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How to choose? That’s the welcome dilemma the Tribeca Festival offers us every year, and the 24th edition—which begins on June 4 and runs through June 15—is as packed as ever. Festival programmer Vincent Cassous calls Tribeca “a bridge between different viewpoints and cultures,” but the fest’s famously expansive reach also spans genres, mediums and even—name be damned—neighborhoods.
Actually, the lineup is so vast that organizers dropped “Film” from the festival’s original title several years ago. But cinema still remains at the center, with literally hundreds of shorts, features, and documentaries on offer. That said, any Tribeca event is designed to be a full experience; as Cassous says, “The films don’t end with the credits!” In other words, stick around for a second act—which at this fest could include an insightful conversation about the movie you just watched, or a full-on concert from the film’s subject.
The main exception, sadly, was Wednesday’s opening night entry, the intimate biography Billy Joel: And So It Goes. Joel has, unfortunately, had to cancel upcoming appearances while he recuperates from a brain injury. However, this year’s program is packed with music docs, and fans of Eddie Vedder (Matter of Time) Billy Idol (Billy Idol Should Be Dead), Becky G (Rebbeca), and De La Soul and Rakim (The Sixth Borough) can expect live performances at the films’ premieres. (Planned appearances are listed on the site, but it's worth noting that stars and filmmakers often surprise audiences by popping into secondary screenings as well.)
Other documentary subjects who’ll remain for post-premiere conversations include Ty Dolla $ign (Still Free TC), members of Metallica (Metallica Saved My Life), and Miley Cyrus and Slick Rick, both of whom will be bringing new visual albums.
You’ll spot musicians elsewhere too, including behind the camera: Anderson .Paak (K-Pops!), Logic (Paradise Records), and Nora Kirkpatrick of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (A Tree Fell in the Woods) are all making their feature directorial debuts. Demi Lovato is costarring in the drama Tow (though it’s Rose Byrne who pulls off the tour de force central performance, about an unhoused woman). And Kid Cudi will be sharing his new short film in a music video program that also includes LL Cool J and Jack White.
Another theme that pops up a lot this year is family, both on- and off-screen. Spouses Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon flirt in the shaggy dramedy The Best You Can, Steve Zahn costars with daughter Audrey in the lovely drama She Dances, and Gideon Grody-Patinkin captures his parents Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody in Seasoned, an expansion of their charmingly bickerish viral videos.
Mariska Hargitay explores her Hollywood legacy in the personal doc My Mom Jayne, and you can bring your own crew for the family-oriented premiere of How to Train Your Dragon. Kids will also enjoy the 25th anniversary screenings of Meet the Parents and Best in Show—though you may want to leave them at home for retrospective showings of American Psycho, Casino and Requiem for a Dream.
But wait, there’s more: You can also catch sneak peeks of shows like The Gilded Age, Godfather of Harlem, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Explore immersive gaming and virtual reality installations. And attend talks with the likes of Lena Dunham and Michelle Buteau, Mark Ronson and Wyclef Jean, Lena Waithe, Sandra Oh and Sam Rockwell.
We know, it’s a lot. And we haven’t even gotten to Marc Maron baring his soul in the documentary Are We Good, the double dose of Dylan O’Brien that broke the internet when his dramedy Twinless was leaked earlier this year, Willem Dafoe and Camila Morrone in Patricia Arquette’s biopic Gonzo Girl—well, you can see why senior programmer Liza Domnitz’s primary advice for anyone trying to narrow down their options is pretty straightforward: “Don’t panic!” This goes double, btw, for anyone already overwhelmed by decision fatigue: even if your pick is sold out, every event has a rush line, which often allows entry at the very last minute.
The Tribeca Festival runs from June 5–June 16. Tickets are available at tribecafilm.com. Rush tickets will be offered when advanced tickets for a screening or event are no longer available at venues other than the Beacon Theatre and United Palace. The Rush system functions as a standby line that will form at the venue approximately one hour prior to scheduled start time. Admittance is based on availability and will begin roughly 10 minutes prior to program start time.