Movie buffs look excited to the annual Tribeca Film Festival, and 2019’s offerings will delight many a viewer with a heavy-hitting slate. The 18th edition includes major stars like Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Annette Bening, Alec Baldwin and Vanessa Redgrave in independent films of various genres. The fest will run from April 24 to May 5 and open with the world premiere of Roger Ross Williams’s documentary “The Apollo” at the famous New York City Apollo Theater.
This year’s lineup will feature 124 filmmakers from around the globe and include a total of 103 overall films. Some of the notable titles will showcase famous Hollywood actors like “Only,” with Freida Pinto and Leslie Odom Jr, Billy Crystal in “Standing Up, Falling Down” and Zac Efron in “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile.”
The film fest will debut key documentaries like Erin Lee Carr’s “At the Heart of Gold.” The film follows the shocking discovery of the decades-long history of the abuse of young athletes at the hands of USA Gymnastics national team doctor Larry Nassar.
Margot Robbie will star as bank robber Allison Wells in the Depression-era drama “Dreamland.” She is also the producer of the film that is set in the Oklahoma dustbowl. Christoph Waltz is making his directorial debut and starring in the crime drama “Georgetown” with Annette Bening and Vanessa Redgrave.
There are also music-based documentaries on tap at the film festival featuring icons like INXS’ Michael Hutchence (“Mystify: Michael Hutchence”), Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman (“The Quiet One”) and singer Linda Ronstadt (“Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice”). Sheryl Crow will perform after the Ronstadt premiere.
More than 9,295 total submissions were received by the Tribeca Film Festival, and the 18th edition will showcase 50 percent of the films directed by women, 29 percent directed by people of color and 13 percent directed by filmmakers who identify as LGBTQIA.
The popular film festival was founded by actor Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2002 following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. The Tribeca neighborhood was struggling with a loss of energy and spirit, and the trio created the non-profit arts organization to re-establish the area’s edge, its economy and important place in the world.
