Tribeca Festival Juneteenth Program

Tribeca will celebrate and amplify the richness of Black stories and uplift the voices of Black storytellers across feature and short films, talks, immersive, audio storytelling, music and other special events during the Festival, sponsored by Indeed.

The programming will culminate on Juneteenth (Sunday, June 19th) and give audiences the opportunity to dive into the stories and events that highlight the Black experience in the United States and abroad.

We are excited for you to enjoy our selections below.

THE HARRY BELAFONTE VOICES FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AWARD

Tribeca is proud to present the second annual Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award to, Common.

Common, the Academy Award, Emmy, and Grammy-winning artist, actor, author, and activist, continues to break down barriers with a multitude of critically acclaimed, diverse roles, and continued success in all aspects of his career. Having starred in numerous film and television projects, Common has also worked behind the scenes as an executive producer and on multiple soundtracks for which he has received numerous accolades. Additionally, Common has dedicated countless hours and has been deeply engaged in social justice and advocacy work around mass incarceration, mental health, and voting. He launched The Stardust Kids, an incubator and accelerator collective for emerging artists and creative entrepreneurs, the nonprofit Imagine Justice, and through his Common Ground Foundation, Common is dedicated to empowering high school students from underserved communities to become future leaders. He will be joined in conversation with New York Times columnist and MSNBC political analyst Charles Blow. Get Tickets 

FEATURE FILMS

88

Directed by: Eromose

The Financial Director for a democratic super PAC behind a frontrunner presidential candidate investigates donations uncovering a conspiracy. Eromose returns to Tribeca after his acclaimed Legacy (2010) capturing the zeitgeist of government mistrust and institutional racism in a timely political thriller. Tickets

Aisha

Directed by: Frank Berry

Aisha, a young Nigerian woman seeking asylum in Ireland, is floundering in a maze of social services and bureaucracy. As her situation becomes increasingly dire, Aisha struggles to maintain hope and dignity against the looming threat of deportation. Tickets

Beauty

Directed by: Andrew Dosunmu

A gifted young Black woman struggles to maintain her voice and identity after she’s offered a lucrative recording contract. Tickets

Big Payback

Directed by: Erika Alexander and Whitney Dow

Funded by a tax on cannabis, Evanston, IL, earmarked $10 million to compensate descendants of enslaved Africans for 400 years of unpaid labor. Alderwoman Simmons leads her constituents through this historic campaign for reparations for the Black community.  Tickets

Cave of Adullam

Directed by: Laura Checkoway

Living by the mantra 'it's easier to raise boys than to repair broken men', martial arts sensei Jason Wilson tenderly guides his often-troubled young Detroit students with a beautifully effective blend of compassion and tough love. Tickets

CIVIL

Directed by: Nadia Hallgren

An intimate yet expansive profile of Ben Crump, the lawyer dubbed “Black America’s attorney general.” Tickets

The DOC

Directed by: Dave Caplan

Dave Caplan’s directorial debut tells the inspirational story of hip hop icon The DOC, 30 years after losing his voice in a horrific accident as he contemplates experimental surgery that could restore his voice at long last. Tickets

Game Change Game

Directed by: Maxime Quoilin, Spike Jordan

With unfettered access to the players union, Game Change Game documents a tumultuous, and at times surreal, basketball season plagued by once unimaginable circumstances. Tickets

God Said Give 'Em Drum Machines

Directed by: Kristian R. Hill

A vibrant and nostalgic music documentary that explores the true beginnings of Techno Music and how young Black musicians from Detroit became the creative force behind one of the most celebrated genres in the world. Tickets

Katrina Babies

Directed by: Edward Buckles Jr.

Katrina Babies is a first-person account of the short-term and long-term devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, as told by young people who were between the ages of 3 and 19 when the levees broke. Tickets

Loudmouth

Directed by: Josh Alexander

Josh Alexander’s Loudmouth documents the winding road that is Al Sharpton’s life story as an iconic activist and spiritual leader. Tickets

Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power

Directed by: Sam Pollard and Geeta Gandbhir

Told by those who were on the frontlines in 1960’s Georgia, this powerful documentary recounts the courageous campaign of citizens and activists who faced down violence and oppression in the struggle for the right to vote. Tickets

Music Pictures: New Orleans

Directed by: Ben Chace

Music Pictures gives us four legacy portraits of New Orleans music figures Irma Thomas, Little Freddie King, Ellis Marsalis, and The Tremé Brass Band. Now in their 80s, these local masters continue their practice, for the love of the music, in the city that made them who they are. After the Premiere Screening: Special performances by Irma Thomas, Little Freddie King & Jason Marsalis. Tickets

On the Line: The Richard Williams Story

Directed by: Stuart McClave

Through exclusive interviews and home movies, this film follows the outspoken patriarch of the Williams family who beat impossible odds to help daughters Venus and Serena become two of the greatest athletes of our time. Tickets

Our Father, The Devil

Directed by: Ellie Foumbi

Marie Cissé (Babetida Sadjo) works as the head chef at a retirement home in small-town France. Her easy day-to-day life spent caring for residents, hanging out with her co-worker and best friend Nadia (Jennifer Tchiakpe), and teasing a potential new romance is disrupted by the arrival of Father Patrick (Souléymane Sy Savané), an African priest whom she recognizes from a terrifying episode in her homeland. . As he further endears himself to the residents and staff, Marie is forced to decide how best to deal with this reminder of her troubled past. Tickets

Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks

Directed by: Johanna Hamilton and Yoruba Richen

Beyond her historic role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, this comprehensive dive into Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks sheds light on her extensive organizing, radical politics, and lifelong dedication to activism. Tickets

Story Of Bones

Directed by: Joseph Curran, Dominic Aubrey de Vere

A Story of Bones chronicles Annina van Neel's tireless work to reclaim and honor the neglected history of St. Helena after the remains of thousands of freed slaves are uncovered on the remote island. Tickets

Untrapped: The Story of Lil Baby

Directed by: Karam Gill

Through years of never-before-seen footage, director Karam Gill follows Lil Baby’s transformational journey from local Atlanta hustler to becoming one of hip-hop’s biggest stars and pop culture's most important voices for change. Tickets

ONLINE FEATURES

You don’t have to actually be in attendance (or even in New York City for that matter) to catch these films.

Hazing

Directed by: Byron Hurt

Weaving his own personal experience with hazing into larger narratives, director Byron Hurt posits the function, politics, and consequences of pledging rituals. Tickets

Kaepernick & America

Directed by Tommy Walker and Ross Hockrow

In the midst of swelling racial tension, Kaepernick & America explores the protest at the center of an ever-exploding culture war. This documentary details the political hysteria around the enigmatic quarterback’s fateful decision. Tickets

CRITICS' WEEK

Tribeca Critics’ Week presents a curated slate of feature films from critics including Chris Murphy of Vanity Fair, Tambay Obenson of IndieWire and Critic at Large, and Jourdain Searles writer for Bitch Media, Okayplayer, and The Hollywood Reporter.

After Sherman

Directed by Jon-Sesrie Goff

After Sherman is a story about inheritance and the tension that defines our collective American history. Tickets

Beba

Directed by Rebeca Huntt

Beba is a poetic, raw, and ruthless coming of age tale, in which a young Afro-Latina from New York City stares down historical, societal, and generational trauma with unflinching courage. Tickets

Mars One

Directed by Gabriel Martins

In this tender drama, a Brazilian family copes with an uncertain future as a far-right conservative leader rises to power. Through this time of turbulent change, the family’s optimism and deep capacity for love guides them through. Tickets

JUNETEENTH SHORTS
PORTRAITS AND PERFORMANCE:
CELEBRATING BLACK ART & ARTISTS

Through dance, painting, sculpture and performance, these dynamic short films document excellence in Black artistry, and celebrate the creativity, power, beauty and love in the African American experience. Curated by Karen McMullen

Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison

Directed by: Cinque Northern

Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison tells the story of playwright Liza Jessie Peterson's 2020 performance of her acclaimed play The Peculiar Patriot at Angola, at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, America’s largest prison. Tickets

For Love and Legacy

Directed by: A.K. Sandhu

Sculptor Dana King’s hands and activist Fredrika Newton’s memories come together to build a new monument that honors the Black Panther Party's vital place in American history. Tickets

Kylie

Directed by: Master Sterling

A young Black ballerina from the inner city voices her experiences in the dance industry whilst performing on the streets of Los Angeles. Tickets

Paint & Pitchfork

Directed by: Christine Turner

This profile of celebrated artists Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley provides insight into why they make art and their unique perspectives on painting the Obama presidential portraits. Tickets

Shut Up and Paint

Directed by: Titus Kaphar, Alex Mallis

Painter Titus Kaphar looks to film as a medium in the face of an insatiable art market seeking to silence his activism. Tickets

We Dance

Directed by: Brian Foster and Ethan Payne

We Dance is a love story, deconstructed and distilled into its most elemental ingredients: dreams, memories, family, and environments. Tickets

Indeed Presents Rising Voices Season Two

In partnership with Emmy® Award-winning writer, creator and actor Lena Waithe and her company Hillman Grad Productions, Indeed’s Rising Voices is back with season two. We know that talent is universal but opportunity is not, and providing new opportunities to discover, invest it and amplify stories created by BIPOC filmmakers is what this program is all about. The filmmakers selected have created films around the singular theme of the meaning of work.

Lena Waithe and Rishi Rajani from Hillman Grad Productions, Indeed,Ventureland, PRETTYBIRD and 271 Films along with program mentors Calmatic, Destin Daniel Cretton, Justin Chon, Rayka Zehtabchi and Melina Matsoukas, selected the top 10 screenplays from over 850 applications.

Indeed will debut the 10 Rising Voices Season Two shorts at the 2022 TriBeCa Festival in NYC on June 15. Participating filmmakers include: Cara Lawson, Gbenga Komolafe, Georgia Fu, Jalmer Caceres, Justin Floyd, Leon Cheo, Tara Motamedi, Travis Wood, Shanrica Evans, Urvashi Pathania.

TRIBECA TV SELECTIONS

Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution – Part 1 & 2

A&E Network - World Premiere

The two-part documentary event Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution explores the progression of Black comedy and the comedians who have used pointed humor to expose, challenge and ridicule society’s injustices and to articulate the Black experience in America.
Part 1 - After the Premiere Screening: A conversation with comedian Alonzo Bodden, Dick Gregory’s son Christian Gregory, Director and Executive Producer Mario Diaz, Director and Executive Producer Jessica Sherif, and Executive Producer Loren Hammonds.
Part 2

Supreme Team

Directed by: Peter J. Scaletta, Nasir (Nas) Jones – World Premiere

Directed by Nasir “Nas” Jones and Peter J Scalettar, Supreme Team is a three-part limited docuseries that takes an in-depth look at the notorious Queens, New York gang, and tells the real story from the mouths of its two leaders and family members, Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff and Gerald “Prince'' Miller. Tickets

TRIBECA TALKS

Directors Series – Tyler Perry with Gayle King

Tyler Perry is an actor, director, screenwriter, producer, playwright, author, and philanthropist. He started his career writing plays, many of which became the inspiration for his films, including the legendary Madea character. In 2019, Perry celebrated the historic opening of Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta. Among his many honors are the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2021 Oscars and the Governors Award at the 2020 Emmys. He will discuss his career with accomplished journalist and co-host of CBS MORNINGS, Gayle King.
Tickets

Master Class – Documentary Directing with Coodie & Chike

Fresh off the success of their most recent film, the Kanye West documentary, jeen-yuhs, the Tribeca alumni team of Coodie & Chike return to the festival to discuss the art and ethics of directing documentary films with Loren Hammonds, the Co-Head of Documentary at TIME STUDIO. Tickets

Storytellers – Cynthia Erivo Goes Back to Broadway

Broadway is back and better than ever! In this intimate conversation, Tony Award-winning actors Cynthia Erivo and André De Shields discuss Broadway's comeback, accompanied by exclusive clips of a forthcoming documentary entitled Back to Broadway (TIME Studios) from director Jamila Ephron, which explores how issues of race, identity, and labor play out in the lives of the people responsible for making New York City the beacon for dreamers, artists, and tourists around the world. Tickets

Storytellers – Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Williams is a visionary recording artist, producer, songwriter, philanthropist, fashion designer, and entrepreneur. He has been honored with a number of accolades including 13 Grammy Awards, two Academy Award nominations, and Emmy nominations. In this special conversation, Pharrell will discuss his entire ecosystem and what he is focused on now. Tickets

Storytellers – W. Kamau Bell

W. Kamau Bell is a stand-up comedian and the director and executive producer of the four-part Showtime documentary, We Need To Talk About Cosby. He also hosts and executive-produces the Emmy Award-winning CNN docu-series United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell.Tickets

Master Class – Youth Workforce Development

A Master Class for those young people who want to get their start in the film industry but aren’t sure where to turn or how to make inroads. This panel conversation will bring together representatives from creative guilds and industry professionals working in important below-the-line roles to discuss their positions in the filmmaking process and how the next generation of creators can get their start. Tickets

Tribeca Talks: The Power of Black Women's Imagination: A Dedication to bell hooks

This conversation will offer insight into the imagination of Black women's creative process. Drawing on bell hooks' work All About Love, we will explore the power of film as a healing modality, discover how creators center joy in their work, and discuss how they imagine our future. Tickets

Tribeca Talks X Blackhouse: Black Critics on the State of Representation Onscreen

A powerhouse panel of Black critics, all Pulitizer prize winners, convene to discuss current and historical Black representation onscreen and beyond. Panelists include Robin Givhan, Margo Jefferson, Wesley Morris, and Salamishah Tillet. Moderated by returning Tribeca collaborator Jelani Cobb.Tickets

Tribeca Talks X Blackhouse: Filmmaking and Activism: From Civil Rights to Reparations

Conversation with film co-directors Whitney Dow and Erika Alexander (The Big Payback) and Yoruba Richen and Johanna Hamilton (The Rebellious Life of Mrs Rosa Parks). Topics to include reparations, filmmaking as a tool for policy change, Black/white co-directing teams.Tickets

Tribeca Talks X Blackhouse: Ben Crump and the Movement for Social Justice

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and documentary filmmakers Nadia Hallgren and Kenya Barris join Rashad Robinson, President of Color of Change in conversation about the current state of racial justice in our society. Moderated by Blackhouse FoundationTickets

Tribeca Talks X Blackhouse: Unpacking the Ethics & Art of Film Curation: A Conversation with the Programmers of Colour Collective

Members of the Programmers Of Colour Collective discuss the nuances and responsibilities of the film curation process, digging into challenges they have experienced, and identifying values and principles that could be applied by any organization or festival striving to connect authentically with the communities they serve.Tickets

PODCASTS SELECTIONS

GAY PRIDE & PREJUDICE

Network: Spotify/Gimlet

Centered around Spotify’s modern podcast adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice from Gimlet. This presentation and discussion will feature creators and cast members Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Vella Lovell, Blake Lee, Ronald Peet, Zackary Grady and Justin Mikita, and will be moderated by Mimi O’Donnell. Tickets

Radiotopia Presents: My Mother Made Me

Network: Radiotopia

Join us for an engaging exploration of Jason Reynolds’ upcoming podcast, Radiotopia Presents: My Mother Made Me, from the podcast network, Radiotopia from PRX. This special event will feature Reynolds in conversation with Radiolab creator and audio trailblazer, Jad Abumrad. Tickets

Tribeca Audio Storytelling: Live Events

Created by: Kellie Carter Jackson, Leah Wright Rigueur, Jody Avirgan

Join us for a live taping of Oprahdemics, an entertaining and fascinating podcast examining iconic moments from The Oprah Winfrey Show within social, historical, and cultural frameworks. Friends, scholars, authors, and fellow Oprah-obsessives Kellie Carter Jackson and Leah Wright Rigueur co-host this new podcast part of the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX. Tickets

Stolen

Created by: Connie Walker

In season one of Stolen, Connie Walker examined the unsolved disappearance of Jermain Charlo, a 23-year-old Indigenous mother from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, who went missing in Missoula, Montana, in 2018. In season two of Stolen, Connie Walker digs deep into her own past to uncover how her family’s story fits into one of Canada’s darkest chapters: the Indigenous residential school system. Tickets

FREE OUTDOOR EVENTS

Hargrove

Hargrove chronicles the last year of legend Roy Hargrove’s life, illuminating his contribution to jazz while exposing the challenges of an artist pure in form, yet vulnerable to everyday realities. Tickets

Purple Rain

A struggling musician deals with his family and his new love interest against the backdrop of Minneapolis nightclubs. Tickets

Moonlight

Moonlight is the tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality. Tickets

Set It Off

An action-packed saga about four embittered, strong-willed women who decide to beat the system and become bank robbers. Tickets

REUNIONS

Eve's Bayou

Over the course of a Louisiana summer, 10-year-old Eve (Jurnee Smollett) discovers all is not what it seems when it comes to her father (Samuel L. Jackson) and the rest of their affluent family. This riveting southern drama quickly became one of the most acclaimed and successful independent films of 1997.

After the Screening: A conversation with director Kasi Lemmons, producer Caldecot “Cotty” Chubb, Meagan Good (Cisely Batiste), and other members of the cast to be announced. Moderated by filmmaker Torell Shavone Taylor. Tickets

IMMERSIVE

Black Movement Library - Movement Portraits

The Black Movement Library - Movement Portraits serves as a way to learn about the lives of performers contributing their movement data to the Black Movement Library, taking viewers on a journey through each portrait. What happens when we ritualize the archival process of data collection and invite the community as a witness? Using motion capture and Unreal Engine, performers send their movement data to be translated into visuals in real-time. Tickets

Zanzibar: Trouble in Paraise Project

This immersive holographic experience tells the story of two women who achieve financial independence in a male-dominated culture by farming seaweed—an ingredient found in everything from ice cream to medicine. When climate change decimates the seaweed, their resilience and strength enables them to pivot to growing sponges. Then climate change kills the sponges too. Zanzibar: Trouble in Paradise illustrates the impact of climate change on those least likely to have their voices heard. Tickets

Mescaform Hil: The Missing Five

When several policemen disappear in an African town, a Road Safety cadet attempts to prove himself by investigating against his superior's orders but discovers far more than he expected. Mescaform Hill: The Missing Five is a VR animated graphic novel created for the Oculus TV platform by Edward Madojemu. Tickets

Exhibition A

A love letter to women of color written in virtual reality, Exhibition A showcases talent from the POC, immigrant, non-binary, LGBTQ, and Black communities in Portland, Maine to benefit Coded by Young Women of Color (CYWOC). Play as glittering avatars amidst intimate performances, including Veeva Banga’s Afrobeats Dance, "Kiwi Drip" performed by Adrienne Mack-Davis and Felicia Cruz, spoken word from Portland's Poet Laureate Maya Williams, “Diamonds” by JanaeSound, and interactive 3D design by Nick Hall/Tripdragon. Tickets

Get Updates

For updates on the complete list of programming for the 2022 Tribeca Festival in the coming weeks, follow @Tribeca on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and at tribecafilm.com/festival or sign up for our newsletter