Sundance-supported “A Revolution on Canvas (Untitled Nicky Nodjoumi)” will have its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Festival. (Photo courtesy of Tribeca Festival)
One of our favorite things about filling our calendars with film festivals is getting to see projects supported by Sundance Institute reach new audiences throughout the year. Next up is the Tribeca Festival, taking place June 7–18 in New York City. The film portion of this exciting annual event features Sundance-supported titles across multiple categories, from world premieres to buzzworthy spotlights to retrospective screenings.
Revisit your favorites from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, like the wryly funny Shortcomings or the heartfelt Indigo Girls documentary It’s Only Life After All (whose New York premiere will be followed by a conversation with the Indigo Girls themselves). Or, branch out with several Sundance-supported films getting their world premieres, including Q, Jude Chehab’s visually stunning feature documentary debut about a secret all-female religious order in Syria, and The Graduates, Hannah Peterson’s feature directorial debut drama about a community coping with loss. And don’t miss a special screening of New Jack City, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in 1991.
See the full list of Sundance-supported films at this year’s Tribeca Festival below. To find out more about the support provided by the Institute’s artist programs, click here.
Break the Game — Documentary Film Program
Record-breaking gamer Narcissa Wright grapples with her toxic obsession for attention and her space in the streaming community after coming out as transgender, all while attempting to set a new world record for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Downtown Owl — Feature Film Program
Based on the novel by Chuck Klosterman, Downtown Owl is a stylish and energetic adaptation that thrusts viewers into small-town Owl, North Dakota, as a motley crew of characters brace for a historic blizzard.
The Graduates — Feature Film Program
After a tragedy, a group of friends faces an unsettling senior year. Feelings of loss, anger, fear, and aimlessness abound in the community at the center of director Hannah Peterson’s debut feature film.
Invisible Beauty — Catalyst, 2023 Sundance Film Festival
This documentary about the life of model and activist Bethann Hardison is both a fascinating life story and an irrefutable argument for the importance of diversity and inclusion.
It’s Only Life After All — 2023 Sundance Film Festival
A revealing exploration of the beloved duo Indigo Girls — from their serendipitous meeting at Emory University to their worldwide acclaim — It’s Only Life After All beautifully demonstrates how the musical pair has always remained authentic to their roots as artists, activists, and friends.
Kim’s Video — 2023 Sundance Film Festival
For decades, Kim’s Video was a gold mine of extraordinary films until its collection vanished into Italy amid a mysterious sale. Now, take a deep dive into the unbelievable true story of the New York video store and cultural landmark beloved by cinephiles.
New Jack City — 1991 Sundance Film Festival
New Jack City, (United States). Wesley Snipes stars in this hard-edged film based on a frightening true world as Nino Brown, an American success story — with a twist. He’s young, handsome, smart, rich, successful, and prominent in his community. But Nino Brown is a big-time drug baron. Determined to end the remorseless evil of Nino’s drug empire, two street-smart policemen will stop at nothing to destroy his organization. Directed by Mario Van Peebles.
Q — Documentary Film Program
Born from Syria’s Islamic revivalist movement, the Qubaysiat is a regime-loving Sufi community-turned-cult 50 years in the making. Q dives deep into the hidden world of the largest Muslim women’s organization through filmmaker Jude Chehab, her mother, and her grandmother’s connections to the mysterious group.
A Revolution on Canvas (Untitled Nicky Nodjoumi) — Documentary Film Program
In this hybrid political thriller and vérité portrait documentary, Sara Nodjoumi, working with co-director and husband, Till Schauder, makes her directorial debut with this personal film, diving into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of more than 100 “treasonous” paintings by her father, seminal Iranian modern artist Nickzad Nodjoumi.
Shortcomings — 2023 Sundance Film Festival
A biting satire following the romantic journeys of its trio of protagonists, led by an appealingly misanthropic Justin H. Min, Shortcomings is a charming, witty and hilarious directorial debut from Randall Park.
