A Guide to Everything Latino at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is celebrating its 15th year in style. Yep, they’ve gone full quinceañera this year, inviting over 130 film directors, screening 101 films, 72 shorts, 23 virtual reality and interactive installations, and pulling out all the stops to make sure the 2016 festival is like no other. Robert De Niro and co. are even offering an entire lineup dedicated to television! Oh, and did we mention the many musical performances and engaging talks that will be taking place throughout the festival?
The sheer number of films and events is staggering. Any self-respecting cinephile in the greater New York City area should make room in their April schedule to trek down to the lower downtown neighborhood to bask in the great talent being showcased. Want to hear Alfonso Cuarón talk about how his life’s been since he won the Oscar? Or catch the new Gael García Bernal flick? Or see Abbi and Ilana IRL? TFF had you in mind when it sat down to create this year’s program.
It can be daunting, we know, to find out what to catch. Which is why we’ve got your back. We read through the entire guide and have singled out every Latino involved in the fest, in front and behind the camera. Brazilian directors, Dominican dancers, Mexican editors, Puerto Rican documentarians, Argentine soccer players… you’ll find them all (and more!) accounted below in our handy list of everything Latino at the fest.
The Tribeca Film Festival runs from April 13 – 24, 2016. We 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.
SHORT FILMS
SPECIAL EVENTS
Tribeca Talks: Baz Luhrmann with Nelson George
Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann has one of the most distinctly recognizable visual styles in cinema today and discusses creating work which merges both classic and modern worlds through films from The Great Gatsby to Romeo and Juliet, and Moulin Rouge. The visually singular Luhrmann and cultural critic/filmmaker Nelson George will chat about their new Netflix original series The Get Down, that takes on the birth of hip hop in the Bronx and for which George is part of the writing team. The Get Down features a handful of Latino actors as part of the cast including Jimmy Smits and Herizen Guardiola.
Tribeca Talks: Alfonso Cuarón with Emmanuel Lubezki
From the indie hit Y Tu Mamá También to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Gravity, Alfonso Cuarón will discuss his ability to create truly unique cinematic worlds alongside cinematographer Emmanuel “El Chivo” Lubezki, three time Oscar winner and a frequent collaborator of Cuarón.
Tribeca Talks: Special Correspondents
American politics and media are aptly satirized in this feature by firebrand comedian Ricky Gervais. A pretentious radio journalist and his ineffectual technician botch an assignment in South America, and decide to fabricate an on-the-scene report while hiding out in a New York City apartment. This scheme spirals out of their control when their escalating story becomes a national headline. The comedy features Latino cast members Benjamin Bratt, America Ferrera, and Raul Castillo.
After the movie: A conversation with writer/director Ricky Gervais, actor Eric Bana, and additional cast including Raul Castillo.
Free Like the Birds: Immigration Panel
Six-year-old Sophie Cruz took the world by storm when she broke through the police barricades in Washington DC to give the Pope a letter. Her letter asked the Pope to convince President Obama and Congress to pass immigration reform. Free like the Birds is the intimate story her family fighting against the looming threat of deportation. Sophie is at the center of her family’s plight and that of millions of children like her.
The world premiere of Free Like the Birds will be the inspiration for a powerful, arousing, and intimate discussion about immigration in the United States. The evening will bring together activists, artists, immigrants, and the public at large to reflect on our system that is desperate need of reform.
After the movie: A conversation with filmmaker Paola Mendoza and other immigration activists.
Daring Women's Summit
This day of first-hand storytelling celebrates today’s most influential women in arts and technology who have risen to the top of their respective fields by eschewing traditional career trajectories in creating their own paths. Not only have these women broken ceilings to succeed for themselves, but most importantly they have created opportunities for other women along the way through direct support and mentorship, forging job opportunities for others and creating content where women can see themselves and the possibilities of what they themselves could become.
Speakers include actress & activist Rosie Perez, Google Entertainment Industry Educator in Chief Julie Ann Crommett, actress LaLa Anthony, and many more.
TRANSMEDIA
Storyscapes: The Argus Project
Project Creators: Gan Golan, Raquel de Anda, Julien Terrell, Ligaiya Romero
The Argus Project is a trans-media project that directly intersects the public debate over police accountability and features Latino creators as part of its team. At the center stands a suit of tactical counter-surveillance armor embedded with body cameras that offers a simple question: “If the police wear body armor to protect themselves while in public, what must “The Public” wear to protect themselves from the police?” Video projections surround the suit featuring former officers, activists, and family members directly impacted by police violence, creating a space for a real conversation on police violence – one that our country desperately needs. The project is part of Tribeca’s transmedia exhibition called Storyscapes.
Storyscapes projects at the 2016 Festival, open April 14 – 17, feature both installations and virtual reality. The program includes projects that grapple with issues of racism, violence and harm inflicted on our planet, combining the excitement of these new immersive mediums tempered with the urgency of a world on fire. It is in turns thrilling, upsetting, shocking and wonderful, much like the world we live in.
Virtual Arcade: Hard World for Small Things
Project Creator: Janicza Bravo/Wevr
Panamanian-born and award-winning film and theater director Janicza Bravo ventures into the world of virtual reality with an exploration of the circumstances and lives affected by a single tragedy in Los Angeles. Drawing from a real-life experience, Bravo and studio collaborators Wevr craft a remarkably powerful narrative that culminates in a devastating conclusion. The project is part of Tribeca’s Virtual Arcade.
The Virtual Arcade debuts at the 2016 festival, helping to expand the immersive entertainment slate with thirteen additional virtual reality experiences from some of the leading creators and emerging voices in this new medium. The selections are available for viewing from April 18 – 20.
TFI Interactive
The fifth annual TFI Interactive, an all-day immersive event at Tribeca 2016 is scheduled for Saturday, April 16th. TFI Interactive will be split up into three sections: the MakerSpace, the Conference, and the Interactive Playground exhibit. TFI Interactive’s MakerSpace is a new addition to the Festival and will feature leaders from Black Lives Matter, IBM, IDFA Doc Lab, and Stanford Mechanical Engineering Design Group, as well as the filmmakers behind the TFI-funded new media projects Notes on Blindness and The Argus Project.
The Conference lineup includes speakers Joanna Peña-Bickley, Global Chief Creative Officer at IBM Interactive Experience and Mariana Santos, Director of Interactive at Fusion.
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 Pelé: Birth of a Legend click here.
For a chance to win 2 tickets to Califórnia click here.
For a chance to win 2 tickets to La cosa humana click here.
For a chance to win 2 tickets to Storyscapes click here.
For a chance to win 2 tickets to Virtual Arcade click here.