Eye For Film >> Festivals >> Tribeca >> 2011 >> Spotlight
A panorama of international and American cinema. Selection of 33 highly anticipated new releases and festival favorites.
View other Tribeca Festival Films by strand: Cinemania, Short Films, Special Screenings and Galas, Viewpoints, World Documentary Feature Competition, World Narrative Feature Competition
The Guard and A Matter Of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt
The Assault (L'assaut)
(Country: France; Year: 2010; Director: Julien Leclercq; Writer: Simon Moutairou, Julien Leclercq, Roland Môntins, Gilles Cauture; Stars: Vincent Elbaz, Grégori Derangère, Mélanie Bernier, Philippe Bas, Aymen Saïdi, Marie Guillard, Antoine Basler, Philippe Cura, Fatima Adoum, Hugo Becker, Hugues Martel, Hervé Dubourjal, François Lescurat, Abdelhafid Metalsi, Jean-Philippe Puymartin), Official Site
International premiere
In war-torn Algiers, four men uniformed as border guards hijack Air France Flight 8969, foreboding doom for all 220 passengers. But on their arrival in Marseilles, the elite French SWAT force waits to avert tragedy… Based on the harrowing true story.
Beats, Rhymes And Life
(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Michael Rapaport; Stars: Michael Rapaport, Mos Def, Ludacris, Common, Q-Tip, Pharrell Williams, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Ghostface Killah, Angie Martinez, Ahmir-Khalib Thompson, Phife Dawg, De La Soul, Pete Rock, Jarobi White)
New York premiere
The story of the rise and influence of one of the most innovative and influential hip hop bands of all time, the collective known as A Tribe Called Quest.
Carol Channing: Larger Than Life
(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Dori Berinstein; Writer: Dori Berinstein, Adam Zucker; Stars: Carol Channing, Harry Kullijian, Betty Garrett, Tippi Hedren, Tyne Daly, Lily Tomlin, Barbara Walters, Phyllis Diller, Angela Lansbury)
Director Dori Berinstein captures the magic and vivacity of the ninetysomething showbiz icon.
World premiere
Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame (Di Renjie)
(Country: China, Hong Kong; Year: 2010; Director: Hark Tsui; Writer: Kuo-fu Chen, Jialu Zhang; Stars: Andy Lau, Carina Lau, Bingbing Li, Tony Leung Ka Fai)
When spontaneous combustion claims the lives of several members of her court, an empress calls on the brilliant and inventive Detective Dee to solve the mystery.
US premiere
Fire In Babylon
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Stevan Riley), Official Site
A documentary about the golden age of West Indian cricket.
North American premiere. ESPN Sports Film Festival
Let The Bullets Fly and Point Blank
The Guard
(Country: Ireland; Year: 2011; Director: John Michael McDonagh; Writer: John Michael McDonagh; Stars: Don Cheadle, Brendan Gleeson, Mark Strong, Liam Cunningham, David Wilmot, Fionnula Flanagan)
A small-town cop in Ireland finds himself drawn into an uneasy partnership with an FBI agent trying to smash a drug smuggling racket.
New York premiere
God Bless Ozzy Osbourne
(Country: US, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Canada, New Zealand, UK; Year: 2010; Director: Mike Fleiss, Mike Piscitelli; Stars: Ozzy Osbourne)
World premiere
Definitive portrait of the troubled Black Sabbath icon — told in part through the eyes of his family — relives Ozzy’s artistic triumphs while chronicling his arduous journey to sobriety and peace.
The Good Doctor
(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Lance Daly; Writer: John Enbom; Stars: Orlando Bloom, Riley Keough, Taraji P. Henson, Rob Morrow, Michael Peña, Troy Garity, Molly Price, Wade Williams, Sorel Carradine, Gary Carlos Cervantes, Monique Gabriela Curnen, Jean St. James, J.K. Simmons, Courtney Ford, Randall Park)
World premiere
Psychological thriller. When lonesome first-year medical resident Dr Martin Blake finally gets the respect he so desperately craves from an enchanting teenage patient, he’ll do anything to keep her in his care.
A Good Old Fashioned Orgy
(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck; Writer: Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck; Stars: Lucy Punch, Jason Sudeikis, Lindsay Sloane, Leslie Bibb, Tyler Labine, Lake Bell, Martin Starr, Will Forte, David Koechner, Don Johnson, Michelle Borth, Angela Sarafyan, Lin Shaye, Nick Kroll, Rhys Coiro)
World premiere
Eric is a thirtysomething party animal famous among his close circle of friends for his lavish summer theme parties at his father’s swanky Hamptons pad. But when members of the crew start settling down, and Eric’s dad announces plans to sell the beach house, Eric decides it’s time for one last party to go out with a proverbial bang...
The Hideaways (The Last Furlong)
(Country: Ireland; Year: 2011; Director: Agnès Merlet; Writer: Nick Murphy; Stars: Rachel Hurd-Wood, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Susan Lynch, Harry Treadaway, Kate O'Toole, Stuart Graham, Tom Collins, Lesley Conroy, Niamh Shaw, Dónal Haughey, Calem Martin, Diarmuid O'Dwyer)
World premiere
The Furlong men have unusual powers. Grandpa goes blind when he thinks of sex, Dad fries electronics when he’s afraid… but young James has a far more fearsome power. After losing everyone he loves, he flees to the woods to live alone. But when he’s discovered by a beautiful teenage cancer patient, their romance leads James on a journey back to civilisation.
Revenge Of The Electric Car and Last Night
Higher Ground
(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Vera Farmiga; Writer: Carolyn Briggs, Tim Metcalfe; Stars: Donna Murphy, Vera Farmiga, John Hawkes, Bill Irwin, Dagmara Dominczyk, Joshua Leonard, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Norbert Leo Butz, Michael Chernus, Nina Arianda, Boyd Holbrook, Sean Mahon, Lucy Owen, Natalie Thomas, Booker James Winter)
New York premiere
A frustrated young mother turns to a fundamentalist community for answers, but after years of dogma and loss, she must find the courage to ask the questions that will help her reclaim her life.
Janie Jones
(Country: US; Year: 2010; Director: David M Rosenthal; Writer: David M Rosenthal; Stars: Abigail Breslin, Alessandro Nivola, Elisabeth Shue, Peter Stormare, Joel Moore, Frances Fisher, Brittany Snow, Frank Whaley, Michael Panes, David Lee Smith, Rodney Eastman, Breilen Bauer, Joseph Canales, Richard Cotovsky, Gene L. Hamilton), Official Site
US premiere
A struggling musician content with his on-the-road rock-and-roll lifestyle and his much younger girlfriend, has his life turned upside down with the arrival of a 13-year-old daughter he never knew he had. Left with the responsibility of raising Janie Jones , a shy but talented aspiring musician herself, Ethan embarks with Janie on a road trip of music, discovery, and father-daughter bonding.
Klitschko (Die Klitschkos)
(Country: Germany; Year: 2011)
World premiere
Portrait of the Ukrainian boxing brothers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko who, after a 15-year reign over the ring, made history in 2008, becoming the first brothers in the sport to hold world titles at the same time.
Last Night
(Country: US, France; Year: 2010; Director: Massy Tadjedin; Writer: Massy Tadjedin; Stars: Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Eva Mendes, Guillaume Canet, Griffin Dunne), Official Site
A married couple find their fidelity tested on a night apart.
US premiere
Let The Bullets Fly
(Country: China, Hong Kong; Year: 2010; Director: Jiang Wen; Writer: Zhu Sujin, Shu Ping, Jiang Wen; Stars: Jiang Wen, Chow Yun-Fat, Ge You, Carina Lau, Hu Jun)
Jiang Wen's rumbustious comedy-adventure, set in the 1920s, is an Eastern Western. Chow Yun-Fat, Ge You and Jiang himself star as the three unscrupulous men vying for control of Goose Town: fun performances, and lots of flying bullets.
L'Amour Fou and Fire In Babylon
Like Water
(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Pablo Croce)
World premiere. ESPN Sports Film Festival
In the most brutal and often most misunderstood sport in the world, becoming a champion takes more than just blood, sweat, and tears. Like Water follows middleweight Ultimate Fighter Anderson Silva as he prepares to crown his four-year run as the unbeaten king of the sport with a record 12th straight win in the UFC.
Limelight
(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Billy Corben)
World premiere
As the owner of legendary hotspots like Limelight, Tunnel, Palladium, and Club USA, Peter Gatien was the king of the New York club scene — until years of legal battles led to his eventual deportation to Canada. This exuberant documentary charts Gatien’s rise and fall against the transformation of New York City, offering a wild ride through a now-closed chapter in the history of NYC nightlife.
L'Amour Fou (Yves Saint Laurent - L'Amour Fou)
(Country: France; Year: 2010; Director: Pierre Thoretton; Stars: Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Bergé, Betty Catroux, Loulou De La Falaise, Jack Lang, Frédéric Chambre, Boujemaa Lahbali, Catherine Deneuve, Laetitia Casta, François de Ricqlès, François Curiel, Lionel Gosset, Antoine Godeau, Randy Jones, Carla Bruni)
Documentary charts the relationship between the fashion designer and his lover Pierre Bergé.
US premiere
The Loving Story
(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Nancy Buirski; Writer: Nancy Buirski, Susie Ruth Powell), Official Site
New York premiere
The unknown love story of Mildred and Richard Loving, the couple behind the 1967 Supreme Court ruling overturning anti-miscegenation laws in the United States. Drawing from a wealth of stunning archival footage, The Loving Story recreates a seminal moment in history in uncommon style, anchoring a timely message of marriage equality in a personal, human love story.
Mama Africa
(Country: Finland, Germany; Year: 2011; Director: Mika Kaurismäki; Writer: Don Edkins, Mika Kaurismäki; Stars: Miriam Makeba)
A documentary portrait of the acclaimed performer and political campaigner.
International premiere
Mama Africa and The Trip
A Matter Of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt
(Country: US; Year: 2010; Director: Sally Rowe; Stars: Paul Liebrandt), Official Site
Documentary tracing a decade in the career of the British chef.
New York premiere
My Part Of The Pie (Ma part du gâteau)
(Country: France; Year: 2011; Director: Cédric Klapisch; Writer: Cédric Klapisch; Stars: Karin Viard, Gilles Lellouche, Tim Pigott-Smith, Kevin Bishop, Jean-Pierre Martins, Zinedine Soualem, Audrey Lamy, Philippe Lefebvre, Edwin Kruger, Raphaële Godin, James Puddephatt, Marine Vacth, Aline Nolasco, Juliette Navin-Bardin, Fred Ulysse)
New York premiere
When single mom France loses her factory job, she is forced to take a gig as a housekeeper and nanny for Steve, a hotshot Parisian stockbroker. As France and Steve grow closer, it seems both of their minds may be opening to each other’s worldviews — until France makes an unsettling discovery about Steve and events snowball toward a shocking dramatic finale.
New York Says Thank You
(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Scott Rettberg; Stars: Jamal Braithwaite, Jimmy Sands, Evan Parness, Sandra Hauser Parness, Brian Fitzpatrick, Arnell Petrzilka, Charlie Vitchers, Matt Deighton, Jeff Parness), Official Site
World premiere
The journey of New Yorkers whose lives were touched by September 11 as they travel the country helping communities rebuild after disasters. Along the way, they face their emotions and ultimately triumph over tragedy through an idea that evolved from a five-year-old New York City boy.
The Perfect Family
(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Anne Renton; Writer: Paula Goldberg, Claire V. Riley; Stars: Emily Deschanel, Jason Ritter, Kathleen Turner, Richard Chamberlain, Angelique Cabral, Kristen Dalton, Michael McGrady, Scott Michael Campbell, June Squibb, Mandy June Turpin, Gregory Zaragoza, Hansford Rowe, Michael Andrew Stock, Rebecca Wackler), Official Site
World premiere
A devout Catholic (Kathleen Turner) in the running for the coveted Catholic Woman of the Year award must prove that her family actually conforms to the image of “the perfect family” as envisioned by the church, an image she’s put forth with considerable effort her whole life.
Point Blank (À Bout Portant)
(Country: France; Year: 2010; Director: Fred Cavayé; Writer: Fred Cavayé, Guillaume Lemans; Stars: Gilles Lellouche, Roschdy Zem, Elena Anaya, Gérard Lanvin)
An ordinary nurse defies all odds to help an injured gangster escape from the hospital where he works in order to save his kidnapped, pregnant wife.
International premiere
Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame and Carol Channing: Larger Than Life
Puncture
(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Adam Kassen, Mark Kassen; Writer: Paul Danziger, Chris Lopata, Ela Thier; Stars: Chris Evans, Michael Biehn, Vinessa Shaw, Kate Burton, Brett Cullen, Jesse L. Martin, Jennifer Blanc, Marshall Bell, Sam Medina, Tess Parker, Julin, Mark Kassen, Austin Stowell, Claire Risoli, Davi Jay)
World premiere
Mike Weiss (Chris Evans) is not your typical lawyer. The tattooed and drug-addicted townie has more than his share of personal demons, but can he straighten up long enough to lead a renegade safety-needle inventor to victory against a monopolising medical supply corporation?
A Quiet Life (Una vita tranquilla)
(Country: Italy, France, Germany; Year: 2010; Director: Claudio Cupellini; Writer: Filippo Gravino, Guido Iuculano, Claudio Cupellini; Stars: Toni Servillo, Marco D'Amore, Francesco Di Leva, Juliane Köhler, Leonardo Sprengler, Alice Dwyer, Maurizio Donadoni, Micki Bertling, Ulrich Cyran, Nick Dong-Sik, Hans Joachim Heist, Joachim Kretzer, Giovanni Ludeno, Edoardo Melone, Franco Melone)
New York premiere
A retired gangster finds it is difficult to escape the past.
Renée
(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Eric Drath)
World premiere. ESPN Sports Film Festival
Despite his alpha-male reputation, tennis ace Dick Raskind always felt different from other guys. But it wasn’t until his 40s, after getting married and having a son, that Dick was reborn as Renée Richards. Renée was still dynamite on the tennis court, but being the first transgender player in the women’s US Open would put her in a spotlight she — or her troubled son — couldn’t escape. Documentary.
Revenge Of The Electric Car
(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Chris Paine; Writer: PG Morgan, Chris Paine; Stars: Elon Musk, Carlos Ghosn, Bob Lutz, Greg Abbott, Dan Neil, Danny DeVito), Official Site
Documentary about the return of the electric car, which was once regarded as a dead technology.
World premiere
Roadie
(Year: 2010; Director: Michael Cuesta; Writer: Gerald Cuesta, Michael Cuesta; Stars: Lois Smith, David Margulies, Bobby Cannavale, Jarlath Conroy, Ron Eldard, Suzette Gunn, Jill Hennessy, Lourdes Martin, Arian Moayed, Lucy Spain, Edwin Torres), Official Site
World premiere
A washed-up roadie faces the coming-of-middle-age.
New York Says Thank You and Klitschko
Shakespeare High
(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Alex Rotaru)
World premiere
At home they face poverty, gangs, drugs, and a lack of role models. But in their high school drama program, a group of Southern California teens finds a chance to create a better life. Documentary follows several students as they prepare for and compete in the 90th Drama Teachers Association Shakespeare Competition.
The Trip
(Country: UK; Year: 2010; Director: Michael Winterbottom; Stars: Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan, Claire Keelan, Margo Stilley, Dolya Gavanski, Paul Popplewell)
A comic road trip through the north of England.
US premiere
When The Drum Is Beating
(Country: USA, Haiti; Year: 2010)
World premiere
he 20-member band Septentrional has been making music for 62 years as Haiti’s most celebrated big band. This documentary charts the history of Haiti from its triumphant independence from French colonialism to 2010’s devastating earthquake—all set to the vibrant music of Septentrional and punctuated with its members’ personal memories.
59th New York Film Festival early bird highlights Futura, Jane By Charlotte, James Baldwin: From Another Place and The Velvet Underground
Eye For Film continues to support festivals both locally and across the world. At the moment, we're covering:
DOC NYC
New York's celebration of factual film
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
One of the largest film gatherings in northern Europe
French Film Festival
The UK's longest running celebration of Francophone cinema
Cannes Film Festival
Archive of festival coverage.
Sundance Film Festival
Daily diary and reviews from 2005-2018.
Berlin Film Festival
Coverage of the lynchpin German festival.
Search Movie Database
Browse our full archive
Browse our short film archive
Browse our media archive
