Presenting Partner
Signature Partners
Art available for use: https://tribeca1.box.com/s/i9drp5hr3xwukkzavucbhqc8c1aksuzk
TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL , PRESENTED BY AT&T, TO DEBUT SELECT PROGRAMMING ONLINE, BRINGING AUDIENCES & STORYTELLERS TOGETHER
Festival to present Tribeca Immersive Cinema360, N.O.W. Creators Market, Industry Extranet Resource Hub, Jury and Art Awards, Tribeca X Program
NEW YORK, NY– April 3, 2020 – The Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, announced plans today that select programming from the 19th annual Festival will be presented online.
Tribeca is dedicated to supporting filmmakers, creators, and artists that breathe life into the Festival, the New York community, and the industry. We are excited to bring new work from incredible storytellers to an audience eager to connect with their stories. Since its inception, Tribeca has pushed the boundaries of storytelling and innovative ways to connect with audiences. This online program is the latest iteration of that commitment.
First, our focus was to ensure our industry and filmmaking community could continue to connect and develop their careers. To support that mission, we are bringing a mix of programming online that celebrates and promotes creators. The programming includes the N.O.W. Creators Market, Jury and Art Awards, our Industry Extranet Resource Hub, and the brand storytelling Tribeca X Awards.
Second, we wanted to move as fast as possible to bring some of our programming from the upcoming festival to audiences worldwide. Tribeca Immersive’s audience-facing Cinema360 will debut in partnership with Oculus and features 15 VR films, curated into four 30-40 minute programs. The public will be able to access Cinema360 via Oculus TV, for Oculus Go and Oculus Quest. The millions of people who own Oculus headsets will be able to participate in this unique programming from home. Tribeca is one of the first and only festivals to introduce this curated immersive experience to consumers.
Today, we will launch the Tribeca X Awards, where the finalists from adidas, Adorama, Dior, Dove, Hewlett Packard, Kelly Services, Lime, Procter & Gamble, Red Bull, Square, Synchrony Bank, and Volvo Car UK will be available for audience viewing on tribecafilm.com.
The Tribeca Industry Extranet Resource Hub that is hosting participating films will be available for industry and press. The Tribeca Extranet is the Festival’s online hub providing accredited industry with resources for the program including rights availabilities, delegate directory, and sales contacts.
The juried awards for feature and shorts categories will be presented by the jury who will select the winners to be announced on tribecafilm.com within the window of the original Festival dates. The jury includes leaders of the creative community including Danny Boyle, Aparna Nancherla, Regina Hall, Yance Ford, Lucas Hedges, Pamela Adlon, Marti Noxon, Asia Kate Dillon and Sheila Nevins.
Winners in select Competition categories will be eligible for our Art Award where world-class artists donate a piece of their work to be awarded to Festival filmmakers. The awards have been a tradition since the Festival’s founding in 2001. The 2020 Art Awards, supported by CHANEL, features the work of alumni and new artists curated by notable gallerist, Vito Schnabel.
Dates for all industry and public programming are provided below.
“As human beings, we are navigating uncharted waters,” said Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Film Festival Co-Founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal. “While we cannot gather in person to lock arms, laugh, and cry, it’s important for us to stay socially and spiritually connected. Tribeca is about resiliency, and we fiercely believe in the power of artists to bring us together. We were founded after the devastation of 9/11 and it’s in our DNA to bring communities together through the arts.”
Tribeca’s immediate response after our postponement was to launch initiatives that could give our community something to look forward to each day. “A Short Film a Day Keeps Anxiety Away,” a daily curated online short film series featuring select award winning shorts and target="_blank">premieres from multiple Tribeca alumni; Soundtrack Sunday, live performances and celebrity soundtrack selections happening across Tribeca social media channels; and #TribecaTakeoutChallenge, an Instagram call-to-action campaign to inspire people to support their local restaurants while watching their favorite film.
“Our programmers adapt as society shifts and the audience needs change. The team here has responded to those needs and we stand with our creators everyday as things move through to the new future we will all be seeing over the horizon very soon,” said Paula Weinstein, CCO of Tribeca Enterprises.
“We want to ensure we are meeting the urgent needs of our community by continuing with 2020 festival programming that can evolve into virtual or remote initiatives,” said Tribeca’s Festival Director Cara Cusumano. “We identified these five programs as ones that could easily pivot online and still deliver the same impact for creators and industry. We are excited to share these most immediate announcements, while we continue to look ahead to our Festival’s next steps.“
Details on all of these programs below.
TRIBECA IMMERSIVE
Tribeca Immersive, the incubator for innovation in storytelling, will move forward with the first edition of Cinema360 programming to be offered remotely. In partnership with industry pioneer Facebook’s Oculus, Cinema360 will feature 15 VR films, curated into four 30-40 minute programs. Films are viewable from April 17 through April 26 in Oculus TV, available for Oculus Go or Oculus Quest headsets.
Featuring eye-popping visuals and compelling storytelling, this year’s Cinema360 selections include everything from science fiction and horror, to romance and comedy, proving that there’s truly something for everyone. Additionally, 10 of the 15 creators make their global premiere at Tribeca Film Festival.
In addition to screening the entire 2020 Tribeca Cinema360 slate, Oculus is also releasing “The Key,” which will be available as an app for Oculus Rift, Oculus Rift-S, and Oculus Quest. This project won the 2019 Tribeca Storyscapes Award, which honors artists who bridge the gap between technology and storytelling. This magical and moving experience, from creator Celine Tricart, was made in conjunction with Friends of Refugees and Oculus VR For Good and premiered in competition at the 2019 edition of the Festival. Following its premiere at Tribeca Film Festival, the critically acclaimed work went on to win the Golden Lion award at Venice VR 2019, and was featured at 12 other international festivals.
“Now, more than ever, we are feeling incredibly isolated from one another,” said Loren Hammonds, Senior Programmer of Film & Immersive. “The XR community is very much a global community, as evidenced by this program which features work from China, South Korea, Spain and Ethiopia, just to name a few. It’s my hope that by providing these remarkable 360 films to a global audience during this trying time, we can do our part to bring people back together in the name of great art and shared perspectives.”
Cinema360 Program 1: Dreams to Remember
These dreamlike experiences are journeys of adventure, from an immigrant worker’s poetic and alienating vision of his new home country, to the seemingly impossible first mission to an unexplored moon.
1st Step (International Premiere)—Germany
Project Creators: Joerg Courtial, Maria Courtial
1st Step is equal parts documentary and fairy tale, telling the magical story of a dream come true: the Apollo missions. Follow the missions from launch all the way through to return, and find yourself gazing at lunar panoramas re-created from NASA's archival photos.
Dear Lizzy (World Premiere)—USA
Project Creator: Within & Fivehundred
Key Collaborator: Deborah's Child
Lizzy takes a walk as she reads a letter from a long lost friend. The road is long and there are many strange and beautiful things to see along the way. Yet Lizzy keeps walking. What is she searching for?
Forgotten Kiss (World Premiere)—Finland
Project Creator: Oleg Nikolaenko
Key Collaborator: Daniil Bakalin
Based on the story Forgotten Kiss by Russian writer Alexander Kuprin, this film tells the beautiful legend of a royal prince, who was kissed by the magic Fairy of the Spring Night. As the prince grew up he kept looking for something incomprehensible, something completely forgotten: the forgotten kiss of the fairy.
Rain Fruits (World Premiere)—South Korea
Project Creators: Youngyoon Song, Sngmoo Lee
Key Collaborators: Sergio Bromberg, Hyejin Jeon, Jinhyung Kim, Hwaeun Kim
Tharu comes to Korea from Myanmar in hopes of becoming a trained engineer. After a series of experiences as an alien worker in this capitalist country, he realizes that one’s dream cannot be found anywhere in the world but where his heart is: his homeland.
Cinema360 Program 2: Seventeen Plus
Future classics in search of cults, this collection of mind-bending narrative experiences is designed for more mature audiences.
A Safe Guide to Dying (World Premiere)—USA
Project Creator: Dimitris Tsilifonis
Key Collaborator: Froso Tsipopoulou
Linus is on a journey to find painless ways to die inside a video game simulation that emulates sensory experiences. While experimenting with different suicide methods, he realizes he cannot log out. Trapped in a digital abyss, a force is set in motion to reconnect Linus with his offline self.
Black Bag (North American Premiere)—China
Project Creator: Shao Qing
Ex-military security guard, Mr. S works for a bank and leads the life of a normal working-class man. He fantasizes about a major heist, a dream that becomes reality. This VR film uses abstract metaphor combined with a unique hand-painted art style to create an intense thriller.
The Pantheon of Queer Mythology (World Premiere)—Spain
Project Creator: Enrique Agudo
Key Collaborator: Tim Deluxe
The Pantheon of Queer Mythology is a window into the world of a collective of Deities that present a way to question, empathize, celebrate, repent, resist, consume, abstract, identify, regenerate, and love in complex times. Step in, dare to learn, be inspired to grow, and enjoy the queerness.
Saturnism (World Premiere)—France
Project Creator: Mihai Grecu
Step inside one of the darkest paintings in the history of art: Goya's Saturn Devouring His Son. You will find yourself alone with mad Saturn himself in the cold and gloomy landscape. Saturnism is a visceral and primitive 360 experience.
Cinema360 Program 3: Kinfolk
Three stories of homes and families.
Ferenj: A Graphic Memoir In VR (World Premiere)—USA, Ethiopia
Project Creator: Ainslee A. Robson
Key Collaborator: Liam Young
Ferenj is a visual dialogue between memory, reality, and the digital in an immersive memoir about Ethiopian-American mixed-race identity.
Inhabited House, The (North American Premiere)—Argentina
Project Creator: Diego Kompel
Creator Diego Kompel resurrects fond memories of his grandparents house in this inventive non-fiction work. Compositing 360 footage of the house with actual home movies that help bring the past to life, this experience is an exercise in formalism that draws on the power of remembrance, reverence, and family.
Home (International Premiere)—Taiwan ROC
Project Creator: HSU Chih-Yen
Key Collaborators: Kaohsiung Film Archive, Hsu Chih Yen Director Studios, Funique VR Studio
In this beautifully poignant experience, a family gathers at their old house on a summer afternoon. They surround grandma, though she's no longer able to move, react, or hear clearly. As people come and go, the day stretches on—leading to the inevitable end of the gathering.
Cinema360 Program 4: Pure Imagination
Stories of innovation and illusion, with a healthy dose of inspiration.
Lutaw (World Premiere)—USA, Philippines
Project Creator: Samantha Quick
Key Collaborator: Michaela Holland
Like so many others in her remote area of the Philippines, Geramy must swim between the small islands in order to travel to the nearest school. But she’s determined to find a better way to commute. This 3D animated experience is made in partnership with Oculus VR for Good and Yellow Boat of Hope.
Attack on Daddy (North American Premiere)—South Korea
Project Creator: Sung Sihup
It’s Sunday afternoon and an exhausted daddy lies on the couch. Annoyed with his daughter’s pestering pleas to play, he falls asleep and wakes up to find her missing. Sensing something awry, daddy quickly realizes that the answer to the mystery lies in her seemingly abandoned dollhouse.
Tale of the Tibetan Nomad (World Premiere)—USA Project Creator: Carol Liu
Key Collaborator: Stan Lai
A newlywed nomad and his wife bask in the flush of new love. He falls asleep then awakens to discover his wife has disappeared. Embarking on a quest to find her, he’s led into a life he never dreamed of—one that soon slips beyond his control.
Upstander (World Premiere)—USA
Project Creator: Van Phan
Key Collaborator: Oculus VR for Good
Upstander is a 360 animated experience about bullying and how we, as bystanders, can make a difference. Immersing the audience in a world adjacent to our own, you are challenged to think and take action. How can we be part of the solution and not be part of the problem?
"We are also announcing the official selections for this year’s Virtual Arcade, including the Storyscapes nominees,” says Senior Programmer, Film & Immersive Loren Hammonds. “The entire list of officially selected projects can be found on HERE on our website, starting today. We gratefully acknowledge all selected creators of Tribeca Immersive 2020 and would like to thank them for their patience and understanding through this difficult time of uncertainty."
TRIBECA N.O.W. CREATORS MARKET
The N.O.W. (New Online Work) section, sponsored by HBO, will host its fifth annual private industry market that brings together leading online, episodic and immersive storytellers (2020 N.O.W. Showcase creators, 2020 TribecaTV Pilot Season creators and an additional curated group of online, indie episodic and VR writers/performers/influencers) to pitch new projects to a wide-range of industry, including distributors, production companies, streamers, and online platforms. Participating companies taking pitch meetings include Albyon, Atlas V, BRON Studios, CNN Original Series, Giant Spoon, Gunpowder & Sky, NOWNESS, Topic Streaming, Topic Studios, Tribeca Studios, and more.
The N.O.W. Creators Market will take place virtually April 21 and 22, 2020, setting up hundreds of 20-minute, video pitch meetings between Creators and Industry looking to collaborate on future projects.
“We established the N.O.W. Creators Market in 2016 as a way to introduce a wide array of filmmakers, writers and emerging creators to an equally diverse group of industry in an effort to inspire collaboration and career opportunities,” said Liza Domnitz, Senior Programmer, Film, TV & New Online Work. “Through the power of technology, we couldn’t be more pleased that, despite the tenuous circumstances, we can push on with the 2020 Market, and [virtually] bring together the creative community for two exciting days of one-on-one pitching and conversation.”
N.O.W. SHOWCASE
Tribeca’s New Online Work ( N.O.W.) section highlights independent filmmakers who create original, short form and episodic work specifically for the online exhibition space. Previous inclusions in the NOW section include High Maintenance (Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair), The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo (Brian Jordan Alvarez), You’re So Talented ( Sam Bailey), Dinette ( Shaina Feinberg) and Kiss of the Rabbit God (Andrew Thomas Huang). This year’s slate includes episodic, short form and documentary work from up-and-coming and seasoned filmmakers.
The following group of filmmakers participating in the virtual N.O.W. Creators Market were to debut their work as part of the 2020 Tribeca New Online Work Showcase:
Mike Bender and Doug Chernack (Awkward Family Photos)
Mike Bender is the co-founder of AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com, the bestselling author of Awkward Family Photos, and screenwriter and co-producer of Not Another Teen Movie. Doug Chernack is the co-founder of AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com, bestselling author of Awkward Family Photos, and a creator and producer for E!, Fox Sports, and the Golf Channel.
Tomas Gomez Bustillo (Museum of Fleeting Wonders)
Tomás Gómez Bustillo was born in Buenos Aires. He earned a degree in political science in Buenos Aires and his MFA in directing at the American Film Institute Conservatory. His work screened at Slamdance and Montreal World Film Festival. He is developing his feature debut, The Death of Irma Lopez.
Lance Edmands (The Seeker)
Lance Edmands was born in Maine and graduated from NYU. His first feature as writer and director, Bluebird, premiered at Tribeca in 2013; Factory 25 and Sundance Artist Services then released theatrically. Edmands also directs and edits commercials. The Seeker is his first documentary.
Curtis Essel (Allumuah)
Curtis Essel is a director of 33Bound; a visual production company based in London. He consciously desires to leave his audience with a little more knowledge than when they began. Imparting viewers with insight is an integral part of his process whilst showcasing the personal human experiences to anyone who comes by his work.
Keylee Koop-Sudduth and Micah Sudduth (Backsliders)
Keylee Koop-Sudduth and M icah Sudduth are a married couple of filmmakers originally from the Bible Belt. They believe stories are medicine, so they created Bob Billiams Productions to help themselves heal. Drawing from their rural backgrounds, they craft authentic stories that are a unique balance of humor and heart.
Britt Lower and Alex Knell (Circus Person)
Britt Lower is a multi-disciplinary filmmaker and artist. Circus Person, which she wrote and stars in, is her directorial debut. She plays opposite Patricia Arquette in the upcoming Ben Stiller-directed series, Severance. Her other credits include High Maintenance, Man Seeking Woman, Casual, and Mr. Roosevelt. Alex Knell works to handcraft rich stories across new tech, film and live formats. Trained in physical theater (Lecoq) , she has designed visual storytelling for 100+ filmmakers.
Héctor Silva Núñez & Lu Urdaneta (Home)
Héctor Silva Núñez is a Venezuelan filmmaker based in Chile. His works premiered at Cannes, Toronto International Film Festival, and Tribeca. He is developing his first narrative feature. Lu Urdaneta is a Venezuelan-American actress and producer based in Miami. Her production company, Alef, develops the first vertical series in Spanglish.
Alden Nusser and Ben Fries (Dying Business)
Alden Nusser and Ben Fries grew up together in Manhattan and began working together as filmmakers in 2015. Coming from documentary and music video/commercial backgrounds, respectively, their first collaboration, Crime Cutz, premiered at Tribeca in 2018. They're the founding partners of the creative production company Field Agency.
Ava Warbrick (Bobbie Blood)
Ava Warbrick's documentary Stephanie in the Water premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival in 2013. Her work has been featured by Artist Television Access, Anthology Film Archives, Light Industry, Nowness, Vogue, and Netflix. Warbrick serves on the Kesselring Prize Committee for Playwriting and is a graduate of Bard College.
PILOT SEASON
Tribeca continued its tradition of opening submissions to independently produced TV pilots in 2020. The following group of filmmakers participating in the virtual N.O.W. Creators Market were to debut their pilots as part of the 2020 Tribeca TV Pilot Season program:
Shelby Bartelstein (Pretty People)
Shelby Bartelstein is beyond grateful to Tribeca 2020 for including Pretty People in the Indie Pilot Showcase. Shelby penned, directed and stars in the pilot, which follows two best friends whose budding romance is tested when weight comes into play.
Che Grayson (Magic Hour)
Che Grayson is a filmmaker, writer and TED speaker. Her award-winning films have shown internationally, and her writing has been published by Teen Vogue, Image Comics and IDW Publishing. As a graduate of New York University’s MFA film program, she has written, directed and produced while studying under the mentorship of Spike Lee and Kasi Lemmons. Che is a 2016 TED resident, a 2017 IFP Marcie Bloom Film Fellow with Sony Picture Classics and a 2018 Directing Fellow with Ryan Murphy's Half Initiative. Most recently Che began developing a series for TV, Magic Hour, starring Indya Moore (POSE).
Emily Kron and Kate Hopkins (Deceased Ones)
Emily Kron and Kate Hopkins are an exuberant two-headed creative team, writing, directing and producing television, film and digital media with their company Grandma's Beach House Productions. They have collaborated on several films, series, music videos and comedy sketches, focusing on female-centric stories that are usually funny and unusually weird!
Scott Turner Schofield (Becoming a Man in 127 EASY Steps: But What About The Children)
Named a “Trans Influencer of Hollywood” by OUT Magazine, Scott Turner Schofield is an award-winning actor, writer and producer. Critically-acclaimed for his roles on CBS’s The Bold And The Beautiful and Amazon Prime’s Studio City, Schofield received international notice for his leading role in the 2018 feature film The Conductor (Splendid Films). He currently consults for HBO’s Euphoria among other projects. His one man show—Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps, funded by the National Performance Network and the Princess Grace Foundation-USA—is now a groundbreaking multimedia project.
Mike Ott (Unemployable)
Mike Ott studied under Thom Andersen at the California Institute of the Arts where he received his Masters of Fine Arts degree in Film/Video. His films have won numerous awards, including the Audience award at AFI Fest, a Gotham Award for "Best Film Not Playing in a Theater Near You,” and in 2011 he won the “Someone to Watch” Independent Spirit Award. Mike is currently in production on his hybrid feature California Dreams.
ADDITIONAL N.O.W. CREATORS MARKET PARTICIPANTS
Amir Admoni and Fabito Rychter*
Amir Admoni and Fabito Rychter have been working together for the last 10 years. The partnership yielded movies, TV shows, and plays that have collected 71 international awards and traveled to more than 120 festivals. Gravity VR is their first virtual reality project together.
Enrique Agudo*
Enrique Agudo’s work explores the limits of digital media. With a background in architecture, Agudo evolved into speculative world building, moving from architectural projects to research-driven fictional narratives. His work looks at future anthropological issues, identity, sexuality, and humanities through animation, new media art, creative direction, or VR.
Nitzan Bartov and Char Simpson*
Nitzan Bartov is an architect and game designer. Her work in XR, interactive, and spatial media mixes pop culture, sci-fi, and mysticism to explore relationships between humans and technology. Char Simpson is a writer and a video artist. They write interactive fiction and devise narrative formulas for immersive experiences.
Anna Bierhaus
Anna Bierhaus is a writer living in NYC, and her scripts have regularly placed in ScreenCraft, Creative World Awards, and Final Draft, among others, and gone on to Sundance’s second round.
Common Table Creative (Oliver English, Simon English and Jamer Bellis)
Common Table Creative works with the world's leading food and beverage companies, NGOs and nonprofits to tell stories about the power of food. We create short films and long-form documentaries about food, driving consumers to support the companies, businesses, and politicians of the future.
Bianca Cristovao
Bianca Cristovao is a writer, performer, and creator based in Los Angeles. Originally from the Czech Republic's capital, she gained recognition for her stand up performance about diversity and immigration.
Nicole Dawson
Nicole Dawson is a New York-based storyteller and graduate of NYU Tisch. Writing primarily for young adult audiences, her stories are grounded in visceral settings and dynamic female protagonists.
Stanley Erhart
Stanley Erhart (@lastmanstanley) is an undergraduate at Tulane University pursuing a BS in digital media production. Stanley uploads short form abstract videos on the social media app TikTok.
Matthew K. Esolda & Brian Goodheart
Matthew K. Esolda and Brian Goodheart are Emergency Contact, a creative/directing duo with over a decade of experience in advertising and content creation. They are friendly and are very excited to meet you.
Valeria Forster & Mercedes Cordova
In 2012, Mercedes Córdova and Valeria Forster founded Brava Cine, a production company based in Buenos Aires, with the purpose of developing and promoting audiovisual projects by female directors.
Léa Furnion
New York writer/filmmaker Léa Furnion l ikes making things, an idea that inhabits her series pilot, a handy-focused neo-practical voyage to a love for eco-living, a topic of her upcoming novel.
Malerie Grady & James Mackenzie
Malerie Grady and James Mackenzie are filmmakers from Atlanta, Georgia. They developed Tough Love from a back-alley comedy sketch to a character-driven dating web series that premiered at Outfest 2019.
Caleb Hearon
Caleb Hearon is a Chicago-based comedian at whom nobody has ever been mad. He performs every week at iO Chicago, Second City, The Hideout, and on Twitter, if video monologues count. Caleb is an NBCUniversal Bob Curry Fellow and produces iO's weekly sketch and current events show, Studio Eleven. He's originally from Missouri where he was raised by four strong women—his mother, Kellie, and the Dixie Chicks.
Sami Kriegstein Jacobson
Sami Kriegstein Jacobson is an award-winning director, producer, and multimedia-artist (HuffPost, Spotify, InStyle, Complex, YouTubePremium) who moonlights as a digital branded content consultant, which sounds vague but is real, Dad, I swear.
Jennifer Levinson
Jennifer Levinson’s written and produced content has amassed 100 million views across BuzzFeed Video, VRScout, and CryptTV. Formerly a writer on the show Solve, Jennifer now has five projects in production.
Jonathan Lewis
Jonathan Aubrie Lewis is an award winning (2019 AT&T Film Awards Underrepresented Winner) filmmaker who has been a professional director for the past eight years. His most recent film, Sojourn, is an intimate exploration of black male identity. It has screened at Atlanta Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, Holly Shorts and most notably, The National Museum of African American History & Culture, a part of the Smithsonian African American Film Festival.
Bunny Michael & Omega
Bunny Michael and Omega are multidisciplinary artists and collaborators. Their work which displayed at The Whitney, Tate Modern, and MOMA PS1 has been featured in NY Times and ArtForum.
Raqi Syed & Areito Echevarria*
Raqi Syed and Areito Echevarria are visual effects artists and researchers whose work combines visual storytelling and new technologies. They have contributed to films such as Avatar and The Hobbit series. They are both practitioners in immersive reality and currently teach at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.
Adam Waheed
Adam Waheed is a comedian, actor and content creator, from Queens, New York. He most recently wrote, produced, and starred in the short film, Tribes, which was an official selection for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. He also starred in the Comedy Central series, Pitch Please, which is live on Comedy Central’s Facebook page. Adam has also worked with high-end brands like T-Mobile, Old Spice, Mountain Dew, Call of Duty and more.
Micah Ariel Watson
Micah Ariel Watson is a filmmaker and playwright from Wichita, KS. Her work centers the sacred and secular in Black culture. She will receive her MFA from NYU spring 2020.
*Indicates 2020 Tribeca Immersive Official Selection Artist.
INDUSTRY EXTRANET
Tribeca Extranet, the festival’s online resource hub for industry, will launch as planned, providing accredited industry with resources on the 2020 program including rights availabilities, delegate directory, and sales contacts. The Extranet will also host an online screening library of select Tribeca 2020 projects. Work from the feature & short films programs, Tribeca N.O.W., and pilot season can opt to make their pieces available to accredited press & industry during the window of April 15 – May 15. The films may be securely streamed on personal computers or tablets. All viewed titles will be reported to press & sales contacts.
The Extranet is available to accredited 2020 industry, using your Tribeca user name and password to access. New accreditations are currently open here: https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/industry
Email industry@tribecafilmfestival.org for more information.
JURIED AWARDS
The Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, is moving forward with announcing the 2020 jury members who will select the winners in the film competition sections for the 2020 program. The jurors will award work in nine different categories and honor new voices and prominent members of the creative community with unique art awards. More than 30 industry leaders were selected to honor feature length and short film categories, comprising narratives and documentary films. Jurors will also present the Tribeca X Award, celebrating excellence in branded storytelling at the intersection of advertising and entertainment. The winning films, projects, filmmakers, actors, and storytellers in each category will be announced on tribecafilm.com during the original Festival dates, April 15-26.
Each year Tribeca and CHANEL bring together world-class artists who donate a piece of their work to be presented as an award to honored Festival filmmakers, a tradition since the Festival’s beginning.
“Now more than ever, it is important that we come together to celebrate the work of the amazing storytellers that give us laughter and craft the stories that unite us. It is our responsibility to honor these creators with the Tribeca Art Awards along with CHANEL, our partners for the past 15 years” – Jane Rosenthal, Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Film Festival Co-Founder and CEO.
The 2020 Tribeca Film Festival Art Awards, supported by CHANEL, features the work of one artist returning to support the program for his 19th year in addition to nine other artists who were personally selected by this year’s curator and notable gallerist, Vito Schnabel.
“I am honored to have been invited to assemble a cross-generational group of nine artists whose work captures the current mood of contemporary society. This project is inspired by the connection between artists and filmmakers as natural storytellers, creators of narratives that accrue to a form of cultural journalism. Each artist included in this selection has a special relationship with both New York City and my gallery,” –Vito Schnabel
*Indicates the 2020 Art awarded in each category
For further information on participating Jurors please visit https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/jurors2020
To view an online gallery of art work and artists bios visit: https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/art2020
FEATURE FILM COMPETITION CATEGORIES
2020 U.S. Narrative Feature Competition Jury – awarding Founders Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography:
Cherien Dabis, Terry Kinney, Lucas Hedges
*Art Award: Julian Schnabel: Le Scaphandre et le Papillon, 2 007. Oil on map. Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature
2020 International Narrative Competition Jury – awarding Best International Narrative Feature, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography:
Sabine Hoffman, Judith Godrèche, Danny Boyle, William Hurt, Demian Bichir
*Art Award: Helen Marden: January Golden Rock, 2020. Watercolor on paper. Best International Narrative Feature
2020 Documentary Feature Competition Jury – awarding Best Documentary Feature, Best Editing, Best Cinematography:
Yance Ford, Regina Scully, Ryan Fleck, Chris Pine, Peter Deming
*Art Award: *Sterling Ruby: DRFTRS, 2020. Collage, paint and glue on paper. Best Documentary Feature
2020 Best New Narrative Director Competition Jury:
Lukas Haas, Juno Temple, Nat Wolff, Grace Van Patten, James Ponsoldt
*Art Award: *Rita Ackermann: The Working Woman 3, 2018. Oil, crayon and graphite on paper. Best New Narrative Director
2020 Albert Maysles Award for Best New Documentary Director Jury:
Erin Lee Carr, Stacey Reiss, Josh Hutcherson, Joel McHale, Gretchen Mol
*Art Award: Gus Van Sant: Achelous and Hercules, 2016. Enamel on paper. Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award
2020 Nora Ephron Award Jurors:
Gina Rodriguez, Lizzy Caplan, Aparna Nancherla, Anna Baryshnikov, Regina Hall
*Art Award: Pat Steir: Untitled, 2008. Oil, pencil, ink, and acrylic on paper. Nora Ephron Award
SHORT FILM COMPETITION CATEGORIES
2020 Narrative/Animation Short Competition Jury:
Kasi Lemmons, Pamela Adlon, Kerry Bishe, Taylor Hackford, Marshall Curry
*Art Award: Robert Nava: Medusa's Walk, 2 020. Acrylic, oil stick, crayon, and pencil on paper. Best Narrative Short
*Art Award: Stephen Hannock: Wallsend Morning on the River Tyne, 2019. Oil on board. Best Animated Short
2020 Short Documentary and Student Visionary Competitions Jury:
Asia Kate Dillon, Marti Noxon, Sheila Nevins
*Art Award: Francesco Clemente: Flag US, 2 018. Watercolor and miniature on paper. Best Documentary Short
*Art Award: Vahakn Arslanian: Light of Airbus, 2 009. Graphite on paper in artist’s frame. Student Visionary Award
2020 TRIBECA X JURY:
Stefon Bristol, Filmmaker
Taylor Johns, Head of Content Production, YETI
David Lee, Chief Creative Officer, Squarespace
Matt MacDonald, Chief Creative Officer, Omnicom for AT&T Bonnie Siegler, Founder, Eight and a Half
TRIBECA X
The Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, announced today that it will continue Tribeca X sponsored by PwC, it’s competition to celebrate the intersection of advertising and entertainment. The 5th annual Tribeca X Award will honor the best brand and filmmaker collaborations of the year and recognize best in class branded content told through the lens of storytelling. Following an expansion in 2019, the Tribeca X Award will award both narrative and documentary work in three categories: feature film, short film, episodic series. The finalists for the 2020 Tribeca X Awards include works created by notable filmmakers and featuring talent such as Morgan Cooper, Gabrielle Dennis, Margaret Qualley, Lena Waithe, Denzel Whitaker and Olivia Wilde representing brands and agencies including adidas, Dove, Dior, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Procter & Gamble (P&G), Red Bull, Square, Synchrony Bank, Volvo, attn:, Anonymous Content, ColorCreative, Giant Spoon, Great Big Story, and Grey Group.
The shortlisted pieces represent a diverse group of filmmakers and reflect a variety of themes and subjects including climate change, technology, social responsibility, finance, music, fashion, LGBTQ+ inclusion and more.
Many of this year’s selected finalists will be available to screen on TribecaFilm.com. Traditionally, these pieces screen in theaters during the Festival, but this year Tribeca will showcase the competition online. The selected finalists are available to view now: https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/tribecax2020
2020 TRIBECA X AWARD FINALISTS:
FEATURE FINALISTS:
“All The Streets Are Silent: The Convergence of Hip Hop and Skateboarding (1987-1997)
Synopsis: Downtown Manhattan. Early 90s. Two potent subcultures were colliding: Skateboarding and hip hop. "All the Streets Are Silent" brings to life the magic of that time period.
Director: Jeremy Elkin
Brand: adidas
Agency: Elkin Editions
“Nose”
Synopsis: With exclusive access to Dior’s “Maison de Parfums” creative process, this documentary film unveils the fascinating role of the Nose at Dior; the most prestigious Fashion et Perfume brand in the world.
Director(s): Clément Beauvais, Arthur de Kersauson
Brand: Dior
Production Co: Mercenary Production
“U Shoot Videos?”
Synopsis: Moji, a young filmmaker in Kansas City, shoots low budget music videos for a living. He has talent and wants to take his career to the next level, but the leap forward is difficult and at times dangerous.
Director: Morgan Cooper
Brand: Adorama Talent: Denzel Whitaker
SHORT FINALISTS:
“The Birdman”
Synopsis: Volvo & Sky Atlantic present the true story of a young boy from Wales who went from breeding birds in his back yard to saving the rarest bird in the world and 8 other species from the brink of extinction.
Director: D.A.R.Y.L
Brand: Volvo Car UK
Agency: Grey London
“Carlos”
Synopsis: The unscripted film follows Inglewood resident Carlos Lopez, detailing the roadblocks he's faced living in a sprawling city with limited public transit and no car and the newfound freedom he’s discovered through the micro mobility of Lime.
Director: Cara Stricker
Brand: Lime
Agency: The Lab at Anonymous Content
“Forged in Flint”
Synopsis: Small business owners and entrepreneurs in Flint have decided to start building the future they want to see. And it’s working.
Director: Bradley Tangonan
Brand: Square
“Pay Day”
Synopsis: Nyssa Rose dreams of starting her own business. But she spends like there’s no tomorrow. She finds herself stuck in a time loop, reliving the same Pay Day. Again. And again. That is, until she learns to make better choices and save for her future with Synchrony Bank.
Director: Morgan Cooper
Brand: Synchrony Bank
Agency: Giant Spoon
Production Co: ColorCreative
Talent: Gabrielle Dennis
“Wake Up”
In a short directed by Olivia Wilde, Margaret Qualley stars as a woman awakened to a world she doesn't recognize, one where people are more engaged with screens than with each other. She sets out to find connection in a disconnected world and relearn what it means to be human.
Director: Olivia Wilde
Brand: Hewlett Packard
Agency: The Lab at Anonymous Content Talent: Margaret Qualley
“Girls Room”
Synopsis: Girls Room is an original series that tackles the pain and power of female adolescence through the eyes of 5 girls as they face the challenges of growing up in today’s social-first world. Cinematically vertical, the series was created to reach young girls where they are, on social media platforms on their mobile devices.
Director: Tiffany Johnson
Writer: Lena Waithe
Brand: Dove
Agency: attn:, BBH Entertainment
“The Mind Behind”
Synopsis: The Mind Behind is a 3-episode documentary series that delves deep into the minds of our most talented artists and athletes and explores how they react to extraordinary situations unique to their profession.
Director: Niyantha Shekar
Brand: Red Bull
Agency: Red Bull Media House Production Co: Supari Studios
“Proud”
Synopsis: Proud is a video channel in partnership with Procter & Gamble that lives on Great Big Story, CNN’s global video company devoted to cinematic storytelling, housing sponsored editorial content that celebrates members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Director(s): Asher May-Corsini, Sofia Couceiro, Michael Fequiere, Dave Yim
Brand: Procter & Gamble
Agency: Great Big Story
“What’s Next”
Synopsis: Through this series of five short documentaries, Kelly Services pays homage to the remarkable men and women who apply their talents in various communities around the world.
Director: Ben Proudfoot
Brand: Kelly Services
Production Co: Breakwater Studios
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About the Tribeca Film Festival:
The Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, brings visionaries and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, VR, gaming, music, and online work. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is a platform for creative expression and immersive entertainment. The Festival champions emerging and established voices; discovers award-winning filmmakers and creators; curates innovative experiences; and introduces new technology and ideas through premieres, exhibitions, talks, and live performances.
The Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. Now in its 19th year, the Festival has evolved into a destination for creativity that reimagines the cinematic experience and explores how art can unite communities. https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival.
Twitter: @Tribeca
Instagram: @tribeca
Facebook: facebook.com/Tribeca
About Presenting Sponsor AT&T:
As Presenting Sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival, AT&T is committed to supporting the Festival and the art of filmmaking through access and innovation, while expanding opportunities to diverse creators around the globe. AT&T helps millions connect to their passions – no matter where they are. This year, AT&T and Tribeca will once again collaborate to give the world access to stories from underrepresented filmmakers that deserve to be seen. AT&T Presents: Untold Stories - an Inclusive Film Program in Collaboration with Tribeca, is a multi-year, multi-tier alliance between AT&T and Tribeca along with the year-round nonprofit Tribeca Film Institute.
About the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival Partners:
The Tribeca Film Festival is pleased to announce its 2020 Partners: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), BVLGARI, CHANEL, City National Bank, CNN Films, Diageo, ESPN, HBO, Montefiore, National CineMedia (NCM), New York Magazine, NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, P&G, PwC, Spring Studios New York, and Squarespace.
Press Contacts:
Daria Vogel
dvogel@tribecafilm.com
Alyssa Grinder
agrinder@tribecafilm.com
Sunshine Sachs
TribecaFilmFestival@sunshinesachs.com
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