The annual Tribeca Festival in New York City was a full 12-day nonstop cavalcade of activity. Opening night began with high star power as actor and business mogul Robert DeNiro received the key to the city of New York from Mayor Eric Adams. Actor Matt Damon and directing legend Martin Scorsese were on hand for the event and celebration afterward.  From there, it was back-to-back panel discussions, screenings, premieres, parties, and more.  Here are some of the highlights:

Music-themed documentaries seemed to be front and center this year. The documentary on disco legend Gloria Gaynor premiered. Big buzz surrounded “Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive” and her performance after the premiere packed the house.

“Cypher” is an intriguing mockumentary starting real-life rap artist Tierra Whack.  For those who track Illuminati references in music, this one is for you. Indeed, this film also won The Founders Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature.

The documentary on the controversial lip-synching group Milli Vanilli, founded in 1988, was as heart-wrenching as it was revealing. This is about economic disparity and duplicity as much as it is about race, power, and exploitation. While many from this era may think they know the story, this documentary goes deeper into the inner workings of the surprising strength and tragic downfall of this pop culture duo.

Another Mass Appeal project directed by Sacha Jenkins (perhaps best known for his strong work on the Rick James documentary) hit the festival.  It’s titled “All Up In The Biz” and is a compelling look at the rise of the late Biz Markie.  There is an odd intertwining of archival footage with a life-size puppet to represent the entertainer as he talks to his wife from his hospital bed at the end of his life.  However, what really shines here is the insight into what an innovator and creative visionary Biz Markie truly was. Persistence, resiliency, and more are exemplified in this legend.  What many may also find surprising is just how many careers Biz was actually responsible for by not only identifying talent but giving it a platform.  The legendary Rakim and Big Daddy Kane, who also appear in the film, are just two of those who detail how Biz Markie encouraged them and introduced them to the spotlight.  This film reinforces the fact that we truly lost this person too soon.

Finally, “Ron Delsener Presents” is a very solid documentary about the legendary New York City concert promoter whose career spans decades and who is now part of the concert promotion powerhouse, Live Nation.  The story expertly navigates Delsener’s rise to power, his quirky personality, his spry capability to still hit three shows a night at over 80 years old, and more.

Sadly the film does not touch on how the concert industry, though it made massive amounts of money from Black artists, somehow carved up U.S. territories between a handful of Caucasian men who made untold millions from talented individuals and virtually shut out all competitors by creating exclusive deals with top venues.  Many in the film urge Delsener to retire while it might be more beneficial for him to create apprenticeships for young promoters of color who want to break into Live Nation.

Part of the charm of the festival is its retrospective screenings and talks which follow. This year included the legendary “New Jack City” as well as “Wild Style.” Mario Van Peebles was on hand with Fab 5 Freddy and others for a dynamic discussion of the former, while the latter was perfectly timed for this year’s 50th anniversary of hip hop.

The much-hyped narrative “Cinnamon” featuring Damon Wayans fell a bit short.  The character played by legendary Pam Grier is basically a mute so there is not much intrigue there and Wayans (sorry, spoiler alert) plays a character who dies early on and functions more as a supporting character. However, the two young leading actors, Tony nominee Hailey Kilgore and David Iacono, are phenomenal. Though said to be reminiscent of a ’70s blaxploitation-era film, it’s more like a gun-slinging vibe meets naïve, economically distressed young lovers.

Back in the real world, a much-anticipated award was bestowed on powerhouse Jane Fonda during the festival. She was given the Harry Belafonte Voices For Social Justice Award. Singer Alicia Keys presented and the room was absolutely packed. Also, AT&T returned to the festival to support underrepresented filmmakers via financial support and a schedule of talks to provide insights into the industry.

Racial dynamics came into play onscreen with the inclusion of the documentary on the fashion activist, Bethann Hardison. At 80 years old, Hardison shows no signs of stopping work that has spanned a lifetime of barrier-breaking moves in fashion, first in front of the camera, then behind.  It’s a well-crafted story that includes a significant amount of commentary from supermodels Naomi Campbell and Iman and wonderful archival footage that includes organizing against overt discrimination in the fashion industry, wins, defeats, and re-hashes.  The rise of the first-ever Black male supermodel Tyson Beckford is a nice addition. Overall we see Hardison straddle parenting and personal desires, equality and inequality.  This documentary balances what could be seen as victimhood or the frivolity of fashion and instead, creates engaging substance.

Also a quick fashion reference for all the “Sex and the City” fans out here, the documentary on iconic costume designer called “Happy Clothes” is maybe not as engaging as Patricia Field herself but is a notable effort. This film somehow veers too often into reality show (all the current-day decision-making around the series “Run The World”) and then back to documentary (recounting the heady days of her first store in the 80s), and that is its downfall. Viewers will probably want to hear more and see more about “SATC” than is included, though the interviews with Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall are satisfying. What is unfortunate here is how Field flippantly remarks that she is finally dressing Black girls (in “Run The World”), she says, with a laugh, noting that it has taken a while. Actually, it has taken 80 years.  “I don’t know why,” she muses at some point, “I used to go to school with Black girls.” And therein lies the mystery. If one’s social circle does not include Black people since primary school, as if we are rare beings in life, well, we must know why Hardison has faced what she has in her film and how it is finally time to come together for greater, authentic partnerships in fashion and all industries.

Speaking of which, it seems that BET has, after all these years, just now created a partnership with Tribeca Festival. To kick it off, a screening of the first episode of a new series on BET+ called “Diarra From Detroit” was offered to an absolutely packed house.  The genre is somewhat of a hybrid: old-school mystery meets comedy meets single-girl dilemmas.  The first episode offers a tight script that will probably only become tighter as the series progresses.  The cast was on hand for a panel discussion on stage which included the show’s creator and star Diarra Kilpatrick, Morris Chestnut, and others. This project feels like it could be a nice level-up move for BET.

The documentary on the test populations for universal basic income will re-examine myths around this new system. Catch “It’s Basic.”  The documentary “Breaking The News” is an interesting look at the challenges behind creating a digital media startup that covers women’s issues. Though seemingly still from the same mindset and social strata of all other journalists, this group of womxn seems eternally burdened without being able to lightly answer how they are doing while somehow navigating through the pandemic to go from nearly zero to raising a whopping $35 million. The lone Black female on the team seems to obtain a large part of the screen time. Overall, it’s inspiring showing what a team with the right connections and previous pedigree can do in the world of journalism.

Let’s finish with a bit of tech, shall we? A couple of films explored digital currency. “This Is Not Financial Advice” is a solid effort. The documentary “Minted” is extremely well done as it examines the arc of NFTs, and what is going to come next.

Behind the scenes with Beeple is interesting, however, the standout is the inclusion of female rap artist Latasha and the fact that she seems to be the first to offer a video NFT. Her subsequent recounting of her treatment as a rap artist at the NFT.NYC conference not long afterward is quite telling as it demonstrates what many perceive to be a sometimes hostile attitude toward women of color in the emerging tech space today. It’s compelling and intriguing as to why and how invisibility carries over all too easily into the tech realm.

Finally, the immersive section at Tribeca typically features some really stunning work in AR, AI, and VR. Many social issues are tackled using these media. A standout is “Kinfolk,” which enables the viewer to experience segregation via an immersive experience.

This concludes the 2023 Tribeca Festival coverage, but don’t dismay. You can still catch many of these films via Tribeca At Home until July 2.  For more details, please visit https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/at-home.

Lauren DeLisa Coleman is a Digi-Cultural Trend Analyst and Producer. She’s the founder of http://lnkagency.com/ and Vapor Media, and a commentator on public sentiment and tech on MSNBC.
Agency representation: Leading Authorities. Author: “America’s Most Wanted: The Millennial” an Amazon, “Best: New Media Studies” pick: http://amzn.to/KmsuJ8
www.linkedin.com/in/LaurenDeLisaColeman