At the 2025 Tribeca Festival, Egyptian filmmaker Sarah Goher stood out as the only African director to win in a major category, sweeping three top awards for her film “Happy Birthday.” Alongside Goher, Puerto Rican filmmakers Cristian Carretero and Lorraine Jones Molina earned jury praise for their narrative debut “Esta Isla (This Island).” Yet, despite these achievements, not a single African American filmmaker was honored in the major categories — a silence that was impossible to ignore on a night meant to celebrate global storytelling.
Despite the festival’s branding as an international platform for diverse voices, 2025 saw a notable lack of African American and Latino stories both in the lineup and among the winners. That absence undercuts the core promise of a festival born from the need to rebuild, represent, and reflect a wider city — and world.
This year’s Founders Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature went to “Charliebird,” the directorial debut of Libby Ewing, while Gabriela Ochoa Perez earned Best Performance for the same film. All honorees in the U.S. Narrative category were first-time directors, signaling the festival’s continued push to uplift emerging voices.
Sarah Goher’s “Happy Birthday” dominated the International Narrative section, winning Best Feature, Best Screenplay, and the Nora Ephron Award — one of the evening’s most prestigious honors. Her film, which centers on a young girl’s quiet reckoning with class and longing, was praised for its nuance and emotional precision.
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Meanwhile, Carretero and Jones Molina’s “Esta Isla (This Island)” — a lush, politically layered drama set in Puerto Rico — received a Special Jury Mention and the Best New Narrative Director Award. The jury cited its ability to “balance poetic imagery, lush landscapes, and cinematic tension,” calling it “a film that straddles crime fiction and ethnography.”
In the documentary category, Suzannah Herbert’s “Natchez” took the top prize. The film, which centers on a Mississippi town once known for its role in the slave trade, interrogates historical erasure and present-day reckoning. Yet, despite the film’s deep roots in African American history, Herbert herself is white — a fact that many in the community found troubling, raising questions about cultural appropriation and the persistent lack of Black voices behind the camera when it comes to telling Black stories.
Also in the spotlight was Manya Glassman’s short film “How I Learned to Die,” which took home the Student Visionary Award. Executive produced by Spike Lee, the film drew from Glassman’s personal experience as a teenager facing a life-threatening illness. As reported in Amsterdam News Curtain Raiser, the film is being developed into a feature and was previously named to the Purple List of top graduate screenplays.
Latin American cinema made its presence felt across categories — Cuerpo Celeste (Chile, Italy), Kites (Brazil), Runa Simi (Peru), and A Bright Future (Uruguay, Argentina, Germany) — but even among this strong showing, no U.S.-Latino filmmakers broke into the winners’ circle.
In addition to film, Tribeca handed out awards for games, branded content, podcasts, and immersive experiences. The inaugural Music Video award went to “Rock The Bells” by LL COOL J, directed by Gregory Brunkalla. The Tribeca Games Award went to France’s “Cairn,” praised for its immersive simulation and narrative design.
The Tribeca X branded content awards recognized “Abnormal Beauty Company” from The Ordinary (Best Feature), “Century of Cravings” from Uber Eats (Best Commercial), and “First Speech” by Reporters Without Borders (Best Short), among others.
Audience Award winners — decided by festivalgoers — will be announced later this week.
Founded in 2001 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in the aftermath of 9/11, Tribeca has long championed the idea that storytelling can help rebuild and reimagine community. But this year’s winners list — celebrating talent from Egypt, Puerto Rico, the UK, and beyond — also revealed which communities are still waiting for their stories to be seen.
Here is a link to the full winners: https://tribecafilm.com/press-center/festival/press-releases/2025-tribeca-festival-announces-winners-charliebird-happy-birthday-and-Natchez-in-us-narrative-international-narrative-and-documentary-competitions
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