It’s that time of the year in New York City when film lovers, buffs, and journalists come out in droves to get their dose of new, buzz-worthy movies at the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), New York City’s annual celebration of cinema and television (and now virtual reality). Now in its 18th year, the festival runs through May 5th and showcases more than 100 fiction and non-fiction features from around the globe.
Here at offMetro we’re both film lovers and New York City enthusiasts so, we are especially excited about the films and programs that have a connection to NYC. So, we scoured the agenda and found the best films, TV shows, and documentaries at TFF about our hometown: New York City.
Director/Screenwriter Selina Miles documentary is about Martha Cooper, a photographer who recorded life in New York City in the 1970s and 1980s. Cooper took photos of graffiti and hip hop culture during a time when the city declared war on the new art form. The film showcases the people and culture that Cooper photographed. It’s also about her determination to be a photographer despite adversity and how she became an icon to a growing movement of street artists.
April 25th, 8:45pm, Village East Cinema – 03
April 26th, 8pm, Regal Cinemas Battery Park 11-6
April 30th, 9:30pm, Village East Cinema – 07
May 1st, 3:45pm, Village East Cinema – 04
The Apollo Theater is known as Harlem’s’ legendary performance space and has a rich 85-years history. Oscar-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams created a documentary about the Apollo to uncover its history and share clips and interviews with pivotal artists who have walked through the theater and performed there, including Patti LaBelle, Pharrell Williams, Smokey Robinson, and Jamie Foxx. “The Apollo” goes beyond the history of the theater, looking at how the struggle of black lives in America has evolved and also examining the role of art that is personified by the Apollo itself.
Showings:
Saturday, April 27th, 12:15pm, Regal Cinemas Battery Park 11-11
Monday, April 29th, 6pm, SVA Theater 1 Silas
If you live in New York, there is no doubt you’re very familiar with Woodstock, a popular rock concert that took place over the course of three days in Bethel (located in the Catskills) in 1969. Woodstock was the concert of all concerts, with a history like none other. Filmmaker Barak Goodman focuses on how it came to be, who was responsible for it, who attended, and the resources that were overwhelmed when 400,000 people showed up that summer weekend. You’ll recognize the performers in the film – from Joan Baez to Jimi Hendrix.
Showings:
April 28th, 5pm, The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Theater from Chase
April 30th, 6:45pm, Village East Cinema – 04
May 1st, 3:15pm, Village East Cinema – 06
May 4th, 2L30pm, Regal Cinemas Battery Park 11-5
“The Projectionist,” by filmmaker Abel Ferrara, takes place in New York City. This feature documentary, which is having its world premiere at TFF, is about Nick Nicolau, a veteran of the New York exhibition scene who ran multiple independent theaters for decades. While tracing Nicolau’s steps in NYC, Ferrara also chronicles the history of film in New York, going back to the pornographic movie houses of the 1970s leading up to the challenges facing the industry today.
Showings:
April 28th, 9:30pm, Village East Cinema – 07
April 30th, 8:30pm, Regal Cinemas Battery Park 11-1
May 3rd, 8:30pm, Regal Cinemas Battery Park 11-1
Director/Producer Sean Lewis created a TV series about a disgraced former teacher, played by Matt Dellapina, who starts tutoring struggling students around New York City while coming to grips with the impending birth of his own child. One episode of the show’s two seasons will be shown at this year’s TFF.
Showings:
April 25th, 9:15pm, Regal Cinemas Battery Park 11-10
April 30th, 9:45pm, Regal Cinemas Battery Park 11-10
Photographer: Gregory Wilson
Director/Screenwriter Daniel Schechter’s New York City comedy explores how people face the modern crises in their lives—both natural and self-inflicted. Justin Long plays a professor who causes trouble on his campus. His family is equally dysfunctional, causing a professional and personal crisis. The feature film is having its world premiere at TFF.
Showings:
April 29th, 7:30pm, Village East Cinema – 01
April 30th, 9pm, Regal Cinemas Battery Park 11-11
May 3rd, 6:30pm, Regal Cinemas Battery Park 11-5
May 4th, 9pm, Village East Cinema – 01
“Good Posture” is a feature film that takes place in Brooklyn about a film school graduate
who moves in with her boyfriend. Fed up with her sense of entitlement and lack of drive, he breaks up with her. Subsequently, she moves into a Brooklyn brownstone with a writer . The movie explores their clash of personalities and subsequent growth and change. The film was written and directed by Dolly Wells, who hails from the UK, and starred in “Dolly & Em” on HBO, which she co-created with Emily Mortimer.
Showings:
April 27th, 3:30pm, SVA Theater 1 Silas
April 29th, 6:45pm, Village East Cinema – 0
May 1st, 6:30pm, Regal Cinemas Battery Park 11-10
May 4th, 12:15pm, Regal Cinemas Battery Park 11-11
offMetro will be at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival! Follow along on instagram for updates.
Holly Rosen Fink is a marketing consultant and culture and travel writer living in Larchmont, New York
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Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
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Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram