Tribeca2023: Reviewing the Tribeca Festival Award Winners

Printer-friendly versionE-mail page to friendPDF version

Previous | Image 1 of 4 | Next

‘Cypher’ was Best U.S. Narrative Film.

NEW YORK, NY – June 18th is the final day of the in-person Tribeca Festival, wrapping up 11 days of top festival film picks and other storytelling forms, including TV, VR, gaming, music and audio online. Beginning June 19th, the Tribeca at Home screenings begin, with an opportunity to experience what the festival has to offer. Tribeca prides itself on being a platform for creative expression and immersive entertainment.

The Tribeca Festival was founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Craig Hatkoff and actor Robert De Niro as a reactive strike back at the September 11th attack in 2001 on New York City and the nearby Tribeca neighborhood.The film category of the 22nd edition screened 109 feature films from 127 filmmakers across 36 countries, and had screenings and awards for U.S. Narrative Films, World Narrative Films, Short Film Competition, Best Documentary, the Spotlight Competition and Best New Narrative and Documentary Filmmakers, among it’s presentations.

The Slideshow is a illustrated list of the Award Winners for the 22nd Tribeca Festival, announced on June 15th. Click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through the slideshow or jump directly to individual photo with the captioned links below. All photos © Tribeca.com

1. 23TRIBECA1: ‘Cypher’ was Best U.S. Narrative Film.
2. 23TRIBECA2: ‘A Strange Path’ took home Best International Narrative Film.
3. 23TRIBECA3: ‘Between the Rains’ was Best Documentary Feature.
4. 23TRIBECA7: ‘Dead Cat’ was Best Narrative Short Film.

Capsule Film Reviews, Tribeca Festival 2023

Cypher Documenting the astronomical rise of rapper Tierra Whack, director Chris Moukarbel captures the weird and sinister side of fame. This enigmatic pseudo-documentary questions everything as its revelations are being revealed.


CAPSULE REVIEW: Woah. This one was wild. Using the tried and true fake documentary format, director Chris Mourkarbel … who I assume is the director of the film within the film, since the subjects keep calling out “Chris” … exposes some strange themes on fame and the mystical happenstance of it. The way it snuck up on me was the strength, especially in its use of social media, so familiar and so prevalent in our currently sick society. This is a creative burst of wild imagination, with much to say in a multi-level and multi-textured ride. A deserved winner. 4.5/5

A Strange Path A young filmmaker returns to his hometown and attempts to reconnect with his father as the pandemic rapidly accelerates across Brazil. However, their relationship proves to be more complicated with increasingly bizarre phenomena occurring as they get closer.


CAPSULE REVIEW: Just in time for Father’s Day, filmmaker Guto Parente is an avant garde director whose relationship with a distant Dad inspired this interestingly claustrophobic narrative film. His actor representative, Lucas Limeira, seems like a lone alien in Brazil as he maneuvers through the shut down city, while at the same time trying to reconcile feelings about Dad that desires closure. The remembrance of the pandemic in the early days is chilling, and the relationships that changed because of it … including Parente and his Father … are in need of memory. Although I’m not as enthusiastic as the Jury, this is a unique and essential trip. 4/5

Between The Rains The cultural and societal differences of far away Kenya and the nomadic tribe profiled in this Best Documentary has one thing in common with everyone else … they are dealing with droughts and weather variants caused by climate change, and their very survival depends on the life-giving rain.


CAPSULE REVIEW: The finest documentaries are able to explain unfamiliar places or people in a way that invites familiarity, in this case the climate change-induced droughts that are profoundly affecting the structure of the nomadic tribe. The ancient rituals and positions in that closed society have the same pushback from those who don’t feel connected anymore … in this story, the younger brother of a tribal leader. As climate change affects more and more of our world, it’s not if but when we will suffer the same fate as a tribe relying on the necessities of rain. 4/5

Dead Cat When a family cat dies, how will the parents break the news and make it all right for their daughter? This comic short has a lot to say about helicopter parenting, psychology and the ability of children to accept truth.


CAPSULE REVIEW: This had wonderful farce, which makes for the greatest of all techniques for easy laughs … the comic montage. This was reliably hilarious in skewering the modern world, and in the end (like so many of life’s journeys) a child will lead them. Seek this one out for some guffaws. 4.5/5

For all the honorees of the 22nd Tribeca Festival, click Tribeca Awards 2023.

By PATRICK McDONALD Editor and Film Critic/Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com