be singer-songwriter still struggling to make her mark. Cash-strapped and homeless, she begrudgingly returns to the Hamptons home of her father (Christopher Walken), an over-the-hill crooner desperately charting his musical comeback, in this spunky, soulful dramedy about the personal costs of artistic ambition and the bonds that carry us through.
• Wondrous Boccaccio (Maraviglioso Boccaccio), directed and written by Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani. (Italy) – International Premiere, Narrative. Set against the backdrop of a black plague-stricken Florence, ten young men and women escape to a country estate where they spend their days telling different stories of love, fate, and resurrection. From legendary Italian directors Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Wondrous Boccaccio is a tribute to the stories that emerged from one of the darkest periods in Italian history, and the imaginations that quietly fueled them. In Italian with subtitles.

Midnight:

• Bodyslam: The Revenge of the Banana!, directed and written by Ryan Harvie and John Paul Horstmann. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Ronald McFondle, Eddie Van Glam, and other social outcasts made up the Seattle Semi-Pro (SSP) Wrestlers, an off-kilter family of cabaret fighters that spoofed the pros. When a newcomer Paul, The Banana, fell on the wrong end of the joke, he ran to the government to disband the SSP.Bodyslam: The Revenge of the Banana! captures the wrestlers’ fight to keep the theatrics alive.
• Emelie, directed by Michael Thelin, written by Richard Raymond Harry Herbeck. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. After their regular babysitter Maggie can’t make it, the Thompson family turns to her friend Anna to supervise their children while the parents go out to celebrate their anniversary. At first Anna seems like a dream come true to the kids, allowing them to eat extra cookies and play with things that are usually off-limits, but as her behavior becomes increasingly odd, the kids soon find out that her intentions are dark and twisted, and she is not who she seems to be.
• Hyena, directed and written by Gerard Johnson. (UK) – U.S. Premiere, Narrative. Michael Logan (Peter Ferdinando) may be a corrupt, coke-addled cop, but he’s a bad lieutenant with a conscience. After years of dodging the same laws he was assigned to uphold, Michael suddenly finds himself trying to change while safeguarding a young Albanian woman from the sex trade. Equal parts grit and neon, Hyena blurs the line between cop and criminal and exposes the illicit underworld inhabited by London’s most ruthless policemen. A Tribeca Film release.
• Scherzo Diabolico, directed and written by Adrián García Bogliano. (Mexico, USA) – World Premiere, Narrative.Armed with a fine-tuned chokehold and penchant for piano sonatas, a wearied accountant breaks his mild-mannered routine when he kidnaps a young woman. What starts as a carefully calculated plan soon crescendos into his worst nightmare. A delightfully twisted black comedy, Scherzo Diaboloco is the latest opus from director Adrián García Bogliano. In Spanish with subtitles
• Stung, directed by Benni Diez, written by Adam Aresty. (Germany, USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. For catering staffers Paul and Julia, Mrs. Perch’s fancy garden party at her remote country villa is nothing out of the ordinary. A mishap with toxic plant fertilizer leads to the most unwelcome of dinner guests: giant killer wasps. Director Benni Diez takes audiences on a thrilling, gory rollercoaster ride from campy to creepy, in this delightful and dreadful creature-feature.

Special Screenings:

A Ballerina’s Tale, directed and written by Nelson George. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Join us for a world premiere screening of Nelson George’s much-anticipated, behind-the-curtain documentary about the daily routine of Misty Copeland, the first African-American female soloist at New York’s American Ballet Theatre^® in two decades.

Followed by a Q&A with Misty Copeland and a special ballet performance by her mentees Erica Lall (American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company) and Naazir Muhammad (ABT’s JKO School) sponsored by Under Armour.

Mary J. Blige – The London Sessions, directed by Sam Wrench. (U.K., USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Join Mary J. Blige in London, where over ten days she will record her 13th studio album. Featuring a behind-the-scenes look at her work sessions with some of Britain’s hottest recording artists, including Sam Smith, Disclosure, Emeli Sandé, Naughty Boy, and Sam Romans.

A performance from Mary J. Blige will follow the screening.

Rifftrax Live: The Room. (USA) – World Premiere. The brainchild of Mystery Science Theater 3000 alumnus Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy (aka Tom Servo), and Bill Corbett (aka Crow T. Robot), Rifftrax skewers cult classic films with hilarious live commentary.

For their first-ever New York performance the Rifftrax gang will unleash their signature comedic chops on Tommy Wiseau’s modern masterpiece, The Room, for a one-night-only live cinema event.

 Speedy, directed by Ted Wilde. (USA) – Newly restored print from the Criterion Collection, Narrative.

Silent comedy legend Harold Lloyd stars as a die-hard Yankees fan who can’t keep a job, but is determined to save the last horse-drawn trolley in New York. This lighthearted slapstick classic features visits to Coney Island and Yankee Stadium, an incredible cameo by Babe Ruth, and hair-raising cab rides through the city streets.

For one-night only, the legendary dj and producer DJ Z-Trip lends his amazing musical talent to create an all new soundtrack for this silent film classic, showcasing his eclectic style and considerable live turntable skills.

Work-In-Progress:

LoveTrue, directed by Alma Har’el, (USA) – Work in Progress, Documentary. Director Alma Har’el returns to TFF with a work-in-progress presentation. LoveTrue weaves three challenging relationships, while examining non-fiction performance as a documentation of truth and a purveyor of memory.

Join Har’el and Executive Producer, Shia LaBeouf for an exclusive preview of scenes from the film and an intimate conversation about True Love.

All Work, All Play, Directed by Patrick Creadon. (USA) – Work in Progress, Documentary. There’s something happening in the world of video games. Thousands are flocking to arenas to watch tournaments unfold. Tens of millions are watching online. One percent of the world population is playing the most popular competitive game. In All Work All Play, go behind the scenes and follow the ascent of eSports, and watch as the best pro gamers in the world fight for the Intel Extreme Masters championship.

Short Films:

Be Yourself – Documentary program

Personal stories about self-identity are the focus of these documentary shorts.

 

American Renaissance explores the fantastic world of Elizabethan England at one of the largest renaissance faires in the U.S., and is a portrait of the characters that return annually. Live Fast, Draw Yung follows 7-year-old rap portraitist Yung Lenox and his dad Skip, an unconventional artistic duo navigating the tumultuous worlds of hip hop and modern day parenting. Eternal Princessexplores the extraordinary life of famed Romanian gymnast, Nadia Comaneci, who at the age of 14 scored the first perfect 10 during the 1976 Olympics, and is now a loving mother, philanthropist and sports icon.  In All American Family four generations of the Pederson family have had a star player on The Eagles, one of the best football teams in California, but unlike other teams these players are all deaf.  In 1974 when a Mormon missionary in Elder falls in love with a handsome Italian Communist, his world turns upside down. In My Enemy, My Brother former Iran-Iraq War enemies, Zahed and Najah, become blood brothers 25 years after one saves the other’s life.

 

• ·         American Renaissance, directed and written by Ryan Scafuro, and Jarred Alterman. (USA) – North American Premiere.
• ·         Live Fast, Draw Yung, directed by Stacey Lee and Anthony Mathile. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         Eternal Princess (Printesa Vesnica), directed by Katie Holmes. (USA) – World Premiere. ESPN Film’s 30 for 30 short.
• ·         All American Family, directed by Andrew Jenks. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         Elder, directed and written by Genéa Gaudet. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         My Enemy, My Brother, directed and written by Ann Shin. (Canada) – World Premiere.

 

Family Dynamics – Narrative Program

Relationships are often complicated, particularly so for the characters in this short program.

 

A mischievous dad in Merry Xmas tells his adult kids he’s divorcing their mom… just in time for the holidays! In SexLife, Dan and Mia haven’t had sex since before the birth of their son, so Dan takes extreme action and decides to get Mia back in the mood. A Boy’s Life is a portrait of a troubled youth in an environment of chaos and violence. The Arrest is a film about occupation and creation; the story deconstructs reality, to tell a believable tale about a different Middle East. When a young military wife in Birthday, gets news that her Marine husband has been severely wounded in combat, she discovers that life ahead is going to be a difficult yet amazing journey for them both. Personal Development finds Fintan’s already fragile relationship with his youngest daughter is put to the test with the arrival of some unexpected news. Secrets and sexuality are revealed in The Parker Tribe, where it’s 1976 and Jo, the oldest daughter in a loud Irish Catholic family of nine questions her place in the family, while taking care of her two critically ill brothers.

 

• ·         Merry Xmas, directed by Boman Modine, written by Matthew Modine. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         SexLife, directed by Stefan Georgiou, written by Kefi Chadwick. (U.K.) – New York Premiere.
• ·         A Boy’s Life, directed and written by Howard McCain. (USA) – US Premiere.
• ·         The Arrest (HAMA’ATZAR), directed by Yair Agmon. (Israel) – North American Premiere.
• ·         Birthday, directed and written by Chris King. (USA) – New York Premiere.
• ·         Personal Development, directed by Tom Sullivan, written by Muirinn Lane Kelly. (Ireland) – International Premiere.
• ·         The Parker Tribe, directed and written by Jane Baker, co-written by Roberta Munroe. (USA) – World Premiere.

 

 

FML – Narrative program

This thought-provoking program curated for a contemporary audience that lives online ponders, “Does technology rule, or rule us?”

 

In a future augmented by wearable tech and online dating a student must risk offline dating to connect with a mysterious profile due to a failed network in Café Glass. When Iranian-born Rita sets out to change her life from ordinary to extraordinary she accidentally captures the attention of a homeland security agent in Rita Mahtoubian is Not a Terrorist. One broken-hearted guy gets more than he bargained for when he tries to get over his recent breakup in The Girlfriend Experience. All the significant moments over the last twenty years in Zack’s life parallel the changing landscape of music purchasing technology in The Evolution of a Gen-X Music Purchaser. Emily is your average 26-year old who texts her friends, chats on Facebook, orders online, and uses GPS to get where she’s going in Aphasia, until one day she suddenly comes face-to-face with the consequences of living a digital life. Morgan’s attempt to gain attention is not appreciated in Like—he rebels, and hidden by the Internet’s anonymity he goes on attack against an innocent blogger. Two housing project teens create a website for a video of a staged bus assault, and after it goes viral they receive an unusual offer in Ghettotube.

 

• ·         Cafe Glass, directed and written by Wen Ren. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         Rita Mahtoubian is Not a Terrorist, directed and written by Julia Lerman and Roja Gashtili. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         The Girlfriend Experience, directed and written by Mark Kunerth. (USA) – New York Premiere.
• ·         The Evolution of a Gen-X Music Purchaser, directed and written by Jack Marchetti. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         Aphasia, directed by Luke LoCurcio, written by Robin Rose Singer. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         Like (Gilla), directed and written by Crazy Pictures, co-written by Christoffer Nordenrot. (Sweden) – International Premiere.
• ·         Ghettotube, directed and written by Saïd Belktibia, co-written  by Jérémie Delon. (France) – World Premiere.

 

Gallery Opening – Narrative/Documentary program

This combination of artistic and cerebral docs and narratives will captivate you with some very visual storytelling.

 

Nine-year-old Ella’s classmates are playing in the schoolyard in full adult dress-up, and she wants to be part of that world inCatwalk. The moon has been excavated for 30 years in Future Relic 03, as per the work of Dr. Mattias Rey, and his daughter Lona returns to his labs seeking guidance for the first time since being abandoned. Where We Begin sheds light on the many faces of love, life, and pressure that we place upon ourselves, and that others place upon us. The Artist Is Absent profiles the influential Margiela, who has been a major force in fashion for over 20 years, yet the man himself remains elusive, maintaining his anonymity in an age of celebrity. Walter Potter: The Man Who Married Kittens is a look at one of Victorian England’s most enigmatic and quirky characters, who became an unlikely success by putting his creatures in human positions and scenarios, referred to as “anthropomorphic taxidermy.” Based on the New York City Ballet performance inspired by the riots in France in 2005, Les Bosquetsreveals JR’s experience in the ghetto of Montfermeil where he created Portrait of a Generation.

 

• ·         Catwalk, directed by Ninja Thyberg, written by Ninja Thyberg. (Sweden) – North American Premiere, Narrative.
• ·         Future Relic 03, directed by Daniel Arsham, written by Tim Stanley & Daniel Arsham. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative.
• ·         Where We Begin, directed and written by Mitsuyo Miyazaki. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative.
• ·         The Artist Is Absent, directed and written by Alison Chernick. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary
• ·         Walter Potter: The Man Who Married Kittens, directed and written by Ronni Thomas. (England, USA) – New York Premiere, Documentary
• ·         Les Bosquets, directed by J R, written by jr. (France) – World Premiere, Narrative.

 

Home Improvement – Documentary program

Home is where the heart in these short docs.

 

Every Christmas, Jorge and Jorge Jr. decorate what the people in the village call “the house of the lights,” in The Lights. Three broken women discover that magic is real in The Gnomist, a true story about the mysterious appearance of fairy homes in a suburban forest. Meet Tom and Barbara, the proud new owners of the most infamous house in Sacramento, California in The House is Innocent. In Interview With a Free Man, the questions put to several men at a job interview reveal the plots of their existences. InBody Team 12 a team is tasked with arguably the most dangerous and gruesome job in the world: collecting the dead at the height of the Ebola outbreak. The Trials of Constance Baker Motley spans the legal career of the first black woman voted NY State Senator, from working closely with Thurgood Marshall at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to being appointed to the federal bench by President Lyndon Johnson.

 

• ·         The Lights, directed and written by Manuel Abramovich and Juan Renau. (Argentina) – North American Premiere.
• ·         The Gnomist, directed and written by Sharon Liese. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         The House is Innocent, directed by Nicholas Coles. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         Interview With a Free Man (Entrevue avec un homme libre), directed and written by Nicolas Lévesque. (Canada) – International Premiere.
• ·         Body Team 12, directed and written by David Darg, written by David Darg. (Liberia) – World Premiere.
• ·         The Trials of Constance Baker Motley, directed and written by Rick Rodgers. (USA) – World Premiere.

 

Interference – Narrative program

Some are futuristic, others fatalistic, but always expect the unexpected in this group of shorts.

 

Set in post-apocalyptic Manhattan where even the air we breathe has a price, oxygen dealer Winston Willis faces off with a mysterious buyer who seems to know Winston’s darkest secret in Grow. It’s the dark year 2024 when a shaman is sent on a mission to convert the soul of a giant battle colossus in The Shaman, and faces a deadly psychological confrontation in the Netherworld. In Warning Labels, co-workers at the Center for Disease Control meet for drinks only to discover that love is the most hazardous thing of all. A Mighty Nice Man is the haunting story of a day in a young girl’s life when a kind stranger comes to town. It can be tough to be a kid if you’re not part of the gang in Foul, especially for this ten-year-old girl on a winter day in Norway. In Listen a foreign woman in a burqa brings her young son to a police station to file a complaint against her abusive husband, but the translator assigned to her seems unwilling to convey the true meaning of her words. A recruit in a military drone program arrives at a remote diner, and is faced with an unexpected chain of events in Nostradamus.

 

• ·         Grow, directed by Micah Levin, written by Chris Basler. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         The Shaman, directed and written by Marco Kalantari. (Austria, Japan) – World Premiere.
• ·         Warning Labels, directed by Jennifer Morrison, written by Jenelle Riley. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         A Mighty Nice Man, directed and written by Jonathan Dee. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         Foul, directed and written by Rune Denstad Langlo. (Norway, Mexico) – North American Premiere.
• ·         Listen, directed by Hamy Ramezan, Rungano Nyoni, written by Hamy Ramezan, Rungano Nyoni. (Finland, Denmark) – New York Premiere, Narrative
• ·         Nostradamus, directed and written by Thomas Ikimi, co-written by Joshua Banta. (USA) – World Premiere.

 

 

NY – Double Espresso– Narrative program

Our popular New York narrative program returns with everyday life imagined – past, present, and future.

 

A movie theater usher in Early Sunday Morning has a chance encounter after hours. The Statistical Analysis of Your Failing Relationship examines a young man’s probability of reviving his relationship with a young woman through statistical analysis. When an asteroid in Let’s Not Panic threatens to hit New York, twenty-something Sadie embarks on a quest from Brooklyn to Manhattan to reunite with the man she loves – her therapist. In Blitz a father and son agree to a “winner takes all” chess blitz in order to settle a bet. George and Lacy walk through the streets of Brooklyn and revisit their memories in George and the Vacuum.The deterioration of one cycle is the foundation for another in Wrapped, an exploration of time and change. In Stop, a young man’s livelihood is put to the test when the police stop him on his way home from practice. When a celebrated New York chef discovers an affair between his super-model wife and his best man in Best Man Wins, he devises a plan to deal with each of them.

 

• ·         Early Sunday Morning, directed and written by Yoonha Park. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         The  Statistical Analysis of Your Failing Relationship, directed and written by Miles Jay. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         Let’s Not Panic, directed and written by Heather Jack. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         Blitz, directed and written by Faraday Okoro, written by Faraday Okoro. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         George and the Vacuum, directed by Chadd Harbold, written by Charlyne Yi. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         Wrapped, directed and written by Roman Kaelin, Falko Paeper, and Florian Wittmann. (Germany) – New York Premiere.
• ·         Stop, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, written by Reinaldo Marcus Green. (USA) – New York Premiere.
• ·         Best Man Wins, directed by Stéphane Dumonceau, written by Frederick Waterman, Stéphane Dumonceau. (USA) – World Premiere.

 

NY-Daily Grind – Documentary program

Life in New York is tough but the subjects of these documentary shorts are up to the challenge.

 

There is so much more to the performers on the MTA than their acrobatic skills, We Live This is the story of four boys from the projects who come together to pursue their dreams. Drama majors tackle anxiety, cutting, and suicide, in the unscripted and rawBetter to Live, as they build a “reality” show for 5,000 college freshmen. What Lies Beneath The Sky is a meditation on urban alienation and personal disconnection in the eye of a hurricane. Every year dozens of people use NYC subway trains as a means to end their suffering, but for a train operator whose life is derailed by such an incident the anguish is just beginning in Man Under. From 1973-1981, bartender Sheldon Nadelman shot over 1,500 black-and-white photographs of his customers at the Terminal Bar in New York City; Last Call recollects their stories 25 years after the bar closed its doors for good. In The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano photographer Phil Toledano is obsessed with his own demise, photographing himself in every dark depiction of his future, which changes him and his family forever.

 

• ·         We Live This, directed by James Burns, written by Todd Wiseman Jr. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         Better to Live, directed by Linda G. Mills. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         What Lies Beneath The Sky, directed and written by Vladimir de Fontenay. (France, USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         Man Under, directed by Paul Stone, written by Vincent Tozzi. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         Last Call, directed by Stefan Nadelman. (USA) – World Premiere.
• ·         The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano, directed by Joshua Seftel. (USA) – World Premiere.

 

Tightrope – Narrative program

Life is a delicate balancing act in these short films.

 

The Kiss: what do you do when your best friend shows up at your front door asking you to kiss him, can there really be “just a kiss” between friends? Big Boy is a nine-year-old boy’s first solo excursion into a highway rest stop bathroom. Jamesy and Malachy are over the moon when their soft-hearted dad presents them with two baby chicks, but the boys are in for a shock when they hear that big changes are coming to the family in Boogaloo and Graham. In a small town in Northern France, Alex, a young skinhead, enters a grocery store in The Way Of Tea. In Kingdom of Garbage sibling relationships and childhood rivalries are tested as poor children scavenge for valuable materials in a landfill site. Bandito is a coming-of-age drama about Jamie, a young boy who stows himself away to join his older brother on a highway truck heist. Joachim is retiring from base-jumping to become a father, but not until one last adventure with his best friend Øyvind as they set out to climb Mt. Katthammeren in Last Base.

 

• ·         The Kiss, directed by Carlos G. Davila, written by Mark Harvey Levine. (Mexico) – New York Premiere.

• ·         Big Boy, directed by Bryan Campbell, written by David R. Larson. (USA) – World Premiere.

• ·         Boogaloo and Graham, directed by Michael Lennox, written by Ronan Blaney. (Northern Ireland) – New York Premiere.

• ·         The Way Of Tea, directed and written by Marc Fouchard. (France) – New York Premiere.

• ·         Kingdom of Garbage, directed and written by Yasser Kareem. (Iraq, U.K.) – World Premiere.

• ·         Bandito, directed by Evan Ari Kelman, written by Parker Hill. (USA) – World Premiere.

• ·         Last Base, directed and written by Aslak Danbolt. (Norway, U.K.) – New York Premiere.