The Tribeca Film Festival is all about the music.
Three years ago, Taylor Swift brought her directorial debut short “All Too Well” and revealed her desire to continue working in film. This time, it’s Miley Cyrus who moves behind the camera with “Something Beautiful,” which is being billed as a “one-of-a-kind pop opera.”
“We’re all about showcasing new ways for people to express themselves and differentiate themselves and explore whatever new forms of storytelling are speaking to them,” says Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of Tribeca.
This year’s festival isn’t just about the pop culture icons — though it will premiere new documentaries on Metallica, De La Soul and Billy Joel. Tribeca’s nonfiction lineup also includes intimate looks at news legends, sushi masters and even a giant manta ray named “Willy Wow.”
Then there are films that put a meta-twist on things by having real-life fathers and daughters (Steve Zahn and Audrey Zahn) or romantic couples (Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick) play variations on their off-screen lives on screen. Throw in a splashy Hollywood premiere for “How to Train Your Dragon,” a “Meet the Parents” reunion and high-profile talks with everyone from Sean Penn to Ellen Pompeo, and you have the makings some memorable days and nights in Manhattan.
Here are 13 films worth taking the subway or PATH train to see.
“Barbara Walters Tell Me Everything”
Director: Jackie Jesko
The Hook: An unvarnished look at the barrier-breaking journalist who interviewed everyone from the Kardashians to Castro, disarming her subjects with her charm before asking penetrating questions that were shocking in their directness (see this sit-down with Courtney Love). The film, which is produced by Imagine and will debut on Hulu, uses past interview clips, as well as interviews with friends, colleagues and some of the big names who were on the receiving end of Walters’ interrogations like Cindy Adams, Bob Iger and Bette Midler.
“Something Beautiful”
Director: Miley Cyrus, Jacob Bixenman, Brendan Walter
The Hook: Miley Cyrus has been a pop music fixture for nearly 20 years, since the advent of “Hannah Montana” in 2006. Throughout every era — from “Breakout” and “Bangerz” to “Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz” and “Plastic Hearts” — Cyrus has proven she’s many things, and boring is never one of them. “Something Beautiful” is a fantasy-fueled visual component to her ninth studio album, which dropped a week ago to give audiences a little time to familiarize themselves with her new tunes before taking on the cinematic experience. With a new outlet to capture the singer in her musical element, “Something Beautiful” just might live up to its name.
“Billy Joel: And So It Goes”
Director: Susan Lacy, Jessica Levin
The Hook: It’s a homecoming of sorts for the New York icon. A chance to hear Billy Joel’s catalog of catchy hits (“Piano Man,” “New York State of Mind” and “Just the Way You Are,” among them) is enough of a reason to want to see “And So It Goes.” But this documentary goes beyond the music to reveal a deeply personal portrait of the Long Island native who became an international superstar. Through never-before-seen archival footage and candid interviews, Joel bares all on the love, loss and personal struggles that inspired some of the most enduring songs. What could be better to put the audience in a New York State of Mind?
“Nobu”
Director: Matt Tyrnauer
The Hook: This documentary traces Nobu Matsuhisa’s journey from Japan, where he grew up aspiring to be a sushi chef, to the height of the culinary world, as he redefined fine dining with Nobu and Matsuhisa. Tribeca co-founder Robert De Niro was an early investor in the Nobu restaurant empire, which gives the world premiere a certain synchronicity. But don’t expect an advertorial. Tyrnauer is a master filmmaker, who is interested in celebrity and power, having chronicled the likes of Roy Cohn, Valentino Garavani and Ronald Reagan in his previous work. In Matsuhisa, he has found an ideal subject who sits at the intersection of art and commerce. Plus, we’re suckers for spicy tuna crispy rice.
“Deep Cover”
Director: Tom Kingsley
Cast: Orlando Bloom, Bryce Dallas Howard, Nick Mohammed
The Hook: Points for giving the cop genre an Upright Citizens Brigade makeover. Howard plays an improv comedy teacher who is recruited to go undercover with two of her students (Bloom and Mohammed). Soon they’re “yes, and-ing” their way through a London gang war. It’s a chance for Bloom, best known for high-seas adventures like “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and Howard, an expert at evading velociraptors — in kitten heels! — from the “Jurassic World” films, to show different sides of themselves. It also gives Mohammed, a breakout from “Ted Lasso,” another opportunity to showcase his comedic gifts away from the pitch.
“The Last Dive”
Director: Cody Sheehy
The Hook: Just your typical story about an octogenarian and his favorite manta ray. Terry Kennedy is an elderly diver who once rode with the Hells Angels and tended bar for the Doors. After relocating to Mexico’s Sea of Cortez, he forged an unlikely bond with a giant manta he christened “Willy Wow.” Sheehy’s cameras follows Kennedy as he embarks on a journey to find his friend and go on one final dive together.
“She Dances”
Director: Rick Gomez
Cast: Steve Zahn, Audrey Zahn, Ethan Hawke, Rosemarie Dewitt
The Hook: It’s a family affair, as two generations of Zahn’s star in this dramedy about a dad who gets sucked into the bare-knuckle world of teen dance competitions when he has to chaperone his daughter. Buzz is building for Audrey Zahn, who reportedly gives one of the fest’s knockout performances. A star is born?
“Titan the Ocean Gate Disaster”
Director: Mark Monroe
The Hook: It’s a deep dive into the maritime tragedy that gripped the world. During the summer of 2023, a Titan submersible imploded in the ocean and killed all five of its billionaire passengers who were en route to tour the wreckage of the Titanic. Through firsthand accounts from former employees, the exposé gets to the heart of the bold expedition that ended in disaster.
“Rosemead”
Director: Eric Lin
Cast: Lucy Liu, Lawrence Shou, Orion Lee, Jennifer Lim
The Hook: The topic couldn’t be more tragically urgent. Liu stars as a terminally ill Chinese immigrant who grows disturbed by her teenage son’s obsession with mass shootings. It’s a film that examines both the immigrant experience, as well as gun violence. And it serves as a powerful showcase for Liu, who digs deep as a woman desperate to prevent her son from going down a tragic path.
“Rebbeca”
Director: Jennifer Tiexiera, Gabriela Cavanagh
The Hook: Tribeca has no shortage of musical documentaries, and “Rebbeca” shines a spotlight on one of Latin music’s biggest up-and-coming musicians — Becky G. The 28-year-old California native broke out at a young age and has garnered billions of streams for bops like “Shower” and Spanish-language hits such as “Mamii” and “Sin Pijama.” Now at a pivotal point in her life and career, the documentary follows Becky as she works on her debut Mexican regional album. A celebration of her roots and artistic achievements, “Rebbeca” serves as a joyful and emotional reminder that her rising stardom doesn’t take away that she’s still “Becky from the Block.”
“The Best You Can”
Director: Michael J. Weithorn
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick
The Hook: Our favorite celebrity couple reunite on screen for the first time in 20 years. Bacon is a security guard; Sedgwick is a urologist. A chance encounter brings them together. “The Best You Can” is that rare film to focus on that most taboo of Hollywood topics — romance after 50. As anyone who watched Bacon and Sedgwick share the screen in “Pyrates” can attest that their chemistry is explosive.. .and timeless.
“The Scout”
Director: Paula González-Nasser
Cast: Mimi Davila, Rutanya Alda, Max Rosen, Ikechukwu Ufomadu
The Hook: One of the fest’s under-the-radar gems. González-Nasser makes her directorial debut with this New York story about a location scout, who looks through strangers’ homes on a quest to find the perfect setting for a TV pilot. It’s a gig that allows her to see people at their most unvarnished and up-close-and-personal, as well as glimpse another, less-frenetic side of a urban life.
“Everything’s Going to Be Great”
Director: Jon S. Baird
Cast: Allison Janney, Bryan Cranston, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Jack Champion, Simon Rex, Chris Cooper
Why we’re excited: Janney and Cranston play husband and wife in the comedic drama about parents who work as regional theater managers to support their two sons — a hunky football star and flamboyant Broadway lover. An unexpected circumstance brings them to the front door of an estranged relative and unravels years of familial tension. It’s an ode to dreamers who have to learn the hard way that some fantasies aren’t meant to be.
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