Tribeca Film Festival Announces Film Program and the Midnight Selection Looks Damn Solid!
Jonathan Barkan
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The annual Tribeca Film Festival has released the program for its 16th iteration, which includes a bevy of Midnight selections that are sure to please fans of horror and thrillers. Taking place April 19th-30th, the festival will present a total of 98 feature-length titles, although the Festival decided to reduce the overall program by 20% to create a highly focused event.
Films that will be of interest include The Endless, the new film from Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, the two behind the brilliant Spring; Psychopaths, which comes from Mickey Keating (Carnage Park, Darling, Pod); Devil’s Gate, which comes from Clay Staub (2nd unit director on The Thing, Dawn of the Dead, and 300), plus several more. You can read descriptions of them below. Most of these will air during the Festival’s Midnight Selections portion, which they promise offers “…experiences for even the most extreme viewer.”
Cara Cusumano, Tribeca’s new Director of Programming, explains: “It’s uncertain and tumultuous times like these that we need artists and storytellers the most, and this year’s program is a testament to the unending capacity of film for impact, empathy, and even much needed escapism. Each in their own way, these 98 films fill me with optimism and inspiration at the unique power of our medium and the eyes of a talented filmmaker to inspire, challenge, and maybe even change the world.”
Per the official press release, the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival “…includes films from 28 countries, including 78 World Premieres, six International Premieres, six North American Premieres, two U.S. Premieres, and six New York Premieres.”
Ticket packages are already available on Tribeca’s website. Single ticket sales open on March 28th.
The Endless:
Years after escaping a cult as teenagers, brothers Aaron and Justin return to their former home after receiving a mysterious message. While Aaron is quickly drawn back into the fold, Justin remains uneasy. However, neither can deny it when strange events begin happening that seem to mirror the cult’s unusual axioms. Following their Tribeca breakout, Resolution, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead direct and star in another intensely original genre hybrid. With Tate Ellington, Callie Hernandez, James Jordan, and Lew Temple. Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, written by Justin Benson.
Sweet Virginia:
Jon Bernthal, Rosemarie DeWitt, Imogen Poots, Odessa Young, and a spectacular Christopher Abbott star in this gritty neo-Western with echoes of the early Coen Brothers: a burglary-homicide rattles the residents of a small Alaska town. Jamie Dagg’s sophomore feature is a haunting drama about the predator in each of us and the prices we pay to start over. Directed by Jamie Dagg, written by The China Brothers.
Devil’s Gate:
Struggling to overcome a recent professional tragedy, a tough-as-nails FBI agent (Amanda Schull) relocates to a small North Dakota town to investigate the disappearance of a local woman and her young son. The search leads to the missing woman’s husband’s (Milo Ventimiglia) secluded farm, on which answers, new mysteries, and God-fearing terrors await. Not to mention, something locked and caged down in the basement. With Shawn Ashmore, Bridget Regan, and Jonathan Frakes. Directed by Clay Staub, written by Peter Aperlo and Clay Staub.
Dumb: The Story of Big Brother Magazine:
Dumb: The Story of Big Brother Magazine charts the rise and fall of the irreverent, boundary-pushing “Big Brother Magazine,” whose taboo-breaking stunts and unapologetically crass humor spawned MTV’s “Jackass” and a generation of skaters. Featuring a trove of original footage and interviews with the magazine’s major players, Dumb celebrates the lowbrow legacy of this touchstone of 90’s counterculture. With Johnny Knoxville, Spike Jonze, Steve Rocco, Bam Margera, Steve-O, Tony Hawk, and Chad Muska. A Hulu release. Directed by Patrick O’Dell.
Hounds of Love:
Dark forces lurk behind the sunny façade of an unassuming Australian suburb in Ben Young’s stylish directorial debut. This ‘80s-set true crime thriller follows 17-year-old Vicki on the night she’s abducted by a disturbed couple. While bound to a bed inside of the kidnappers’ home and subjected to psychological and physical torture, Vicki must find a way to drive a wedge between her unhinged captors and escape by any means necessary. With Emma Booth, Ashleigh Cummings, Stephen Curry, Susie Porter, Damian de Montemas, and Harrison Gilbertson. A Gunpowder & Sky release. Presented in partnership with Venice Days. Directed and written by Ben Young.
Psychopaths
Over the course of one excessively blood-soaked night, multiple serial killers’ paths cross, leaving a trail of bodies and begging the question: Which psychopath will live to see morning? One of the most exciting and unclassifiable new voices in indie horror, Mickey Keating delivers his wildest ride yet with this ultra-stylish and uber-violent descent into madness. With Ashley Bell, James Landry Hébert, Mark Kassen, Angela Trimbur, Larry Fessenden, Jeremy Gardner, and Sam Zimmerman. Directed and written by Mickey Keating.
Super Dark Times:
Teenagers Zach and Josh have been best friends their whole lives, but when a gruesome accident leads to a cover-up, the secret drives a wedge between them and propels them down a rabbit hole of escalating paranoia and violence in Kevin Phillips’ atmospheric ‘90s-set mystery-thriller. With Owen Campbell, Charlie Tahan, Elizabeth Cappuccino, Max Talisman, Sawyer Barth, and Amy Hargreaves. Directed by Kevin Phillips, written by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski.
Tilt:
There’s something off about Joe. Although his pregnant girlfriend, Joanne, supports him as he devotes more and more time to his passion project, a sprawling documentary about America’s “golden age,” both the film and Joe are becoming increasingly unhinged. Joanne is growing worried about Joseph’s odd behavior… but not as worried as she should be. With Joseph Cross, Alexia Rasmussen, Kelvin Yu, Jessy Hodges, and CS Lee. Directed by Kasra Farahani, written by Jason O’Leary and Kasra Farahani.
Thumper:
This suspenseful crime drama follows Kat Carter (Eliza Taylor), the troubled new girl in a school harboring a deep secret. When she attracts the attention of the volatile gang leader Wyatt (a menacing Pablo Schreiber), Kat’s own hidden secrets threaten to put her life in danger. Executive produced by Cary Fukunaga, the film features raw supporting turns from Lena Headey, Daniel Webber, Ben Feldman, and Grant Harvey. Directed and written by Jordan Ross.
My Friend Dahmer:
Before Jeffrey Dahmer became one of the most notorious serial killers of all time, he was a teenage loner. Conducting grisly experiments in a makeshift backyard lab, Jeff was invisible to most, until his increasingly bizarre behavior unexpectedly attracted friends. Based on the cult graphic novel, My Friend Dahmer chronicles the origins of the man, the monster…the high school senior. With Ross Lynch, Anne Heche, Dallas Roberts, Alex Wolff, Tommy Nelson, and Vincent Kartheiser. Directed and written by Marc Meyers.
Pilgrimage:
In 13th-century Ireland, a cadre of monks travel through the war-torn countryside on a mission to bring their land’s most sacred relic to Rome. But other forces are gaining on them, as the true significance of the relic becomes dangerously apparent. A period drama crossed with an action/adventure road movie, Pilgrimage delivers a profound lesson on religious fervor and the savagery of soldiers with a cause. With Tom Holland, Richard Armitage, Jon Bernthal, John Lynch, Stanley Weber. Directed by Brendan Muldowney, written by Jamie Hannigan.
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