One of my favorite things about living in New York is there is always something fun to do. And not just normal things, but cool things like the Tribeca Film Festival.
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Gordy took this photo, it was an ad on the side of a building in the Tribeca area of town.
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I read about the festival just as it was starting, it wasn't until the opening night that I realized the films are open to the public. They are on a regular schedule and shown in regular theaters throughout the city.
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I looked through the movie descriptions and picked out a few the might interest both Michael and me. I was able to get tickets to 3 shows during the weekend of 4/28 through 4/29.
Michael and I went to:
The Man of Two Havanas
Growing up in Miami, the director witnessed drive-by shootings and death threats directed toward her father, a former friend of Fidel Castro and opponent of the embargo. Using never-before-heard CIA audiotapes and fascinating interviews with her father, Weisman links his past and present in an eye-opening film that's sure to be talked about.
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Normal Adolescent Behavior
A darkly comic look at precocious teens grappling with sex, excess and alienation. Avoiding the high school party scene and random hookups, Wendy (Amber Tamblyn) and her friends form a clique that claims a more fluid sexuality. Schacter's directorial debut delivers a provocative take on teen romance in this modern promiscuous age.
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Below is a scan of a ticket stub and audience award ballot for Normal Adolescent Behavior.
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Gordy, Linda, and I went to:
Tuya's Marriage
A strong-willed shepherdess on the Mongolian steppe, Tuya must face some harsh truths about the future. In need of an able provider, she reluctantly divorces her ailing husband and considers proposals from a string of quirky suitors. This warm, witty tale, featuring stunning cinematography, won the top prize at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival.
I really wanted to see:
Gardener of Eden (but the show times didn't work with my schedule)
In this dark comedy, Adam Harris' (Lukas Haas) aimless life consists of working at a deli, living with his parents, hanging with his friends and…well, that's about it. Stuck in a rut, he loses it all, but soon finds new purpose when he accidentally captures a serial rapist. With Giovanni Ribisi and Erika Christensen. Produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and Directed by Kevin Connolly.
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At each show the director, crew, and sometimes the actors are on-hand to answer questions. After Tuya's Marriage some of the questions were pretty pompous and the art director was eating it up. The director of Normal Adolescent Behavior was really down to earth and kept the mood light during her Q&A session. I would have loved to see how Kevin Connolly handled the audience.
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Also, every show the audience was asked to rank the movie. The ballots were collected at the end of the screening and the audience favorite of the festival won a cash prize. I didn't see the winning movie. I looked up the title, but it wasn't a story that appealed to me.
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Tuya's Marriage was beautifully filmed - it introduced me to a lifestyle and landscapes that I had never seen before. Normal Adolescent Behavior is not a movie for the masses, but it was worth the price of admission. My Two Havanas was most interesting when the focus was on the history of Cuba, but as it turned to a large political statement it became a little overbearing.
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I was on celebrity watch, but I didn't see anyone famous - maybe next year.
