For 25 years, the Tribeca Festival has been where discovery happens. It’s where audiences find their next favorite filmmaker, where emerging artists announce themselves to the world, and where some of the most exciting conversations in entertainment begin. As the festival returns to New York City for its milestone anniversary, a new wave of films and television series will make their way to the Big Apple, each hoping to leave its own mark on one of the industry’s premier showcases for original voices and creative ambition.
Every year, Tribeca delivers a handful of projects that audiences can’t stop talking about. Whether they’re future award contenders, breakout sensations, or simply unforgettable viewing experiences, here are the films and television series we expect will define this year’s festival.
For Derek and Hayley Hough, dance has always been a shared language. In Jason Bergh’s deeply personal documentary, that connection is tested in unimaginable ways as a celebrated season of performances gives way to a chapter defined by uncertainty, resilience, and the determination to reclaim what was nearly lost.
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It’s not every day that audiences get a Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson reunion. In Happy Hours, the pair star as former sweethearts who unexpectedly re-enter each other’s lives years after their relationship ended, discovering that some connections never fully disappear.
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After captivating audiences in The Night Agent, Gabriel Basso steps behind the camera for his feature directorial debut with Iconoclast, a psychological thriller that should be firmly on every genre fan’s radar. Basso also stars as a lonely young man whose growing obsession with a social media personality sends him down an increasingly dangerous path, anchoring a story that explores fixation, identity, and the consequences of living through someone else’s image.
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Fresh off its acclaimed Sundance premiere, Take Me Home arrives at Tribeca as one of the year’s most moving independent dramas. Led by an extraordinary breakout performance from Anna Sargent, the film follows a woman navigating an uncertain future while confronting the realities of caregiving, disability, and an often-overlooked support system.
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Long before he became a founding father, George Washington was simply a young man trying to find his place in a world at war. Young Washington brings that chapter of his life to the screen with remarkable scope, following the future president through the experiences that would ultimately shape his character and legacy.
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Directed by comedy veteran David Wain and led by the endlessly charismatic Zoey Deutch, the film follows a heartbroken woman who embarks on a wildly misguided cross-country mission after her fiancé takes their celebrity free-pass agreement a little too seriously. Packed with outrageous twists, eccentric characters, and a healthy dose of Hollywood satire, the film looks poised to be one of the festival’s biggest laugh generators.
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Writer-director Henry Chaisson’s feature debut blends Gothic atmosphere, psychological terror, and supernatural mystery into a haunting tale of a woman forced to confront both her family’s past and something far more sinister lurking within her childhood home.
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With its vibrant setting and emotionally rich storytelling, Summer of Three feels poised to be one of the festival’s most enchanting coming-of-age discoveries. Following a teenager who returns to Puerto Rico after years away, the film blends youthful adventure, first love, and personal loss into a story that celebrates both the beauty of the island and the connections that shape who we become.
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Some of the most impactful stories begin with a simple conversation. You Tryna Say You Love Me? follows a college athlete whose late-night encounter with a classmate gradually evolves into something far more meaningful, forcing him to confront grief, identity, and emotions he has long struggled to put into words.
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Writer-director Henry Chaisson’s feature debut blends Gothic atmosphere, psychological terror, and supernatural mystery into a haunting tale of a woman forced to confront both her family’s past and something far more sinister lurking within her childhood home.
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Led by standout performances from Jack Dylan Grazer, Alexis Bledel, and Bill Camp, the film begins as an offbeat story about an unexpected relationship before gradually revealing something far stranger and more unsettling beneath the surface. Writer-director Rob Rice crafts a darkly compelling portrait of loneliness, longing, and generational disconnect, delivering the kind of unpredictable experience that festival audiences will be debating long after the screening ends.
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A cursed guitar riff that opens a portal to another dimension? Say less. Turn It Up! arrives at Tribeca with one of the festival’s most delightfully outrageous premises, combining indie rock, interdimensional chaos, creature-feature thrills, and offbeat comedy into a genre-bending adventure.
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In an era where countless memories are captured with the tap of a screen, Memorizu invites audiences to reflect on the deeper meaning behind the images we keep. Director Miiku Sakanishi’s assured debut uses the story of a family separated by distance to explore connection, remembrance, and the passage of time with remarkable tenderness.
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Stories have the power to shape how we see the world, and Hollywood Does Abortion examines that influence through one of the most consequential issues of our time. Drawing from decades of film and television history, the documentary explores how portrayals of abortion have informed public understanding, challenged perceptions, and, at times, reinforced harmful misconceptions. Arriving at a moment when reproductive rights remain at the forefront of national conversation, this thought-provoking documentary feels poised to be one of the festival’s most important and timely nonfiction offerings.
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That Friend airs Josh Brener, Billie Lourd, and Harvey Guillén in a laugh-out-loud story about friendship, romance, and the unintended consequences of inviting the wrong person on vacation. Equal parts heartfelt and hilarious, the film feels poised to be the kind of audience-friendly gem that generates plenty of word-of-mouth throughout the festival.
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On the eve of the U.S. Open, the biggest challenge facing the star at the center of Fault isn’t waiting across the net. This gripping drama follows an elite tennis player whose carefully controlled world begins to unravel when her estranged sister unexpectedly reenters her life.
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Following a crew captain haunted by violent thoughts toward her abusive coach, the film explores power, control, and the emotional consequences of toxic environments with gripping intensity.
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Some relationships leave an imprint that time can never fully erase. I’m Not Home follows two lifelong friends whose bond was fractured by a single night, only to be unexpectedly reunited by a box of old answering-machine tapes that forces them to revisit the past they left behind.
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The story of a hookup gone too far up.
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Anyone who has ever said a little too much while trying to get their life back on track will likely find something to relate to in General Admission. What begins as a quest for a fresh start quickly evolves into an unexpectedly messy and entertaining journey of self-discovery as its protagonist navigates heartbreak, personal growth, and the consequences of radical honesty.
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After the death of her abusive partner, a woman turns to a company that uses actors and advanced facial technology to recreate difficult conversations from the past, offering clients a chance to confront the people they never truly got closure from. Blending emotional drama with thought-provoking science fiction, the film explores grief, trauma, and the complicated question of whether healing can ever be manufactured.
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Some relationships leave an imprint that time can never fully erase. I’m Not Home follows two lifelong friends whose bond was fractured by a single night, only to be unexpectedly reunited by a box of old answering-machine tapes that forces them to revisit the past they left behind.
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At its heart, Roar is a celebration of seeing the world differently. Centered on Tora, a non-verbal neurodivergent girl navigating life between cultures, the film transforms San Francisco into a vivid sensory landscape filled with discovery, wonder, and possibility.
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Tribeca is often at its best when it showcases stories that are both deeply specific and universally relatable. Switch does exactly that, using a wildly entertaining premise to explore questions of intimacy, identity, and what it truly means to build a life with another person.
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Every generation gets a television series that captures the beautiful mess of early adulthood, and Adults feels poised to be a strong contender for this one. Centered on a group of twenty-somethings sharing a home in New York City, the FX comedy finds humor in everything from dead-end anxieties and family dysfunction to dating disasters and workplace growing pains. Anchored by a charismatic ensemble and an authentic understanding of modern friendship, Adults looks like the kind of comedy audiences will see themselves in, whether they want to admit it or not.
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