BY SCOTT STIFFLER
The name in the title may say Tribeca — but many of the 85 selections in the Tribeca Film Festival (April 21-May 2) are screening in Chelsea. Here’s the skinny on all of the where and the best of the what. For the entire schedule, visit www.tribecafilm.com.
CHELSEA VENUES:
—Chelsea Clearview Cinemas: 260 West 23rd Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues)
—SVA (School of Visual Arts) Theater: 333 West 23rd Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues)
CHELSEA TICKET PACKAGE: For $75, you get six general screening tickets to films showing at SVA and Chelsea Clearview (two per screening).
Screening at Chelsea Clearview:
“Elvis & Madonna” – 4/22, 10pm; 4/24, 3:45pm; 4/27, 10pm; 4/30, 3pm – (in Portuguese with English subtitles)
The lives of a beautiful biker babe and a tall blonde drag performer intertwine in this vibrant Rio-set romantic comedy. Elvis is an aspiring young photographer delivering pizzas to make ends meet. Madonna’s plans for a spectacular drag show have just been dashed when her rotten sometime lover steals all her money. When they meet by chance, Elvis and Madonna’s unlikely love will help them chase their dreams and deal with the obstacles that arise along the way.
“Sons of Perdition” – 4/23, 7pm; 4/24, 2:45pm; 4/25, 2:45pm; 4/27, 6:45pm
In the polygamist community cultivated by the notorious (and now incarcerated) “prophet” Warren Jeffs, women are a commodity, children are reared to be ignorant, and free thought is surrendered. For a group of teenage boys, the desire for autonomy means banishment from their homes and families. This fascinating documentary explores the heartbreaking losses and hopeful determination of these exiles as they struggle to make new lives in mainstream America.
“Two Escobars” – 4/22. 9pm; 4/23, 3pm; 4/25, 3pm; 5/1, 6:30pm
Born in the same city in Colombia but not related, Andrés Escobar and Pablo Escobar shared a fanatical love of soccer. Andrés grew up to become one of Colombia’s most beloved players, while Pablo became the most notorious drug baron of all time. While adeptly investigating the secret marriage of crime and sports, Michael Zimbalist and Jeff Zimbalist (Favela Rising, TFF ‘05) reveal the surprising connections between the murders of Andrés and Pablo.
Screening at SVA:
“American Mystic” – 4/22, 9pm; 4/23, 5:30pm; 4/25, 10pm; 4/30, 8:45pm
Set against a vivid backdrop of American rural landscapes, Alex Mar’s meditative documentary artfully weaves together the stories of three young Americans exploring alternative religion: a pagan priestess in California mining country, a Spiritualist in upstate New York, and a Native American father and sundancer in South Dakota, all yearning for fulfilling spirituality in disparate but often strikingly similar ways.
“Climate of Change” – 4/22, 5pm; 4/23, 3pm; 4/28, 1pm; 5/1, 12:15pm
A group of 13-year-olds in India rally against the use of plastics. A renaissance man in Africa teaches villagers to harness solar power. Self-described “hillbillies” in Appalachia battle the big business behind strip mining. Tilda Swinton beautifully narrates this rich and inspiring documentary from the producers of “An Inconvenient Truth” — about a world of regular people taking action in the fight to save our environment. Executive produced by Participant Media and the Alliance for Climate Protection.
“Shorts: Hard Core” – 4/23, 11pm; 4/24, 3pm; 4/29, 10:30pm; 5/2, 5pm
TFF’s New York, New York program returns with strong characters set in the city that can make you or break you.
Sometimes it takes an antihero to clean up the streets in Something in the Air. A young man finds a safe space between the present and the afterlife In Space. The 1940s jazz milieu sets the stage for a composer and his consequences in Billy and Aaron. The situation: three boys from Queens, a missing wallet and a prostitute named Cookie. In Bedford Park Boulevard, 15-year-old Byron struggles to outwit a school system that seems against him. Being a good neighbor brings about some bizarre consequences to a couple of The New Tenants.
