As the Tribeca Film Festival embarks on its fifteenth anniversary, it's important to remember that the impetus behind our annual celebration of independent films and storytellers was to infuse art and culture into a devastated Downtown Manhattan in the months after September 11th. This mission remains perpetually vital to our yearly programming, which may take audiences on any number of journeys around the globe, but is rooted, at its heart, in the beautiful and bountiful city that our Festival calls home.

In addition to devoting two of our diverse shorts programs to depictions of the city's vibrant past ("New York Then") and hopeful present ("New York Now"), our Festival lineup includes a number of feature-length films that offer a variety of visions of the multitudinous colors, characters, and corners of life that comprise the most colorful cinematic character of all, New York City.

Here's a brief look at the feature films set in and around New York during the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. For screening dates, visit the Film Guide. Tickets go on sale March 29.

All This Panic
Section: World Documentary Competition
Directed by Jenny Gage. (USA) – World Premiere.
What is it like to come of age in New York City? First-time director Jenny Gage follows vivacious sisters, Ginger and Dusty, and their high school friends over the course of their crucial teen years. In this sensitive and cinematic documentary, Gage captures all the urgency, drama, and bittersweetness of girlhood as her subjects grapple with love, friendship, and what their futures hold. BUY TICKETS HERE

All We Had
Section: Spotlight
Directed by Katie Holmes, written by Josh Boone & Jill Killington. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative.
Ruthie continually makes the best of her mother Rita's hard luck. When their attempt at settling in a new town hits a stumbling block, even Ruthie struggles to keep it together. Based on Annie Weatherwax's 2014 novel, Katie Holmes' feature directorial debut is an enriching coming-of-age drama about a resilient mother and daughter who find strength in each other. With Stefania Owen, Katie Holmes, Luke Wilson, Richard Kind, Mark Consuelos, Judy Greer, and Eve Lindley. BUY TICKETS HERE

Bad Rap
Section: Spotlight
Directed and written by Salima Koroma. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary.
Bad Rap follows the lives and careers of four Asian-American rappers trying to break into a world that often treats them as outsiders. Sharing dynamic live performance footage and revealing interviews, these artists will make the most skeptical critics into believers. With humor and insight, the film paints a portrait of artistic passion in the face of an unsung struggle. With Jonathan "Dumbfoundead" Park, Nora "Awkwafina" Lum, David "Rekstizzy" Lee, and Richard "Lyricks" Lee. BUY TICKETS HERE

Betting on Zero
Section: World Documentary Competition
Directed and written by Ted Braun. (USA) – World Premiere.
Allegations of corporate criminality and high-stakes Wall Street vendettas swirl throughout this riveting financial docu-thriller. Controversial hedge fund titan Bill Ackman is on a crusade to expose global nutritional giant Herbalife as the largest pyramid scheme in history while Herbalife execs claim Ackman is a market manipulator out to bankrupt them and make a killing off his billion dollar short. BUY TICKETS HERE

Contemporary Color
Section: World Documentary Competition (Opening Film)
directed by Bill Ross and Turner Ross. (USA) – World Premiere.
In the summer of 2015, legendary musician David Byrne staged an unprecedented event at Brooklyn's Barclays Center to celebrate the art of color guard—synchronized dance involving flags, rifles, and sabers—by pairing regional color guard teams with performers, including St. Vincent, Nelly Furtado, and Ad-Rock. More than a concert film, the TFI-supported opening night selection Contemporary Color is a cinematic interpretation of a one-of-a-kind live event, courtesy of visionary filmmakers Bill and Turner Ross. BUY TICKETS HERE

Custody
Section: Spotlight
Directed and written by James Lapine. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative.
Legal and intimate family dynamics dovetail in Custody. Starring Viola Davis as an embattled family court judge with a fraught marriage of her own; Hayden Panettiere as a recent law-school grad flung into a custody case; and Catalina Sandino Moreno as the single mother at the center of the case who risks losing her two children over an ill-timed argument. With Tony Shalhoub, Raul Esparza, Dan Fogler, and Ellen Burstyn. BUY TICKETS HERE

Don't Think Twice
Section: Spotlight
Directed by Mike Birbiglia. (USA) – New York Premiere, Narrative.
Mike Birbiglia's true-to-life second feature is set in the world of New York improv comedy, where the members of a tight-knit troupe are thrown into disarray when one of their ranks lands a coveted spot on a top TV show. Produced by Ira Glass and co-starring Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs, Kate Micucci, Chris Gethard, and Mike Birbiglia. BUY TICKETS HERE

Equity
Directed Meera Menon
Breaking Bad's terrific Anna Gunn stars as a senior investment banker unraveling amidst financial scandal in the latest effort from Meera Menon, whose raucous debut road trip comedy Farah Goes Bang picked up Tribeca's inaugural Nora Ephron Prize for woman writer-directors back in 2013. Her dramatic follow-up (penned by Amy Fox) is oh-so-enticingly being billed as "the first female-driven Wall Street film." So take that, The Big Short. —Matthew Eng
BUY TICKETS HERE

Everybody Knows...Elizabeth Murray
Section: Special Screenings
Directed by Kristi Zea. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary.
This tribute to the dynamic artist Elizabeth Murray, an intrinsic figure in New York's contemporary art landscape from the 1970s until the early 2000s, highlights her struggle to balance personal and family ambition with artistic drive in a male-dominated art world. It also addresses her later battle with cancer, at the peak of her career. Screening in partnership with the Whitney Museum of American Art where the film will screen. BUY TICKETS HERE

The First Monday in May
Section: Opening Night
Directed by Andrew Rossi (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary.
The First Monday in May follows Andrew Bolton, currently the Curator in Charge of the Costume Institute, and offers an intimate and all-access look at the creation of last year's "China: Through the Looking Glass," an exploration of China's substantial influence on Western fashion that was the Met's most-attended Costume Institute exhibition in history. Through this specific emphasis, Rossi's film analyzes the fraught and fascinating interplay between the fashion world's dueling artistic, cultural, and stylistic influences.
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Geezer
Section: Special Screenings
Directed and written by Lee Kirk. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative.
Perry (Billie Joe Armstrong) is a happily married father of two living a comfortable but sedate life in the suburbs. On the occasion of his 40th birthday, he seeks to revisit his former life as the lead singer in a popular punk band though his middle-aged reality quickly (and hilariously) clashes with the indulgences of his youth. Co-starring Fred Armisen, Selma Blair, Judy Greer and Chris Messina. With a special live performance from Billie Joe Armstrong following the film. BUY TICKETS HERE

Ghostheads
Section: Work in Progress
Directed and written by Brendan Mertens. (Canada, USA) – Work-In-Progress, Documentary.
Join us for a special sneak preview screening of Brendan Mertens' documentary exploring the many faces of Ghostbusters fandom and celebrating 30 years of one of cinema’s most iconic franchises. Featuring interviews with Dan Aykroyd, Ivan Reitman, Sigourney Weaver, and Paul Feig. BUY TICKETS HERE

haveababy
Section: Viewpoints
Directed by Amanda Micheli. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary.
Amanda Micheli's haveababy opens with a YouTube-based competition for a free round of in vitro fertilization, courtesy of a Las Vegas fertility clinic. Through this controversial contest, Micheli explores the complexities of America's burgeoning fertility industry and paints an intimate portrait of the many resilient couples determined to have a baby against all odds. BUY TICKETS HERE

Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent
Directed by Lydia Tenaglia
The story of celebrated chef Jeremiah Tower, who rose to prominence at Alice Waters' famed Chez Panisse and later founded San Francisco's legendary Stars. In 1998, Tower's empire crumbled and after a long exile in Mexico, Tower, 72, attempts to take on the fabled yet troubled Tavern on the Green. BUY TICKETS NOW

LoveTrue
Section: World Documentary Competition
Directed by Alma Har'el. (USA) – World Premiere.
Alma Har'el, director and cinematographer of the 2011 TFF Best Documentary Feature Bombay Beach, returns with LoveTrue, a genre-bending documentary, demystifying the fantasy of true love. From an Alaskan strip club, a Hawaiian island, and the streets of NYC—revelatory stories emerge about a deeper definition of love. Set to a hypnotizing score by Flying Lotus and executive produced by Shia LaBeouf. A TFI Documentary Fund grantee. BUY TICKETS HERE

Madly
Section: International Narrative Competition
Directed and written by Gael García Bernal, Mia Wasikowska, Sebastian Silva, Anurag Kashyap, Sion Sono, and Natasha Khan. (Argentina, Australia, USA, India, Japan, UK) – World Premiere.
An opening night selection, Madly is an international anthology of short films exploring love in all its permutations. Directed by some of the most vibrant filmmakers working today, the six stories in Madly portray contemporary love in all its glorious, sad, ecstatic, empowering, and erotic manifestations. With Radhika Apte, Satyadeep Misra, Adarsh Gourav, Kathryn Beck, Lex Santos, Mariko Tsutsui, Yuki Sakurai, Ami Tomite, Justina Bustos, Pablo Seijo, Tamsin Topolski. In English, Hindi, Japanese, Spanish with subtitles. BUY TICKETS HERE

Maurizio Cattelan: Be Right Back
Section: Special Screenings
Directed and written by Maura Axelrod. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary.
An art world upstart, provocative and elusive artist Maurizio Cattelan made his career on playful and subversive works that send up the artistic establishment, until a retrospective at the Guggenheim in 2011 finally solidified his place in the contemporary art canon. Axelrod's equally playful profile leaves no stone unturned in trying to figure out: who is Maurizio Cattelan? In English, Italian with subtitles. Screening in partnership with the Guggenheim Museum, where the film will screen. BUY TICKETS HERE

Memories of a Penitent Heart
Section: World Documentary Competition
Directed by Cecilia Aldarondo. (USA, Puerto Rico) – World Premiere.
Like many gay men in the 1980s, Miguel moved from Puerto Rico to New York City; he found a career in theater and a rewarding relationship. Yet, on his deathbed he grappled to reconcile his homosexuality with his Catholic upbringing. Now, decades after his death, his niece Cecilia locates Miguel's estranged lover to understand the truth, and in the process opens up long-dormant family secrets. In English, Spanish with subtitles. BUY TICKETS HERE

Obit
Section: Viewpoints
Directed by Vanessa Gould. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary.
Within the storied walls of The New York Times, a team of writers is entrusted with reflecting upon the luminaries, icons, and world leaders of our day. Vanessa Gould's fascinating documentary introduces us to those responsible for crafting the unequaled obituaries of the NYT. As we're taken through their painstaking process we learn about the pressures accompanying a career spent shaping the story of a life. BUY TICKETS HERE

SHOT! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock
Section: Special Screenings
Directed by Barnaby Clay. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary.
Legendary music photographer Mick Rock is best known for his iconic photographs of David Bowie, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Queen, and countless others. In a documentary as rock-n-roll as its subject, Mick Rock guides us through his psychedelic, shambolic first-hand experiences as the visual record-keeper of these myths and legends.With a special live music tribute following the screening.
BUY TICKETS HERE

Special Correspondents
Directed by Ricky Gervais
A new Netflix original feature written and directed by Ricky Gervais, Special Correspondents follows a struggling New York based radio journalist (Eric Bana) whose arrogance and decadent lifestyle has hindered his career. With his job on the line, he fakes front line war reports from the comfort of his hideout above a Spanish restaurant in Queens. BUY TICKETS HERE

Strike a Pose
Section: Spotlight
Directed and written by Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan. (Netherlands) – North American Premiere, Documentary.
To the fans, they were the unforgettably talented men who supported the career of one of the world's most beloved and controversial music artists: Madonna. Behind the scenes they were an impressionable group of young dancers whose lives were forever changed by her influence. Strike a Pose reunites the men 25 years later, providing the chance to learn about the emotional truth behind the glamorous facade. BUY TICKETS HERE

Taxi Driver
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese's immaculate urban classic roars back onto the big screen for a one-night-only screening in honor of the film's 40th anniversary, with cast and crew in attendance. Read more.
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Win!
Section: Spotlight
Directed and written by Justin Webster. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary.
With inside access to the players, decision makers, and supporters who were central to the formation of New York City Football Club and its historic inaugural season, Win! offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to build a Major League Soccer team from the ground up, in the country’s most competitive sports market. In English, Spanish with subtitles. BUY TICKETS HERE

Wolves
Section: Spotlight
Directed and written by Bart Freundlich. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative.
Anthony Keller (Taylor John Smith), star of his NYC high school basketball team, is riding his way to Cornell on a sports scholarship. He can only maintain his popular jock facade for so long, as his troubled father Lee (Michael Shannon) has a gambling addiction that threatens to derail his dreams both on and off the court. Bart Freundlich's powerfully-directed drama co-stars Carla Gugino.
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Women Who Kill
Section: US Narrative Competition
Directed and written by Ingrid Jungermann. (USA) – World Premiere.
Morgan and Jean work well together as true crime podcasters because they didn't work well, at all, as a couple. When Morgan strikes up a new relationship with the mysterious Simone, their shared interest turns into suspicion, paranoia, and fear. Ingrid Jungermann's whip-smart feature debut is an adept and wryly comedic take on modern romance’s hollow results, set in an LGBTQ Brooklyn. With Ingrid Jungermann, Ann Carr, Sheila Vand, Shannon O'Neill, Annette O'Toole, Grace Rex. BUY TICKETS HERE