It’s all in the family. For its closing-night double feature, the Tribeca Film Festival will host one of cinema’s most important families: the Corleones. The festival will host back-to-back special screenings of Godfather I and Godfather II at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday, April 29. The cast — Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, and Talia Shire — will reunite with Francis Ford Coppola for a post-screening conversation to commemorate 45 years since the first movie’s theatrical release.
Apart from the Godfather reunion, the festival will also host several other special screenings for movies not in competition: Diddy will premiere the official Bad Boy Entertainment documentary, Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: The Bad Boy Story. The Tom Hanks–Emma Watson sci-fi saga, The Circle (based on Dave Eggers’s book of the same name), will have its world premiere. Quentin Tarantino will be on hand for a 25th anniversary Reservoir Dogs screening (the cast members in attendance have yet to be announced). On the 15th anniversary of Bowling for Columbine’s release — and on the day of the Columbine shooting 18 years ago — director Michael Moore will participate in a post-screening conversation. See the rest of the special screening lineup below:
Closing Night
The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. (USA) Tribeca celebrates the legacy of one of the most influential film sagas of all time with this anniversary screening and reunion event.
After the Movie: A 45th-anniversary conversation with Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, and Robert De Niro.
Galas
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: The Bad Boy Story, directed by Daniel Kaufman. (USA) World Premiere, Documentary. A raw and exclusive look behind the scenes at the history and legacy of Bad Boy through a complex portrait of the label’s mastermind, Sean “Diddy” Combs, a.k.a. Puff Daddy, as he tries to reunite his Bad Boy Family in the course of a frantic three-week rehearsal period. This Live Nation Productions documentary finds him reuniting with the biggest names from Bad Boy’s history for a wildly successful pair of concerts at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center. With Notorious B.I.G., Ma$e, Lil’ Kim, Faith Evans, and Total.
The Circle, directed by James Ponsoldt, written by James Ponsoldt and Dave Eggers. (USA) World Premiere, Narrative. When Mae (Emma Watson) is hired to work for the world’s largest and most powerful tech and social-media company, she sees it as an opportunity of a lifetime. As she rises through the ranks, she is encouraged by the company’s founder, Eamon Bailey (Tom Hanks), to engage in a groundbreaking experiment that pushes the boundaries of privacy, ethics, and ultimately, her personal freedom. Her participation in the experiment, and every decision she makes begin to affect the lives and future of her friends, family, and that of humanity. With Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, John Boyega, Karen Gillan, Ellar Coltrane, Patton Oswalt, Glenne Headly, Bill Paxton. An STXfilms release.
Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival Gala
Mike and the Mad Dog, directed by Daniel H. Forer. (USA) World Premiere, Documentary. Dive into the inner workings of one of the sports world’s most unlikely partnerships: Mike Francesa and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, the voices that launched a thousand sports-radio imitators. The hosts, their colleagues, and a who’s who of sports heavyweights tell the story of their surprise rise to stardom and 19 years as the iconic voices of New York sports. An ESPN Films release.
Special Screenings
Blues Planet: Triptych, directed and written by Wyland. (USA) World Premiere. Blues Planet: Triptych explores the Gulf Oil spill disaster and its aftermath through environmental artist Wyland who, along with 30 of today’s preeminent artists, recorded a new genre of global blues on the catastrophe’s anniversary.
After the Movie: Taj Mahal and the Wyland Blues Planet Ban will perform.
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, directed and written by Alexandra Dean. (USA) World Premiere, Documentary. Known for her unmatched beauty, Hedy Lamarr’s fans never knew she also possessed a beautiful mind. Immigrating to Hollywood in the 1940s, Lamarr acted by day and sketched inventions by night, even devising a “secret communication system” for the Allies to beat the Nazis. Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story reveals how Lamarr gave her patent away to the Army, receiving no credit for her engineering innovations, even as she was immortalized as a legend of the silver screen. Executive produced by Susan Sarandon. With Mel Brooks, Diane Kruger, Peter Bogdanovich, Denise Loder DeLuca, Anthony Loder, Richard Rhodes.
After the Movie: Tribeca Film Institute and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation will host an exclusive panel with director Alexandra Dean and prominent women in both entertainment and STEM, focusing on how both groups have been historically underrepresented in their respective fields.
Chris Gethard: Career Suicide, directed by Kimberly Senior, written by Chris Gethard. (USA) World Premiere, Narrative. In this deeply personal and profoundly funny one-man show, comedian Chris Gethard dives deep into his own personal struggles with mental-health issues. He will have you laughing at stories of Barb his therapist one minute, then revealing incredibly personal experiences the next, using comedy to lend insight in a way that only humor can. An HBO release.
After the Movie: A conversation with comedian-actor-writer Chris Gethard and fellow comedians.
Dare to Be Different, directed by Ellen Goldfarb, written by Jay Reiss. (USA) World Premiere, Documentary. Featuring interviews and rare footage of U2, Blondie, Duran Duran, Joan Jett, the Cure, Billy Idol, and Depeche Mode, Dare to Be Different is a nostalgic look at WLIR 92.7, the radio station that introduced these bands to a U.S. audience. Director Ellen Goldfarb tells the story of the rise and fall of this institution, and the birth of the punk and New Wave communities. With Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, Billy Idol, and others.
After the movie: A live music tribute to WLIR from A Flock of Seagulls, the English Beat, and the Alarm.
The Exception, directed by David Leveaux, written by Simon Burke. (U.K., USA) U.S. Premiere, Narrative. A riveting World War II thriller, The Exception follows German soldier Stefan Brandt, tasked with investigating exiled German Monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II, only to find himself drawn into an unexpected and passionate romance with mysterious housemaid Mieke. When Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, comes for an unexpected visit, secrets are revealed, allegiances tested, and Brandt is forced to make the ultimate choice between honoring his country and following his heart. With Christopher Plummer, Jai Courtney, Lily James, Janet McTeer, Eddie Marsan, Ben Daniels. A DirecTV/A24 release.
After the movie: A conversation with director David Leveaux and actor Christopher Plummer.
From the Ashes, directed by Michael Bonfiglio. (USA) World Premiere, Documentary. From the Ashes captures Americans in communities across the country as they wrestle with the legacy of the coal industry and what its future should be under the Trump administration. From Appalachia to the West’s Powder River Basin, the film goes beyond the rhetoric of the “war on coal” to present compelling and often heartbreaking stories about what’s at stake for our economy, health, and climate. From the Ashes invites audiences to learn more about an industry on the edge and what it means for their lives.
Before the movie: Special introduction by three-term mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg.
After the movie: A conversation with director Michael Bonfiglio and special guests to discuss the state of the American coal industry.
House of Z, directed by Sandy Chronopoulos, written by Sandy Chronopoulos, Sherien Barsoum. (USA) World Premiere, Documentary. Zac Posen rocketed to fashion stardom at a young age with his unique design aesthetic and charismatic presence, becoming one the most recognizable faces in the business today. But like any journey to great success it hasn’t come without cost. Sandy Chronopoulos’s film looks past the glamour of the red carpet and the runway to shine a light on the trials and tribulations of running one of the country’s most successful fashion houses. With Naomi Campbell, Sean Diddy Combs, a.k.a. Puff Daddy, André Leon Talley, Paz de la Huerta.
After the movie: A conversation with director Sandy Chronopoulos and the film’s subject, Zac Posen.
Intent to Destroy, directed by Joe Berlinger, written by Joe Berlinger, Cy Christiansen. (USA) World Premiere, Documentary. Embedding himself on the epic film set of Terry George’s The Promise (starring Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale), Academy Award–nominated director Joe Berlinger takes an unwavering look at the Armenian genocide after a century of denial by the Turkish government and its strategic allies. A cinematic window into the historical and emotional web of responsibility.
After the movie: A conversation with director-screenwriter Joe Berlinger, poet and nonfiction writer Peter Balakian, composer Serj Tankian, and producer Eric Esrailian.
Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait, directed and written by Pappi Corsicato. (Italy) World Premiere, Documentary. A titan of painting and filmmaking, Julian Schnabel’s art is among the most important work of the late-20th and early-21st century. Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait captures the artist in the studio and at home, incorporates archival footage and private home videos, and interviews family and friends to build a complex image of the man and his work. With Al Pacino, Willem Dafoe, Bono, Emmanuelle Seigner, Vito Schnabel. A Cohen Media release.
After the movie: A conversation with director Pappi Corsicato and the film’s subject, Julian Schnabel.
Paris Can Wait, directed and written by Eleanor Coppola. (USA) New York Premiere, Narrative. Long married to a successful but inattentive film producer, Anne is at a crossroads in her life. Enter Jacques, a French bon vivant, who offers to drive Anne from Cannes to Paris. What begins as an innocent favor quickly turns into an unexpectedly wandering road trip filled with fine cuisine and looming romance. Eleanor Coppola’s elegant journey takes us to the heart of a woman surprised to find long-buried memories resurface and unforeseen attraction arise. With Diane Lane, Alec Baldwin, Arnaud Viard. A Sony Pictures Classics release.
After the movie: A food and film experience inspired by Paris Can Wait.
The Public Image Is Rotten, directed by Tabbert Fiiller. (USA) World Premiere. Within months of the demise of the Sex Pistols in 1978, lead singer Johnny Rotten (a.k.a. John Lydon) formed post-punk outfit Public Image Ltd, an innovative and influential band which has accumulated a legion of fans since its founding. In this incisive, entertaining doc, Lydon opens up the book on his decades as a music provocateur, while past and present band members fill in the gaps and add their perspectives. With Thurston Moore, Flea, Adam Horovitz, Moby.
After the movie: A conversation with director Tabbert Fiiller and the film’s subject, Johnny Rotten.
The Third Industrial Revolution, directed by Oliver Ressler, Eddy Moretti. (USA) World Premiere, Documentary. The global economy is in crisis. Economists warn that we face 20 more years of declining productivity, slow growth, rising unemployment, and steep inequality. And now, climate change is ravaging the planet. Where do we go from here? Economic theorist Jeremy Rifkin outlines a journey into the Third Industrial Revolution — a new era of sustainable development, accompanied by vast new economic opportunities in a smart, green, digital global economy.
After the Movie: A conversation with director Eddy Moretti and economic and social theorist Jeremy Rifkin.
Warning: This Drug May Kill You, directed by Perri Peltz. (USA) World Premiere, Documentary. Warning: This Drug May Kill You takes an unflinching look at the devastating effects of opioid addiction in the U.S., profiling four families whose lives have been decimated by addictions that all began with legitimate prescriptions to dangerous painkillers. Through the personal and emotional stories of people on the front lines of this epidemic, this film is an eye-opening look at a terrifying epidemic that is devastating communities across this country, and the toll it has taken on its victims and their families. An HBO Documentary release.
After the Movie: A conversation with Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); Dr. Andrew Kolodny, co-director of Opioid Policy Research Collaborative Brandeis University; Gail Cole, film subject and co-founder, Hope and Healing After an Addiction Death; and producer Sascha Weiss. Moderated by the film’s director Perri Peltz.
