While Presumed Innocent made its streaming debut on Apple TV+ yesterday (6/12), Tribeca Festival attendees got a look-see at part of the eight-episode limited series earlier in the week, on Sunday (6/9) to be exact at the OKX Theater at BMCC TPAC, with Jake Gyllenhaal attending alongside creator/showrunner David E. Kelley, directors Anne Sewitsky and Greg Yaitanes, and fellow cast members Lily Rabe, Peter Sarsgaard and Renate Reinsve.
Based on the legal thriller novel by Scott Turow, Presumed Innocent stars Gyllenhaal as Chicago prosecutor Rusty Sabich who is accused of his murdering his colleague in the district attorney’s office. Sarsgaard portrays lawyer Tommy Molto, another co-worker who’s set out to prove Sabich’s guilt.
In a post-screening conversation with his co-directors Sewitsky and Yaitanes, Gyllenhaal said of his first foray into series television, “It’s the longest journey of storytelling I’d ever been a part of. For me, it was a really incredible and very emotional journey and one I hope the entire audience goes through. It’s a really special story.”
That same day on the Tribeca calendar, the SVA Theatre welcomed Liev Schreiber and Chelsea Clinton at the world premiere of The Cranes Call. Later in the evening, Jessica Chastain and Kerry Washington made special appearances at the world premiere of The Knife, along with executive producer Mark Duplass. The world premiere of It Was All a Dream was then celebrated by writer and director Dream Hampton and executive producer CJ Wallace, along with artists Black Thought, W Kamau Bell, and Nikki D.
Lena Waithe took the stage at the Indeed Theater at Spring Studios for a live conversation with Vibe Check to discuss Black, queer culture with hosts Sam Sanders, Saeed Jones, and Zach Stafford. Over at Village East by the Angelika, Lisa Edelstein, Gina Torres, and Delaney Rowe attended the world premiere of The Everything Pot. Meanwhile at AMC 19th St. East 6, Phil Dunster supported the premiere of his short Idiomatic, while Natasha Lyonne made a special appearance at the premiere of Black Hercules, a documentry short from director Rodney Lucas.
Having his Black Hercules selected for the Shorts program at Tribeca marked what Lucas earlier described to SHOOT as a “full circle moment” for him. He recalled a friend sneaking him into one of the festival screenings some 15 years ago. At the time, Lucas was homeless, living in New York City. “At that point, I never thought one day I’d have a film premiering at the same festival.”
Lucas feels that making the Tribeca cut this year represents “love coming full circle,” allowing him in a sense “to give honor and gratitude to every restaurant in New York City that I worked at, every couch I slept on, every park bench I slept on in New York City. The festival is a New York-born thing and I always wanted to be accepted by New York personally and as an artist.”
Additionally, Lucas affirmed that “whenever work is recognized by an institution as underground, as organic and New York-led as Tribeca, it means the world.”
Born in Chicago, Lucas moved to New York some 20 years ago, inspired by the Malcolm X biography and the work of Spike Lee. Lucas was drawn to “the level of Black energy and creativity happening in Harlem,” as talked about by Malcolm X.
Black Hercules is described in the Tribeca program as “a soulfully candid pilgrimage into the life and times of street bodybuilder Craig Monson–and the social dichotomy of Black L.A. that made him into a legend.”
Monson’s story resonated with Lucas. “There’s a Black Hercules in every Black community,” said Lucas, referring to Blacks who would go to prison and “come out ripped.” Lucas was fascinated by this body building reflecting a level of self-care that these men exercised even in bondage.
Lucas first came to know about this upon reading Huey P. Newton’s book, “Revolutionary Suicide.” Body building to this extent was “a revolutionary act” according to Newton. Lucas explained, “Confined to a small physical space, they find enough self-importance and self-love to be able to stay in shape, to keep the body almost at its peak performance. It was a way to show prison guards and the authorities that even though you can lock, cage, even abuse me, you can’t control my body. That’s the genesis of Black Hercules…my personal love letter so to speak to the brothers who were in the system.” It’s a high level of beautiful Black-self care through exercise regimen. “Black Hercules became our super heroes to some degree, representing the silent power within a man. Craig represented the alpha Omega of that.”
The film was so meaningful and personal to Lucas that a part of him wanted to keep it to himself. However Rhea Scott, president of Little Minx, the production company which represents him for commercials and content, wasn’t about to let that happen. Lucas recalled Scott telling him the project was too beautiful to keep under wraps, that it had to get out to the public.
Lucas took her advice. “I see Black Hercules on the streets of Brooklyn and Harlem. I admire those brothers so much. They have given me knowledge and information that can only be transferred between Black men. It is time to present that to the world. I didn’t want to let those conversations go.”
Week's highlights thus far
Monday (6/10) highlights included The OKX Theater at BMCC TPAC hosting the New York premiere of Daddio with Dakota Johnson and director Christy Hall. Ari DiFranco attended the world premiere of 1-800-ON-HER-OWN with director and Tribeca alum Dana Flor, and special guest Amber Tamblyn.. The screening was followed by an electric performance by folk music singer and songwriter DiFranco.
Meanwhile the SVA Theatre on Monday welcomed tennis great Roger Federer and co-directors Asif Kapadia and Joe Sabia at the world premiere of Federer: Twelve Final Days. Later in the evening, executive producers Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal supported the world premiere of State of Silence. Meanwhile at Village East by Angelika, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Kyra Sedgwick, and Jon Bass attended the world premiere of Bad Shabbos.
Day 7 (Tuesday, 6/11) of the 2024 Tribeca Festival continued at the OKX Theater at BMCC TPAC with the North American premiere of Firebrand with Jude Law and Alicia Vikander. Melissa McCarthy attended Criminal: The 10-Year Anniversary Show along with co-hosts Lauren Spohrer and Phoebe Judge.
The Indeed Theater at Spring Studios welcomed Hannah Einbinder, Sarah Sherman, and director Sandy Honig for the world premiere of Hannah Einbinder: Everything Must Go. The screening was followed by a discussion with Einbinder and Honig, moderated by Sherman.
Over at the Village East by Angelika, Marlo Thomas attended the North American premiere of Arzé. Meanwhile, Tim Blake Nelson and Lou Diamond Phillips supported the world premiere of Bang Bang. Kara Swisher joined Anna Sale for a live taping of Death, Sex & Money at the SVA Theatre.
And Wednesday’s (6/12) highlights included Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper in conversation at the OKX Theater at BMCC TPAC. Cohen and Cooper disclosed their fantasy Real Housewives’ taglines, with Cohen saying, “I’m a father of two, but a DADDY of many.”
The Indeed Theater at Spring Studios hosted Laverne Cox and Jet Toomer for a moving town hall on womanhood, Black and African American diaspora stories, and expressions of Black freedom. Music producer Carl Craig attended the world premiere of his documentary Desire: The Carl Craig Story.
And the SVA Theatre welcomed Edward Bluemel, Emily Bader, and Gemma Burgess along with Tribeca alum Benito Skinner for the world premiere of Amazon Prime Video’s TV series My Lady Jane. The venue also hosted Michael Stipe for an intimate talk moderated by Janeane Garofolo.
