The 24th annual Tribeca Film Festival 2025 kicked off Wednesday, June 4, with the world premiere of Billy Joel: And So It Goes. Screening at the Beacon Theatre, the HBO original two-part documentary offers an expansive look into the legendary artist’s life, tracing the love, loss, and personal struggles that profoundly influenced his songwriting.
The opening night of the fest was attended by the film’s producer Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Mariska Hargitay, Whoopi Goldberg, Mira Sorvino, Gary Goetzman, Steve Zahn, Rick Gomez, and many more. Joel, who is recovering from an illness, did not attend tonight.
The festival’s feature film slate includes Rose Byrne and Octavia Spencer starring in Tow; The Best You Can starring Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick marking their first co-starring roles in 20 years; Rosemead starring Lucy Liu; Dragonfly with Andrea Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn; and Everything’s Going to be Great starring Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney.
Additional highlights include A Tree Fell in the Woods with Alexandra Daddario, Daveed Diggs, and Josh Gad; She Dances, written, produced, and starring Steve Zahn along with co-star Ethan Hawke; and Sovereign starring Nick Offerman, Jacob Tremblay, Dennis Quaid, and Martha Plimpton, among others. The Festival will also bring audiences the live-action film How To Train Your Dragon starring Mason Thames, Nico Parker and Gerard Butler.
This year’s slate of documentary world premieres showcases cultural icons across generations including comedy legend Andy Kaufman in Andy Kaufman Is Me; Barbara Walters in a career-spanning profile in Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything; Gloria Steinem in Dear Ms. about the history and legacy of Ms. Magazine; and Jack Kerouac in Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Nation featuring Josh Brolin, Michael Imperioli, and Matt Dillon, among many others. Additional anticipated documentary world premieres are Long Live The State on the legendary NYU-founded alt-comedy troupe; The Last Dive, that follows the story of Terry Kennedy, a retired Navy Seal and Hell’s Angel and his unlikely friendship with a giant manta ray, and Titan: the OceanGate Disaster exploring the submersible’s ill-fated journey to the Titanic.
This year’s Tribeca Festival will run from June 4-15 in New York City, will feature curated lineups across film, music, TV, audio storytelling, talks, games, and immersive programming. From independent narratives showcasing emerging filmmakers and talent to a music lineup like never before, the annual festival continues to highlight groundbreaking stories that unite communities and fans globally.
