by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

I have not attended the Tribeca Film Festival in person since before the pandemic. This year I am planning to get up to the fest for a day or two to see some films, attend a panel, and catch some shorts programs—so I can poach films for my Short Attention Span Cinema class this fall at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. I will also have access to the press screening library, so I expect I will find a handful of films I might not otherwise see. What I enjoy most about attending film festivals is discovering a film that may not get distribution. 

Here are five films I’m hoping to catch at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.

Brats
Directed by Andrew McCarthy
Premieres June 7
Tickets here

As a Gen Xer, I am aligned with the Brat Pack—Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, and director Andrew McCarthy. While I never had the affection for The Breakfast Club or St. Elmo’s Fire that others in my generation did, I do appreciate Less Than Zero and other efforts by the Brat Packers both in front of and behind the camera. I’ll be curious to see how McCarthy contextualizes their lives, careers, and impact on popular culture.

State of Silence 
Directed by Santiago Maza
Premieres June 10
Tickets here

I am fascinated with Mexico, and I love intrepid journalist docs. State of Silence has both of these Venn Diagrams overlap. Films like this can take viewers on the ground and into a world they would not see otherwise, which is exactly why I go to the movies. I am especially interested in attending the post-screening panel discussion with the filmmaker, the journalists—Marcos Vizcarra and Maria de Jesus Peters—and executive producers Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna. 

La Cocina
Directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios
North America Premiere June 9
Tickets here

I saw director Alonso Ruizpalacios’ debut film, Gueros (2014), at Tribeca and at the Q&A, he said he threw every idea he had into the film because he feared he might never get the chance to make another. Happily, he did; Museo (2018) was a nifty caper film, and A Copy Movie (2021) was a fascinating documentary. Now Ruizpalacios is back with his new feature, a drama about undocumented immigrants in a New York City restaurant. I can’t wait to see it. 

Jago: Into the White
Directed by Luigi Pingitore
Premieres June 8
Tickets here

This documentary is about a sculptor I’ve never heard of, the titular Jago, hoping to recreate a work by Michelangelo. That is enough of a hook for me. It is one thing to appreciate the beauty of a work of art, but for me, it is understanding all the work that goes into creating that work of art that is fascinating. I am less interested in if Jago succeeds and more curious to learn what this undertaking reveals.  

Shelf Life
Directed by Ian Cheney
Premieres June 7
Tickets here

Cheese. An entire documentary on cheese. Please! Who can resist this? Not me. Director Ian Cheney investigates what happens to cheese as its ages. I want to see and know. And that this documentary globe trots around the world; I expect I will be taken to some unusual places. And I will probably have to visit Murray’s Cheese Shop in the Village after the screening. 

Tribeca Film Festival starts June 5 until June 16, tickets may be purchased here