Raise your hand if you like your film festivals with a side of intimate A-list conversations, high-profile reunions and rock-star drop-ins. Then the Tribeca Film Festival is here for you.
And don’t forget about the movies. The 17th edition of the downtown New York festival — which runs Wednesday, April 18 through Sunday, April 29 — features 96 in all. (Bonus: 46 percent are directed by women.) A tiny sampling of the premieres: In Little Woods, Tessa Thompson and Lily James are estranged sisters driven to their extremes after their mother dies; Ewan McGregor, Lea Seydoux, Christina Aguilera and Rashida Jones cope in a cutting edge, technology-fueled world in Zoe; and Ansel Elgort stars as the titular character in the sci-fi drama Jonathan. As for documentaries, this year’s slate includes a behind-the-scenes look at Ed Sheeran’s music process (Songwriter), a beloved cult-classic TV series (Freaks & Geeks: The Documentary) and a notoriously decadent nightclub (Studio 54). Plus, Jamie Foxx, Claire Danes, Alec Baldwin, Spike Lee, writer/director Nancy Meyers and more sit down to discuss their art in the Tribeca Talk series.
Best and Worst Movie Remakes Here are our top seven can’t-miss picks. 1. Love, Gilda When: Wednesday, April 18, 7 p.m. Where: Beacon Theater Tickets: $46-$156, msg.com The Tribeca Film Festival kicks off with a documentary about Gilda Radner, an original cast member of Saturday Night Live — Google “Roseanne Roseannadanna” — who died of cancer in 1989. The autobiographical look of the Grammy and Emmy-winning trailblazer weaves together audiotapes, rare home movies, diary entries and interviews with her friends (Chevy Chase, Lorne Michaels, Laraine Newman) and comics who have carried on her legacy (Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Cecily Strong). 2. Scarface — 35th anniversary When: Thursday, April 19, 7 p.m. Where: Beacon Theater Tickets: $106-$356, msg.com Say hello to a little reunion! Here’s your chance to watch Al Pacino as drug kingpin Tony Montana in the riveting, ultra-quotable gangster epic, Scarface. To mark its 35th anniversary, Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer and director Brian De Palma will reunite for a screening and then talk about the film and its lasting impact in pop culture. (The latter of which goes far, far beyond a shout-out in “Uptown Funk.”) 3. Tribeca Talks: Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro When: Saturday, April 21, 6 p.m. Where: Spring Street Studios (Tribeca Hub) Tickets: Rush only, available 45 minutes prior to start time He’s talkin’ to me! Cooper opens up to his mentor and Silver Linings Playbook dad De Niro about his career as an Academy Award-nominated actor, producer and A Star Is Born director. De Niro, the Tribeca Film Festival co-founder, isn’t exactly known for being a raconteur . . . but here’s hoping he finds time to discuss why Cooper’s character was such a jerk to Rachel McAdams in Wedding Crashers.
