Tribeca Festival 2021: NYC Celebrates 20 Years of the Film Fest—Along with our Most Anticipated Films at this Year’s Hybrid Festival

2021, like 2020, continues to be a hard time for cinema. However, there are sprinkles of life returning (or, in other cases, voices of film pushing through against enormous resistance). Earlier this year in February we at The Movie Buff covered the first-ever Reel Love Film Fest as well as catching up with and covering the 2021 virtual SXSW, which had a massive turnout despite Covid-19 and the implications that brought. 

Now cinema continues to push on with Tribeca Festival’s 20th year of bringing the best in film to New York City. And for a festival that started as a way to revitalize lower Manhattan in the wake of 9/11, it’s apropos that the festival marches on in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s 20th year sees the festival taking place both in person for guests and patrons and virtually for press—which promises to accommodate journalists and moviegoers alike with memorable film experiences. 

This year is also uniquely special, as it stretches into the State holiday of Juneteenth, which is now being considered for Federal recognition. Tribeca has devoted an entire program to celebrate the holiday with music, art, and stories.

Festival Access

Tribeca Festival will be offering access to their films in unique ways this year, with differences in packages to the general public depending on their circumstances. The festival extends from Wednesday, June 9th-Sunday, June 20th, and offers the following packages (note the different packages for in-person versus virtual/VIP). 

*Note: you can access all information about festival passes here. 

Virtual Access

Virtual access is available in the following breakdowns: $25 for the ‘Tribeca at Home Shorts Pass,’ $50 for the ‘Tribeca at Home Awards Pass,’ and $150 for the ‘Tribeca at Home Festival Pass’ (includes access to ALL virtual content).  

In-Person/VIP Access

In-person and VIP access is available in the following formats: $999 for the ‘NYC Pass’ (includes access to all in-person screenings, all virtual content, immersive exhibits, and more), $5000-$10,000 for the ‘Z Pass’ for VIP access to ALL in-person screenings and immersive events, and finally the ‘20th Anniversary Founder’s Package for $25,000, which includes VIP access to all aforementioned events, as well as (a) 2 premium 4-person pods + recognition on pre-show card as ‘Friend of Tribeca Festival.’ 

This is our first year at The Movie Buff of covering Tribeca Festival, and we’re thrilled. Below are our 5 most anticipated films at the festival, and our coverage plans for the fest. 

‘Agnes’ 

“Agnes” is one of the films we’re looking forward to this year at Tribeca. The film is a horror/drama about a nun (Hayley McFarland) and the fallout after some perceived rage and blasphemy. The description on both IMDb and Tribeca send a lot of mixed messages about how far the film’s plot will go, and we’re looking forward to seeing the film and all it has to offer. 

In addition to a film review, we will also be holding an interview with the team, so be on the lookout for that as well. 

‘Nando’ 

We’re definitely a fan of shorts, and even more so of spoken word. “Nando,” the short film by Alec Cutter, blends both of these to seeming perfection. The experimental documentary/short is told in the form of poem from the eyes of a young boy in Rio de Janiero, of a boy that yearns to see past the harsh realities that surround him (description via Tribeca Festival). 

Shorts are an integral part of any festival, and often don’t get enough love, overshadowed by feature films. We at The Movie Buff seek to provide equal coverage of shorts, and will have a thorough review of Tribeca Festival’s short program. 

‘False Positive’ 

“False Positive” is a selection from Tribeca to look forward to. Starring Pierce Brosnan, Justin Theroux, Gretchen Mol, Sophia Bush, and Ilana Glazer, the film is directed by John Lee and is co-written by Glazer. The film keeps most of its happenings in the dark, describing it on IMDb as simply “As if getting pregnant wasn’t complicated enough, Lucy sets out to uncover the unsettling truth about her fertility doctor.” 

This certainly seems intriguing, especially Bond-famous actor Brosnan hopefully going full-on neurotic in a horror/mystery like this. The film is set to release on June 25th through A24, so we can expect something eerie, to say the least. 

‘Liza Anonymous’ 

The next film on our list is “Liza Anonymous,” a short about a woman addicted to support groups who disguises her identity to continue her addiction. I’ll be honest: something about the premise reminds me of something I’ve seen before; but all the same, we’re curious to see what Director Aubrey Smyth does with it. Liza is a millennial and lonely. The short is rife for the kind of exploration of the human condition that comes along frequently with independent films. Look for our coverage of this and other shorts during the festival. 

Juneteenth

We won’t list a 5th “film” for our final entry; however, we will say that we are looking forward to the entire ‘Juneteenth’ program. Diversity is slowly making its way into limelight cinema; Tribeca’s incorporation of this date is evidence of that. 

The roster is long, but some of the film’s we’re looking forward to most are: 

• “as of yet”
• “Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James” 
• “Death of My Two Fathers” and
• “Ferguson Rises” 

You can follow Tribeca Festival for more information, including full lineup, here. Also, please continue to follow us for festival coverage, including interviews, reviews, and more during its run. 

Thanks, and see you in Tribeca!