The festival programmers for the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, which will be presented by AT&T on April 16-27, should stand proud and strut with a cocky style often associated with “big pimping.”
There’s no getting around the fact that New York City is about to play host to savvy festival programmers, steely agents, prickly critics and demanding industry shapers whose goal is to find and establish relationships with the new and the best of the best.
It’s exciting, exhausting and often exasperating when you’re in the thick of the dramatic and well-coordinated madness, and the myNewYorkeye crew wouldn’t have it any other way!
There is something unique and engaging for all tastes, and that complete guide is just a click away. Here are some insights about this year’s choices.
In the prestigious World Narrative Competition, which is an important component, 12 films were selected to highlight the festival experience.
The lineup includes features from 32 counties: 55 world, six international, 12 North American, nine U.S. and five New York premieres. That’s 102 directors presenting feature works, with 37 making their feature directorial debut. Among these directors, 22 are women.
The strong buzz is already gathering momentum around the documentary “Ballet 422,” and in narrative, “Five Star,” “Gabriel,” “X/Y”and “Manos Sucias” by director and co-writer Josef Kubota Wladyka and executive producer Spike Lee.
“Ballet 422” gives a fly-on-the-creative-wall point of view as Justin Peck, a respected up-and-coming choreographer, takes the viewer inside the creative process of the New York City Ballet. The screening will be on April 19 at 9:30 p.m. at SVA Theater 1 Silas.
“Five Star,” which is produced, written and directed by Keith Miller, plunges fearlessly into gang culture as told through the eyes of two young men who are both street-bound and weary. John’s father catches a stray bullet and, fearing that the youngster will become consumed by their world, Primo, who has been a Blood since the age of 12 (both in the film and in reality), steps up to the task of teaching him the life lessons that are needed to survive on the Brooklyn streets. The screening will be held April 17 at 9 p.m. at Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea.
“Gabriel” stars a riveting Rory Culkin in the title role. His performance as a young man drowning in the struggle of mental illness and pining for his first love is making all the right heads turn in the industry. The screening will be held on April 17 at 5:30 p.m. at SVA Theater 1 Silas.
“X/Y,” written and directed by Ryan Piers Williams, is a quick-witted story about four friends living in New York City and their desperate need to connect in meaningful exchanges. It stars America Ferrara, who is also listed as a producer, Indie Spirit Award nominee Melonie Diaz (“Fruitvale Station”) and Common. The screening will be held on April 18 at 9:30 p.m. at Borough of Manhattan Community College Tribeca Performance Center.
“Manos Sucias” plunges the audience into the port of Buenaventura—the most dangerous city in Colombia—where three men embark on a journey over the dark, murky waters of the Pacific. A set of mysterious coordinates are their guide, a fishing net is their cover and a narco torpedo filled with 100 kilograms of cocaine is their cargo.
Following estranged brothers as they risk everything for a chance at a better life, “Manos Sucias” takes a close look at life at the bottom of the food chain in the international drug trade.
It’s in Spanish with English subtitles. It stars Cristian James Advincula, Jarlin Martinez, Hadder Blandón and Manuel David Riascos.
Single ticket sales begin Tuesday, April 8 for American Express card members, Sunday, April 13 for downtown residents and Monday, April 14 for the general public. Single tickets can be purchased online, by telephone or at one of the ticket outlets (Tribeca Cinemas at 54 Varick St., Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea 9 at 260 W. 23rd St. and AMC Loews Village VII at 66 Third Ave.).
Tickets for the festival will be $17 for evening and weekend screenings and $9 for all late night and weekday matinees.
All advance selection packages and passes can be purchased online at www.tribecafilm.com/festival/tickets.
The 2014 festival will continue offering ticket discounts for evening and weekend screenings for students, seniors and select downtown Manhattan residents. Discounted tickets are available at ticket outlet locations only.