17th Annual Tribeca Film Festival 2018, running April 18-29, is set with the centerpiece gala world premiere of Drake Doremus’ sci-fi romance Zoe; closing the festival with the world premiere of the feature documentary The Fourth Estate, from Oscar-nominated director Liz Garbus, following the New York Times’ coverage of the Trump administration’s first year; special screening world premiere at the Beacon Theatre of Horses: Patti Smith and her Band followed by Patti Smith and her band performance of some of there most popular songs, and more.

TIME'S UP will host its inaugural New York event during the Tribeca Film Festival. The program will feature compelling conversations with activists, filmmakers, storytellers, lawyers and more including early TIME'S UP supporters such as Ashley Judd and Julianne Moore as well as Fatima Goss Graves (National Women's Law Center), Robin Morgan (celebrated poet and activist), Mónica Ramírez (Alianza Nactional de Campesinas), and more. The day will explore how we got here, the women who came before us to make this work possible, and what's next for TIME'S UP and beyond. Net proceeds from the day will go to the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund.

"In a year that has reminded us more often of our divisions than our connections, this Festival's program embraces film’s unique power to overcome differences — that connecting with stories not our own is the road into our deeply programmed human capacity for empathy and understanding," said Cara Cusumano, Tribeca’s Director of Programming. "We hope that in representing a wealth of undiscovered stories and unique perspectives — including those of a record number of female directors — these 96 films offer a collective journey towards narrower divides and smaller obstacles."



From a variety of feature length films, shorts, experimental and interactive stories, there is a lot to choose from. Fifty-one narratives and 45 documentaries will debut over the course of the 12-day festival. The competition section features 12 documentaries, 10 U.S. narratives and 10 international narratives; 14 Spotlight Narratives, 15 Spotlight Documentaries; five Midnight, 16 Viewpoints selections; and 11 Special Screenings.

Other festival highlights: Tribeca Talks with a thrilling line-up including: Alexander Payne, Claire Danes, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Alec Baldwin, Spike Lee,  Jamie Foxx, and Sarah Jessica Parker; Tribeca Games celebrating the artistic and technical achievement in  Video Games; special music appearances; Tribeca Immersive has added the world premiere of Jack: Part One, latest visionary animation that lets viewers enter the world of Jack from the classic fairytale in a groundbreaking blend of VR and immersive theater that must be seen to be believed.


To find additional information about screenings, events and to purchase tickets click here

Here is a list of 10 films Film Festivals selected to watch at this year’s festival:

1. Smuggling Hendrix (Marios Piperides - International Narrative Competition)

Though caught between the mob and border patrol, washed-up musician Yiannis must put his plans to leave Cyprus on hold when his beloved dog escapes across the wall to the island's Turkish side.

2. Daughter Of Mine (Laura Bispuri - Spotlight Narrative Section) On the windswept coast of Sardinia, two women compete for the affections of 10-year old Vittoria: her troubled, alcoholic birth mother Angelica and her doting adoptive mother Tina.

3. Zoe (Drake Doremus - Gala section) In a future world where cutting-edge technologies can simulate the high of true love, two colleagues at a revolutionary research lab yearn for a real connection. Starring Ewan McGregor and Léa Seydoux.

4. Mapplethorpe (Ondi Timoner  - US Narrative Competition) In the late 1960s, art-school dropout Robert Mapplethorpe moves into the Chelsea Hotel with dreams of stardom. He quickly becomes the enfant terrible of the photography world as the downtown counterculture of 1970s New York reaches its zenith.

5. When Lambs Become Lions (Jon Kasbe - Documentary Competition) In the Kenyan bush, a crackdown on ivory poaching forces a silver-tongued second-generation poacher to seek out an unlikely ally in this fly-on-the-wall look at both sides of the conservation divide.

6. Obey (Jamie Jones - International Narrative Competition) In the midst of the London riots, Leon grapples with the stark reality of his life and his relationship with his alcoholic mother while falling in love for the first time.

7. Back Roads (Alex Pettyfer - Spotlight Narrative Section) A young man cares for his sisters after their mother is imprisoned for murdering their abusive father. When he strikes up an affair with a married woman, long-dormant family secrets bubble to the surface in this noir thriller.

8. Disobedience (Sebastian Lelio - Spotlight Narrative Section) After the death of her estranged rabbi father, a New York photographer returns to the Orthodox Jewish community in North London where she grew up and, in doing so, reignites long-dormant passions and controversies.

9. Woman Walks Ahead (Susanna White - Special Screenings) Based on a true story, 19th-century Brooklyn artist Catherine Weldon (Jessica Chastain) journeys west on a mission to paint a portrait of the legendary chief Sitting Bull (Michael Greyeyes), only to find a very different world—and man—than she was expecting.

10. Tully (Jason Reitman - Special Screenings) A harried mother of three (Charlize Theron) crosses paths with a free-spirited nanny named Tully (Mackenzie Davis) in this charming, modern take on the fairy godmother story.

Content by L. Fietz (with additional content from the TFF programming Team)