Tribeca 2014 unveils first wave

The World Narrative Feature Competition will open with the world premiere of Lou Howe’s Gabriel starring Rory Culkin, while the corresponding documentary category kicks off with the world premiere of Frédéric Tcheng’s Dior And I (pictured).

Viewpoints opens with the world premiere of Onur Tukel’s Summer Of Blood and the section includes the North American premiere of Diao Yinan’s Berlin Golden Bear winner Black Coal, Thin Ice as well as the US premiere of David Mackenzie’s Starred Up.

All three sections will commence on April 17. As previously announced, the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival will open with documentary Time Is Illmatic a day earlier.

Overall the festival will screen features from 32 countries including 55 world premieres, six international premieres, 12 North American premieres, nine US premieres and five New York premieres.

A total of 102 directors will present features at the festival, with 37 making their feature directorial debuts. Twenty-two of them are women. The 2014 film slate was chosen from a total of 6,117 submissions.

“Variously inspired by individual interests and experience and driven by an intense sensibility of style, the array of new filmmaking voices in this year’s competition is especially impressive and I think memorable,” said artistic director Frederic Boyer. “The range of American subcultures and international genres represented here are both eclectic and wide reaching.”

“This year’s Viewpoints section resonates with voices that are distinctive and vital,” said director of programming Genna Terranova. “I believe that these filmmakers push cinematic boundaries and ensure a bright and dynamic future for independent storytelling.”

All film synopses below are adapted from synopses provided by the festival.

WORLD NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION

Films in this section compete for the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature, Best New Narrative Director, Best Actor and Actress, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.

Brides, dir Tinatin Kajrishvili (France-Georgia)
In the suburbs of Tbilisi, Georgia, a seamstress shares an apartment with her two young children and awaits the return of her husband, who has six years left on his prison sentence. In Georgian with subtitles.
North American premiere

Five Star, dir Keith Miller (US)
A member of the notorious Bloods since he was 12 years old, Primo takes John, the son of a fallen gang member, under his wing, versing him in the code of the streets of East New York.
World Premiere

Gabriel, dir Lou Howe (US)
Rory Culkin stars as a vulnerable teenager longing for stability and happiness and convinced that reuniting with his old girlfriend will bring his dreams to fruition.
World Premiere

Glass Chin, dir Noah Buschel (US)
After going down in the fifth round, boxer Bud Gordon bowed out of the limelight. Now residing in a fixer-upper apartment in New Jersey with his girlfriend, Bud makes a deal with a crooked restaurateur as he longs for his former Manhattan glory.
World Premiere

Goodbye To All That, dir Angus MacLachlan (US)
Junebug screenwriter Angus MacLachlan’s story follows Otto Wall, who bounces between a search for answers, desperate attempts to stay connected to his daughter, and his fateful reentry into the dating pool after his wife abruptly demands a divorce. Paul Schneider, Melanie Lynskey, Heather Graham, Anna Camp, Amy Sedaris and Celia Weston star.
World Premiere

Güeros, dir Alonso Ruiz Palacios (Mexico)
Set amid the 1999 student strikes in Mexico City, this coming-of-age tale finds two brothers venturing through the city in a sentimental search for an aging legendary musician. In Spanish with subtitles.
North American Premiere

Human Capital (Il Capitale Umano), dir Paolo Virzì (Italy-France)
Virzì’s three-chapter tale explores lives from different generations as they tumble toward an event that links them. Italy’s Valeria Golina and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi star. In Italian with subtitles.
International premiere

The Kidnapping Of Michel Houellebecq (L’Enlèvement de Michel Houellebecq), dir Guillaume Nicloux (France)
Houellebecq himself stars in a story that speculates on an explanation for the French author’s mysterious disappearance during a promotional book tour. In French with subtitles.
North American premiere

Something Must Break (Nånting Måste Gå Sönder), dir Ester Martin Bergsmark (Sweden)
Two men meet with conflicting responses to their sexuality. In Swedish with subtitles.
North American Premiere

Loitering With Intent, dir Adam Rapp (US)
After running into a film producer eager to invest in a new project, two aspiring writers head for seclusion with unexpected results. Marisa Tomei, Sam Rockwell, Isabelle McNally and Brian Geraghty star.
World premiere

X/Y, dir Ryan Piers Williams (US)
Ryan Piers Williams directs and stars alongside America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Melonie Diaz in a character-driven drama centred on four restless New Yorkers and their shifting sexual and romantic relationships.
World premiere

Zero Motivation, dir Talya Lavie (Israel)
The dark comedy explores everyday life in a unit of young female Israeli soldiers. In Hebrew with subtitles.
World premiere

WORLD DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION

Films in the category compete for Best Documentary Feature, Best New Documentary Director and Best Editing. Sponsored by Santander Bank, N.A.

1971, dir Johanna Hamilton (US)
The perpetrators of a 1971 break-in at Pennsylvania FBI offices to expose the illegal surveillance of Americans during a period of anti-war activism reveal themselves for the first time.
World premiere

Ballet 422, dir Jody Lee Lipes (US)
The fly-on-the-wall documentary offers a peek into the hidden world of professional ballet as wunderkind New York City Ballet choreographer Justin Peck creates the company’s 422nd original piece.
World premiere

Dior And I (Dior Et Moi), dir Frédéric Tcheng (France)
Tcheng’s film takes the viewer behind the scenes at the creation of Raf Simons’ first Dior Haute Couture collection as artistic director. In English and French with subtitles.
World premiere

Fishtail, dir Andrew Renzi (US)
Harry Dean Stanton provides commentary as the cowboys of Montana’s Fishtail Basin Ranch endure another calving season.
World premiere

Garnet’s Gold, dir Ed Perkins (UK)
A man haunted by a near-death experience in Scotland believes a wooden staff holds the clue to the whereabouts of buried treasure.
World premiere

Mala Mala, dirs Dan Sickles and Antonio Santini (Puerto Rico)
The transgender community of Puerto Rico serves as the backdrop to a cast of characters. In English and Spanish with subtitles.
World premiere

Misconception, dir Jessica Yu (US)
Population growth comes under the microscope as told through the stories of three individuals. In English, Hindi, Mandarin, and Russian with subtitles.
World premiere

Ne Me Quitte Pas, dirs Sabine Lubbe Bakker and Niels van Koevorden (Netherlands, Belgium)
A man whose wife leave him falls into alcoholism and deep depression, with only his alcoholic friend to look after him. In Flemish and French with subtitles.
International premiere.

Point And Shoot, dir Marshall Curry (US)
A Baltimore man joins the Libyan rebels against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and ends up in solitary confinement where he must decide where his allegiances lie.
World premiere

Regarding Susan Sontag, dir Nancy Kates (US)
Patricia Clarkson reads Sontag’s reflections on her life-defining moments as told through the feminist icon’s own words. An HBO Documentary film.
World premiere

Tomorrow We Disappear, dir Jimmy Goldblum and Adam Weber (US)
The puppeteers, performers, and magicians of the Kathputli colony in Delhi fight for their land wen it is sold to high-rise developers. In Hindi with subtitles.
World premiere

Virunga, dir Orlando von Einsiedel (UK)
Mountain gorilla conservation work at a Congolese UNESCO world heritage site plays out against the backdrop of national crisis. In English, French, and Swahili, with subtitles.
World premiere

VIEWPOINTS

The core of Tribeca’s commitment to launching fresh voices and embracing risky, original storytelling.

Art And Craft, dir Sam Cullman and Jennifer Grausman (US)
An expert forger of masterpiece art donates his imitations and is pursued by those he has hoodwinked.
World premiere, documentary

The Bachelor Weekend, dir John Butler (Ireland)
Slapstick comedy about a bachelor’s weekend camping trip that turns sour when his fiancée’s alpha-male brother turns up unexpectedly. A Tribeca Film release.
US premiere, narrative

Bad Hair (Pelo Malo), dir Mariana Rondon (Venezuela-Peru-Argentina-Germany)
A nine-year-old living in Caracas wants nothing more than to straighten his hair to look like a singer for his school photo. In Spanish with subtitles.
US premiere, narrative.

Below Dreams, dir Garrett Bradley (US)
Shot documentary-style, Below Dreams loosely follows the narratives of three different people returning to New Orleans for the promise of a better life.
World premiere, narrative

Beneath The Harvest Sky, dirs Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly (US)
Two best friends take vastly different steps as they plan to escape their small town in Northern Maine to start new lives in Boston. A Tribeca Film release.
US premiere, narrative.

Black Coal, Thin Ice (Bai Ri Yan Huo), dir Diao Yinan (China-Hong Kong)
February’s Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear-winning film noir takes place in a wintry Northern Chinese industrial town. In Mandarin with subtitles.
North American premiere, narrative

Broken Hill Blues (Ömheten), dir Sofia Norlin (Sweden)
A group of adolescents wrestles with their uncertain futures in a remote mining town that is literally cracking underneath their feet. In Swedish with subtitles.
North American premiere, narrative

Electric Slide, dir Tristan Patterson (US)
The real-life story of Eddie Dodson, the notorious ‘Gentleman Bank Robber’ who coaxed money out of female tellers at more than 60 banks during an epic spree in the 1980s. Jim Sturgess, Chloë Sevigny and Patricia Arquette star.
World premiere, narrative.

Famous Nathan, dir Lloyd Handwerker (US)
One-hundred years of family life and New York history is chronicled through the history of Nathan’s Famous Frankfurters in Coney Island.
World premiere, documentary.

An Honest Liar, dirs Justin Weinstein, Tyler Measom (US)
Renowned magician James “The Amazing” Randi debunks the trickery of charlatans.
World premiere, documentary

Honeymoon, dir Leigh Janiak (US)
Newlyweds on honeymoon encounter strange occurrences after the woman if found naked in the woods one night with no memory of how she got there. Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway star.
New York premiere, narrative

I Won’t Come Back (Ya Ne Vernus), dir Ilmar Raag (Belarus-Estonia-Finland-Kazakhstan-Russia)
A graduate student on the run from the police embarks on a cross-country odyssey with an orphan. In Russian with subtitles.
World premiere, narrative

Ice Poison (Bing Du), dir Midi Z (Myanmar-Taiwan-China)
A poor young farmer in Myanmar pawns his cow for a moped and seeks alternative income as a taxi driver. In Burmese and Chinese Yunnan with subtitles.
North American premiere, narrative.

Karpotrotter (Karpopotnik), dir Matjaž Ivanišin (Slovenia)
Director Matjaž Ivanišin retraces the footsteps of a journey undertaken by 1960s Yugoslavian filmmaker Karpo Godina. In Slovene with subtitles.
North American premiere, narrative.

Love & Engineering, dir Tonislav Hristov (Finland-Germany-Bulgaria)
A Bulgarian engineer living in Finland investigates an algorithm for love. In Bulgarian, English and Finnish with subtitles.
International premiere, documentary

Maravilla, dir Juan Pablo Cadaveira (Argentina)
Argentinian boxer Sergio ‘Maravilla’ Martinez sets out to reclaim the title of Middleweight champion that was unfairly snatched from him in 2011 by Julio Chavez, Jr. In English and Spanish with subtitles.
International premiere, documentary

The Overnighters, dir Jesse Moss (US)
Hordes of unemployed men travel to North Dakota in the hopes of earning their fortune after fracking uncovers a rich oil field.
New York premiere, documentary

Starred Up, dir David Mackenzie (UK)
A violent young offender is sent to adult prison where he comes up against his estranged father. Jack O’Connell and Ben Mendelsohn star. A Tribeca Film release.
US premiere, narrative.

Summer Of Blood, dir Onur Tukel (US)
When a vampire bites a misanthrope he develops a taste for blood. Tukel also stars in the dark comedy.
World premiere, narrative.

Traitors, dir Sean Gullette (Morocco)
The lead singer of an all-female punk band sees music as a means to escape a dull and conservative life in Tangier. In Arabic, English and French with subtitles.
North American premiere, narrative

Traitors screens as part of a cultural partnership with Venice Days where a European film showcased at Venice Days is selected by organisers there to receive its international premiere at Tribeca. In 2013 Venice Days premiered Lenny Cooke.

Vara: A Blessing, dir Khyentse Norbu (Bhutan)
Raised in a sheltered village a youngster yearns for a life devoted to Hindu worship but begins to encounter worldly obstacles to her spiritual fulfillment.
North American premiere, narrative

Young Bodies Heal Quickly, dir Andrew T Betzer (US)
Two brothers drift aimlessly through their summer days, trashing abandoned cars and playing with paintball guns, until the accidental death of a young woman forces them to make drastic decisions.
World premiere, narrative.

The festival’s Spotlight, Midnight and Special entries will be announced on March 6.