By Alyssa Boddicker
When many of us hear “Tribeca Film Festival“, all that comes to mind is the logo stamped onto film trailers to add prestige and accreditation to the movie. However, there is much more to this New York City film festival than just another stamp on a movie screen. From world premieres to high profile events, Tribeca has it all and we’re here to break it down for you.
From April 13th-24th of this year, the film industry gathers in the Big Apple to premiere films, win awards, highlight social issues, and see if their films are ready to be heavy hitters in cinemas around the world. Opening night of the festival brought out Vogue’s latest film, ‘The First Monday In May’, about the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s ‘Met Gala‘ and all the inner workings of one of fashion’s biggest nights. With a response from critics compared to a “slow clap” it will be interesting to see how this film does after it’s major release. Following a few days later, there was the annual glamorous dinner hosted by fashion house Chanel that drew in heavy hitters such as Robert Di Niro, Katie Holmes, and Chloe Sevigny.
The centerpiece of the festival this year is the premiere of ‘Elvis & Nixon‘, starring Michael Shannon as Elvis Presley and Kevin Spacey as another mischievous president (sorry Frank Underwood) Richard Nixon. Based off the time Presley went to the White House in the hopes of being deputized into the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, this film tells the true story of Elvis’ fight against the cannabis culture and how he though he could best help…by becoming a low key federal agent. With a hilarious cast and a plot unlike any other, Elvis & Nixon is sure to get a lively response from the Tribeca crowds, check out the trailer here.
Other films worth the mention that are premiering are ‘A Hologram for the King‘, based off Dave Eggers’s novel of a business man who attempts to sell advanced technology to the king of Saudi Arabia, starring Tom Hanks, as well as Viola Davis’s film ‘Custody‘ who plays a family court judge in a struggling marriage. Comedy ‘The Family Fang‘, directed by Jason Bateman and based off the popular book of the same name, the film stars Bateman aside Nicole Kidman as the two children of performance artists in a quirky film that will depend on Tribeca to set a tone for it’s mainstream success.
There’s plenty of film action left before the festival ends, and we are looking forward to seeing the wins, losses, and reviews of these films to come!
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