Fifteenth Annual Tribeca Film Festival Announces Films In Spotlight, Midnight Sections, Plus The Centerpiece Film, Special Screenings, And Works In Progress

The Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by AT&T, today announced the feature films in the Spotlight, Midnight, and Special Screening sections. The 15th edition of TFF will take place from April 13 to April 24 in New York City. 

Also announced was the Centerpiece film, Works In Progress screenings, and the feature film lineup for the 10th annual Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival. The Spotlight section features 36 films, consisting of 18 narratives and 18 documentaries.

25 films in the selection will have their world premiere at the Festival. The opening night Spotlight film is the world premiere of Bill Purple’s drama The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea starring Jason Sudeikis, Jessica Biel, and Maisie Williams.

The Midnight section will open with the World Premiere of the highly anticipated horror anthology, Holidays, from some of today’s most visionary genre filmmakers. Midnight is comprised of six world premieres. The section features the best in genre cinema, encompassing a diverse range of thriller, horror, comedy, and action films. 

The Centerpiece film for this year’s Festival is the world premiere of the historical comedy Elvis & Nixon, directed by Liza Johnson and starring Kevin Spacey and Michael Shannon. 

The tenth annual Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival, sponsored by Mohegan Sun, will open on April 14 with a Gala screening and world premiere of the documentary This Magic Moment chronicling the 1990s Orlando Magic dynasty headlined by superstars Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway. Seven feature films will screen as part of the Festival, the premiere outlet to showcase independent films that focus on sports and competition.

This year’s Special Screenings and events highlight luminaries, who will each be in attendance, from Pelé in the biopic Pelé: Birth of a Legend and Sir Richard Branson in the documentary Don’t Look Down, to Steve Aoki in the documentary I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, which will premiere at the Beacon followed by a special performance by Aoki. Other musical performances include Billie Joe Armstrong, following the world premiere of Geezer, the film he stars in. Furthering Tribeca’s commitment to supporting the arts and culture in New York City and building audiences for filmmakers, TFF will present three exclusive screenings and experiences in partnership with New York museums. Everybody Knows…Elizabeth Murray will premiere at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Maurizio Cattelan: Be Right Back at the Guggenheim Museum, and The Show of Shows: 100 Years of Vaudeville, Circuses and Carnivals at MoMA PS1.

“Our Spotlight section features world premieres with a range of talent and topics that are timely and entertaining,” said Genna Terranova, Festival Director. “Many of this year's films address pivotal moments in our everyday lives and culture that leave us with a renewed sense of hope.”

“Festival audiences always want to be surprised, perhaps nowhere more so than in Midnight, so we are particularly excited to see so many unexpected choices and fresh ideas swirling around the section this year. Nothing is quite what it appears to be in any of these awesome late night tales.” said Cara Cusumano, Senior Programmer.

The complete film selections for the Spotlight, Midnight, Centerpiece, and Special Screenings sections, as well as the ESPN titles are as follows:

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