"Rabies"
I’ll be covering Tribeca for CHUD once again this year, but those of you outside of NYC will hopefully be able to check out some of the films we’ll be seeing from the comfort of your home. Tribeca announced this morning that they’ve launching the weirdly punctuated Tribeca (Online) Film Festival to further expand their reach. Well, the Tribeca Film Festival doesn’t even hold screenings in Tribeca anymore, as was the whole purpose of the festival (to rejuvenate lower Manhattan after 9/11) so why not spread it out even further?
Lucky film fans will be able to check out a small selection of films and shorts from the festival at tribecaonline.com. Six features will be available, all of which seem worthy of a viewing. Here are the descriptions… follow the links for more pictures and trailers.
JoEllen Marsh grew up knowing her father only as Donor 150. As one of the first generation of children conceived through donor insemination, she yearns for connection with potential siblings, and turns to the Internet to track them down. As JoEllen slowly broadens her family tree, in the process she forges a fascinatingly modern model of family. After connecting with dozens of siblings across the country, JoEllen decides it’s finally time to seek out Donor 150.
Paris-Tehran. A rootless story of young love between Gecko, an Algerian-French hotel bellman and parkourer, and Anahita, an Iranian student forced to leave her country for her own safety after the controversial elections in 2009. Obsessed with tracking the political movement, Anahita’s friends broadcast through YouTube and coordinate via Twitter. Romance and the Internet become the ground to explore histories lost and identity yet to be found.
When successful boxer Octavio falls in love with kitchen hand Hugo, they move from their small-town homes in the south of Chile to capital city Santiago to protect their taboo relationship. But when Hugo feels unexpected desire for co-worker Jennifer, Octavio is left heartbroken and throws himself into a high-stakes boxing match against all odds. A handsome cast and evocative cinematography offer a sexy, subtle film that evokes hits like The Wrestler and Brokeback Mountain.
Young hustler Ricky was left to a life on the streets at the age of 12 when his hooker mother got sent to the can, but upon learning she’ll soon be released, Ricky enlists a couple of good-for-nothing buddies to help him open a whorehouse as a tribute to Mom. This stylish, edgy crime flick plunges headlong into the fringe world of pimps and junkies where succeeding in business can cost your life…
New York Says Thank You is an epic story following 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.
A psychotic serial killer on the loose in the woods crosses paths with a group of unsuspecting teenagers. Soon people are dying one by one… but the bad guy isn’t who you think. Turning genre conventions on their head with a smart script and plenty of unexpected scares, Rabies is a surprising debut worthy of its mantle as Israel’s first-ever slasher horror film.
On top of these there will be nine short films available on the site, as well as a ton of extra features like filmmaker Q&A’s and live conversations.
The only strange part about these is that there will only be a limited number of “seats” for each screening. Each film will “run” for three to five days and you’ll be able to vote on your favorite films, which will enable them to receive quite the cash award (25 grand for the feature, 5 grand for the short).
Tickets go on sale for American Express cardmembers on the 12th, everyone else can do it on the 18th. No word on price. But best of all? Nine award winning shorts from previous festivals will be streaming for free.
Keep an eye on tribecaonline.com in the next month for more, and keep an eye here for reviews. Hopefully this year will be better than last, where the best film was likely The Infidel. A lot of solid films, but nothing more stellar than that, nothing like their amazing 2009 lineup (In The Loop, Moon, Racing Dreams, etc.)