Congratulations to Our Clients at 20th Annual Tribeca Film Festival!
Congratulations to our client’s screening projects at the 20th annual Tribeca Film Festival. See below a complete list of our client’s projects at the festival:
A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks, directed by John Maggio. Produced by John Maggio, Monica Berra, Richard Lowe, George Kunhardt, Teddy Kunhardt, Matthew Henderson (United States) – World Premiere. This documentary chronicles renaissance man Gordon Parks’ stellar career from staff photographer for LIFE magazine, through his artistic development photographing everyday Americans, through his evolution as a novelist and groundbreaking filmmaker. An HBO Documentary Films release.
Accepted, directed by Dan Chen. Produced by Jason Y. Lee, Dan Chen, Jesse Einstein, Mark Monroe. (United States) – World Premiere, Feature Documentary. The ambitious students of the TM Landry Prep School enjoyed a remarkable 100% acceptance rate into the county’s most elite colleges until an explosive NY Times article exposed the controversial teaching methods of its dynamic founder.
All These Sons, directed by Bing Liu, Joshua Altman. Produced by Zak Piper, Kelsey Carr, Bing Liu, Joshua Altman. (United States) – World Premiere. On Chicago’s South and West sides, the scourge of guns and gangs is destroying countless lives. Taking matters into their own hands, two men dedicate their lives educating, empowering and healing young Black men at high risk for being victims—or perpetrators—of deadly gun-violence.
Bernstein’s Wall, directed and written by Douglas Tirola. Produced by Susan Bedusa. (United States) – World Premiere. An enlightening, complex look at one of the greatest figures in 20th century classical music whose passion and creativity guided him well beyond the concert hall. With Leonard Bernstein.
BITCHIN’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James, directed by Sacha Jenkins, written by Sacha Jenkins, Steve Rivo, Jason Pollard. Produced by Steve Rivo. (United States) – World Premiere. This incredibly entertaining profile of legendary funk/R&B icon Rick James captures the peaks and valleys of his storied career to reveal a complicated and rebellious soul, driven to share his talent with the world. A Showtime Documentary Films release.
Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road, directed by Brent Wilson. When Rolling Stone editor and longtime friend Jason Fine drops by the L.A. home of songwriter, producer and Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson, Fine suggests they cruise around the city he knows so well to visit old haunts and give Brian the opportunity to reflect on his life and music. They first head to Paradise Cove – photo session site for the Beach Boys’ first LP – then to Hollywood, Malibu, and the stomping grounds of hometown Hawthorne. Spontaneously “spinning” Mp3s of his favorite cuts along the way, Brian delves into his childhood, his contentious relationship with dad Murray, the nine-year “prison sentence” under the “guidance” of Dr. Landy, his struggles with depression and mental illness, his love for brothers Dennis and Carl, and the many recording sessions. Weighing in are admirers and those close to him, including Al Jardine, Don Was, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Linda Perry. Punctuated with memorable concert, studio and interview footage and graced by the new song “Right Where I Belong,” recorded specifically for this film, this entertaining, informative, at times heart-tugging road trip provides both a first-hand, intimate look into Wilson’s storied life and further inspiration to anyone who has been touched by his music.
Fathom, directed by Drew Xanthopoulos. Produced by Megan Gilbride. (United States) – World Premiere. Filmmaker & cinematographer Drew Xanthopoulos delivers a visual and aural wonder of a documentary—an immersive and sensorial film that follows researchers working to finally decode the communication of humpback whales. With Dr. Michelle Fournet, Dr. Ellen Garland. An Apple TV+ release.
Italian Studies, directed and written by Adam Leon. Produced by Brad Becker-Parton, Joshua Astrachan, Jamund Washington, Andrea Roa, Jason Reif. (United States) – World Premiere. A mysterious woman (Vanessa Kirby) wanders the streets of Manhattan in a confused state. Finding herself inexplicably drawn to a charismatic teenager, she embarks on an adventure with him through the cityscape and into the unknown. With Vanessa Kirby, Simon Brickner, Annika Wahlsten, Annabel Hoffman.
La Madrina: The [Savage] Life of Lorine Padilla, directed by Raquel Cepeda. Executive Produced by Nas and renowned artist/filmmaker Henry Chalfant (Style Wars), this brilliantly entertaining documentary incorporates never-before-seen archival footage of the borough that gifted the world both salsa and hip-hop culture. This history is melded with present day interviews to present a portrait of a larger-than-life personality, struggling to remain visible in the rapidly gentrifying community that she helped to rebuild. In 1970’s NYC, while the Bronx burned, beloved matriarch Lorrine Padilla claimed her rightful place as “First Lady”of the legendary gang The Savage Skulls. As wife to one of its founders, her no nonsense attitude and nurturing presence helped to strengthen the surrogate family that so many of their young members longed for. Now, over 40 years later, she looks back at the impact that she has had in the intervening years: as a mother, spiritual advisor, community activist, and keeper of a complex legacy. Celebrating the overlooked female pillars of a male-dominated community, La Madrina: The [Savage] Life of Lorrine Padilla is a love letter to those unsung heroines.
Larry Flynt for President, directed by Nadia Szold. Raised in poverty in the hills of Kentucky with only an eighth-grade education, Larry Flynt built a multi-million dollar pornography empire during the 70s and 80s with the explicit Hustler magazine as its cornerstone. A staunch advocate for the First Amendment, Flynt frequently butted heads with the so-called moral majority and found himself embroiled in fierce legal battles that he fought with theatrical flair, thumbing his nose at a system he viewed as hypocritical and corrupt. After a gunman’s bullet left him paralyzed from the waist down in 1978, Flynt resurfaced in 1983 to announce his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. His platform, he said, was simple: “Every ounce of energy that I can muster will be devoted toward moving the massive repressive hand of government from the crotch of the American people.” This riveting film from director Nadia Szold assembles never-before-seen footage captured in 1983 by a film crew documenting Flynt’s unlikely bid for the White House. Chronicling Flynt’s campaign—ran from his gold-plated wheelchair with his devoted wife Althea by his side—Larry Flynt for President stands as a fascinating record of one of America’s most controversial defenders of free speech.
LFG, directed by Andrea Nix Fine, Sean Fine, written by Andrea Nix Fine. Produced by Andrea Nix Fine, Sean Fine, Abby Greensfelder. (United States) – World Premiere. Academy Award® Oscar winners Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine take us inside the U.S. women’s national soccer league and their continuing fight for equal pay in an effort to create real change in women’s sports. With Megan Rapinoe, Jessica McDonald, Becky Sauerbrunn, Kelley O’Hara, Christen Press, Sam Mewis, Julie Foudy. An HBO Max release.
Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres, written, directed and produced by Suzanne Joe Kai. (United States) – World Premiere. Suzanne Joe Kai’s intimate documentary shows us how the Rolling Stone writer and editor defined the cultural zeitgeist of the ’60s and ’70s. With Ben Fong-Torres, Cameron Crowe, Annie Leibovitz, Carlos Santana, Elton John, Steve Martin, Bob Weir, Quincy Jones, and more.
Miracle Fishing: Kidnapped Abroad, directed by Miles Hargrove. In the early 90s, Tom Hargrove, a celebrated environmental journalist, moved his wife Susan and two sons, Miles and Geddie to Cali, Colombia. Despite the political unrest and dangers posed by the guerilla war, the Hargroves built a lovely life amid the rich culture of Cali. Their tranquility was shattered on September 23, 1994 when Tom was kidnapped by the FARC in a process called Miracle Fishing. With a ransom demand for six million dollars, the government and Tom’s employers refused to engage, throwing the lives of this tight-knit family into chaos and isolation. Supported only by family and friends, Susan dealt with the kidnappers directly and assembled a motley rescue group led by a skeptical FBI agent, a retired hostage negotiator, and most critically, a local friend of Miles and Geddie, Robert Clerx. Only 18 at the time, Clerx was nominated to handle the incredibly dicey dance of securing Tom’s release through multiple rounds of negotiations. Miles, encouraged by his mother to film everything on a Video8 camcorder, intimately captured the haunting and thrilling moments as the group attempted to recover his father as the months stretched on. Twenty years later, Miles Hargrove excavates his family’s past through home video, gently but firmly probing the stress, trauma, and faith surrounding his family’s ordeal. With the perspective of time, this gripping documentary explores the fabric of an ordinary family in extortionary circumstances.
P.S. Burn This Letter Please, directed by Michael Seligman, Jennifer Tiexiera. A box found in an abandoned Los Angeles storage unit unearths a time capsule of correspondences from a forgotten era: the underground drag scene in 50s New York City. The letters reveal a hidden world in a time when being openly gay was taboo and performing in drag was a potentially dangerous avocation. Told through firsthand accounts of those involved combined with newly discovered footage, the film casts a long-overdue spotlight on the unsung pioneers of drag, and illuminates their personal experiences—both inspiring and tragic. P.S. Burn this Letter Please is a touching story of friendship and perseverance formed around the brave individuals who overcame insurmountable risks in pursuit of their passion. Directors Michael Seilgman and Jennifer Tiexiera craft an unforgettable documentary on a topic that is still painfully relevant, while exposing a missing piece of LGBTQ history. They also reveal the true identity of the mysterious recipient who, over the course of decades, conserved a private archive of letters.
Socks on Fire, directed by Bo McGuire. When the matriarch of a large Southern family passed without a written will, her children became embroiled in a bitter fight over their mother’s estate. The fracas prompted director Bo McGuire to return home to Hokes Bluff, Alabama, to document the mounting standoff between his two childhood idols—his now-homophobic aunt and his out-and-proud gay uncle—in a battle that threatens to tear apart multiple generations of a formerly tight-knit tribe. In the process of investigating this epic family feud, McGuire also reflects on his own coming-of-age as a queer youth in the rural South. Socks On Fire is both a tribute to the filmmaker’s beloved grandmother and a first-person saga of a clan riven by petty jealousies and old wounds, fueled by one member’s deep-seated homophobia. Blending home videos and intimate interviews with masterful reenactments—including the ingenious casting of local drag queens—McGuire paints a riveting picture of a house divided.
The Kids, directed by Eddie Martin. Produced by Shannon Swan. (Australia) – World Premiere. 26 years after indie cult classic Kids was released to an unsuspecting nation, this documentary explores the divergent paths of the original cast, delivering an unflinching look back at one of the most iconic films of the 1990’s.
The Lost Leonardo, directed by Andreas Koefoed. Produced by Andreas Dalsgaard, Christoph Jörg. (Denmark, France, Sweden) – World Premiere. The Lost Leonardo tells the inside story behind the Salvator Mundi, the most expensive painting ever sold at $450 million, claimed to be a long-lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci. From the moment it is purchased from a shady New Orleans auction house, and its buyers discover masterful brushstrokes beneath its cheap restoration, the fate of the Salvator Mundi is driven by an insatiable quest for fame, money and power. But as its price soars, so do questions about its authenticity. Is this multi-million dollar painting actually by Leonardo – or do certain power players simply want it to be? Unravelling the hidden agendas of the world’s richest men and most powerful art institutions, The Lost Leonardo reveals how vested interests became all-important, and the truth secondary. With Dianne Modestini, Yves Bouvier, Christian Kirk Muff, Robert Simon, Alexander Parish, Luke Syson, Martin Kemp, Frank Zöllner, Jacques Franck. A Sony Pictures Classics Release.