The 2020 Tribeca Film Festival might have been canceled, but that doesn’t mean the event is gone. Similar to how SXSW 2020 handled things this year, Tribeca decided to allow the juries to take a look at the films in competition and hand out awards. And this year, the big winner is actually a film that everyone is able to see very shortly—Alice Wu’s “The Half of It.”

READ MORE: ‘The Half Of It’ Trailer: Netflix’s New YA Romance Has A New Take On A Classic Story

“The Half of It” walked away with the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature.

Continue reading Tribeca 2020: Netflix’s ‘The Half Of It’ Wins Big; ‘Socks On Fire’ & ‘Jacinta’ Take Home Doc Awards at The Playlist.

Everyone enjoys a director’s comeback movie because when they are good, they are typically great. After stumbling for a period, Paul Schrader bounced back with “First Reformed.” George Miller proved that sequels can still surpass expectations with “Mad Max: Fury Road.” And branching into television—David Lynch took a 10-year hiatus after the release of “Inland Empire” before unleashing the generation-defining genius of “Twin Peaks: The Return.” All that to say, there are some high expectations for Gerardo Naranjo’s newest film.

Continue reading ‘Kokoloko’: Gerardo Naranjo’s Feverish Follow-Up To ‘Miss Bala’ Falls Flat [Tribeca Review] at The Playlist.

Confronting the topic of conversion therapy in a film requires a remarkable amount of delicacy. Within the fictional side of cinema, films like “Boy Erased” and “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” which both sprouted up in the late-2010s, have done their part to generate an increased awareness of the harmful practice within the culture. However, shockingly, the documentary scene has yet to contribute a triumphant piece of nonfictional filmmaking to the discussion.

Continue reading ‘Pray Away’: Kristine Stolakis’ Doc Is One Of The Most Important Films Of The Year [Tribeca Review] at The Playlist.

Joshua Leonard has only made two films over the last decade, but both feel like the work of someone who has spent each day perfecting their craft. The couple in his debut feature, “The Lie,” was so fleshed out, so recognizably human, that the events could have passed for non-fiction. Comprised of scenes based on real-life scenarios—changing diapers, using the baby to get out of obligations—Leonard playfully asked parents: How much are you willing to give up for your kids?

Continue reading ‘Fully Realized Humans’: Joshua Leonard Delivers An Impeccable Dramedy About A Flawed Couple [Tribeca Review] at The Playlist.

Without a doubt, the film festival lineup for 2020 has taken a major hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Things got off to a strong start with Sundance and Berlin, but the pandemic quickly led to the cancellations of events such as SXSW, Tribeca, Cannes, and others, leading many to wonder if the fall festivals such as TIFF, Venice, and NYFF will actually happen.

Continue reading ‘We Are One’: Cannes, Venice, TIFF, Tribeca & More Combine For YouTube’s Online Film Festival at The Playlist.

Unfortunately, it’s only been fairly recently that the so-called conversion therapy has been largely dismissed by the general public. Before then (and even still today), thousands of young teens are sent to religious organizations to help them get rid of their “same-sex attractions.” As many say, the idea is to “pray the gay away.” That’s the issue that is shown in the emotional, hard-hitting doc, “Pray Away.”

READ MORE: ‘Wake Up On Mars’ Tenderly Explores The Effects Of Unspeakable Trauma [Tribeca Review]

And in honor of “Pray Away” being selected to take part in this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, we’re thrilled to offer an exclusive clip from the documentary for our readers.

Continue reading ‘Pray Away’ Exclusive Clip: Tribeca Doc Shows The Trauma Inflicted By Conversion Therapy at The Playlist.

Focusing on the intergenerational traumas that grow out of drug addiction, Jessica Earnshaw’s profound new documentary “Jacinta” explores the relationships between three women in Maine, hamstrung by addiction and the cyclical process of relapse, rehab, and recovery. Earnshaw’s unfiltered approach, in which the camera lays bare the messy process of substance dependence, is often a harrowing watch, one that centralizes the toll of addiction on family life with stark clarity.

Continue reading ‘Jacinta’: A Profound Look At The Brutal Reality Of Addiction & Recovery [Tribeca Review] at The Playlist.

A stunningly indulgent and self-aggrandizing love letter to a one man’s personal story, “Socks on Fire” underachieves and disappoints beyond all expectations. Credit should be given to director Bo McGuire for the spectacular audacity needed to repeatedly derail his own documentary’s story so that interview subjects can instead talk about him—yet this is where any praise should end. Unmoored from any larger discussion about class, race, religion, or socioeconomic stratification, McGuire’s documentary tries to tell just one family’s story, albeit dripping with bias, but can’t even manage that very well.

Continue reading ‘Socks On Fire’: It’s Midnight In The Garden Of Dull And Indulgent In Bo McGuire’s Debut Doc [Tribeca Review] at The Playlist.

In a world where fame is worth just as much social currency as the achievements that are supposed to engender it, a person like Banksy can become a cultural flashpoint. The artist, who remains anonymous despite countless hunts to unmask them, has transcended artistic forms, traditional avenues of expression, and even modern constructs of what art can be not just by way of his work but in how Banksy presents it to the world.

Continue reading Insight & Understanding Only Go Stencil-Deep In ‘Banksy Most Wanted’ [Tribeca Review] at The Playlist.

The world is still coming to terms with life under the coronavirus, which has been unsparing in the lives it has taken, devastated the global economy, and completely ruptured the fabric of our everyday lives. But as the curve gets flattened, there are concerns that we could be facing an unprecedented mental health crisis, with the outcome of cumulative days of anxiety, depression, and stress manifesting we may not expect. Dea Gjinovci’s intriguing and tender “Wake Up On Mars” may not have the answer, but it does offer a window into what the mind and body are capable of when faced with a depth of trauma it simply cannot handle.

Continue reading ‘Wake Up On Mars’ Tenderly Explores The Effects Of Unspeakable Trauma [Tribeca Review] at The Playlist.

For a director that largely shunned the press, the life and career of Stanley Kubrick have been detailed with a thoroughness worthy of the famously obsessive filmmaker. The visionary moviemaker has been the subject of countless books, coffee table tomes, an exhaustive museum exhibition, and even the films Kubrick didn’t make have been scrupulously accounted for. There hasn’t been a shortage of documentaries either, ranging from the feverishly conspiratorial to focused on the collaborators that helped make the man.

Continue reading ‘Kubrick By Kubrick’: A Scattershot Profile Of The Legendary Director [Tribeca Review] at The Playlist.

Stanley Kubrick is obviously on the Mount Rushmore of film directors. His legacy has been cemented by films such as “The Shining,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and “A Clockwork Orange,” among many others. And now, the filmmaker is showcased in a new documentary, “Kubrick by Kubrick” that utilizes his own words to shape the story of his life and career.

Continue reading ‘Kubrick By Kubrick’ Trailer: The Legendary Filmmaker’s Own Words Tell The Story In This Tribeca Doc at The Playlist.

A little less than a month ago, in the wake of SXSW 2020 being canceled and the US beginning to finally understand the true impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tribeca Film Festival announced that the 2020 edition was postponed. Since then, there hasn’t been any official word on what might be happening. Well, according to the festival organizers, Tribeca is taking portions of the event online and, like SXSW, is still going to present awards in a limited capacity.

Continue reading Tribeca 2020 To Move Online With Select Content Open To The Public at The Playlist.

In the pantheon of great annual film events, the Tribeca Film Festival holds a special place in the heart of many cinephiles. The New York event is one of the premier US festivals and a great place for folks to see, not only some of the best films around but also some new voices. And in 2020, that’s no different.

Today, Tribeca announced the festivals full lineup of feature films coming to the event that kicks off on April 15.

Continue reading 2020 Tribeca Lineup: Judd Apatow, Josephine Decker & More Bringing Films To This Year’s Fest at The Playlist.