Tribeca, the film festival founded by Robert De Niro, has secured some eye-catching world premieres for its 2015 edition, beginning 15 April.
Chief among them is The Adderall Diaries, the latest film to star the hugely prolific James Franco. It’s adapted from the book of the same name by Stephen Elliott, a blend of inward-turning memoir about his writer’s block and addiction to attention-deficit medication, and an outward-looking investigation of a murder case in San Francisco – in the city’s underground S&M scene, Elliott had crossed paths with a man who confessed to a string of related killings. In the film, Franco plays Elliott alongside a classy supporting cast including Ed Harris, Amber Heard and Cynthia Nixon.
Another starry project is Franny, with Richard Gere playing against type as a freewheeling, eccentric philanthropist – complete with natty scarf and glasses – who worms his way into the life of a newly married couple (Dakota Fanning and Theo James) in an attempt to revive his youth. There’s also Meadowland, a drama about a couple played by Olivia Wilde and Luke Wilson who try to cope after their son goes missing – supporting players include Juno Temple, Giovanni Ribisi, and Mad Men’s Elizabeth Moss.
Elsewhere there’s the feature debut of Northern Irish film-maker Stephen Fingleton, a post-apocalyptic drama about a farmer with strained resources trying to weather the arrival of two women; and Bridgend from Danish director Jeppe Rønde, based in the Welsh town with an alarmingly high suicide rate.
The festival’s documentary strand meanwhile features films exploring sake production, Havana drag racers, nuclear power and New Yorker cartoonists, among others. Its opening night film is Live From New York!, a documentary about American TV comedy institution Saturday Night Live. There’s also a place for The Wolfpack, Crystal Moselle’s documentary about an isolated family cut off from everyday New York, which made a major splash at this year’s Sundance film festival.
