Black Films And Talent at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival
by Wilson Morales
April 15, 2015
The 2015 Tribeca Film Festival starts today and runs from April 15 to April 26 at locations around New York City. For more information, go to www.tribecafilm.com/
The 2015 film selection includes feature films from 32 countries, including 55 World Premieres, 6 International Premieres, 12 North American Premieres, 9 U.S. Premieres and 5 New York Premieres.
In terms of Urban and African American films, there aren’t that many features, but a number of documentaries, including one on Grammy Award winner Mary J. Blige’s latest album and the process of putting it together. Nelson George returns with a doc on one of the most notable and trailblazing figures in the ballet world, Misty Copeland. Spike Lee has two films at the festival, one as a director and the other as an executive producer. Zoe Kravitz stars opposite recent Oscar nominee in Good Kill, while Eden Duncan-Smith makes her feature debut in Reed Morano’s Meadowland.
Here’s a list of films directed by and featuring black talent at the festival.
A Ballerina’s Tale
Directed by Nelson George, the film is a documentary on African-American ballerina Misty Copeland that examines her prodigious rise, and her potential career-ending injury alongside themes of race and body image in the elite ballet world. The evening will be followed by a conversation with Misty, and a performance by her protégées from Project Plie, including her mentees Erica Lall (American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company) and Naazir Muhammad (ABT’s JKO School) sponsored by Under Armour.
Mary J. Blige – The London Sessions
Join Mary J. Blige in London, where over ten days she will record her 13th studio album. Featuring a behind-the-scenes look at her work sessions with some of Britain’s hottest recording artists, including Sam Smith, Disclosure, Emeli Sandé, Naughty Boy, and Sam Romans. The premiere will take place at the Beacon Theater and be followed by a live performance from Mary J. Blige.
In My Father’s House – directed by Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg
Set against the crumbling landscape of Chicago’s battered south side, IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE is a yearlong journey from homelessness and alcoholism to self-discovery and redemption as Grammy-winning rapper Che “Rhymefest” Smith reunites with his homeless father in a quest to reclaim his neighborhood and discover his true self as a father and son.
Che, a co-writer on the Academy Award-winning and Golden Globe-winning original song “Glory” from the 2014 motion picture Selma (Best Picture Oscar nominee), is also know for his insightful anthems “Jesus Walks” and “Bullet” and has long found inspiration in issues facing the African-American community, including the growing crisis of fatherlessness and gang violence.
Himself a child of a broken home, Che hasn’t seen his father, Brian, in over 25 years, and presumes him dead. But after buying his father’s childhood home, Che sets out to find him, and learns that he is now a homeless alcoholic living only several blocks away. Determined to rehabilitate him – and forge a new legacy for his own young family – Che soon realizes Brian may not be ready to take on the responsibilities asked of him.
Play It Forward – Directed by Andrea Nevins
Executive Produced by Michael Strahan, Play It Forward is a rousing portrait of All-American NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez and his older brother, and wingman, Chris. Over the course of a year- his final in the NFL- future hall-of-famer Tony puts his heart on the line to achieve the one dream that has always eluded him: Superbowl glory. At the same time, Chris, whose own football aspirations were thwarted by an injury, works to realize his very different ambition of becoming a professional firefighter. Equally full of heart and tension, Play It Forward is an uplifting and entertaining look at these two driven brothers both on and off the field.
The Greatest Catch Ever
Directed by Spike Lee. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary.
During Super Bowl XLII, the Giants met with the New England Patriots who were undefeated going into the NFL finale. With two minutes left in the game, just when it looks like Giants quarterback Eli Manning will go down, he spots David Tyree, a veteran special teams player down the field and goes deep, setting up one of the most renowned plays in football history.
The screening will be followed by a conversation with the film’s director Spike Lee, former New York Giant David Tyree who made the unforgettable catch, and former New York Giants Chris Snee and Plaxico Burress. The event is part of the “Tribeca Talks” panel series which was designed to bring film enthusiasts together with some of the most prolific directors, actors and industry leaders to explore a wide array of topics and spark a richer dialogue about film.
Down In The Valley
How far would you go to save your hometown team? For many Sacramento residents, faced with the nearly certain relocation of their beloved Kings, no boardroom was too distant. One native son proved it. Good thing he knows his way around the NBA. Documentarian Jason Hehir follows former pro basketball superstar turned Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson as he takes on team owners, businessmen, league executives, and—most imposing of all—NBA commissioner David Stern to prevent the Kings from leaving Sac-town.
Cronies – Executive produced by Spike Lee and directed by Michael J. Larnell
Louis and Jack are lifelong friends, bound together by a childhood tragedy. Now adults, Jack spends his days drifting angrily around the streets of St. Louis, while Louis yearns for something more. Enter Andrew, Louis’ new friend from work whose very presence threatens to upset the delicate balance of the already fragile friendship. Director Michael J. Larnell’s debut feature blends the comic and the tragic perfectly, examining the bonds of platonic relationships with a sharp perspective.
Necktie Youth – directed by Sibs Shongwe-La Mer
Jabz and September are two twenty-something suburbanites drifting through a day of drugs, sex, and philosophizing in their privileged Johannesburg neighborhood. Gorgeously shot using rich black-and-white photography, the story is anchored by the live-streamed suicide of their friend Emily. Jabz and September are ill equipped to handle the tragedy that interrupts the hollowness of their daily lives.
Fastball – directed by Jonathan Hock
Baseball has fascinated us as a game obsessed with speed, statistics, and of course, a bit of myth and magic. The fastball has become part of that obsession as an element of human performance that both eludes and captivates players and fans alike.
Thrown at speeds topping 100 miles an hour, the fastball moves too fast for human cognition, making it impossible for the batter to make a physical judgment on when to swing. Fastball looks at how the highest levels of achievement in baseball transcend skill, and move into the realm of intuition. The film takes us on an incredible journey into the science of the fastball, its relationship with some of the most famous players in the game, and recalls some of the most thrilling moments in baseball history.
Hank Aaron, Nolan Ryan, Bob Gibson, Derek Jeter, and a cast of 20 Hall of Famers discuss how the magic of baseball boils down to the 396 milliseconds it takes a 100 mph fastball to reach home plate.
Democrats – directed by Camilla Nielsson
In the wake of Robert Mugabe’s contentious 2008 presidential win, Zimbabwe convened a bipartisan constitutional committee in an effort to transition the country away from its corrupt authoritarian leadership. Two men from rival political parties were appointed to the committee: Paul Mangwana and Douglas Mwonzora. Should they fail at securing maximum influence for their respective political parties on the provisions in the new constitution, dire consequences will loom. As the two begin to navigate their uncertain course, an uneasy alliance begins to form.
Good Kill – directed by and Andre Nicchol
starring Ethan Hawke, Bruce Greenwood, Zoe Kravitz, Jake Abel, January Jones
Major Tommy Egan (Ethan Hawke), veteran of air combat missions over Iraq and Afghanistan, now conducts the war from the safety of a Nevada trailer. A drone pilot, and not too happy about it, he turns in a working day attacking Taliban sites in Southeast Asia before returning to his idyllic suburban home life, which is increasingly punctured by feuds with his careworn wife, Molly (January Jones), and concern for the future he is creating for his kids.
Meadowland – directed by Reed Morano
Cast includes Olivia Wilde, Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Elisabeth Moss, John Leguizamo, Yolonda Ross, Juno Temple, Scott Mescudi, Eden Duncan-Smith, Merritt Wever, Kevin Corrigan, Ty Simpkins, Mark Feuerstein
Sarah (Olivia Wilde) and Phil’s (Luke Wilson) son goes missing, shattering their life together. As months pass with little information, they each struggle in their own way to cope. Phil’s more traditional route leads to an unexpected friendship, but also a precarious disconnect with the responsibilities of his job as a city cop. Teacher Sarah goes even farther overboard, struggling to keep herself in check beside the students, parents, family members, and officials that interrupt her search for answers.
(T)ERROR – Directed by Lyric R. CabralDavid Felix Sutcliffe
After working for more than 20 years as a counterterrorism informant for the FBI, ***** has a choice to make. He can stay home to raise his son or do one last high-stakes job for the Bureau. Infiltrating terror networks and befriending suspected terrorists is *****’s specialty. He is one of a growing number of covert operatives in America who straddle the murky line between preventing crimes and inventing them.
Short Films
We Live This
Directed by James Burns, written by Todd Wiseman Jr. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary.
The story of four boys from the projects who come together to pursue their dreams.
Stop
Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, written by Reinaldo Marcus Green. (USA) – New York Premiere, Narrative.
A young man’s livelihood is put to the test when the police stop him on his way home from practice.
The Trials of Constance Baker Motley
Directed and written by Rick Rodgers. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary.
Spans the legal career of the first black woman voted NY State Senator, from working closely with Thurgood Marshall at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to being appointed to the federal bench by President Lyndon Johnson.