Fifty percent of the film’s screening in competition sections at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival are women-directed or co-directed, and plenty more titles from female filmmakers appear in the fest’s other programs. Set to kick off April 24, this year’s edition of Tribeca features films as varied as a documentary following a transgender man’s journey to a fictionalized reimagining of Patty Hearst’s kidnapping from the perspective of a pacifist activist.
We’ve collected some of the the features screening at the fest that have caught our attention. This list is by no means exhaustive — the fest is hosting plenty of other films by and about women. We’ll begin rolling out interviews with women screening films in competition this week.
Tribeca Film Fest runs until May 5.
Plot synopses courtesy of the fest.
“Leftover Women” (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia
“Leftover Women”
What it’s about: In China, single women are under immense pressure to marry young or face the stigma that comes with being “leftover.” Through marriage markets, matchmakers, and government-sponsored dating festivals, “Leftover Women” follows three hopeful singles seeking to define love on their own terms.
Why we’re excited: To borrow a phrase from “The World According to Garp,” single women are sexual suspects. Even with feminism’s recent gains in momentum and influence, if you’re a romantically unattached female over the age of, say, 24, chances are you’ve had to deal with other people’s invasive questions, pity, and/or general confusion. For women in China, this spinsterphobia is dialed up to 11, according to Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia’s new documentary. “Leftover Women” turns a spotlight on the stigma of being a single lady in China and depicts the lengths some women will go to in order to avoid the label “leftover.” In the process, hopefully the film will also emphasize just how ridiculous it is to completely define a woman — not to mention shame her — based on her marital status.
“A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem” (Documentary) – Directed by Yu Gu; Written by Elizabeth Ai
“A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem”
What it’s about: Football and feminism collide in this documentary that follows former NFL cheerleaders battling the league to end wage theft and illegal employment practices that have persisted for 50 years.
Why we’re excited: The NFL’s cheerleaders spend a lot of time on the sidelines, but they take center stage in “A Woman’s Work,” and we’re eager to cheer them on as they fight for fair compensation. “This film is at the intersection of several worlds, including football, women’s rights, and labor rights,” director Yu Gu told us in a soon-to-be published interview. “At the heart of it all, the film is about women who are brave enough to stand up and rebel against the only community that they’ve known since childhood, in order to do what’s right. They stand up against a toxic tradition, a multibillion male-dominated corporation, and the religious fervor of America’s favorite pastime.” Cheerleaders’ athletic feats have long been overshadowed by the emphasis on their physical appearance. We’re hopeful that this doc will serve as a wake-up call. It’s time to stop underestimating cheerleaders — and undervaluing their labor.
“Seahorse” (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Jeanie Finlay
“Seahorse”
What it’s about: Director Jeanie Finlay charts a transgender man’s path to parenthood after he decides to carry his child himself. The pregnancy prompts an unexpected and profound reckoning with conventions of masculinity, self-definition, and biology.
Why we’re excited: Seahorse reproduction involves females depositing eggs into males’ pouches. The male seahorses carry the eggs until their young emerge, essentially bearing their offspring. While we tend to think of pregnancy as being an exclusively feminine experience, it’s not — like the animal it’s named for, “Seahorse” proves that. The story of a trans man carrying his own baby to term, Jeanie Finlay’s doc challenges our own preconceptions and biases concerning fatherhood, sex, and gender. It also delves into what reproduction and parenthood might be like for a trans person who wants children, an aspect of the trans experience the mainstream hasn’t really discussed.
“Good Posture” – Written and Directed by Dolly Wells
What it’s about: Adrift, unmotivated, and only slightly spoiled, Lilian has been pawned off on family friends in Brooklyn, New York, one of whom is a famous, and famously aloof, writer. Lilian decides to make a documentary — unauthorized, of course — about her hermit housemate.
Why we’re excited: Dolly Wells has been stealing scenes in TV and film on both sides of the pond for the past 20 years. Her many screen credits include “Doll & Em,” “Home Again,” and “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” And while she’s written before on “Doll & Em,” which she created with co-star Emily Mortimer, “Good Posture” is her first project as a director. We’re already sold on the premise — an entitled Brooklynite co-opting another person’s story to make a movie — and can’t wait to see the performances veteran actress Wells gets from her stars, who include Mortimer, Grace Van Patten, and John Early.
“37 Seconds” – Written and Directed by Hikari
“37 Seconds”
What it’s about: A breakout performance from Mei Kayama anchors Hikari’s reflective debut feature, in which a 23-year-old manga artist with cerebral palsy seeks physical, creative, and romantic autonomy.
Why we’re excited: According to Annenberg Inclusion Initiative research, just 2.5 percent of the characters in the 1,100 top-grossing films from 2007-2017 had a disability. Of the characters with disabilities, 73 percent were white and nearly 70 percent were male. Obviously, a film such as “37 Seconds” — which follows a young, independent Japanese woman with cerebral palsy — is very much needed. Protagonist Yuma (Mei Kayama) has a disability, but she refuses to let it define her. She’s also an artist, a person looking for love, and a daughter trying to do right by her family without sacrificing her own dreams. In other words, she’s a fully-formed person with agency who just happens to also have cerebral palsy. That shouldn’t be remarkable for a film debuting in 2019, but it is.
“American Woman” – Written and Directed by Semi Chellas
American Woman
What it’s about: Inspired by the headline-dominating kidnapping of heiress Patty Hearst in 1974, this atmospheric drama is a fictionalized reimagining of her time in hiding, from the perspective of Jenny, a pacifist and associate of the Symbionese Liberation Army.
Why we’re excited: Semi Chellas is telling another familiar story from an unlikely perspective. The former “Mad Men” scribe penned the script for 2018 Daisy Ridley-starrer “Ophelia,” a re-imagining of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” told from Ophelia’s point of view. Now she’s tackling a crime story that made international news — heiress Patty Hearst’s kidnapping by the Symbionese Liberation Army, a group of militant revolutionaries determined to unite people of different races, classes, and genders. Chellas is shifting the focus of the narrative to a pacifist with ties to the group, who is being played by “Downsizing” breakout Hong Chau, whom you may also recognize from “Big Little Lies” or “Homecoming.” We’re pleased to see Chau in a starring vehicle, especially one that sounds like such an interesting exploration of activism and identity.
“Buffaloed” – Directed by Tanya Wexler
What it’s about: Tribeca alum Tanya Wexler returns with a raucous comedy starring Zoey Deutch in a go-for-broke performance that tracks one woman finding her calling in an ethically debatable industry: debt collecting.
Why we’re excited: Tanya Wexler’s first feature, 2011’s “Hysteria,” was set in 1880s London and told the story of the doctor who invented the first electrical vibrator and faced intense backlash. Her follow-up, “Buffaloed,” is another underdog story. Desperate to escape her hometown of Buffalo, New York and drowning in debt, “Buffaloed” sees Zoey Deutch becoming a debt collector — and going toe-to-toe with her town’s collection agency kingpin. Not only will this film portray an industry that is all but ignored in pop culture, it will see Deutch, who was so charming in rom-com “Set It Up,” taking on a decidedly darker and more cynical character.
“At the Heart of Gold” (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Erin Lee Carr
“At the Heart of Gold”: HBO
What it’s about: In 2016, USA Gymnastics was rocked by the revelation that national team doctor Larry Nassar had been abusing young athletes for decades. Tribeca alum Erin Lee Carr’s unflinching documentary unpacks the scandal, its coverup, and aftermath, while giving voice to the survivors.
Why we’re excited: Erin Lee Carr has shown a real talent for looking beyond the surface of shocking headlines. Whether tackling Munchausen syndrome by proxy (“Mommy Dead and Dearest”) or a cannibal cop (“Thought Crimes: The Case of the Cannibal Cop”), her docs dig deep into controversial and tragic events without feeling exploitative. That sensitivity is so necessary in revisiting the horrors of what went on in USA Gymnastics under the reign of the national team’s doctor, Larry Nassar. Revelations about the heinous abuses he inflicted on athletes shocked the nation — but many in positions of power had been enabling Nassar and other predators for years. In addition to exploring the coverup, “At the Heart of Gold” features exclusive interviews with survivors, ensuring that their voices are heard loud and clear.
“Lucky Grandma” – Directed by Sasie Sealy; Written Sasie Sealy and Angela Cheng
What it’s about: Set in New York City’s Chinatown, the film follows an ornery, chain-smoking Chinese grandma who goes all in at the casino, landing herself on the wrong side of luck — and in the middle of a gang war.
Why we’re excited: “Crazy Rich Asians'” critical and commercial success proved that audiences are craving inclusive, culturally specific stories — and that seems to be exactly what “Lucky Grandma” is offering. Director Sasie Sealy’s feature debut sees a grandmother getting in way over her head when she makes a big bet at a casino and ends up part of a gang conflict. Not only is that an intriguing plot, the grandma in question is played by veteran character actress Tsai Chin. Best known for portraying Auntie Lindo in “The Joy Luck Club,” she’s appeared in supporting roles in “You Only Live Twice,” “Casino Royale,” and “Getting On.” We’re psyched to see her take center stage.
“Martha” (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Selina Miles
What it’s about: In 1970s New York, photographer Martha Cooper captured some of the first images of graffiti at a time when the city had declared war on this new artform. Decades later, Cooper has become an influential godmother to a global movement of street artists.
Why we’re excited: We’re always up for a story about a female trailblazer, and Martha Cooper is definitely that. Not only did she recognize graffiti as art many years before critics did, she used her own artistic eye to document and honor the work and its creators. “I’m excited to photograph things I’ve never seen before. Rather than trying to make art with unusual angles or shadows, I try to take a photo which clearly shows the subject,” Cooper has said. “I like to think that my photos will be archived and available to future generations as historical documents.” It’s hard to imagine anyone who sees Selina Miles’ “Martha” won’t immediately want to learn as much about the influential photographer — and see as many of her pictures — as possible.
“A Regular Woman” – Directed by Sherry Hormann
“A Regular Woman”: Mathias Bothor/NFP
What it’s about: Based on real-life events, “A Regular Woman” gives a voice to Hatun “Aynur” Sürücü, a Turkish-Kurdish woman living in Berlin with her young son, who was the victim of an honor killing by her brother at the age of 23.
Why we’re excited: Reminiscent of “Fruitvale Station,” “A Regular Woman’s” depiction of the events leading up to incredible injustice is a call to action. Aynur (Almila Bagriacik) is trying to live a life independent from her family while raising her son. She’s unaware of what’s coming — being murdered by her brother — but the audience isn’t. Viewers realize that Aynur isn’t the first or last ordinary woman to be a victim of an honor killing, or to die at the hands of her family. By watching “A Regular Woman,” you’ll want to fight to ensure no other Aynurs suffer the same fate in the future.
