Tribeca Festival has rolled out its specially curated Juneteenth selections to amplify the richness of Black stories and uplift the voices of Black storytellers across feature and short films, Tribeca Talks, Immersive, Audio Storytelling, Music, and other special events.
The Black programming will be interwoven throughout the festival leading up to closing night on Juneteenth (Sunday, June 19th) allowing audiences to experience narratives, stories and events that spotlight the Black experience in the US and abroad.
The Festival will close with the World Premiere of Loudmouth, a documentary detailing the winding road of Reverend Al Sharpton’s life story as an iconic American civil rights activist and spiritual leader. After the screening, Rev. Sharpton will be in conversation with executive producer John Legend and award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee, moderated by Cori Murray, former Deputy Editor at Essence.
“My pursuit of activism has always been tied to unwavering faith, and it is my firm belief that art and drama can be a powerful form of protest. I’m so proud to share the story of my life through ‘Loudmouth’ at Tribeca. The Festival’s commitment to social justice storytelling, and the Black experience in America, is full of hope, perseverance, and joy. This Juneteenth, I hope to commemorate alongside my brothers and sisters by fighting for an equal tomorrow,”
Reverend Al Sharpton
RELATED: The Black List: Black Films Featured At The 2021 Tribeca Film Festival
FEATURE FILMS
88
The Financial Director for a democratic super PAC behind a frontrunner presidential candidate investigates donations uncovering a conspiracy. Eromose returns to Tribeca after his acclaimed Legacy (2010) capturing the zeitgeist of government mistrust and institutional racism in a timely political thriller.
Director: Eromose | Producer: Hunter Arnold, Linda Rubin, Eromose, Brandon Victor Dixon, Warren Adams | Cast: Brandon Victor Dixon, Naturi Naughton, Orlando Jones, Thomas Sadoski, William Fichtner, Amy Sloan
LOWNDES COUNTY AND THE ROAD TO BLACK POWER
Told by those who were on the frontlines in 1960’s Georgia, this powerful documentary recounts the courageous campaign of citizens and activists who faced down violence and oppression in the struggle for the right to vote
Director: Sam Pollard and Geeta Gandbhir | Producer: Jessica Devaney, Anya Rous, Dema Paxton Fofang
AISHA
Aisha, a young Nigerian woman seeking asylum in Ireland, is floundering in a maze of social services and bureaucracy. As her situation becomes increasingly dire, Aisha struggles to maintain hope and dignity against the looming threat of deportation.
Director: Frank Berry | Producers: Tristan Orpen Lynch, Donna Eperon, Aoife O’Sullivan, Sam Bisbee | Cast: Letitia Wright, Josh O’Connor
BEAUTY
A gifted young Black woman struggles to maintain her voice and identity after she’s offered a lucrative recording contract.
Director: Andrew Dosunmu | Producer: Lena Waithe p.g.a., Michael Ellenberg p.g.a. | Cast: Niecy Nash, Aleyse Shannon, Giancarlo Esposito, Gracie Marie Bradley, Kyle Bary, Michael Ward, Sharon Stone
BIG PAYBACK
Funded by a tax on cannabis, Evanston, IL, earmarked $10 million to compensate descendants of enslaved Africans for 400 years of unpaid labor. Alderwoman Simmons leads her constituents through this historic campaign for reparations for the Black community.
Director: Erika Alexander and Whitney Dow | Producer: Ben Arnon, Xan Parker
CAVE OF ADULLAM
Living by the mantra ‘it’s easier to raise boys than to repair broken men’, martial arts sensei Jason Wilson tenderly guides his often-troubled young Detroit students with a beautifully effective blend of compassion and tough love.
Director: Laura Checkoway | Producer: Laurence Fishburne, Helen Sugland, Roy Bank, Joe Plummer, Laura Checkoway | Cast: Jason Wilson, Kevin L. Collins Jr., Gabriel Davenport, Daniel White, Tamarkus Williams
CIVIL
An intimate yet expansive profile of Ben Crump, the lawyer dubbed “Black America’s Attorney General”.
Director: Nadia Hallgren | Producer: Kenya Barris, Roger Ross Williams, Lauren Cioffi, Nadia Hallgren
THE DOC
Dave Caplan’s directorial debut tells the inspirational story of hip hop icon The DOC, 30 years after losing his voice in a horrific accident as he contemplates experimental surgery that could restore his voice at long last.
Director: Dave Caplan | Producer: Gary Ousdahl, The DOC, Dave Caplan | Cast: The DOC, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, Ice Cube, Xzibit, Too $hort, Kurupt, Daz, Tone Loc, DJ Yella, Jewell, Dr. Rock, Peter Johnson, Dr. Peter Belafsky, Puma Curry, Shella Curry, Charles Curry, Para Henderson, Michelle Henderson, Tonya Heard, Erotic D, John Payne, Lonzo.
GAME CHANGE GAME
With unfettered access to the players union, Game Change Game documents a tumultuous, and at times surreal, basketball season plagued by once unimaginable circumstances.
Director: Maxime Quoilin, Spike Jordan | Producer: Christina Norman, Jonathan Lia, Whitney Jackson | Cast: CJ McCollum, JaVale McGee, Chris Paul, Doc Rivers, Michele Roberts, Matisse Thybulle
GOD SAID GIVE ‘EM DRUM MACHINES
A vibrant and nostalgic music documentary that explores the true beginnings of Techno Music and how young Black musicians from Detroit became the creative force behind one of the most celebrated genres in the world.
Director: Kristian R. Hill | Producer: Jennifer Washington | Cast: Kevin Saunderson, Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Santonio Echols, Eddie Fowlkes, Blake Baxter, Richie Hawtin, Mike Huckaby
KATRINA BABIES
Katrina Babies is a first-person account of the short-term and long-term devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, as told by young people who were between the ages of 3 and 19 when the levees broke.
Director: Edward Buckles Jr | Producer: Edward Buckles Jr., Audrey Rosenberg, Rebecca Teitel | Cast: Miesha Williams, Cierra Chenier, Arnold Burks, Damaris Calliet, Calvin Baxter, Quintina Thomas Green
LOUDMOUTH
Josh Alexander’s Loudmouth documents the winding road that is Al Sharpton’s life story as an iconic activist and spiritual leader.
Director: Josh Alexander | Producer: Daniel J. Chalfen, Mike Jackson, Kedar Massenburg, Josh Alexander | Cast: Reverend Al Sharpton
MUSIC PICTURES: NEW ORLEANS
Music Pictures gives us four legacy portraits of New Orleans music figures Irma Thomas, Little Freddie King, Ellis Marsalis, and The Tremé Brass Band. Now in their 80s, these local masters continue their practice, for the love of the music, in the city that made them who they are. After the Premiere Screening: Special performances by Irma Thomas, Little Freddie King & Jason Marsalis.
Director: Ben Chace | Producer: Ben Chace, Bill Ramsey | Cast: Irma Thomas, Little Freddie King, Ellis Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, Benny Jones Sr.
ON THE LINE: THE RICHARDS WILLIAMS STORY
Through exclusive interviews and home movies, this film follows the outspoken patriarch of the Williams family who beat impossible odds to help daughters Venus and Serena become two of the greatest athletes of our time.
Director: Stuart McClave | Producer: Chavoita LeSane, Brit Marling, Brenda Robinson, Duncan Montgomery, Gary Ousdahl, Jack Selby
OUR FATHER, THE DEVIL
Marie Cissé (Babetida Sadjo) works as the head chef at a retirement home in small-town France. Her easy day-to-day life spent caring for residents, hanging out with her co-worker and best friend Nadia (Jennifer Tchiakpe), and teasing a potential new romance is disrupted by the arrival of Father Patrick (Souléymane Sy Savané), an African priest whom she recognizes from a terrifying episode in her homeland. As he further endears himself to the residents and staff, Marie is forced to decide how best to deal with this reminder of her troubled past.
Director: Ellie Foumbi | Producer: Ellie Foumbi, Joseph Mastantuono | Cast: Babetida Sadjo, Souleymane Sy Savané, Jennifer Tchiakpe, Franck Saurel, Martine Amisse
REBELLIOUS LIFE OF MRS. ROSA PARKS
Beyond her historic role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, this comprehensive dive into Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks sheds light on her extensive organizing, radical politics, and lifelong dedication to activism.
Director: Johanna Hamilton and Yoruba Richen | Producer: Christalyn Hampton
A STORY OF BONES
A Story of Bones chronicles Annina van Neel’s tireless work to reclaim and honor the neglected history of St. Helena after the remains of thousands of freed slaves are uncovered on the remote island.
Director: Joseph Curran, Dominic Aubrey de Vere | Producer: Yvonne Ibazebo | Cast: Annina Van Neel, Peggy King Jorde
UNTRAPPED: THE STORY OF LIL BABY
Through years of never-before-seen footage, director Karam Gill follows Lil Baby’s transformational journey from local Atlanta hustler to becoming one of hip-hop’s biggest stars and pop culture’s most important voices for change.
Director: Karam Gill | Producer: Dominique Jones, Pierre ‘P’ Thomas, Kevin ‘Coach K’ Lee, Karam Gill, Daniel Malikyar, Andrew Primavera, Blase Biello
Additional categories highlighting black films include Online Features, Critics’ Week, Juneteenth Shorts Portraits and Performance: Celebrating Black Art and Artists and Reunions.
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