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Jurors include Sharon Stone, Patricia Arquette, Sanaa Lathan, Warrington Hudlin, Delroy Lindo, Elijah Wood, Bryan Cranston, Andre Holland, Margaret Cho, Hari Nef \u2013 and more. Jury members\u00a0 will select winning projects in the film, immersive, games and the festivals all new podcasts competition sections. Image courtesy TFF #TRIBECA2021<\/p><\/div>\n
The Festival has increased to 14 different competition categories; jurors will honor winning storytellers and creators with monetary awards and some will receive the soon to be announced unique Tribeca Festival Art Award supported by CHANEL; each year 10 world-class artists donate work to be presented as an award to honored filmmakers.<\/p>\n
“Storytellers rallying together, sharing their admiration and inspiring growth in one another\u2019s work is one of the <\/em>most inspiring parts of Tribeca,\u201d<\/em> Jane Rosenthal, Co-Founder and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Festival, was quoted as saying. \u201cOur jury and incredible community of talented creators are coming back to gather in-person to surround their fellow artists with support.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to the awards in competition categories, for the ninth year, the Nora Ephron Award<\/strong>, created to honor the spirit and vision of the legendary filmmaker and writer, Nora Ephron will be presented. Also, as previously announced, this year, the Festival will award the inaugural Harry Belafonte Voices For Social Justice Award <\/strong>to Stacey Abrams for her service and commitment to fighting against injustices.<\/p>\n More than 40 industry leaders were selected to honor feature length and short film categories, comprised of narrative and documentary films, as well as Storyscapes, the juried section of the Virtual Arcade. Jurors will also present the Tribeca X awards which celebrates storytelling at the intersection of entertainment and advertising. A jury has also been assembled this year to honor the best work\u00a0 in Games and to honor submissions in Tribeca\u2019s all new Podcast category.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The winning films, projects, filmmakers, storytellers, and actors in each category will be announced at the Tribeca Festival Awards Ceremony on June 17th where the first ever Persol Award will be presented.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Feature Film Competition Categories<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n The jurors for the 2021 U.S Narrative Feature Competition section are:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ana Lily Amirpour<\/strong> At the 2014 Gotham Awards, Amirpour was honored with the Bingham Ray Award, given to an emerging filmmaker with distinctive creative vision and stylistic adventurousness that stands apart from the mainstream. Her second feature, The Bad Batch, a psychedelic cannibal-western starring Jason Momoa, Suki Waterhouse, Keanu Reeves and Jim Carrey, premiered at the 2016 Venice Film Festival where it took home the Special Jury Prize. The Hollywood Reporter described the film as \u201cboth violent and dreamy \u2014 a bewitching fusion.\u201d<\/p>\n Born in England and raised in Bakersfield, Calif., Amirpour attended art school at San Francisco State University and graduated from UCLA\u2019s School of Theater, Film and Television. She has a varied background in the arts, including painting, sculpting, playing bass, and fronting an art-rock band. Her third film, a surreal fantasy-adventure story set in New Orleans, Mona Lisa and The Blood Moon, will premiere in 2021, starring Kate Hudson, Jun Jong-seo, Craig Robinson, Ed Skrein, and Evan Whitten.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Derek Cianfrance<\/strong> Bryan Cranston<\/strong> Andre Holland<\/strong> Holland made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning 2009 revival of August Wilson\u2019s Joe Turner\u2019s Come and Gone and most recently performed in Othello alongside Academy Award and Tony-Winning actor Mark Rylance at Shakespeare\u2019s Globe Theater. Other select theater credits include the Tony Award-Winning production of August Wilson\u2019s Jitney, The Whipping Man at MTC, The Public Theater\u2019s Shakespeare in the Park productions of All\u2019s Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure, Much Ado About Nothing and As You Like It.<\/p>\n Erica Huggins<\/strong> The jurors of the International Narrative Competition section are: <\/strong><\/p>\n Lesli Klainberg<\/strong> Melissa Leo <\/strong> Other notable films that followed include FROZEN RIVER and THE FIGHTER, for which she won the Oscar and Golden Globe Awards for her merciless portrayal of the domineering mother of an aspiring boxer. Her later films include THE EQUILIZER and SNOWDEN. Leo was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role in the miniseries \u201cMildred Pierce.\u201d<\/p>\n Other acclaimed television performances include her roles in \u201cTreme,\u201d \u201cWayward Pines\u201d and \u201cI\u2019m Dying up Here.\u201d Leo, a native New Yorker, is delighted to be participating in the Tribeca Festival\u2019s 20th year in her hometown.<\/p>\n Delroy Lindo<\/strong> On Broadway, Lindo received Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations, playing Herald Loomis in August Wilson\u2019s, Joe Turner\u2019s Come and Gone; and played Walter Lee in A Raisin in the Sun (Helen Hayes Award Nomination\/NAACP Image Award, Best Actor). Lindo directed The Blue Door and Joe Turner\u2019s Come and Gone to critical acclaim at Berkeley Repertory Theater; and won a LA Theater Weekly Award directing Medal of Honor Rag. Lindo has an Honorary Doctorate in Arts and Humanities from Virginia Union University; a BFA degree (cum laude) from SF State University; and an MFA from NYU\u2019s Gallatin School.<\/p>\n Alexander Payne<\/strong> Peter Scarlet<\/strong> <\/p>\n The jurors of the Best New Documentary Feature Competition section are: <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kirby Dick<\/strong> Matt Tyrnauer<\/strong> <\/p>\n Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi <\/strong> The jurors of the Best New Narrative Director Competition section are:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Aya Cash<\/strong> <\/p>\n Sanaa Lathan <\/strong> <\/p>\n Chris Weitz<\/strong> The jurors of the Best New Documentary Director Competition section are:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Iyabo Boyd <\/strong> <\/p>\n Sabrina Schmidt Gordon<\/strong> <\/p>\n Omar Metwally<\/strong> Short Film Competition Categories<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The jurors for the 2021 Narrative Short Competition section are: <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Elegance Bratton<\/strong> <\/p>\n Margaret Cho<\/strong> <\/p>\n Hari Nef<\/strong> <\/p>\n Sheila Nevins<\/strong> The jurors for the 2021 Short Documentary and Student Visionary Competition section are: <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rashid Johnson<\/strong> <\/p>\n Tig Notaro<\/strong> <\/p>\n Adria Petty<\/strong> Immersive Competition Categories<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n The jurors for the 2021 Storyscapes Competition section are:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kia Brooks<\/strong> <\/p>\n Karen Wong <\/strong> The jurors for the Best Immersive Narrative Competition section are:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Warrington Hudlin<\/strong> <\/p>\nThe Following is a list of the 2021 Festival Jurors and their respective categories.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nShe made her feature-film debut with A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, the Iranian vampire spaghetti western that rocked the Sundance Film Festival in 2014 and was the opening selection for the New Directors\/New Films series at the MoMA in New York City.<\/p>\n
\nDirected, wrote and executive produced I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE, an HBO limited series starring Mark Ruffalo in his 2020 Emmy-winning role. His illustrious film work includes co-writing and executive producing THE SOUND OF METAL. Previous films include THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEAN, THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES and BLUE VALENTINE. Cianfrance has been celebrated for his music, documentary work, as well as for his high-profile, award-winning commercials.<\/p>\n
\nBryan Cranston is an Academy Award-nominee and Emmy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, Tony, and Olivier Award winner. Best known for his portrayal of the iconic character Walter White on AMC\u2019s \u201cBreaking Bad,\u201d and Hal on FOX’s \u201cMalcolm in the Middle,\u201d Cranston made his Broadway debut as President Lyndon B. Johnson in All the Way and produced the film adaptation for HBO through his company Moonshot Entertainment. He most recently executive produced and starred in the Showtime limited series \u201cYour Honor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nAndr\u00e9 Holland\u2019s film credits include High Flying Bird, Ava DuVernay\u2019s adaptation of Madeleine L\u2019Engle\u2019s A Wrinkle in Time, Moonlight (Academy Award for Best Picture), Selma (Academy Award Nominee), 42, Miracle at St. Anna, and the acclaimed 2008 independent film Sugar. Holland TV Credit\u2019s include the Stephen King inspired series, Castle Rock (Hulu\/Bad Robot) and Steven Soderbergh\u2019s The Knick.<\/p>\n
\nVeteran Hollywood executive and producer Erica Huggins is President of Seth MacFarlane\u2019s Fuzzy Door and oversees all development and creative direction for the company\u2019s slate. She is currently executive producing \u201cThe Winds of War,\u201d a limited series from UCP based on Herman Wouk\u2019s American War novels; an Untitled Little Rock Nine series, a TV revival of the 1977 adventure comedy \u201cSmokey and the Bandit,\u201d and a new animated take on Norman Lear\u2019s classic sitcom \u201cGood Times\u201d for Netflix, among much more unique programming. Notable in her illustrious career is Huggins\u2019 tenure as President of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer\u2019s Imagine Entertainment, producing its award-winning and diverse slate.<\/p>\n
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\nLesli Klainberg is the Executive Director of Film at Lincoln Center. An award-winning producer and director, her documentaries have screened at film festivals such as Berlin, Sundance, Outfest and have been broadcast on networks including Cinemax, AMC, A&E, The Independent Film Channel, WE and PBS. Previously Lesli served as FLC\u2019s Managing Director and the producer of the New York Film Festival. From 2008 through 2011, she served as Executive Director of NewFest, the NYC LGBT Film Festival.<\/p>\n
\nAcademy Award-winner Melissa Leo has consistently captured audiences with her riveting portrayals of tough, realistic women dealing with difficult situations. Enamored with acting as a child, she began her work in television and later moved on to film, garnering much acclaim for her performance as the wife of a former convict in Alejandro Gonz\u00e1lez I\u00f1\u00e1rritu\u2019s 21 GRAMS.<\/p>\n
\nDelroy Lindo recently starred in Spike Lee\u2019s Da 5 Bloods (New York Film Critics Award-Best Actor). He\u2019s had memorable film roles in The Cider House Rules; Heist; Ransom; Get Shorty and previously garnered acclaim for a trio of films with Spike: Clockers; Crooklyn and Malcolm X. He\u2019ll next be seen in The Harder They Fall for Netflix. On TV, Lindo starred on CBS\u2019 The Good Fight as Adrian Boseman. He won a Peabody Award for Strange Justice and the NAACP Award for Law and Order: SVU.<\/p>\n
\nWriter-director Alexander Payne has made seven feature films–including ELECTION, SIDEWAYS, THE DESCENDENTS and NEBRASKA –which have been nominated for 19 Oscars and have won two, both for Best Adapted Screenplay. He is currently working on a new film and on a second volume of poetry.<\/p>\n
\nFilm scholar Peter Scarlet first joined the Tribeca Festival in its second year and has been at the helm of film celebrations both old and new all over the world. Scarlet headed the Cin\u00e9math\u00e8que Fran\u00e7aise in Paris, and France\u2019s Ministry of Culture named him a \u201cChevalier\u201d in its Order of Arts and Letters, and then promoted him years later to the rank of \u201cOfficier,\u201d which sounds a little better in English, he notes, and perhaps more appropriate for someone who\u2019s never spent much time on horseback.<\/p>\n
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\nKirby Dick is a two-time Academy Award-nominated and two-time Emmy-winning filmmaker behind some of the most groundbreaking documentaries of the past several decades. His latest project, ALLEN v. FARROW, is a tour de force investigation of the Woody Allen abuse allegations and the case\u2019s ongoing legal and cultural legacy. His recent film, ON THE RECORD, is a searing look at the intersection of assault, racism, and the #MeToo movements. Past films include THE INVISIBLE WAR, which broke the story of the epidemic of rape in the US military and led to dozens of reforms signed into law, and THE HUNTING GROUND, which generated a national discussion about sexual assault on college campuses and ignited policy changes at hundreds of institutions.<\/p>\n
\nMatt Tyrnauer is an award-winning writer, journalist, and director whose films include VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR, short-listed for an Academy Award for best documentary feature; WHERE\u2019S MY ROY COHN? about the Svengali behind Joseph McCarthy and Donald Trump. His latest projects include \u201cThe Reagans,\u201d a four-part documentary series for Showtime that re-examines the Reagans\u2019 America and the impact of their politics and beliefs on our current society, and the documentary series \u201cHome\u201d for Apple. His entertainment company Altimeter, co-founded with Corey Reeser, is dedicated to exploring the most provocative figures and events through documentary and narrative film.<\/p>\n
\nElizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi directed and produced FREE SOLO, a BAFTA and Academy Award-winner for Best Documentary Feature in 2019. The film, an unflinching portrait of a climber scaling the famous El Capitan without a rope, received seven Emmy Awards. Vasarhelyi\u2019s other acclaimed films include MERU and INCORRUPTIBLE, YOUSSOU N\u2019DOUR: I BRING WHAT I LOVE, among others. She has directed two New York Times Op Docs, two episodes for Netflix\u2019s nonfiction design series \u201cAbstract\u201d and two episodes for ESPN\u2019s nonfiction series \u201cEnhanced.\u201d Vasarhelyi is currently directing a feature documentary for National Geographic about the 2018 rescue of a youth soccer team trapped inside a flooded cave in Thailand.<\/p>\n
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\nAya Cash most recently starred as Stormfront on the hit Amazon original series \u201cThe Boys\u201d and will appear on the new FOX comedy \u201cWelcome to Fletch\u201d. Her additional credits include Emmy-winning limited series \u201cFosse\/Verdon\u201d and the comedy series \u201cYou\u2019re the Worst\u201d among others. She stars in the recent feature films WE BROKE UP and SCARE ME.<\/p>\n
\nSanaa Lathan is an actor, director, producer, and activist, well-known for starring in such hit films as LOVE & BASKETBALL, THE BEST MAN and BEST MAN HOLIDAY, BROWN SUGAR, ALIEN VS. PREDATOR, and NAPPILY EVER AFTER to name just a few. She can next be seen in the upcoming season of the Emmy Award-winning HBO series \u201cSuccession\u201d as well as the upcoming Netflix action thriller \u201cHit And Run\u201d. In addition to Sanaa\u2019s lengthy screen credits, on stage she has been nominated for a Tony Award for her performance on Broadway in \u201cA Raisin in the Sun.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nChris began his film career as co-writer with his brother Paul with the 1998 animated film ANTZ. They went on to produce and direct the box office hit AMERICAN PIE. They followed this with ABOUT A BOY, which earned them an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Weitz also directed THE GOLDEN COMPASS (2007), and A BETTER LIFE (2011), which gained Demi\u00e1n Bich\u00edr an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. He also wrote CINDERELLA (2015) and ROGUE ONE (2016). His production credits include COLUMBUS (2017) and THE FAREWELL (2019).<\/p>\n
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\nIyabo Boyd is a screenwriter, director, and producer whose projects have screened at the Berlinale, Sundance, Tribeca, and Blackstar Film Festivals. Her forthcoming feature screenplay, KAYLA & EDDIE EN FRAN\u00c7AIS, which is supported by the Sundance Film Institute and SFFILM, follows an estranged Black father and daughter reconnecting in Paris. Named a \u201cBlack Visionary” by the Sundance Film Institute, Iyabo is also the founder of Brown Girls Doc Mafia, whose mission is to bolster the creative and professional success of women and non-binary people of color working in the documentary industry.<\/p>\n
\nA New York award-winning documentary filmmaker and impact strategist, Sabrina Schmidt Gordon is the producer of QUEST, a New York Times \u201cCritic\u2019s Pick\u201d and has been nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards, a Peabody, and two Emmys. Her directing debut was the Emmy-nominated \u201cBaddDDD Sonia Sanchez\u201d won the Best Film Directed by a Woman of Color award at the African Diaspora International Film Festival. She the co-producer and editor of DOCUMENTED, the story of Pulitzer Prize-winning undocumented journalist, Jose Antonio Vargas. She also produces and edits for The New York Times, The Atlantic, New York Magazine, and Frontline.<\/p>\n
\nOmar Metwally made his film debut in Steven Spielberg\u2019s Munich. Since then he has appeared in numerous films, including Julian Schnabel\u2019s MIRAL, COMPLETE UNKNOWN (dir Josh Marston,) NON-STOP, BREAKABLE YOU AND RENDITION (dir Gavin Hood,) for which he received the Chopard Trophy at the Cannes Film Festival. On television, he appeared for four seasons as Vik Ullah in the Showtime series The Affair. Other television work includes \u201cRamy\u201d (Hulu,) \u201cMr Robot\u201d (USA,) \u201cTreadstone\u201d (USA,) and many others. Theater credits include Sixteen Wounded on Broadway (Tony Award nomination, Outer Critics Circle nomination,) as well as numerous Off-Broadway appearances with the Atlantic Theater Company (Guards at the Taj, Obie Award,) The Public Theater, Lincoln Center Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and many more. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and of the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.<\/p>\n
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\nElegance Bratton is an award-winning and boundary-breaking director, writer and producer. He won the Film Independent Truer Than Fiction Spirit Award in 2021 for his documentary feature debut PIER KIDS, which has screened at over 50 festivals worldwide and makes its streaming debut this summer on POV. Bratton is in post-production on a documentary feature, HELL FIGHTER, the story of African American Jazz pioneer James Reese Europe. Bratton debuted as creator of the Viceland series \u201cMy House,\u201d which was nominated for Outstanding Documentary at the 2019 GLAAD Media Awards. His short, BUCK, premiered at Sundance and the London Film Festivals last year.<\/p>\n
\nComedian, actor, musician, advocate and five-time Grammy and Emmy nominee, Margaret Cho makes it a priority to support the causes that are important to her: anti-racism, anti-bullying, and gay rights, all while fulfilling her successful creative side with her legendary stand up career and television appearances \u2013 \u201cThe Masked Singer\u201d and \u201cHigh Maintenance\u201d– podcasting (The Margaret Cho) and film work which includes the voice of Auntie Ling in OVER THE MOON.<\/p>\n
\nHari Nef is an actress and writer in New York. Her notable work appears in projects such as DADDY, YOU, ASSASINATION NATION and \u201cTransparent,\u201d among many others. She will next appear in 1UP. Nef\u2019s writing has been published in Artforum, GQ, L’Officiel USA, Dazed, and Vice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nExecutive Producer for MTV Documentary Films, Sheila Nevins served as president of HBO Documentary Films and Family Programming, making her responsible for development and production of more than 1500 programs. She has received 32 Primetime Emmy\u00ae Awards, 35 News and Documentary Emmys and 42 George Foster Peabody Awards. A New York Times best-selling author, Nevins has been honored with numerous prestigious career achievement awards and inducted into Broadcasting & Cable\u2019s Hall of Fame. She has garnered an IDA Career Achievement Award and the New York Women in Film & Television Muse Award for Outstanding Vision & Achievement.<\/p>\n
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\nBorn in Chicago in 1977, Rashid Johnson is among an influential cadre of contemporary American artists whose work employs a wide range of media to explore themes of art history, individual and shared cultural identities, personal narratives, literature, philosophy, materiality, and critical history. After studying in the photography department of the Art Institute of Chicago, Johnson\u2019s practice quickly expanded to embrace a wide range of media \u2013 including sculpture, painting, drawing, filmmaking, and installation \u2013 yielding a complex multidisciplinary practice that incorporates diverse materials rich with symbolism and personal history.<\/p>\n
\nTIG NOTARO- Tig Notaro is an Emmy and Grammy nominated stand-up comedian, writer, radio contributor, and actor as well as a favorite on numerous talk shows, including \u201cEllen,\u201d \u201cThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert,\u201d and \u201cConan.\u201d Rolling Stone named her one of the “50 best stand-up comics of all time.” Notaro currently appears in Zack Snyder\u2019s ARMY OF THE DEAD and \u201cStar Trek: Discovery\u201d; she wrote and starred in the groundbreaking TV show \u201cOne Mississippi\u201d and hosts an advice podcast, Don’t Ask Tig<\/em> as well as the podcast TIG & CHERYL: A TRUE STORY<\/em>.<\/p>\n
\nAdria Petty is a director, producer and creative director, credited with award-winning spots for iconic brands like Alexander McQueen, Converse, and Target. In 2012 she was nominated for five MTV Awards for her work with videos for Regina Spektor, Coldplay and Beyonce, winning Best Editing for the latter. The daughter of legendary musician and songwriter Tom Petty, she serves full time in the operations of Petty Legacy with her family.<\/p>\n
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\nKia Brooks is the Deputy Director of The Gotham Film and Media Institute (formerly IFP). She oversees the organization\u2019s programming, membership and marketing and is the founder of The Gotham\u2019s Owning It program that supports women and non-binary media makers and entrepreneurs who break boundaries in the media and entertainment industry. She has been with the organization for six years and previously worked in film publicity for companies such as Focus Features, Oscilloscope Laboratories and Tribeca Film Festival. Kia lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.<\/p>\n
\nKaren Wong is the deputy director of the New Museum<\/a>, a contemporary art museum renowned for its entrepreneurial mission: new art and new ideas. She co-founded the initiatives IDEAS CITY<\/a> (2010), a malleable platform exploring the future of cities with the belief that art and culture are essential to our metropolises; NEW INC (2013), the first museum-led incubator for art, technology, and design; and ONX Studio<\/a> (2019), a mixed-reality accelerator and exhibition space. These game-changing programs elevate creative practitioners and demonstrate the transformative power of the arts for cultural and social impact. She sits on the nonprofit boards of Apex for Youth<\/a>, a mentoring and education program for underserved Asians; Arbutus<\/a>, David Byrne\u2019s foundation focused on performance and education projects; National Sawdust<\/a>, a new music performance venue and incubator;Rhizome<\/a>, a platform for born-digital art; andSmithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.<\/a><\/p>\n
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\nVeteran filmmaker and Vice Chairman of the Museum of the Moving Image, Warrington Hudlin is best known as the producer of the landmark African American films, HOUSE PARTY, BOOMERANG, and BEBE KIDS, and television specials, COSMIC SLOP and UNSTOPPABLE. Hudlin has recently extended his creative work by producing Virtual Reality (VR) and 360 video, KUNG FU #ME TOO and CINEFEMME CYPHER, both of which address women’s rights and achievements. He returns to Tribeca after serving as member of the inaugural film jury of this Festival. As the founding president of BFF (the Black Filmmaker Foundation), Hudlin has been a pioneering filmmaker and film community organizer in the black film movement for four decades.<\/p>\n