The 25th Tribeca Festival opened Wednesday night in New York City with the world premiere of Questlove’s documentary on Earth, Wind & Fire, followed by a live performance from the legendary band with The Roots drummer joining the set. The evening set a celebratory tone for a milestone edition of the festival, which continues to blend film, music and community-focused programming. Robert De Niro, who co-founded Tribeca with Jane Rosenthal after the 9/11 attacks, used his opening remarks to criticize what he called the nation’s “monstrous” government and praised storytelling as a way to bring people together. Rosenthal also referenced the NBA Finals, prompting a loud “Go Knicks” chant inside the Beacon Theatre.
Questlove introduced the documentary by recalling The Roots’ early connection to the festival and reflecting on how far both he and Tribeca have come. The HBO film traces Earth, Wind & Fire’s rise from modest beginnings to global fame, focusing on founder Maurice White and the band’s decades-long influence. It uses interviews with band members, family, famous admirers including Barack and Michelle Obama, Flea and Lionel Richie, along with archival footage and animation.
The opening night also highlighted Tribeca’s origins and evolution. Rosenthal and De Niro launched the festival less than a year after 9/11 as a way to help Lower Manhattan recover and create a new shared memory for the city. Rosenthal said she and De Niro were surprised by how long the event has lasted, while De Niro said he hoped it would remain part of New York’s cultural fabric. The duo also recently honored former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose support was key to the festival’s creation and to the broader rebuilding of the World Trade Center area.
Over 25 years, Tribeca has grown from a local street-fair-style event into a major platform for documentaries, music projects, international filmmakers, television, podcasts, games and digital storytelling. The festival dropped “film” from its name to reflect that expansion and became the first major U.S. film festival to return after the pandemic. Its 2026 edition includes a free outdoor screening series at Hudson Yards revisiting highlights from past years.
This year’s lineup includes 118 films, with 108 world premieres and 55 first-time directors from 44 countries. The schedule features a broad mix of documentaries, dramas and genre films, plus music titles tied to Madonna, Katy Perry, Mumford & Sons and Peter Frampton. Bruce Springsteen will receive the Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award, and the festival’s storytelling summit will host panels, talks and creative sessions throughout the event. Rosenthal said the discovery of new voices remains central to Tribeca’s mission, and that strong programming, not anniversary branding, is what continues to draw audiences.
