BY: Liliana Rocio, Senior Editor for World Liberty TV

The 2025 Tribeca Festival kicked off with the world premiere of the highly anticipated HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So it Goes, an expansive and deeply personal portrait of the life and music of New York City icon Billy Joel, exploring the love, loss, and personal struggles that fuel his songwriting.

Co-directors Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin attended the event, along with Executive Producers Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman, and Joel’s longtime band members Richie Cannata, Liberty DeVitto, and Russell Javors. Whoopi Goldberg, Mariska Hargitay, Steve Zahn, Caroline Aaron, Elizabeth Weber, and Tribeca jury members Mira Sorvino and Asher Grodman were also present.

Just before the screening, Tribeca Festival co-founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal took the stage to welcome the packed house of Joel fans to opening night, before teeing up Lacy and Levin to introduce the film.

The remarks featured well-wishes to Joel and several references to his iconic songs, as De Niro confirmed he’s “in a New York state of mind,” and Lacy and Levin concluded with a heartfelt message to Joel: “we love you just the way you are.” To learn more about BILLY JOEL: AND SO IT GOES, Click here

 Just Sing, (UK) – World Premiere. On the cusp of graduation, the members of USC’s celebrated SoCal VoCals have one more challenge to conquer before adulthood:

The International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella in New York City. Directed by Abraham Troen, Angelique Molina. Produced by Sarah Thomson, John Battsek.

After the Movie: A special performance by the SoCal VoCals. To learn more about Just Sing click here.

Pavilhão  Short Documentary from Brazil: premiere of the  latest short documentary feature at Tribeca this year – “Pavilhão”, written and directed by Victoria Fiore.

Here is a brief synopsis: “Set in Rio de Janeiro, Aleksia wanders on a journey through time, unveiling the origins of samba and its emergence from resilience, joy, spirituality and resistance of her Afro-Brazilian community”.  To learn more about Pavilhao, click here .

Tribeca X:  We had a pleasure of covering, Tribeca X, the Tribeca Festival’s flagship program for brand-driven storytelling, today announced its speaker lineup and official selections for the Tribeca X Awards.

Which took place on June 9–10 at Spring Studios, the event convenes top talent from Hollywood, advertising, and business for two days of high-impact conversations and networking at the intersection of creativity, commerce, and culture.

The program continues to solidify its position as the premier destination for C-suite executives, CMOs, and marketers looking to shape the future of storytelling and brand engagement. The 2025 Tribeca Festival is presented by OKX.

This year’s lineup showcases how entertainment powerhouses and influential brands are redefining storytelling by blending Hollywood craft with marketing strategy:

Some of the speakers included at the two-day Conference: Paris Hilton, Co-founder and CEO of 11:11 Media, and company President & COO Bruce Gersh unpack creator-led storytelling, community building, and the evolving landscape of modern brand engagement.

Steve Zahn and Rick Gomez, co-Founders of Macaroni Art Productions, and Chef Ouita Michel, all based in Lexington, Kentucky, speak about the incomparable production experience in Lexington and the episodic series YOU BELONG HERE.

Kenneth Cole, fashion icon and founder of the Mental Health Coalition, reflects on four decades of using fashion as a platform for storytelling, activism, and social impact.

A Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole (Kenneth Cole) With heart & ’sole’ and unflinching determination, global fashion icon and activist Kenneth Cole has put ‘cause’ before ‘commerce’ for 40 years, using his brand to ignite social awareness and change, to give voice to the voiceless, to defy and shatter stigmas and to inspire and empower action for good. Director: Dori Berinstein.

Haider Rafique, CMO of OKX, and actor Chazz Palminteri present Mild Mild West, a first-of-its-kind Western that fuses crypto and cinema in a groundbreaking cross-industry collaboration.

Ynon Kreiz, Mattel CEO, on scaling legacy through culturally relevant brand storytelling. To learn more about Tribeca X, Click here.

This year’s jury brings together a prolific collection of creative forces—from international stars and Oscar winners to cult icons and comedy trail blazers. Notable names include Jennifer Beals, Matthew Broderick, Ilana Glazer, Art Linson, Kyle MacLachlan, Mira Sorvino, alongside other visionaries tasked with discovering tomorrow’s breakthrough talents.

In addition, the Nora Ephron Award will honor an exceptional female filmmaker who represents the spirit and vision of the legendary filmmaker and writer.

“We’re proud to welcome an eclectic group of jurors to this year’s Tribeca Festival,” said Nancy Lefkowitz, EVP at Tribeca Enterprises. “Their breadth of expertise across genres will be instrumental in recognizing standout storytellers and honoring bold new voices from around the world.”

More than 30 industry luminaries were selected to honor feature-length and short film categories, composed of narrative and documentary films. Additional juries have also been established to honor the best work in Tribeca’s games, as well as submissions in the audio storytelling category. The winning films, projects, filmmakers, storytellers, and actors in each category will be announced at the Tribeca Festival ceremony on June 12.

ABOUT THE TRIBECA FESTIVAL: The Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, brings artists and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, music, audio storytelling, games, and immersive. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is synonymous with creative expression and entertainment. Tribeca champions emerging and established voices, discovers award-winning talent, curates innovative experiences, and introduces new ideas through exclusive premieres, exhibitions, conversations, and live performances.

The Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. The annual Tribeca Festival will celebrate its 24th year from June 4–15, 2025 in New York City.

In 2019, James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems bought a majority stake in Tribeca Enterprises, bringing together Rosenthal, De Niro, and Murdoch to grow the enterprise.

ABOUT THE 2025 TRIBECA FESTIVAL PARTNERS: The 2025 Tribeca Festival is presented by OKX and with the support of our partners: AT&T, Audible, Bulleit Frontier Whiskey, Canva, CHANEL, City National Bank, Don Julio Tequila, Indeed, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, NBC4 and Telemundo 47, NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, National CineMedia, New York Magazine, Spring Studios New York, The Wall Street Journal, Variety, Vulture, and Whalar.

People and mass media in attendance from all over the world came to be part of the 24^th Annual Tribeca film festival, I myself covered the original Tribeca film festival which took place at the Conrad hotel, 24 years ago.

Since then the Tribeca film festival has grown as one of the largest film festivals in the World. We had the pleasure of covering as much as possible as so much was happening and one cannot possibly cover everything.

As you can see some of the films, Conferences, Opening nights, Short films and so much more. See more about Tribeca film Festival in our World Liberty TV, Film Channels by clicking here.