June 7, 2021
In February 2020, right before most of the world closed shop and weathered the storm of the pandemic and a lamentable year of politics, my partner and I made a trip to New York City to celebrate, among other things, my birthday. Stocking up on almost a dozen Broadway and off-Broadway shows, checking out The View (and getting free Janet Jackson concert tickets just for being in the audience!), eating great food, and doing a little exploration when we could, who would have guessed that the city that never sleeps would be forced into bed a little over a month later?
Luckily, writing about movies can happen no matter where you are, and I was able to keep up the pace with new films that trickled out as well the interesting selection of smaller features I wouldn’t have had the time to see if I was going from summer blockbuster to summer blockbuster. In many ways, this was a great time for those who truly loved film because it gave us the opportunity to expand and expound on what we do. It also forced us to get creative.
That’s how I wound up covering the 56th Chicago International Film Festival. Held in October and featuring a populous roster of titles any critic worth their salt would leap at the chance to provide their thoughts on, when it was over, I kept my eyes open for another film festival that would provide the same kind of line-up. Now that we’re past the holidays and the hump of everyone getting vaccinated, movie theaters are looking to re-open and I’m experiencing a full circle moment as I get ready to hunker down and see what wonders the 20th-anniversay Tribeca Film Festival has to offer.
Whether you are in New York City to attend the fest in person or on the other side of the country and planning to purchase a ticket to a virtual screening, there are bounty of options to choose from. To help wheedle things down if you’re as indecisive as I am, you can read my curtain raiser preview of their feature films, shorts, or virtual-only titles available. I already must thank the wonderful staff of Tribeca and the numerous PR films for making this experience such an absolute joy – and we’ve only just begun.
Thanks for being here – let’s head to Tribeca!
Joe
The MN Movie Man
P.S. We never did get to use those Janet Jackson tickets…
Curtain Raiser Previews:
Feature Films
Shorts
Virtual-Only
Reviews:
Tribeca
Tribeca – The Sequel
Tribeca – The Final Entry
