Tribeca Film Festival: Our Most Anticipated Movies

From a feel-good rom-com to a tear-jerking documentary, this year's festival has a variety of films we can't wait to see.
By Kevin P. Sullivan

Robert DeNiro
Photo: MTV News

The Tribeca Film Festival is now upon us, and with so many films playing this year, it can be hard to parse what's worth checking out.

As festival founder Robert De Niro told MTV News, his goal each year is to fill the lineup with quality films. "The goals are the movies. Have good movies and good choices," he said. "You can't always get what you want, but we try to get the best things that are out there."

We've looked through the lineup and awarded superlatives to some of this year's most talked-about movies at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Most Promising Short Film: "Pitch Black Heist"
Here's a movie that features Michael Fassbender and Liam Cunningham, who play thieves looking to steal the contents of a safe. The catch is that the office that houses the safe is equipped with a light-sensitive alarm, so they must conduct the heist in total darkness. If that doesn't persuade you to seek out this 14-minute short film, we're not sure you like movies that much.

Sundance Darling Award: "Searching for Sugar Man"
This stranger-than-fiction documentary chronicles the life of Rodriguez, an unsuccessful but influential Mexican-American folk singer, who supposedly committed suicide onstage. The doc follows two filmmakers who decide to find out what happen to Rodriguez. "Searching for Sugar Man" earned rave reviews out of Sundance this past January, so expect the same from Tribeca.

Best Superhero Movie: "The Avengers" (by default)
Honestly, this wasn't a very fair fight. Of course Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the Hulk are going to take the prize for Best Superhero Movie at an independent film festival. Though the movie doesn't exactly fit in the lineup, Joss Whedon's superhero extravaganza is New York to its very core, so what other film festival could host the event?

Best Movie We've Already Seen: "The Five-Year Engagement"
"The Five-Year Engagement" is the next effort from the guys who brought you "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "The Muppets," Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller. Their new film has consistent belly laughs throughout and will leave you utterly charmed like no other rom-com in the past year. Segel and Emily Blunt both turn in believable performances that have you rooting for them from the first frame.

Short Doc Most Likely to Make Us Cry: "Alekesam"
"Alekesam" has a few key ingredients that make it a surefire weep-fest and a potentially huge hit at Tribeca. First, it's the real-life story of a musician, Hugh Masekela, who is exiled from his homeland of South Africa during the apartheid. Secondly, after years away, he attempts to re-establish contact with the son he left behind. Yep, the tears are already coming.

Doc Most Likely to Make Us Laugh Till We Cry: "Mansome"
Thankfully, we have Morgan Spurlock and a cast of some of the world's funniest men to cheer us up. "Mansome" is a look at modern man's grooming habits that features the likes of Zach Galifianakis, Will Arnett, Paul Rudd and Jason Bateman.

Which movie from Tribeca Film Festival are you most excited to see? Let us know in the comments!

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