Columbia Alums Shine At 2026 Tribeca Film Festival

A slate of Columbia Film alums and faculty are screening their feature and short films at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival, which will take place in theaters across lower Manhattan from June 3-14, 2026. The iconic festival, in its 24th year, has served as the launchpad for countless independent films, many of which go on to garner great acclaim. This year, sixteen Columbia filmmakers are taking part in this quintessentially New York tradition.

Killing Castro

Film alum Leon Hendrix '15 co-wrote this political thriller, which follows an ensemble cast led by Al Pacino in the high-stakes hours surrounding the 1960 arrival of Fidel Castro to the U.N., where the CIA, FBI, and the Mafia collide at the height of the Cold War.

"Blending political thriller with historical drama, Killing Castro stages a charged encounter between Black liberation politics and Cold War geopolitics," said Meiyi Lu for Tribeca Film Festival. "Through its interwoven perspectives—from agents of surveillance to those caught within its reach—the film reimagines a fleeting historical moment as a site where global tensions are negotiated through intimate encounters."

The 90 minute film is making its world premiere at Tribeca, screening first at the OKX Theater at 8 PM on June 9, and followed by two showings at Village East by Angelika. Buy tickets here.

Take Me Home

Take Me Home follows Anna, a cognitively disabled Korean adoptee, during a Florida heat wave as she faces challenges caring for her aging parents. Film alum Apoorva Guru Charan '18 produced the feature film, an exploration of a family in crisis written and directed by Liz Sargent and starring her sister, Anna Sargent.

"Take Me Home addresses the structural indignities of our health care system and the inequities facing disabled people in our country—all with deep care, humor, and imagination," said Bryce Norbitz for Tribeca Film Festival. "The film has received prestigious awards, including Tribeca’s own AT&T Untold Stories $1 Million Prize and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic at this year’s Sundance Film Festival."

The 90 minute film is making its New York premiere at Tribeca, screening first at the SVA Theater at 1 PM on June 6, then at AMC 19th East, then at Village East by Angelika. Buy tickets here.

Ephemera

Film alum Shan Jiang '23 directed, wrote, co-edited, and produced Ephemera, a feature film making its world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival this year in the U.S. Narrative Competition. Hazel McKibbin '23 co-edited the film, which follows two queer women in a whirlwind romance in Shanghai, the night before one of them is bound to leave for Los Angeles.

"Shot with a confident, unhurried intimacy, Ephemera is thoroughly in the tradition of Linklater's 'Before' trilogy and Wong Kar-wai's city-as-feeling filmmaking, a comparison the film earns and, charmingly, even acknowledges," said Jarod Neece for Tribeca Film Festival. "Writer-director Shan Jiang finds something rare here: a queer love story that is tender without being precious and breezy without being slight. It moves with the energy of a city night that you never want to end and leaves exactly the kind of ache that the best romantic films do."

Ephemera will make its world premiere at Village East by Angelika at 5 PM on June 6, followed by showings at AMC 19th St. and another at Village East. Buy tickets here.

Zejtune

In Zejtune, Mar is eager to cut ties with her homeland, but when she returns to Malta to sell her late, estranged mother's property, she encounters a new friend whose charm uncovers a side to her country she had never known before. This love letter to Maltese folk culture was produced by Film Professor of Professional Practice Ramin Bahrani (CC '96) and will be considered in the International Narrative Competition.

"Featuring complex and nuanced performances, as well as authentic Maltese folk singers, this non-traditional road movie unfolds against breathtaking island landscapes, examining the inextricable—and at times fractured—relationship between identity and one’s concept of home," said Malin Kan for Tribeca Film Festival.

Zejtune will make its North American debut at AMC 19th St. at 2:30 PM on June 6, with following screenings at that theater and Village East by Angelika. Buy tickets here.

Fingers Crossed

The world premiere of The Moth & The Flame's music video Fingers Crossed will take place at the Shorts Theater at Spring Studios on June 9 at 8:30 PM. The music video, written by Film alum Rebecca Thomas '13, follows a child with terminal illness as she imagines running away from her hospital and through the remaining phases of her life. Buy tickets here.

Kingston

Kingston, a political, ensemble drama set on an elite college campus, was written, directed and produced by a slate of Columbia alums. Carlos Key (CC '24), Columbia College student Jenna Shen, and Claire Levesque (CC '24) wrote the script along with their cinematographer Kalijah Rowe. Key directed, Levesque worked as assistant director, and Shen produced the film. Hailey Russo (CC '24) worked as associate producer. The 96-minute film features dialogue in English, Chinese, and Spanish and will compete in the U.S. Narrative Competition.

"If you’re curious about what the 'kids' really think, look no further than this piece with vicious and pointed takes from all directions," said Casey Baron for Tribeca Film Festival. "The duo of Carlos Key and Kalijah Rowe bring their directorial debut forward with serious fire and a critical lens that puts them squarely in the conversation of what’s next. These filmmakers take on the realities of contemporary academia in America with a reckless abandon that’s thrilling, endearing, and full of blistering moments."

Kingston will make its world premiere at the Festival, first screening at Village East by Angelika on June 4 at 5:30 PM, before going on to show at AMC East 19th St. and reprise at Village East. Buy tickets here.

Grandmasters

Chess is entering its showbiz era in Grandmasters, a documentary episode produced by Film alum Max McGillivray '21 making its world premiere at the Festival. The episode follows an eccentric German entrepreneur and chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen as they challenge the chess establishment to modernize the sport. "Grandmasters chronicles the rivalries, reinventions, and personal battles shaping the modern pursuit of greatness in the game of kings," said the Festival.

The episode will premiere at the SVA Theatre at 2 pm on June 7, its screening followed by a panel discussion featuring international chess masters Danny Rensch, Levy Rozman, Jan Henric Buettner and Lea Makhloufi in conversation with EP and director Liza Mandelup. Another screening will take place on June 10 at Village East by Angelika. Buy tickets here.

Human Theories

Film alum Yoko Kohmoto '23 produced Human Theories, a feature film constructed of vignettes of forty New Yorkers as they try (and often fail) to connect in the big city. "Reminiscent of the indie films of the 90s, the city becomes a main character in and of itself as the film jumps from bedroom to coffee shop to brownstone steps," said Faridah Gbadamosi for the Festival.

Human Theories will make its world premiere at Village East by Angelika at 6:30 PM on June 6, followed by two more screenings at the theater and one more at AMC 19th St. Buy tickets here.'

The Long Haul

Margo Martindale stars in The Long Haul, a feature narrative following a long-haul trucker who can't outrun her past any longer. Film alum Juliet Berman (CC '07) produced the film, which will make its world premiere at the Festival.

"The Long Haul is the feature debut of writer-director David Drake, and it announces a filmmaker to watch," said Jarod Neece for the Festival. "Working with an extraordinary cast that includes Stephen Root, Cole Sprouse, and Yalitza Aparicio, Drake brings a photographer's eye to the low light and long silences of working-class America."

The Long Haul will premiere at Village East by Angelika on June 7 at 5:30 PM, followed by two more screenings that week at Village East. Buy tickets here.

How to Feed a Dictator

Andrew Neel (CC '01), producer of the Tribeca Special Jury Prize-winning film Stand Clear of the Closing Doors (2013), is back as director of the buzz-worthy documentary How to Feed a Dictator.

Based on the book by Polish journalist and author Witold Szabłowski, the film weaves the stories of private chefs to five of global history's most infamous dictators: Saddam Hussein, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Augusto Pinochet, and Kim Jong-il.

"Framed by interviews with journalists who dive into the violence conducted by these authoritarians, as well as the visceral contrast between the opulent meals served to these dictators and the living conditions of the citizens of the countries they led, this documentary delivers a chilling but necessary perspective on how authoritarians continue to flourish around the globe," said Kate Lemberg for the Festival.

How to Feed a Dictator makes its world premiere on June 10 at 8 PM at Village East by Angelika as a part of Spotlight Documentary, a series showcasing high profile new work in nonfiction. Buy tickets to the premiere or following Village East screenings here.

The Man Will Burn

The Man Will Burn, an HBO Original Documentary Series directed by Vikram Gandhi (CC '00) and executive produced by Emily Selinger (CC '12) traces the evolution of Burning Man from its anarchic countercultural roots in San Francisco to the 80,000-person desert event it has become.

Screening for Tribeca TV—"the best of the small screen on the big screen"—the series offers a behind-the-scenes look at one of America's most successful—and controversial—social experiments. Through exclusive access to Burning Man Project leadership and archives, the story follows a movement pushed to its limits. 

Episodes one and two of the four-part series premiere at SVA Theatre on June 9, 2026 at 5:30 PM, followed by a conversation with directors Jehane Noujaim, Vikram Gandhi, and additional participants. A matinee will take place at the 19th St. AMC on June 13 at 2:45 PM. Buy tickets here. 

Rush tickets will be offered at venues when advance tickets for a screening or event are no longer available. See the full list of films screening at this year's Tribeca Film Festival here.