The Tribeca Film Institute said on Thursday that it will fund 11 projects a part of its 10th Annual Tribeca All Access program, with a total of $150,000 in grants going to 10 different filmmakers.
Ten filmmakers with unfinished projects were culled from 560 submissions across the country, with an additional project being selected to participate through the Total Access program's partnership with the Canadian Film Centre.
All told, the projects include six narrative films and five documentaries, which will be presented during this year's Tribeca Film Festival, which takes place April 27-28.
In addition to $15,000 each, the filmmakers will receive year-round support, guidance, and resources for filmmakers to help advance their projects toward completion.
Here's the list of projects.
Documentaries
"Long Year Begin," directed and produced by Malika Zouhali-Worrall and David Osit – An icy vault in the Arctic Circle safely stores seeds from around the world, but there is no such vault for humans or nations. Long Year Begin offers a poetic meditation on humanity’s perpetual quest for self-preservation.
"Roots & Webs," directed by Sara Dosa, Produced by Josh Penn – Amid the bustling frontier world of Oregon’s matsutake mushroom camps, an unexpected father-son pair endures a tumultuous mushroom-hunting season. They grapple with wounds from Southeast Asian wars, attempting to find the high-priced mushroom before snowfall. An odyssey into the woods, into the memory of war and survival, Roots & Webs tells a story of family from enigmatic woodland realm.
"(T)Error, " directed and produced by Lyric R. Cabral and David F. Sutcliffe – (T)Error captures the spectacular unraveling of an active FBI counterterrorism sting operation, and the dramatic aftermath that occurs when the target of the investigation realizes that a government informant is setting him up.
"Time Is Illmatic," directed and produced by One9, produced by Erik Parker – A feature length documentary film told through the lens of rapper Nas and his bluesman father Olu Dara, Time Is Illmatic deconstructs Nas' indelible rap album Illmatic and the socio-economic and cultural conditions that inspired the landmark work and gave voice to a generation.
"Unveiling Shirin," directed and produced by Nariman Hamed, produced by Victorien and Anna Lena Vaney – A feature length documentary film about the artist and filmmaker Shirin Neshat that takes us inside Shirin’s world and explores her life and work. It is the story of her life and challenges as a female Iranian artist living in exile.
Narratives
"If You Stay," written, directed, and produced by Roja Gashtilli; written and directed by Julia Lerman – Iranian-born, American-bred Elham "Ellie" Amiri runs out of patience with her All-American lover and America when neither seems to want to commit to her. Coming of age meets coming to America in this moving and imaginative comedy about youth, identity and sexual politics in NYC.
"Khoya," written and directed by Sami Khan; produced by Karen Shaw; executive producer Guneet Monga– After the death of his adopted mother, a Canadian man travels to rural India desperately searching for the birth family he’s never known and seeking to unravel the mystery surrounding his adoption.
"The Lobbyists," written, directed, and produced by Terence Nance; produced by Andrew Corkin; produced by Chanelle Pearson; produced by James Bartlett – A conman with no past and a former CIA agent join forces to “lobby” politicians by blackmailing them into voting for progressive legislation.
"Obvious Child," written and directed by Gillian Robespierre; produced by Elisabeth Holm – In this subversive romantic comedy about growing up without regret, 27 year-old emerging comic Donna Stern (Jenny Slate) gets dumped, fired, pregnant, and has the best worst Valentine's Day of her life.
"Papaw Easy," written and directed by Martha Stephens; written by Karrie Crouse; produced by Brett Potter – Under the watchful eye of his vain, ‘Modern Christian’ uncle, a shy young boy forges an unlikely partnership with a foul-mouthed, down and out playboy.
The narrative project selected to participate from the Canadian Film Centre is "Combarde," written and directed by Boris Rodriguez; produced by Anne-Marie Gelinas and Concepcion Taboada – A union organizer in Mexico loses his job and joins a band of corrupt detectives planning to kidnap the company’s owner.
