Tribeca 2015: 9 Must-See Films

The 2015 Tribeca Film Festival begins Wednesday with the premiere of the Saturday Night Live documentary, Live From New York!, followed by an opening night performance by Ludacris.

It’s a night that kicks off 12 straight days of panels with industry luminaries such as Brad Bird, George Lucas, Cary Fukanaga and Ava DuVernay; music from Mary J. Blige and Tony Bennett; reunion screenings with the casts of Goodfellas, Good Will Hunting and Monty Python and the Holy Grail; and world premieres from features starring Adrien Brody, Patricia Arquette, Michael Fassbender and Oscar Isaac, and docs spotlighting Kurt Cobain, Misty Copeland and Roseanne Barr.

Additionally, the 34-person jury of the Robert De Niro-Jane Rosenthal co-founded fest includes Cobie Smulders, Steve Buscemi, Dylan McDermott, Andre Holland, Minnie Driver, Gloria Steinem, David Gelb, Sheila Nevins, Debi Mazar, Burr Steers, Mamie Gummer and Mark Boal, among others.

Here are The Hollywood Reporter’s must-see titles from this year’s lineup.

Man Up

Ben Palmer directs this British romantic comedy starring Lake Bell and Simon Pegg that follows a mismatched couple on a series of adventures throughout London. 

Anesthesia

In actor-director-writer Tim Blake Nelson‘s new drama, a Columbia University professor of philosophy, Walter Zarrow (Sam Waterston), is violently mugged outside of an apartment building. The plot follows the events preceding the attack and the lives of the characters brought together by the incident. Corey Stoll, Kristen Stewart and K. Todd Freeman also star in the film.  

Franny

In writer-director Andrew Renzi‘s narrative feature film debut, Richard Gere stars as a rich and eccentric philanthropist who re-emerges into the lives of a deceased friend’s daughter (Dakota Fanning) and her new husband (Theo James). 

In Transit

Legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles‘ final project before his death, In Transit captures the journey of passengers aboard the Empire Builder, America’s busiest long-distance train route. 

Maggie

Henry Hobson‘s feature debut as a director shows a new take on the zombie genre. During an outbreak in the Midwest, Wade (Arnold Schwarzenegger) tries to care of his infected daughter, Maggie (Abigail Breslin), whose disease keeps on getting worse. 

The Driftless Area

Based on the novel by Tom Drury, director Zachary Sluser‘s first feature film is based on a love affair in a small town. After his parents’ death, bartender Pierre Hunter (Anton Yelchin) returns to his childhood home where he falls for Stella (Zooey Deschanel). Their affair unveils a mystery that ripples throughout the entire town. Also starring Frank Langella and Aubrey Plaza. 

Tumbledown

Years after the accidental death of her legendary folk-songwriter husband Hunter, Hannah (Rebecca Hall) collaborates with academic Andrew (Jason Sudeikis) to write a biography of her late spouse. 

When I Live My Life Over Again

After a failing career in New York City, Jude (Amber Heard) returns to the Hamptons home of her father (Christopher Walken), a once-famous singer aiming for a comeback. The film follows the dynamic of an aspiring artist through the inner turmoil of both father and daughter. 

The Adderall Diaries

Based on the best-selling memoir by Stephen Elliott, The Adderall Diaries follows an author (James Franco) with writers block and an increasing drug dependency. After being involved in a high-profile murder case, Elliott’s estranged father (Ed Harris) returns, bringing up nightmarish memories and mixing fact and fiction in a drug-induced haze.