First-Ever Tribeca Festival Lisboa Is Part of an Inevitable International Expansion: Let’s ‘Keep This Party Going’
The first-ever Tribeca Festival Lisboa has been years in the making — and is far from the first stop on Tribeca’s international tour to foster rising filmmakers.
The inaugural Tribeca Festival Lisboa will take place from October 17 to 19 in Lisbon, Portugal, and brings the best of this year’s U.S.-based indies abroad. The eight U.S. films curated for the festival range from Nicholas Colia’s “Griffin in Summer,” Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning feature “Anora,” Sundance breakout “In the Summers,” and the heart-wrenching SXSW drama “Bob Trevino Likes It.” “Ezra,” “Jazzy,” “A Bronx Tale, The Original One Man Show,” and “Group Therapy” round out the lineup, with most filmmakers participating in post-screening panels. Festival co-founder Robert De Niro, Whoopi Goldberg, Patty Jenkins, and Griffin Dunne additionally will lead featured talks.
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And Tribeca Festival Lisboa also spotlights Portuguese films and TV series, ranging from the highly-anticipated show “Azul” to César Mour?o’s feature narrative “Podia Ter Esperado Por Agosto” and the world premiere of “Unicorn.”
Tribeca Festival Director and SVP of Programming Cara Cusumano told IndieWire that Tribeca Festival Lisboa offered a different lens of opportunity as a programmer.
“It was interesting approaching because normally our process is scouring the world for the best global films and bringing them to New York for American audiences,” Cusumano said. “And in this case, we got to think in a different way and think about the whole of U.S. independent filmmaking and what makes sense to represent the year for an international audience.”
Cusumano opted to select eight films that all won respective top prizes at festivals ranging from SXSW to Cannes to Sundance to, of course, Tribeca. The curated features all represent different aspects of America itself, and, according to Cusumano, could serve as a cinematic road trip through the nation for Portuguese audiences.
“I’m excited for an international audience to experience this lineup, which represents so much of physical America,” she said. “We’re trying to get a lot done with a few films, but I’m really excited with how it came out.”
Writer/director Nicholas Colia, whose critically acclaimed coming-of-age feature directorial debut “Griffin in Summer” won the top prize at Tribeca 2024, told IndieWire that Tribeca Festival Lisboa is a way to “keep the party going” on the indie circuit. “Griffin in Summer” was awarded the Best U.S. Narrative Feature in June 2024 at the Tribeca Festival, and now makes its European premiere at Tribeca Festival Lisboa.
“It’s so wild. I’m really honored I am to be in like the company of all these other great films,” Colia said. “I know Lisbon has become such an artist’s hub in the past decade, and [my film’s lead character] Griffin is a little aspiring artist. I’m always interested by how other creative people respond to the film, and it seems like this film hit a nerve particularly with the creative community and I know there’s a huge community there in Lisbon. I’m excited to connect with them about it.”
Colia added of the support from the Tribeca Festival, “Tribeca was just a really, really amazing place. I didn’t anticipate any of this, truly. They were so generous with us and with the film and the audience. And I just hope that that can continue that in Lisbon. I was very depressed when Tribeca ended. And so I’m really excited that we get to have this reunion there. I want to keep this party going.”
Tribeca has always had an international mindset, as co-founder and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises Jane Rosenthal reminded IndieWire. The festival first expanded globally between 2009 through 2012 with the Doha Tribeca Film Festival, which was the first-ever film festival in Qatar. Tribeca has also collaborated with the Rome Film Festival and Tuscan Sun Festival in Florence.
Yet the Tribeca Festival Lisboa is the first fully-fledged international arm under the Tribeca banner. “The revitalization of any city is always through the arts, and we’re seeing a lot of opportunity for expansion into other global cities. But right now, we’re really excited about being here in Lisbon,” Rosenthal said. “Lisbon, with its rich cultural heritage and vibrant arts scene was a natural choice.”
Carlos Moedas, the Mayor of Lisbon, added to IndieWire that the inaugural festival also “underscores why this city is the place to be right now.” “Lisbon is the European city where innovation, technology, and culture come together like nowhere else,” Moedas said. “Its modern energy perfectly complements the city’s historic charm and breathtaking beauty, making it a magnet for the film industry. Tribeca’s bold, creative spirit resonates with Lisbon’s momentum and growth. We’re seeing an influx of international productions, top talent, and fresh ideas. This is Lisbon’s time to shine on the world stage.”
Tribeca’s mission to provide a platform for rising filmmakers also extends to Tribeca Festival Lisboa. “We’re bringing the best of American independent cinema to Lisbon. Whether we’re spotlighting up-and-coming American filmmakers or Lisbon’s new generation of talent, Tribeca’s mission remains the same: discover, amplify, and support the best artists and storytellers from across the globe,” Rosenthal said. “Quality begets quality. This is how you build audiences and enhance culture. Discovering new talent is always my goal, whether it’s with my festival hat on or as a producer.”
And Tribeca won’t stop at Lisbon: Rosenthal teased that Tribeca is “always looking for opportunities to collaborate with like-minded partners in cities across the globe.” “Our festival began as a neighborhood party and quickly became international in reach. The world came to us, and now we’re coming to the world,” Rosenthal said. “There’s definitely more on the horizon for Tribeca.”
Check out the Tribeca Festival Lisboa 2024 lineup here.
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