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2009 Tribeca Film Festival Guide to Documentaries
NYC’s answer to Sundance celebrates 7th year
James Brown in Jeff Levy-Hinte’s Soul Power
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Founded in response to the financial hardships suffered by downtown businesses after September 11th, 2001, the Tribeca Film Festival quickly made its place in the film festival circuit. This year, the festival will bring economic stimulus to hard times of a different nature. The festival’s starring documentary is Spike Lee’s latest, Kobe Doin’ Work, an insider look at the basketball superstar. The remaining selections, all New York or world premieres, are organized into dubiously titled categories. Below, we translate their meanings and give you some highlights. Explore more at the Tribeca Film Festival website.
Spotlight
Some of the year’s highly anticipated film premieres that pop
Jeff Levy-Hinte’s Soul Power: This doc compiles footage from the legendary 1974 soul festival that accompanied the Ali and Foreman Rumble in the Jungle. With James Brown.
World Documentary Competition
Standouts from the 12 documentary films up for Best Documentary and Best New Documentary Director
Kirby Dick’s Outrage: From the director of This Film Is Not Yet Rated, a searing critical look at closeted politicians who support anti-gay legislation.
Alexis Manya Spraic’s Shadow Billionaire: This documentary launches an investigation into the mysterious life of DHL millionaire mogul Larry Hillblom, who died in a plane crash off the coast of his Micronesian island.
Discovery
Innovation in filmmaking led 14 films to be chosen for this section
Mandy Stein’s Burning Down the House: The Story of CBGB: Concert footage and interviews chart the club’s losing battle to stay open while capturing CBGB as a germinating field for great rock.
Leslie Cockburn’s American Casino: Interweaving interviews from Wall Street moguls and the Main Streeters unwittingly affected by the sub-prime mortgage crisis, the film is an investigative look at the losers of a high-stakes gamble.
Showcase
Offering a snapshot of the current global cinema
Laura Bari’s Antoine: Journey into the joyful imagination of a six-year-old boy who was left blind due to premature birth.
Midnight
If you’re looking for the thrilling or the bizarre, you’ll find a film in this category
Julien Nitzberg’s The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia: The Dancing Outlaw, Jescoe White, a delightfully schizophrenic hill-country dancer, and his family will leave you wondering if you should take the long route around the West Virginia hills—or share rotgut with some of the wildest country folk in Americana.
Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio’s Cropsey: Staten Island natives return home to explore a childhood myth surrounding the death of multiple children, with chilling results.
Restored/Rediscovered
For silver screen historians, offerings of rarities and restorations from the film archives
William Friedkin’s The Boys in the Band: Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots just down the street from the place where it all went down, The Boys in the Band will screen for free. Based on the play that contributed momentum to the movement, the movie is a celebration. Also screening is documentary-in-progress, Making of the Boys in the Band.