The 9 Films from the 2023 Tribeca Festival You Need to Watch

Every spring the film world converges upon lower Manhattan for two weeks of incredible movies, television, video games, music and panel discussions at the Tribeca Festival. From June 7-18, people from around the world flocked to Tribeca (and its adjacent neighborhoods) to check out the latest in media, and we at Parade were on site to take it all in.

The Tribeca Festival, originally named the Tribeca Film Festival, was originally founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff as a way to revitalize a neighborhood that had been largely destroyed by the September 11 attacks. Over the years, the festival earned a reputation for curating a lineup of exceptional movies both from filmmakers in the US and abroad. And while, the festival has expanded its lineup in recent years to showcase media outside of movies, film is still very much at the heart of Tribeca.

Related: Read Everything We Know About the 2024 Oscars

I spent the last week two weeks in theaters all across Manhattan, so I could let you know which films from this year's festival were the best of the best. Here are 9 movies from Tribeca Festival that you should definitely check out: 

The best movies of the 2023 Tribeca Festival:

The Blackening

Anyone horror movie fan can tell you that it's a well-established trope of the genre that the black character dies first. So what would happen in a horror movie where the entire cast is black? Is it the "blackest" character who gets the chop first? And how is that determined? In a razor-sharp black horror comedy (and Black horror comedy), writers Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip) and Dewayne Perkins (who also stars in the film) create the perfect alchemy of laughter, terror, and political satire. The Blackening joins the likes of Scream and The Menu in the high echelons of the genre. Easily the best horror movie of 2023 so far. 

Now playing in theaters.

Enter the Clones of Bruce

For those of you unaware (as I was) Bruce Lee only starred in a handful of Kung Fu movies before he died at the age of 32. Why then does it feel like there are an endless number of movies starring him? Because he was cloned (or at least sort of). This fascinating documentary examines the "Bruceploitation" genre of movies, a niche sub-genre of film where Asian martial arts experts were dressed up as Bruce Lee and set to star in movies with hopes of duping audiences into believing it was a previously unreleased Lee movie. Hundreds of movies staring actors named Bruce Lai, Bruce Le, Bruce Lie, Bruce Leung, Bruce Ly, Bruce Thai, Brutce Lee, Bruce Li, and Bruce Lei were released in the years after Lee's passing and this documentary dives deep into the zaniest movies that came as a result.

Release date unknown.

Every Body

Anyone with even a passing knowledge of the news will know that gender has been a FREQUENT topic discussion as of late. With all the shots being fired between liberals and conservatives over transgender issues however, not much attention has been paid to intersex people, those born with sexual characters of both genders. In her new documentary, Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning director Julie Cohen (RBG, My Name Is Pauli Murray) follows three intersex people who will help audiences rethink the things we believe about gender, sex, and the binaries imposed on the two. A must watch for anyone who calls themselves an ally this Pride Month.

In theaters starting June 30.

The Line

Somehow, despite people dying during hazing rituals every year and countless others being emotionally and mentally scared, fraternities and sororities are inexplicably still up and running on universities across the US. (JK I actually know exactly why they're still running and its money and the patriarchy, but I digress). In Ethan Berger's directorial debut, he hones in on a fraternity in the midst of rush on a prestigious southern college campus. Alex Wolff (Hereditary), Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick), Austin Abrams (Euphoria) and Angus Cloud (also Euphoria) star as the fraternity brothers embroiled in a tragedy. Halle Bailey, fresh off The Little Mermaid, also pops up in a smaller role in this taut, finely-tuned thriller that will remind you exactly why your college days should not be the best of your life.

Release date unknown.

Related: The Best Movies of 2023 (So Far)

Maestra

If last year's TÁR sparked an obsession in classical music for you, then you are certainly not alone. When I saw a documentary about a female conducting competition on the Tribeca lineup, therefore I was duty-bound to Lydia (err...Linda) to attend the screening. Maestra is both a timely reminder of all the ways the patriarchy still presses its thumb down on the world while also being a remarkably hopeful movie about the power of female friendship and community. Female conductors from around the world descend on Paris to compete with one another, but end up finding instrumental friendships (see what I did there?) instead.

Release date TBA.

Rather

As a millennial, I am old enough to remember that Dan Rather was a news anchor, but outside that fact (and a murky memory of a disgraceful exit), I couldn't have told you much about him. Rather certainly remedied that, and is a perfectly calibrated documentary for both people like me, who know little about CBS's nightly new host, and those who remember his long career with nostalgia. While the doc certaily details his career from early reporting on the JFK assassination to his tremendous success on Twitter, it more importantly is a testament to the power of journalistic integrity, good reporting and the truth. In a world where that seems to matter less and less, Rather reminds us why it still should.

Release date TBA.

Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed

For his entire life Rock Hudson was known to most Americans as Hollywood's leading man, a hulking, barrel-chested gentleman ready to sweep women off their feet. It wasn't until he died of AIDS in 1985 that the world learned he'd spent his whole career in the closet. This documentary from Stephen Kijak recontextualizes Hudson's life, examining the tragedy behind the charming face that America never knew. While in many ways a very heartbreaking tale of disappointment and betrayal (especially from longtime friend Nancy Raegan who left him to die in a French hospital), the documentary is also a celebration of the authentic Rock Hudson the world never got to see.

Streaming on Max starting June 28.

Shortcomings

Relationships are messy, especially when they involve messy people. In Randall Park's directorial debut Ben (Justin H. Min) and Miko (Ally Maki) are a couple stuck in a rut in San Francisco. Ben is an arrogant, depressed man with little purpose in his life while Miko's ready to move on to a new stage of life. The couple decide to "take a break" when Miko heads to New York for an internship, but nothing in relationships are that simple. A comedy that's equal parts gut-busting and gut-wrenching, Shortcomings is whatever the opposite of a meet cute is. The most realistic movie about relationships I've seen in quite a while. Also Sherry Cola STEALS EVERY SCENE as Ben's lesbian bestie. Keep your eye on her. A star on the rise for sure.

Coming to theaters August 4, 2023.

Stan Lee

For fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and those of you who are sick of it), Stan Lee is a fascinating documentary about the man behind the most famous superheroes of all time. Charting his career from an office assistant to scene-stealing cameo star, Stan Lee follows Lee's legendary path to greatness built with plenty of footage and interviews taken of Lee before he passed. And don't worry there is plenty of Marvel drama and in-fighting along the way to keep it interesting.

Now streaming on Disney+.

Next, 10 Oscar Contenders from This Year that You Can Already Watch