Petit Mal by Ruth Caudeli
The Tribeca Festival has unveiled today the lineup for its 2022 edition, which includes 109 feature films from 40 countries, 88 of them in their world premiere, and 43 shorts in competition. Among this year’s selections there are Latinx and Latin American titles from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the United States.
As previously announced, the documentary film Halftime by Amanda Micheli, on Latina global superstar Jennifer Lopez—as she reflects on her milestones and evolution as an artist, and navigates the second half of her career continuing to entertain, empower, and inspire—will be the opening night film for the festival that will take place June 8-19 in New York City.
Participating in the U.S. Narrative Competition are Allswell by Ben Snyder, which tells the story of three Nuyorican sisters navigating the daunting life challenges of single motherhood, career, and family, all while finding humor and solace within the bonds of sisterhood in this absorbing dramedy; and the U.S.-Mexican coproduction The Drop by Sarah Adina Smith, a clever cringe comedy, in which a seemingly happy married couple confronts a test of their marriage when one of them drops a baby while at a destination wedding at a tropical island
Also competing for Best U.S. Narrative Film are the heart-racing, New York City-set dark comedy God’s Time by the Mexican-born director Daniel Antebi about two best bros in recovery for addiction trying to prevent the potential murder of their mutual crush’s ex-boyfriend; and Three Headed Beast by Latinx director Fernando Andrés, a poetic exploration of love and suppressed communication, in which the foundation of a bisexual couple’s healthy open relationship starts to show its cracks.
The Visitor by Martín Boulocq
Having its world premiere in the International Narrative Competition is the Bolivian film The Visitor / El visitante, the fourth feature film by Martín Boulocq. And atmospheric and visually-compelling drama about an ex-convict returns home in search of a new life and a chance to reconnect with his estranged young daughter, only to be met with resistance from his father-in-law—an influential pastor in the Evangelical community in town.
Competing for Best Documentary is Naked Gardens by Brazilian-born Latinx director Ivete Lucas, which uses a cheekily contemplative tone and an empathetic lens, to take the audience inside an isolated nudist community in Florida—where residents find a place to feel accepted, deal with their past traumas and jointly pursue forming a utopian society.
The Spanish film Official Competition by the Argentine directorial duo of Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat and starring Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, and Óscar Martínez is having its U.S. premiere in the Spotlight Narrative section. When a billionaire entrepreneur decides to get into the movie business, he commissions international auteur director Lola Cuevas, Hollywood heartthrob Felix Rivero, and titan of the stage Ivan Torres to collaborate on a cinematic masterpiece. But when these larger-than-life egos arrive for the shoot, they encounter an unexpected series of “rehearsals” set by Lola in this sharp showbiz satire.
Three films with Latinx and Latin American connections will have their world premiere in the Spotlight Documentary section of the film: Body Parts by Kristy Guevara-Flanagan, an eye-opening investigation into the making of Hollywood sex scenes, shedding light on the real-life experiences behind classic scenes of cinema and tracing the legacy of exploitation of women in the entertainment industry; Endangered, the Brazil, Mexico, and U.S. coproduction by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, a sobering look at the erosion of democracy & freedom of the press in the United States and abroad, with riveting access and kinetic visual flair; and The YouTube Effect by Alex Winter, a Brazil and Chile coproduction.
Sanson and Me by Rodrigo Reyes
The Viewpoints section of the festival will host the world premieres of the Colombian film Petit Mal by Spanish-born director Ruth Caudeli, her latest collaborative chronicle of queer life, about three charismatic women living in an intimate, passionate partnership must learn to navigate the shift in their dynamic when one lover is called away for a long-term project; and the documentary Sansón and Me / Sansón y yo by Mexican-American director Rodrigo Reyes, which traces a young immigrant’s path from coastal Mexico to a life sentence for murder in California in this deeply compassionate documentary that utilizes evocative recreations to explore the meaning of a life fragmented by poverty, borders, and incarceration.
Also having its New York premiere in Viewpoints are the Dominican film Carajita by Argentine directors Silvina Schnicer and Ulises Porra, about the relationship between a spoiled white Argentine teenager and the Black Dominican nanny who raised her is pushed to its limit when a night of partying leads to a troubling disappearance; and the documentary feature To the End, a timely and urgent film by Rachel Lears that follows four women including three young environmental activists and NY Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as they battle corporate greed and political gridlock in a fight for the future of our planet.
Screening in its world premiere in the Midnight section is the Mexican horror film Huesera by Michelle Garza Cervera, telling the story of Valeria, who has long dreamed about becoming a mother. After learning that she’s pregnant, she expects to feel happy, yet something’s off. Nightmarish visions and an unshakeable paranoia have her questioning what she wants, and an ancient evil spirit may be the cause.
The short film John Leguizamo Live at Rikers by Elena Francesca Engel, documenting the Latinx actor’s performance of his play Ghetto Klown at Rikers Island prison inspiring justice-involved young men to reflect openly on their own lives and the serious challenges of incarceration will be screening in Movies Plus, followed by a conversation with the creators and John Leguizamo.
Beba by Rebecca Huntt
Rebeca Huntt’s Beba, the poetic, raw, and ruthless coming of age tale, in which a young Afro-Latina from New York City stares down historical, societal, and generational trauma with unflinching courage will have its local premiere as part of Tribeca Critics’ Week; as well as the Brazilian tender drama Mars One by Gabriel Martins, about a Brazilian family that copes with an uncertain future as a far-right conservative leader rises to power. Through this time of turbulent change, the family’s optimism and deep capacity for love guides them through.
The short animation The Originals by Latina director Cristina Costantini and Alfie Koetter will screen in the shorts film program, curated by Whoopi Goldberg. The film tells the story of Matty “Square” Ruggiero and his childhood friends growing up in South Brooklyn, where money was tight but friendships were tighter.
And Tribeca programmer Jose Rodriguez curated the shorts program “Condición Humana (Human Condition)” with works from five Latin American countries: Ñaños by Emilio Subía, about two brothers who are placed at odds with each other when one reveals a sudden urge to leave their home in the heart of Corona, Queens; the Colombian short Baby / Bebé by Cristina Sánchez Salamanca telling the story of Nina, who must confront her insecurities and her fraying relationship with her father in her step-sister’s birthday; the Argentine film Paraclete / Paráclito by Tomas Maumus, in which Ricardo is all set to play Jesus in a biblical reenactment but crashes into a dilemma while traveling to the show.
“Condición Humana" will also screen Humberto Flores Jáuregui’s Mexican film Fifth of June / Cinco de junio, a reflection of police brutality, in which a group of young protesters are kidnapped by the same forces they are protesting; the Chilean short Desert Lights / Estrellas del desierto by Katherina Harder Sacre about Antay and his friends struggling to keep their drought-stricken town afloat in the Atacama desert; and Phonos / Fonos by Gabriela Badillo from Mexico, about Cloe and her grandfather, who share a fondness for sounds, which they sense, admire, absorb and catalog. But when her grandfather dies, Cloe must confront the loss of a shared passion; and Mamá by Francisco Mazziotti from Argentina, in which Mother Earth embarks on a journey of evolution and human connection.
For more information and tickets visit www.tribecafilm.com/festival.
