HTN’s 10 Most Anticipated Films of Tribeca 2026
The Tribeca Festival is back and celebrates its 25th year! Taking place June 3 – 14, it will feature new titles from filmmakers such as Julian Schnabel, Katie Holmes, David Wain, Sophia Takal, Drake Doremus, and more. There’s also a strong selection of narrative and documentary features from breakout voices in independent cinema that made our watchlist. Hammer To Nail will be back at the fest with tons of coverage in the works. Out of the 118 feature films that will grace the big screens in New York, we have narrowed down 10 titles that should be on your radar, as recommended by our lead critic Chris Reed, editor-at-large Matt Delman, and deputy editor M.J. O’Toole. Take a look at our most anticipated picks below:
American Zoo (dir. Tim Travers Hawkins)
Director Tim Travers Hawkins, who made the portentous documentary XY Chelsea about Chelsea Manning (which I reviewed here in 2019 for that year’s Tribeca), is back with a new film about the first private zoo in America. Not all zoos are inherently evil, some help save endangered animals and rehabilitate injured wildlife that would’ve perished in the wild. Yet there is a feeling of immorality inherent in locking animals in small cages or pens for the viewing enjoyment of humans. The Catskill Game Farm was famously ‘cage-less,’ but in 1959 the owner invited Dr. Heinz Heck from Berlin to America to make him zoo director. I haven’t seen the film yet, but it’s a good guess that Nazis are involved. The discovery of old archival home movies uncovers a shocking chapter in the zoo’s legacy. (Matt Delman)
The Haunting of Pennhurst (dir. Mike Attie/Katarina Poljak/Nathan R. Stenberg)
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve visited a fair number of haunted houses, all of them set in unused portions of shopping malls or on outdoor farmland. They were generally spooky and fun (to varying degrees), but no more than that. In The Haunting of Pennhurst—a new documentary from Mike Attie, Katarina Poljak, and Nathan R. Stenberg—the stakes are considerably higher, given that the titular location is a former state institution for the “feeble minded” (as in, those whom we today might call “neurodivergent”). Purchased in 2007 by a group that converted it into a haunted-house attraction, the Pennhurst State School and Hospital—situated in Spring City, Pennsylvania, not far from Philadelphia—was the stuff of nightmares, children imprisoned there for decades, some of them dying from neglect and abuse. The directors use the hook of exploring the ins and outs of the haunted house that now operates there to explore this troubled history and examine the way our society treats those who differ from the so-called norm, to powerful effect. (Chris Reed)
Cotton Fever (dir. Daniel Blake Schwartz)
Boston-based writer-director Daniel Blake Schwartz reflects on personal experiences of addiction, weaving together interconnected tales in his feature debut, Cotton Fever. Based on his short film of the same name, this harrowing drama reunites Smile co-stars Kyle Gallner and Sosie Bacon as a couple in the throes of addiction as they’re expecting their first child. That’s just one of several storylines about people in Chelsea, Massachusetts trying to outrun the cycles of addiction that break and bind them. The 4:3 aspect ratio, shot by cinematographer Tom Acton Fitzgerald, encapsulates the suffocating atmosphere and frantic energy of the characters’ mindsets as they struggle to break free from their demons and toxic environments. While Steven Soderbergh’s 2000 hit Traffic also explored addiction from multiple interconnected perspectives, Cotton Fever takes a more humane look at addicts in the midst of our country’s opioid and fentanyl epidemic. (M.J. O’Toole)
The Accompanist (dir. Zach Woods)
Zach Woods directorial debut is an instant must-see for me, and I’m cautiously optimistic he won’t let his fans down. Memorable roles in The Office and Silicon Valley barely scratch the surface of the comedic genius of this lanky man. Not having seen the film yet, I shouldn’t compare it to other films, but I hope it’s as good as Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade, which is asking a lot. The Accompanist stars Susan Sarandon and Aubrey Plaza, and also a 9 year old newcomer named Everly Carganilla. The synopsis explains that Everly’s character Emily is removed from her elderly grandfather’s care by Plaza and placed with a witchy Sarandon. Somewhere in there I suspect there’ll be music. These elements are ripe for a Tribeca surprise hit, and I’m looking forward to seeing the World Premiere at SVA. (MD)
A still from THE ACCOMPIANIST
How to Feed a Dictator (Andrew Neel)
An adaptation of Witold Szablowski’s eponymous 2020 nonfiction book, How to Feed a Dictator is a documentary with delicious, if horrifying, bite. Via the storytelling device of food and its preparation, director Andrew Neel (Goat) crafts a film that closely analyzes the personalities of autocrats and those who support them. Those profiled include the personal chefs of Cambodia’s Pol Pot, Chile’s Augusto Pinochet, Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, North Korea’s Kim Jong-il, and Uganda’s Idi Amin. With assists from onscreen experts such as historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat and journalist Riccardo Orizio, Neel asks deep questions without easy answers, pivoting to discussions about the rise of dictators and would-be dictators today. Even as your mouth waters looking at all the shots of scrumptious cuisine, you’ll recoil from the real-life atrocities portrayed. In this case, such indigestion is good for the soul. (CR)
Memorizu (dir. Miiku Sakanishi)
As a photography nut with a soft side for Japanese cinema, Miiku Sakanishi’s drama Memorizu is not the kind of film I’d sleep on. The premise is rather simple: a man (Tasuko Emoto) travels to the town of Kyushu to care for his injured father-in-law (Issei Ogata), who runs a photo studio, using recordings and still photography to connect with his family back home. While it may not sound exciting to some, Sakanishi’s feature debut has us look more closely at how images can capture the moments that easily pass us by in life, and immortalize the memories that bind us. Family is a big factor in Memorizu, as Sakanishi drew inspiration from his late father, including the images and recordings he left behind. Whatever feelings may arise from this drama, maybe the images we see can express them better than our words can. (M.J.)
Stealing Magic (dir. Matthew Testa)
As a kid I bought multiple VHS tapes of David Blaine’s ‘Street Magic’. Certain tricks were unbelievable to me, but others, such as the card tricks, I wanted to learn myself. So I’d rewind the VHS over and over until I figured out he made two red queens turn into two black aces, and then I went to the boardwalk all summer and left tourists’ mouths agape with my stolen David Blaine magic trick. Today a 5th grader can upload a David Blaine clip to ChatGPT and ask AI how he did it. In the documentary Stealing Magic, director Matthew Testa exposes a global crime syndicate that is putting every magician’s secrets on the black market. And if it’s on the internet, you can bet it’s getting scraped by China’s AI bots. So an ‘unlikely team of illusionists’ band together to fight back. I haven’t seen the film yet, but it’s produced by Melanie Miller and Diane Becker of Fishbowl Films (whose credits include Navalny, Inventing Tomorrow, and Maestra) adding prestige, which is often the hardest part of the illusion. (MD)
A still from KIDS LIKE ME
Kids Like Me (dir. Jon Cohrs/Cynthia Lowen, 2026)
12-year-old Oliver loves murder mysteries, with the TV series Monk high on his list of favorites. As the documentary Kids Like Me—directed by Jon Cohrs (Back Water) and Cynthia Lowen (Battleground)—begins, Oliver is in the process of filming his own such whodunnit, a short entitled “The Game Is Murder.” This is especially remarkable given his significant physical disabilities, which include the fact that he was born with a fused skull, fused knees and elbows (so, no bending), and has had to use a tracheostomy tube from the age of two weeks. Though therefore extremely small for his age, he is quite intellectually precocious. The movie follows his life, and that of his supportive parents—Casey and Chad—and younger sister, Willa, in Western Massachusetts. Though filled with great humor and positivity, Kids Like Me does not shy away from portraying the many challenges of the situation (and Oliver, like any other child, has his ups and downs). It’s a lovely and loving portrait of a family and community that have risen to the challenge to be good people, with a special guest star who shows up as a bonus. (CR)
Via Negativa (dir. Hannah Peterson)
I had the pleasure of interviewing writer-director Hannah Peterson some years ago for her Tribeca-winning drama, The Graduates, which revolved around a high school’s students and staff trying to heal from the trauma of a mass shooting they survived. Now she returns to the festival with a different tale of grief and self-discovery. Via Negativa stars Young Mazino (Beef; The Last of Us) as a Catholic priest who, after a crisis in faith and the death of a childhood friend, heads on a mythic road trip out West for a personal mission. With an unexpected road companion in the form of a coyote and encounters with numerous strangers in rural America, our hero, Father Dan, takes a slightly different path as he seeks closure from the past. Aided by a stellar supporting cast that includes Mamoudou Athie, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Tony Hale, MiMi Ryder, Zoe Winters, Keith Kupferer, and Stanley Simons, Via Negativa might just have what it takes to be another Tribeca hit from Peterson. (M.J.)
The Siege of Paradise (Gar O’Rourke, 2026)
Located on the northwestern Italian Riviera coast, south of Genoa, the five picturesque villages that make up the Cinque Terre region—in order from the top, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore—are in danger of losing their centuries-old unique cultural identities. The threat comes from the overwhelming number of tourists who arrive daily during the warmer months and the trappings of the trade that service their needs. Director Gar O’Rourke (Sanatorium) interviews different residents of the area, along with one American social-media influencer, to present an engaging variety of perspectives. Cinematographer Lukas Gut captures the region’s beauty in all its glory, helping us understand why so many would choose to come. He and O’Rourke also show the teeming crowds and how they damage that visual splendor. Paradise may exist, but for how long? (CR)
– The Editorial Staff
