The 25th Tribeca Festival will take place from 3rd to 14th June, 2026 in New York City, US.
By Adedamola Jones Adedayo
The Tribeca Festival has unveiled its official lineup for its landmark 25th edition, spotlighting seven African titles among a diverse global selection of 118 feature films and 86 short films. The 2026 programme features an unprecedented 103 world premieres, which is a testament to the expansive scope of the festival and its ever-growing reputation.
Nigeria and South Africa lead African representation in this year’s selection, each contributing two titles across features and shorts. Among the highlights is Crocodile (2026), a New Zealand–Nigeria co-production selected for the Viewpoints section, which is dedicated to bold storytelling and visionary filmmaking.
It had its world premiere at the Berlinale earlier this year. Produced and directed by The Critics, a Kaduna-based filmmaking collective, and Pietra Brettkelly, the film follows a group of kids from Northern Nigeria who turn a backyard into a sci-fi universe using a similar phone and limitless imagination. Shot over a period of thirteen years, the documentary captures the rise of the film collective, emboldened by their creativity.
Kenyan-Nigerian co-production One Woman, One Bra (2025), which premiered at Venice 2025, will also screen as part of Viewpoints. The feature narrative is written and directed by Kenyan filmmaker Vincho Nchogu, who makes her feature directorial debut with the pastoral drama, and produced by Nigerian filmmaker Josh Olaoluwa. Set in a pastoral Kenyan village, the film follows a lady’s search for her identity, which puts her at loggerheads with society.
Under the narrative segment of Tribeca’s shorts programme is Vultures (2025), a French-South African co-production directed by South African filmmaker Dian Weys. The film extends its international festival circuit run, having undergone major screenings at the Red Sea Film Festival and Cannes from the previous year. The 15-minute short picks up volatile moments after a car crash and before the arrival of authorities, during which a hot-headed yet desperate tow truck driver stubbornly protects his tow in a situation that soon gets out of control.
In a similar vein, APART, an animated short courtesy of a co-production involving the United States and South Africa, will debut on the global stage, with multi-award-winning American filmmaker Spike Lee as writer and South Africa-based illustrator and artist Pola Maneli as director.
Tribeca’s lineup also presents Jail Time Records, a Cameroonian feature documentary set to premiere in competition. Directed by Dione Roach and Steve Happi and produced with Giacomo Stucchi-Prinetti and Tabs Breese, the documentary profiles the first prison recording studio on the African continent with three incarcerated artists who express themselves through music.
Additional African representation comes from North Africa, with Mon Taxi, a project between Morocco and the US, directed by Meriem Sakrouhi; and the Egyptian narrative short 32B (2025), written by Haitham Dabbour and directed by Mohamed Taher, set for showcase at the festival. 32B premiered at the 2025 Carthage Film Festival (Journées Cinématographiques de Carthage) in Tunisia and also screened at the 2026 Malmö International Film Festival, where it won the Jury Award in the Short Film Competition.
The 25th Tribeca Festival will take place from 3rd to 14th June, 2026 in New York City, US.