Cyndi Lauper, French Montana, Carlos Santana Docs to Premiere at 2023 Tribeca Festival
Written by djfrosty on April 27, 2023
The 2023 Tribeca Festival announced the star-studded lineup for its gala events and the opening, closing and centerpiece selections on Thursday (April 27). This year’s fest will kick off on June 7 with the North American premiere of Kiss the Future, a documentary following a group of underground musicians and creatives during the nearly four-year siege of Sarajevo and the 1997 U2 concert celebrating the liberation of the Bosnian capital.
The doc, produced by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Sarah Anthony — and featuring U2’s Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton — will officially open the 12-day event’s theme of artists-activists.
“We know U2’s marquee is helpful in getting the lives of these local heroes to a wider audience, but even at my most puffed up I couldn’t have imagined our tiny role being given so much care, attention, and screen time by Nenad Cicin-Sain,” U2 singer Bono said in a statement. “If defiance is the essence of romance, then the people of Sarajevo are the most romantic figures. Viva Sarajevo!”
Damon added that he and childhood friend and producer/writing partner Affleck are proud that Kiss the Future was selected to open this year’s festival. “We are grateful to the people of Sarajevo and to U2 for giving us the opportunity to help tell this special story,” he said in a statement. “Though this event happened almost 30 years ago, we feel it has strong relevance to today’s world, serving as a powerful reminder that human creativity can provide a powerful antidote to even the most horrific of situations.”
The Centerpiece Gala will spotlight the NY premiere of Disney/Pixar’s Elemental, as well as musical documentaries about Carlos Santana (Carlos), Cyndi Lauper (Let the Canary Sing) and French Montana (For Khadija), with each artist performing after the screenings. Megan Thee Stallion will also be on hand for a Storyteller’s conversation on June 14.
“Music is an instrumental form of storytelling, and the Tribeca Festival is thrilled to weave dynamic performances into our Gala events. Our lineup features the best of soul, rock & roll, pop, and hip-hop,” Tribeca Festival Director and VP of Programming Cara Cusuamno said in a statement. “We hope our audiences are inspired by activism in art and riled up by the electrifying acts paired with the screenings.”
This year’s festival will take place from June 7-18 in New York and feature 109 films, including documentaries about Alicia Keys, Gogol Bordello, Milli Vanilli, Gloria Gaynor, Biz Markie, the Indigo Girls and Tierra Whack.