Jim Sheridan. ROLLING NEWS.IE
By Frances Scanlon
There is Irish disappointment at the late withdrawal of “No Stone Unturned” from the 16th annual Tribeca Film Festival, which begins today and continues through Sunday, April 30.
Producer Trevor Birney said he hopes the Alex Gibney documentary about the Loughlinstown massacre in 1994 can get its world premiere soon.
However, there are plenty more entries of Irish interest for film buffs, including "Pilgrimage", directed by Brendan Muldowney, which combines a period drama crossed with an action/adventure road movie, focusing on religious fervor and the savagery of soldiers on a mission.
"Elian," co-directed by Dubliner Ross McDonnell and Tim Golden, features a now very grown-up Elian Gonzalez conveying his own side of his legendary tale. Thanksgiving, 1999, two fisherman on the Florida Straits discover a young Cuban boy floating alone in an inner tube. That remarkable find morphs into a custody battle between Elian's Cuban father and his Miami-based relatives that is a touchstone highlighting the conflict then-extant between Cuba and the U.S. to the forefront.
If you want to venture far-afield then "The Farthest", directed and written by Emer Reynolds, is your ticket to explore Voyager's 40th anniversary while experiencing a comprehensive behind-the-scenes account from those who built and nurtured this unprecedented deep-space accomplishment.
"Second to None", directed and written by Vincent Gallagher, is a black comedy in stop motion about the world's second-oldest man who learns that ambition can be a killer.
"Wave," directed by Benjamin Cleary, tells the tale of Gaspar Rubicon, who wakes up from a coma speaking a fully formed but unrecognizable language, baffling global linguistics experts.
Finally, "11th Hour" is 11 minutes of elegance, excitement and elucidation, directed by Jim Sheridan, and starring Salma Hayek. It will have its international premiere on this Friday, 7 p.m., at Regal Cinemas Battery Park.
Of course what makes the Festival super sweet every year for kids of all ages is free family fun at Tribeca/ESPN Family Film "Field Day" and a special 25th anniversary screening and sing-along of "Aladdin" on this Saturday morning, starting at 9 a.m.
For the latest information on all the extraordinary events, happenings, and yes, films, too, please visit tribecafilm.com.
