The month of April will see an embarrassment of film riches for New Yorkers: the Havana Film Festival New York is already underway and features some of Cuba’s best movies. And, starting on April 15, the cinema spotlight will go worldwide with the Tribeca Film Festival, now in its 14th year.
Founded by Robert DeNiro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff, the Tribeca Film Festival is dedicated to bringing movies made near and far to New York audiences. Thousands of submissions are received, hundreds of screenings held, and several awards handed out, including ones for the World Documentary Competition and the World Narrative Competition.
The varied lineup highlights films from Argentina, Costa Rica, Cuba, Spain, Mexico, and the USA. These movies tell weird, crazy, tender, sweet, hilarious, terrifying, and thrilling stories including a group of Peruvian brothers locked away in an NYC apartment (Wolfpack), paramilitary leaders in the middle of the drug war in Mexico (Cartel Land), drag racers in Cuba (Havana Motor Club), and the first Central American movie to ever play in competition at Tribeca, Paz Fábrega’s Viaje, set in a lush Costa Rican national park.
TFF organizers are also working with the SoHo Apple store on the Meet the Filmmakers series; this year’s panelists include Ethan Hawke, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Paz de la Huerta (who appears in Bare, one of our picks below).
Because even the most ambitious cinephile can be overwhelmed by the breadth of this fest, we’re here to help you wade through the selections. We’ve scoured the festival lineup from top to bottom and in this handy guide highlight every Latino involved the fest: from panels, to virtual reality exhibits, to movies — we’ve got you covered. Plus, we’ve got tickets to give away cuz, we’re cool like that.
The Tribeca Film Festival runs from April 15 – 26, 2015. We’ve partnered with Tribeca to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the Latino talent at this year’s fest. Follow our coverage on remezcla.com and tribecafilm.com.
Feature Films
Short Films
Special Events
Tribeca Talks: Go Sebastien Go! with Eva Longoria
Tribeca Talks, in conjunction with ESPN, is hosting Eva Longoria as she talks about her new short film Go Sebastien Go. A talented actress and now a director and producer as well, Longoria has long been interested in media that nods toward Latino issues of identity and social justice. A ticket to this event also includes a screening of the film, giving you ample material from which to draw-up some questions for Ms. Longoria. This event is part of the Versus film series, which features films that exhibit the importance of courage in the world of sports. Other selections in the series include The Greatest Catch Ever directed by Spike Lee.
Saturday, April 25th6:30 PM
SVA Theater 1 SILAS
Tribeca Talks: Immerse Yourself
This panel is a view inside the over-consumptive brain. In an age when we are filled with ample opportunities to gorge ourselves with story, to exist outside ourselves via another person’s narrative, media-makers are presented with more possibilities to create immersive experiences and media-consumers are exposed to a plethora of ways of thinking and being. Venezuelan-born Jason Silva, host of National Geographic’s Brain Games will be on-hand to discuss the future of our mirrored and projected selves. Given Silva’s interest in the ways technology and existential philosophy mix and intermingle, this Tribeca Talk is sure to be cathartic. Pro-tip: bring a meditation pillow in case of cerebral hyperactivity.
Monday, April 20th4:00 PM
Spring Studios, 6th Floor
50 Varick St
TFI Interactive Playground
Each year Tribeca creates a stomping ground for folks to play with the most innovative interactive technology with a narrative twist. If the nerd inside you just had a multi-chip orgasm then this one is for you. Among a project that allows you to defuse a bomb and another that has you cruising the streets to deliver newspapers, be sure to check out Nonny de la Peña’s Trayvon Martin installation, which will allow users a closer look into the 17-year-old’s fatal shooting. De la Peña has long been considered one of the pioneers of immersive journalism, by which she uses virtual reality in order to provide an engrossing perspective into real-life accounts and news stories.
Saturday, April 18th10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Tickets: The Interactive Playground is open Spring Pass and Day Pass holders, TFF badge holders, and TFI Members.
Meet the Filmmakers Talk: Bare
Indiewire has once again partnered up with Tribeca to host the “Meet the Filmmakers” series. The one-hour discussions, at the SoHo Apple store feature in-depth conversations with leading directors, writers, actors and producers taking part in the festival. The panel highlighting the film Bare features Brazilian director Natalia Leite, Alexandra Roxo, Dianna Agron, and Paz de la Huerta. Moderated by Indiewire’s Nigel Smith.
Monday, April 20th7:00 PM
Apple SoHo Store, 2nd floor
103 Prince Street
Tickets: Register for free; seating is available on a first come, first served basis.
Storyscapes Transmedia Lounge
The Storyscapes Lounge is one of the coolest (and cheapest) parts of TFF. You sign up for a two hour time slot, they give you tokens for free drinks, and then you get to wander around and try out interactive exhibits, games, virtual reality, and lots of weird/interesting stuff. This year, there are 5 unique transmedia projects by artists and content creators from around the world. Did we mention it’s absolutely free?
Project Spotlight: BeAnotherLab is a creative collective with members from Spain, Mexico, and other countries from across the globe. At Storyscapes, they will be presenting a series of Embodied Narratives that will allow you to inhabit the body and life story of another person, while interacting with artefacts from their life. Imagine the possibility of creating stories that can be felt through your own body as something real.
Thursday, April 16th1:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Friday, April 17th12:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Saturday, April 18th11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Sunday, April 19th11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Spring Studios, 6th Floor
50 Varick St
Tickets: Reserve a two-hour time slot to experience all the storyscape exhibits.
Ticket Giveaways
In case you’re broke (or just like free stuff), we’ve got lots of tickets to give away.
For a chance to win 2 tickets to El Cinco, click here.
For a chance to win 2 tickets to Scherzo Diabolico, click here.
For a chance to win 2 tickets to Havana Motor Club, click here.
For a chance to win 2 tickets to Tribeca Talks: Immerse Yourself, click here.
For a chance to win 2 tickets to Go Sebastien Go + Tribeca Talks: Eva Longoria, click here.
For a chance to win a Spring Pass, click here.
The Spring Pass ($300 value) will provide entry to all events at Spring Studios including: Innovation events, Tribeca Talks at Spring Studios, TFI Interactive, Artist Awards Gallery, parties, plus a creative workspace, with food, coffee and drinks.