This year’s Tribeca Festival lineup is massive—but we’re narrowing in on the work of Black and Brown creatives who are bringing some of the most powerful, personal, and culture-shifting stories to the screen.
From short films and documentaries to music videos and high-profile features, these selections cut across genre and format, but they all share one thing in common: they reflect the depth, complexity, and creativity of underrepresented voices taking up well-deserved space at one of the industry’s top festivals.
Titles like African Family Dinner, Ask Me Anything, Songs of Black Folk, The Wrath of Othell-Yo!, and Call Me a Liar are adding fresh nuance to the shorts program. Still Free TC, Wizkid: Long Live Lagos, Move Ya Body: The Birth of House, and The Sixth Borough are commanding attention on the feature and doc side. And standout creators like RZA (One Spoon of Chocolate), Aimee Garcia (Aimee Comes First), Anderson .Paak (Carpinteria), and Zippy Kimundu (Widow Champion) are using their lens to reflect and reframe the culture.
This curated spotlight doesn’t cover everything in the lineup—but it’s a glimpse into the Black and Brown brilliance shaping this year’s Tribeca Festival.
SHORTS
African Family Dinner | North American Premiere
Mona, a Norwegian blonde, meets her Ghanaian boyfriend’s family for the first time. What starts as a simple dinner with both sides eager to impress each other quickly escalates into the most awkward dinner in history!
Director: Ibrahim Mursal
Screenwriter: Tani Dibasey
Producers: Geir Bergersen
Cast: Mathilde Storm, Tani Dibasey, Kim Fairchild, Kouame Sereba, Taume P. Dery, Bridget Y. Dery, Amalie Sasha Schanke
The Wrath of Othell-Yo! | World Premiere
When the lead of an erotic Othello adaptation fails to get erect, a PA volunteers to double-in but discovers that rising to the occasion is harder than he thought.
Director: Kwesi Jones
Screenwriter: Kwesi Jones
Producers: Haley Odum, Kwesi Jones
Cast: Jaylen Eashmond, Lizzy Jarrett, Brendan George, Kwesi Jones
Songs of Black Folk | World Premiere
Songs of Black Folk unites top Black musical talent on one Pacific Northwest stage, launching a powerful new tradition and era for Black artists against the meaningful backdrop of Juneteenth.
Directors: Justin Emeka, Haley Watson
Producer: Haley Watson
Cast: Ramón Bryant Braxton, Rev. Dr. Leslie Braxton
Aimee Comes First | New York Premiere
“Aimee Comes First” is a late coming-of-age story about a Type-A Latina who lives with her overbearing Catholic family and tries to orgasm for the first time before her fast-approaching 40th birthday.
Director: Aimee Garcia
Screenwriter: Aimee Garcia
Producers: Aimee Garcia, AJ Mendez, Diego Cabrera
Cast: Aimee Garcia, Alfred Molina, Olga Merediz, Lamorne Morris, Yvette Monreal, Noel G.
New York Day Women | World Premiere
New York Day Women follows a Haitian American woman who unexpectedly sees her mother in Manhattan during a workday—sparking an intimate exploration of identity, generational distance, and maternal strength.
Director: Fredgy Noël
Screenwriter: Fredgy Noël
Producers: Fredgy Noël, Maissa Lihedheb
Cast: Natalie Paul, Kathlene Turenne, Sara Kapner, Jeffrey Matos, Skyler James
A Drastic Tale | World Premiere
“A Drastic Tale” explores the deep, unwavering brotherhood between members of Drastic Auto Club, one of the oldest lowrider clubs formed in New York City.
Director: Chantel Simpson
Screenwriter: Chantel Simpson
Producer: Chantel Simpson
Cast: Not listed
Doc Albany | World Premiere
OB/GYN Dr. Sheena Favors must choose between city life or staying in rural Georgia to provide vital maternal care, following Doc Hollywood’s real-life inspiration, Dr. James Hotz.
Director: Ben Proudfoot
Screenwriter: Ben Proudfoot
Producers: Rachel Greenwald, Ben Proudfoot
Cast: Sheena Favors, MD, James Hotz, MD
Ask Me Anything | International Premiere
A Sudanese refugee invites native Dutch residents to ask him anything, opening up an exploratory dialogue between two parties when confronted with ‘the other’.
Director: Wyneke van Nieuwenhuyzen
Screenwriter: Not listed
Producers: Mathijs Jorritsma
Cast: Abdulaal Hussein
“Call Me a Liar” – Dola | World Premiere
A divine being observing all of humanity from afar, subjected to the dark corners of the world below, gives life to a ballerina.
Directors: Jivensley Alexis, Reece Daniels
Screenwriters: Jivensley Alexis, Reece Daniels
Producers: Alexandria Hellman
Cast: Dola, Jordan Wynn
Captain Zero: Into the Abyss Part II | World Premiere
Framed through his therapy sessions, high school senior Xerxes Hughes struggles to juggle his double life as a student and superhero, all while trying to confront his inner demon—literally.
Director: Z Cher-Aimé
Screenwriter: Z Cher-Aimé
Producers: Z Cher-Aimé
Cast: Z Cher-Aimé, Keith David, Angelica Ross, Zolee Griggs, Coty Galloway, Jazz Walker, Marion Toro
“Carpinteria” – Rae Khalil ft. Freddie Gibbs
Rae Khalil hosts a live show with her band at “Andy’s”. We open on the band performing without Rae and move in a single motion to the kitchen where we find Rae hooking up with Duckwrth. A nosy passerby sees them and walks outside and hops in the car with Freddie Gibbs. Her and Freddie drive off, cruising around LA when they land at the front of the club where Rae is performing. We enter the club with Rae and track her to the stage, seeing all of her friends and fans enjoying the live performance.
Director: Anderson .Paak
Screenwriter: Anderson .Paak
Producers: Autumn Maschi
Cast: Rae Khalil, Anderson .Paak, Freddie Gibbs, Duckwrth
Kiss My Grass | World Premiere
“Kiss My Grass” boldly uncovers the relentless struggles of Black women in cannabis, amplifying their resilience, exposing systemic injustice, and demanding urgent reform in an industry built on exclusion.
Directors: Mary Pryor, Mara Whitehead
Screenwriters: Not listed
Producers: Ashaki “Saki” Fenderson, Luke Anderson, Justin Benoliel
Cast: George Jage, Wendy Campbell, Wanda James, Hope Wiseman, Amber Senter, Sahir Al-Salam, Chaney Turner, Whitney Beatty, Mary Pryor, Luke Anderson, Matha Figaro, Kim James, Chonsie Bullock, Rhavin McSweany, DJ Qwesscoast, Peter Roman, Jessica Jackson, Brittany Carbone, Kika Keith, Kika Howze, Shekinah Shakur, Tess Melody Taylor, Ms Kindness Ramirez
Freeman Vines | New York Premiere
Freeman Vines built his first guitar when he was a teenager. Now 82-years-old and battling multiple myeloma, he’s desperately trying to make a guitar that can reproduce an elusive sound the instrument made decades ago. The search and his artwork took on even more significance a few years ago when Freeman acquired a stack of lumber from a tree used in the lynching of a young Black man named Oliver Moore. In a sprawling storefront shop in Fountain, a town of 130 souls in eastern North Carolina, Vines lives and hand-carves guitars (as well as other objects) that speak to his lifelong conflict with racism in this region. A portrait of a true fine artist, Freeman Vines has found a way to create while surviving in a complex world.
Directors: Tim Kirkman, André Robert Lee
Producer: Gill Holland
Cast: Freeman Vines, Tim Duffy, Zoe van Buren, Rev. Alice Vines
Pavilhão | World Premiere
Set in Rio de Janeiro, Aleksia wanders on a journey through time, unveiling the origins of samba and its emergence from resilience, joy, spirituality and resistance of her Afro-Brazilian community.
Director: Victoria Fiore
Screenwriters: Victoria Fiore, Jorge Amarelloh
Producers: Victoria Fiore
Cast: Aleksia Victoria de Medeiros Teixeira, Jorge Amarelloh, Dandara Ventapane, Raphael Rodrigues, G.R.E.S. Paraiso do Tuiuti
Sunny | International Premiere
Eighteen-year-old guitarist Fito dreams of a music career abroad but struggles to let go of his past love, Sunny. Seeing her with someone new, he makes a radical decision.
Director: German Gruber Jr.
Screenwriter: German Gruber Jr.
Producers: Sabine Veendendaal, Jeroen Beker, Ewoud Bon, German Gruber Jr.
Cast: Thayzhean Aniseto, Sharlianne Beaumont, Melissa Corea, Bert Aengenendt
Little Monsters | New York Premiere
Today, visually impaired teenager Erwan can’t wait to get to school to declare his love for Agathe. Unfortunately, he first has to share a transport with David, a wheelchair-bound suck-up.
Director: Pablo Léridon
Screenwriter: Pablo Léridon
Producers: Eliott Khayat, Hugo Tomes
Cast: Samuel Kalambay Kunda, Oscar Bloess, Alice de Lenquesaing, Gloria de Paris
The Lord of All Future Space & Time | World Premiere
With the help of a duffle bag from the future, a grief-stricken cowboy avenges the death of his wife.
Director: Chris Paul Russell
Screenwriter: Chris Paul Russell
Producers: Dana Guerin, Joy Sirott Hurwitz, Cindi Rice, Karl Stelter
Cast: Roy Williams Jr., Mark Benninghofen
Neverland | World Premiere
A 200-year-old vampire takes his newly initiated love on her first feed.
Director: Ti West
Screenwriters: Scott Mescudi, Ti West
Producer: Kacie Lehner
Cast: Kid Cudi, Kiernan Shipka, Brittany Snow, Haley Joel Osment, Cary Elwes, Brandon Scott
Ovary Acting | World Premiere
While stuck at her sister’s baby shower, a thirty-something woman is forced to decide whether she wants to have kids or not after unexpectedly giving birth to her reproductive organs.
Director: Ida Melum
Screenwriter: Laura Jayne Tunbridge
Producers: Kjersti Greger, Michelle Brøndum, Johan Edström
Cast: Synnøve Karlsen, Sofia Oxenham, Katy Secombe, Jordan John, Daisy-May Parsons, Ellie Redshaw
The Quinta’s Ghost | World Premiere
In seclusion at La Quinta del Sordo, Goya confronts illness, memories, and haunting visions, exorcising his demons through the Black Paintings—sacrificing peace, sanity, and self to immortalize his torment.
Director: James A. Castillo
Screenwriters: Julio A. Serrano, James A. Castillo
Producers: Raul Rocha, James A. Castillo
Cast: Maribel Verdú
Rise | World Premiere
A charismatic young boy who lives on a rubbish dump in Zimbabwe convinces a reclusive boxing coach to teach him to fight in a world that has left him behind.
Director: Jessica J. Rowlands
Screenwriter: Jessica J. Rowlands
Producers: Joe Njagu
Cast: Tongayi Chirisa, Sikhanyiso Ngwenya, Edmet D
The Singers | New York Premiere
An impromptu sing-off will decide the best singer in the bar tonight.
Director: Sam Davis
Screenwriter: Sam Davis
Producers: Jack Piatt, David Breschel, Charlie Cohen
Cast: Mike Young, Chris Smither, Will Harrington, Judah Kelly, Matt Corcoran
Rock The Bells | No Premiere
After 40 years, LL Cool J’s “Rock the Bells” finally gets an official video—a black and white celebration of New Yorkers performing verses across hip-hop’s birthplace.
Director: Gregory Brunkalla
Screenwriter: LL Cool J
Producers: Conrad Lenski
Cast: LL Cool J
ESCAPE FROM TRIBECA
One Spoon of Chocolate | World Premiere
Fresh out of jail, a military veteran relocates to a small Ohio town where many of the residents have a horrifying social agenda, leading the hardened vet to enact his own brand of brutal justice.
Director: RZA
Screenwriter: RZA
Producers: Paul Hall, Robert F. Diggs, Talani R. Diggs
Cast: Shameik Moore, Blair Underwood, RJ Cyler, Paris Jackson, Emyri Crutchfield, Michael Harney, Harry Goodwins
Queens of the Dead | World Premiere
On what should be a fun night at a Brooklyn warehouse party, an outbreak of flesh-eating zombies forces a ragtag group of drag queens, partygoers, and party-throwers to band together and somehow survive the night.
Director: Tina Romero
Screenwriters: Tina Romero, Erin Judge
Producers: Matt Miller, Natalie Metzger
Cast: Katy O’Brian, Jaquel Spivey, Nina West, Tomas Matos, Margaret Cho, Jack Haven, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Cheyenne Jackson, Riki Lindhome, Dominique Jackson, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Becca Blackwell, Eve Lindley, Tom Savini, Julie J
GALA
Yanuni | World Premiere
Both a love story and a call to action, YANUNI follows the fearless Indigenous chief Juma Xipaia, who has survived six assassination attempts as she leads a relentless fight to defend her people’s land alongside her husband, Hugo Loss, a steely Special Forces Unit ranger. When she discovers she is pregnant, their battle takes on new urgency.
Director: Richard Ladkani
Screenwriter: Richard Ladkani
Producer:Juma Xipaia, Leonardo DiCaprio, Anita Ladkani, Richard Ladkani, Jennifer Davisson, Phillip Watson
Cast: Juma Xipaia, Hugo Loss
SPOTLIGHT
Still Free TC | World Premiere
Ty Dolla $ign is one of the world’s biggest musical artists, but as he begins work on his newest album, his brother Gabriel is serving a 67-year prison sentence for murder. *Still Free TC* follows the brothers over two years to explore how they ended up on such different paths, and watches as those paths converge again in a fight for clemency and self-discovery.
Producer: Krista Worby
Cast: Ty Dolla $ign
Move Ya Body: The Birth of House | NY Premiere
Elegance Bratton dives into the electrifying, Black queer roots of house music, tracing its underground rise from Chicago’s dance floors to global dominance. Fueled by rhythm, resistance, and radical joy, this pulsating documentary celebrates the trailblazing artists who turned sound into a movement — and a sanctuary.
Director: Elegance Bratton
Screenwriter: Elegance Bratton
Producer: Chester Algernal Gordon, Elegance Bratton
Cast: Vince Lawrence, Marshall Jefferson, Lena Waithe, ‘Screamin’ Rachel Kane, Byron Stingily, Malik Shakur, Lady D, Celeste Alexander, Kevin Aviance, Lori Branch
The Sixth Borough | World Premiere
This vibrant documentary explores Long Island’s indelible impact on hip-hop’s evolution, told through the voices of pioneering artists who shaped the genre. The suburban landscape inspired a distinctive sound that expanded hip-hop beyond NYC, while also challenging the false promises of suburban utopia.
Director: Jason Pollard
Producer: Jennifer Ollman, Katie Taber
Wizkid: Long Live Lagos | World Premiere
From Lagos to London, this powerful documentary follows Wizkid’s rise as a global icon reshaping how Africa is seen — and heard — around the world. Blending intimate moments, explosive performances, and cultural commentary, the film captures how Wizkid is using his platform to change perceptions, reclaim African identity, and inspire a new generation.
Director: Karam Gill
Screenwriter: Karam Gill
Producer: Karam Gill, Daniel Malikyar
Cast: Femi Anikulapo-Kuti, Ayodeji Balogun (Wizkid), Jada Pollock, Julie Adenuga, Seni Saraki, Sunday Are, Matthew Temitope Solomon, Karen Binns, Adosu Segan, Tops Bademosi
SPOTLIGHT NARRATIVE
How to Train Your Dragon | New York Premiere
As an ancient threat endangers Vikings and dragons alike on the isle of Berk, the unlikely friendship between Hiccup, an inventive Viking, and Toothless, a Night Fury dragon, becomes the key to both species forging a new future together.
Director: Dean DeBlois
Screenwriter: Dean DeBlois
Producers: Marc Platt, Dean DeBlois, Adam Siegel
Cast: Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Julian Dennison, Nick Frost
K-Pops! | US Premiere
Anderson .Paak directs and stars in this joyful musical comedy as BJ, a down-on-his-luck journeyman musician who takes a gig in Seoul with the house band of a K-pop competition show, only to discover one of the show’s aspiring superstars is his long-lost son.
Director: Anderson .Paak
Screenwriters: Anderson .Paak, Khaila Amazan
Producers: Greg Silverman, Anderson .Paak, Jon Berg, Jaeson Ma, Jonnie Park
Cast: Anderson .Paak, Soul Rasheed, Jee Young Han, Jonnie “Dumbfoundead” Park, Yvette Nicole Brown
She Dances | World Premiere
Harried dad Jason and teenage daughter Claire confront their fractured relationship against the unlikely backdrop of the Young Miss Southeast Regional Dance Finals in this charming, heartfelt father-daughter comedy.
Director: Rick Gomez
Screenwriters: Rick Gomez, Steve Zahn
Producers: Jenny Gomez, Mandi Reno, Jenifer Westphal, Steve Zahn, Rick Gomez, Coby Toland, Jason Reed
Cast: Steve Zahn, Ethan Hawke, Sonequa Martin-Green, Mackenzie Ziegler, Rosemarie DeWitt, Audrey Zahn
A Tree Fell in the Woods | World Premiere
What happens when a tree falls in the woods and someone does hear it? Two couples are forced to deal with such a question—and their lives in general—when a New Year’s Eve trip to the woods unearths simmering feelings and the secrets they carry threaten to break their seemingly perfect relationships.
Director: Nora Kirkpatrick
Screenwriter: Nora Kirkpatrick
Producers: Lynette Howell Taylor, Samantha Housman
Cast: Alexandra Daddario, Daveed Diggs, Josh Gad, Ashley Park
Tow | World Premiere
Based on a true story, this poignant and inspiring underdog story follows Amanda, an unhoused woman living in her car who fights a predatory towing company when they refuse to return her stolen vehicle.
Director: Stephanie Laing
Screenwriters: Jonathan Keasey, Brant Boivin, Annie Weisman
Producers: Brent Stiefel, Stephanie Laing, Samantha Nisenboim, Rose Byrne, Danyelle Foord
Cast: Rose Byrne, Octavia Spencer, Dominic Sessa, Ariana DeBose, Demi Lovato, Simon Rex
SPOTLIGHT NARRATIVE
She Runs the World | World Premiere
Allyson Felix is the most decorated track and field athlete of all time. At the height of her career, she faced a life-threatening pregnancy—and a 70% pay cut from Nike, exposing a sports industry lacking maternal protections. But Felix turned adversity into action, redefining what it means to be a champion and sparking a movement far beyond the track.
Director: Perri Peltz, Matthew O’Neill
Screenwriter: Not listed
Producers: Lisa Binns
Cast: Allyson Felix, Wes Felix, Marlean Felix, Dr. Paul Felix, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Bob Kersee, Joanna Hayes, Pat Connolly
The Shadow Scholars | North American Premiere
Oxford professor Patricia Kingori uncovers Kenya’s hidden essay mills where highly educated yet underemployed writers produce academic papers for wealthy Western students.
Director: Eloïse King
Screenwriter: Eloïse King
Producers: Eloïse King, Anna Smith Tenser, Bona Orakwue, Tabs Breese
The Inquisitor | World Premiere
In 1972, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan became the first Southern Black woman to join Congress, one of many firsts in her career as a trailblazing political leader. Looking at her life both in and out of the limelight, this insightful documentary explores how her voice still resonates today.
Director: Angela Lynn Tucker
Screenwriter: Not listed
Producers: Angela Lynn Tucker, Moira Griffin, Trevite Willis
Cast: Barbara Jordan, Alfre Woodard, Dan Rather, Jasmine Crockett, Rodney Ellis, Jewell Jackson McCabe
It’s Dorothy! | World Premiere
Since her first adventure in L. Frank Baum’s classic “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” Dorothy Gale has been on countless more journeys, reintroduced and reimagined in exciting ways, and become a cultural touchpoint for many. In her 125th year, her legacy is explored in this joyous and engaging documentary.
Director: Jeffrey McHale
Screenwriter: Jeffrey McHale
Producers: Ariana Garfinkel, Zel McCarthy, Suzanne Zionts
Cast: Ashanti, Fairuza Balk, Danielle Hope, Nichelle Lewis, Shanice Shantay, Rufus Wainwright, Lena Waithe, John Waters, Margaret Cho
I Was Born This Way | World Premiere
In 1977, Archbishop Carl Bean made history by recording his disco hit “I Was Born this Way,” celebrated as the world’s first gay anthem, and setting the stage for a revolution in queer music. All-star interviews with Lady Gaga, Questlove, Billy Porter, and Dionne Warwick, paint a portrait of a larger-than-life figure who left an indelible mark on the genre and paved the way for future generations of LGBTQ+ artists to find their voice in mainstream music.
Directors: Daniel Junge, Sam Pollard
Screenwriter: Not listed
Producers: Wellington Love, Jed Alan, Daniel Junge
Cast: Archbishop Carl Bean, Billy Porter, Questlove, Lady Gaga, Dionne Warwick, Rep. Maxine Waters
US Narrative Competition
Bird in Hand | World Premiere
Bird returns home to visit her mom in search of the perfect wedding venue, but much to everyone’s surprise, she is actually on the hunt for something else.
Director: Melody C. Roscher
Screenwriter: Melody C. Roscher
Producer: Craig Shilowich, Alex Schepsman, Danielle Massie, Cody Ryder, Sam Bisbee, Saba Zerehi
Cast: Alisha Wainwright, Christine Lahti, James Le Gros, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Jeffrey Nordling, K. Todd Freeman
The Travel Companion | World Premiere
Struggling documentarian Simon relies on his friend Bruce’s airline job to get free flights as his travel companion. But when Bruce starts dating Beatrice, Simon obsessively clings to his precious perk.
Director: Travis Wood, Alex Mallis
Screenwriter: Alex Mallis, Travis Wood, Weston Auburn
Producer: Weston Auburn, Travis Wood, Alex Mallis
Cast: Tristan Turner, Anthony Oberbeck, Naomi Asa
VIEWPOINT
Kites | World Premiere
In a magical realist world where you can have a conversation with your guardian angel, Duvo, a 25-year-old gangster, searches for peace and redemption from a life marked by crime in this beautifully lyrical look at life in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro.
Director: Walter Thompson-Hernández
Screenwriter: Walter Thompson-Hernández
Producers: Walter Thompson-Hernández
Cast: Daniel Fernando do Prado Dorea Lima, Phillipe Augusto da Silva Souza, Larissa Borges, Thiago Oliveira, João Vittor Pedroza
Widow Champion | World Premiere
In rural Kenya, where tribalism and patriarchal values rule, a subjugated group of women who have lost their husbands and therefore the rights to their inherited land turn to a last resort: the Widow Champion, Rodah Nafula Wekesa.
Director: Zippy Kimundu
Producers: Heather Courtney, Zippy Kimundu
Participant: Rodah Nafula Wekesa
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
For Venida, for Kalief | World Premiere
Kalief Browder’s story unfolds in full when his life, and that of his mother, Venida Brodnax Browder, are tragically derailed by years of malintent from the justice system. Venida’s poems serve as a guiding thread through this emotional journey, blending archival footage and contemporary political movements to honor the Browder family’s powerful legacy, both within their community and beyond.
Director: Sisa Bueno
Screenwriter: Venida Brodnax Browder
Producer: Sisa Bueno, David Felix Sutcliffe, Paola Gadala-Maria, Jasmine Mans
Cast: Jasmine Mans, Venida Browder, Akeem Browder, Kamal Browder, Deion Browder, Coby Kennedy
Sun Ra: Do The Impossible | World Premiere
A biographical, musical, illuminating journey into the work and vision of Sun Ra, exploring his jazz roots, endless innovations, and ceaseless artistic and social quests.
Director: Christine Turner
Screenwriter: Not listed
Producer: Christine Turner
Cast: Not listed
INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE COMPETITION
The Wolf, the Fox and the Leopard | World Premiere
A feral girl who has spent her life living among wolves is taken on an odyssey through contemporary human life while the threat of climate apocalypse looms.
Director: David Verbeek
Screenwriter: David Verbeek
Producers: Erik Glijnis, Leontine Petit, Judy Tossell
Cast: Jessica Reynolds, Nicholas Pinnock, Marie Jung, Naomi Kawase, Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen