2026 marks the 25th Anniversary of the Tribeca Film Festival, founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in New York, the festival was founded as ‘an act of defiance’ and a community builder. Now, Tribeca continues to champion new voices, entertain audiences, and “help people understand each other in a divided world.”
The festival also presents “Tribeca at 25: Celebrating the Stories We Share,” which includes free screenings at Hudson Yards and revisits iconic premieres from past years. The festival will take place June 3 –14, 2026, in New York City, including a first-ever public Tribeca Festival Awards Ceremony and cocktail hour.
The Rolling Tape’s Sara Ciplickas, Kasey Dunifer, Mariana Fabian, Claire May Lewis, and Amritpal Rai preview their most anticipated titles.
In the Hand of Dante, dir. Julian Schnabel
Julian Schnabel’s work has inspired me greatly, with The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) and At Eternity’s Gate (2018) being simultaneously beautiful, surreal, and gut-wrenching. His use of the camera to get inside people’s minds and perspectives draws me to his latest film.
In The Hand of Dante, starring Oscar Isaac in a dual role, two different timelines are visualized, with Isaac as Dante Alighieri and as Nick Tosches, who is tasked with stealing a manuscript of Dante’s famous “The Divine Comedy.” There’s a lot of talent coming with these pictures, including Gerard Butler, John Malkovich, and Al Pacino, but the premise seems complex, so I am excited to see what Schnabel pulls off.
Courtesy of Sara Ciplickas
Here I’m Alive, dir. Joshua Z Weinstein
Described as a “real-life dystopian epic,’ Here I’m Alive is a single-night film that follows “migrants, sex workers, dreamers and survivors” in the underbelly of New York City. Seeing as this New York-based Film Festival is celebrating 25 years, it only seems appropriate to cover a film that looks at the details and people that make the city that never sleeps so unique.
Joshua Z Weinstein is a New York-based filmmaker and has worked on numerous independent projects as a cinematographer, so I am excited to see what he does with the camera, playing with the neon lights of the urban setting and the use of music, featuring jazz by Nate Mercereau and Carlos Niño.
Courtesy of Sara Ciplickas
Crooks, dir. Mickey Keating
As an avid defender of The Bride! (2026), when I read that Crooks is a pulpy crime-thriller taking place in a timeless Chicago, I was immediately intrigued. Mickey Keating’s feature narrative, premiering at Tribeca, boasts a sturdy cast of niche figures and big names. The film’s star, Angela Trimbur, drew me in initially as I’ve followed her dance career for years. Another name that caught my eye is Melora Walters of Paul Thomas Anderson fame, whose crushing performance in Magnolia (1999) is an all-time favorite. With its exciting cast and genre-blending synopsis of gangsters and speakeasies, Crooks is an indie contender to keep your eyes on.
Courtesy of Kasey Dunifer
Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders dir. Jeffrey Schwarz
I love when a movie’s production history has as much lore, richness, and narrative to it as the film itself — think Apocalypse Now (1979) or Fitzcarraldo (1982), both of which have had subsequent documentaries made about their making. No stranger to infamous production histories (looking at you, Sorcerer), director William Friedkin’s 1980 film Cruising is the subject of a new documentary premiering at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
From documentarian Jeffrey Schwarz, Mineshaft: The Cruising Murders is part film history, part true crime. Schwarz blends the behind-the-scenes of Friedkin’s controversial work with the real-life murder that inspired it. As true-crime stories continue to be digested at rapid rates in today’s world, I’m excited to see how Schwarz honors a forgotten victim behind the history of a now-celebrated queer cinema classic.
Courtesy of Kasey Dunifer
Mouth Full of Golds, dir. Lyle Lindgren
Grillz are fully in the zeitgeist – the removable dental jewelry can be seen worn by rappers, athletes, and singers, as symbols of status – but how did they come about? Mouth Full of Golds answers. This documentary feature by Lyle Lindgren highlights “Famous Eddie” Plein, the entrepreneur who was behind the cultural phenomenon of grillz. Lindgren historicizes the origin of grillz and their simultaneous rise to iconography alongside prominent figures of Hip-Hop and their outlasting impact on culture to this day. The cast includes “Famous Eddie” himself, Goldie, A$AP Rocky, Mike Tyson, Michèle Lamy, Ferg, and more. It’s hard to imagine an era without grillz as fashion statements – this feature documentary by Lindgren will offer a history lesson I’m very excited to learn.
Courtesy of Mariana Fabian
Mexicanamerican, dir. Eddie Sánchez
Mexicanamerican by Eddie Sánchez features a portrait of a family, one reconciling with the divide of two cultures: Mexican and American, as the title suggests. In his feature documentary, Sánchez interpolates archival VHS footage sent to Mexico by his parents, Lalo and Beby, and footage of his own to tell his story of discovery. His parents immigrated to the United States to provide a better future for him and his brothers. However, in this great sacrifice, a separation of identity between parent and child coagulated, which is what inspired Sanchez to create this film. Mexicanamerican is for his parents, but also to firmly reclaim his Mexican heritage. I am thrilled to watch this film, as it is a story that resonates with me as a daughter of immigrants.
Mexicanamerican is influenced by its namesake Italianamerican; Cameraperson; Hale County This Morning, This Evening; and the films of Adam Curtis and Chantal Akerman.
Courtesy of Mariana Fabian
Mother Future Self, dir. Tori Lancaster
After years of working in the production design and art departments of notable films and television shows, Tori Lancaster is stepping behind the camera and making her directorial debut with Mother Future Self. The film follows two estranged friends (played by Imani Jade Powers and Betsey Brown) who reunite at an experimental dance camp in Maine. Given Lancaster’s background, she clearly has an eye for visuals and landscapes, and I am very interested to see how this film uses the aesthetics of its setting, as well as the physicality of the dancing, to support the storytelling of the strained connection between these two women.
Courtesy of Claire May Lewis
The Last Day, dir. Rachel Rose
Rachel Rose’s The Last Day is a reinterpretation of Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway.” It stars Alicia Vikander as a mother struggling with her own grief, creativity, and her relationship with her daughter. This film has a cast of some of the most interesting and talented actors working right now, with Victoria Pedretti and Wagner Moura joining Vikander, and I can’t wait to see what they’ll do with this material. I am also always compelled by a modern reimagining of a classic story, so I’m intrigued to see what Rose will do with her interpretation of Woolf’s story. With this cast and the potential of the source material, this is certainly a directorial debut to watch out for.
Courtesy of Claire May Lewis
Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial VS That’s the Weight of the World), dir. Questlove
One of the best documentaries of 2021 was Summer of Soul, a compelling historical documentary detailing the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, using dormant festival footage no one has seen since its original air date on a CBS special. The film was an encompassing overview of how a culturally-rich festival dominated by some of the most unique and high-profile black artists was overshadowed by Woodstock, and how even in the summer of the counter-culture revolution, black artistry still had to fight for a spotlight.
Earth, Wind & Fire, which is the opening night film for the festival, seems to be another manner in which Questlove will explore this era, this time focusing on the life, career, and impact of Earth, Wind & Fire. It’s an interesting choice to focus on one band, especially one founded in the summer of 1969 (as Summer of Soul takes place); Earth, Wind & Fire acts as a spiritual sequel in following another era of black music, with an emphasis on the blendings of soul, pop, funk, and R&B styles, which the band was known for.
Courtesy of Amritpal Rai
In Memoriam, dir. Rob Burnett
For an Oscar/awards lover such as myself, one of the most impactful and occurring segments of the Academy Awards show is the “In Memoriam” segment. It’s a special, heartfelt way to honor those who’ve died the prior year (sometimes weeks beforehand). Whether it’s actors, directors, writers, crewmembers, or even publicists, the Academy goes to great lengths to shine a spotlight on those who’ve contributed to movies and honor Hollywood history.
Rob Burnett’s In Memoriam is a dramedy of a veteran actor diagnosed with terminal cancer, becoming obsessed with making sure he has a spot in the Academy’s In Memoriam segment to secure his legacy. While the plot sounds fairly narcissistic and vain, it fits the mold of someone scared of their mortality and reckoning with being remembered in an industry full of vanity. It stars Marc Maron, Lily Gladstone, Judy Greer, and Talia Ryder.
Courtesy of Amritpal Rai
Feature Image Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival