This year marks an especially significant one for New York’s world renowned Tribeca Film Festival: it’s the twentieth anniversary as well as the first in person event since Covid-19 forced last spring’s edition to go virtual. This year’s fest will incorporate a virtual component as well as outdoor screenings throughout the five boroughs; as usual there will be some noteworthy genre and LGBT offerings among the 66 films by 81 filmmakers.

Horrors and more

Tribeca’s Midnight series is a reliable standout; past highlights include the hilariously campy Zombeavers and the transcendent Showgirls documentary You Don’t Nomi. The buzz is strong for Shapeless, a demonic look at body dysmorphia and eating disorders, directed by first time filmmaker Samantha Aldana and co-written by and starring Kelly Murtagh. Also intriguing is the quirky, multi-narrative “sci fi mystery box” Ultrasound, starring Vincent Kartheiser (Angel, Madmen).

And Hitchcock would be proud of the setup for We Need to Do Something: a family trapped inside a bathroom for days after a freak tornado. As if that’s not awful enough, something supernaturally evil is threatening them—and teenage daughter Melissa and her girlfriend Amy might inadvertently be the cause! Genre stalwart Pat Healy costars.

Elsewhere in the festival, Josh Ruben’s eagerly anticipated followup to Scare Me, the offbeat horror comedy Werewolves Within, costarring hunky Cheyenne Jackson (American Horror Story) debuts; the pregnancy paranoia of Rosemary’s Baby gets a 21st century update with False Positive, starring Justin Theroux and Pierce Brosnan; and Elijah Wood plays an interviewer probing the mind of Ted Bundy (Luke Kirby) in No Man of God. There’s also a talk with M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) and his Old star Alex Wolff (Hereditary). (Friday, June 18) And Pose’s Indya Moore stars as a Frankensteinian “monster” seeking her own identity in the pilot for Magic Hour.

LGBTQ

Tribeca is known for its compelling documentaries. Building a Bridge focuses on Father James Martin, a priest and author determined to tear down the barrier between LGBT folks and the Catholic Church; queer filmmaker Shannon Post co-directs. The Legend of the Underground features gender nonconforming youth bold enough to be who they are despite the Nigerian government’s crackdown on them; it’s part of special Juneteenth programming for the festival. North by Current finds its trans director, Angelo Madsen Minax, seeking justice for his family and discovering his own truth in his rural Michigan hometown.

No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics will be accompanied by a panel featuring subjects like Alison Bechdel and moderated by Sasha Velour! (Saturday, June 12) LFG details the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team’s gender discrimination lawsuit and features the iconic Megan Rapinoe. The digital series pilot Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps explores transmasculine identity in contemporary America. And while not technically gay, I have a feeling some queers will be intrigued by Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story.

The Tribeca Film Festival runs June 9-20 in New York City and online; visit tribecafilm.com for more info, and stay tuned to Gayly Dreadful for more on this year’s films!