Hollywood's Finest Take the Bench: Inside Tribeca's Dazzling Jury Lineup

Olivia Bennett, 5/23/2025Get the scoop on the dazzling jury lineup for the 2025 Tribeca Festival, featuring powerhouses like Nia DaCosta, Colson Whitehead, and Mira Sorvino. Mark your calendars for June 12 — real humans will celebrate the art of storytelling amidst the rise of AI-generated content.

Let's dish about who's holding court this summer (June 4-15, if you're marking your calendars). The U.S. Narrative Feature Competition — arguably the festival's crown jewel — has landed quite the catch with Nia DaCosta. Fresh off her absolutely haunting "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" (still having nightmares about that third act, by the way), she's joining forces with Pulitzer darling Colson Whitehead and industry veteran Art Linson. Now there's a combo that could either spark pure magic or total chaos — and honestly? Here for either.

The international category? Oh, honey. Kyle MacLachlan — yes, Agent Cooper himself — is bringing his otherworldly charm to the judges' table. He's teaming up with "Succession" scene-stealer Dagmara Dominczyk (whose Twitter takes on last year's AI actors' strike were absolutely *chef's kiss*) and the brilliant Toby Jones, fresh from his Indiana Jones adventure.

Speaking of brilliant combinations — the Nora Ephron Award panel is serving us some serious comedy credentials. Annie Murphy (post-"Schitt's Creek" glow still intact) and Caroline Aaron (forever our favorite Maisel ensemble member) are taking the reins. If anyone knows how to spot that special Ephron-esque magic in female filmmakers, it's these two.

But wait — there's more. Documentary features are getting the star treatment with Mira Sorvino (who's basically reinvented herself as an industry power player since her Romy and Michele days), alongside documentary heavyweight Sara Bernstein and the unstoppable Ben Proudfoot.

The short film category? Just casual excellence with Ilana Glazer bringing her signature chaos energy, paired with the legendary Sheila Nevins. That's like pairing a shot of espresso with aged whiskey — unexpected, but potentially brilliant.

Nancy Lefkowitz, Tribeca's EVP, summed it up with characteristic understatement: "We're proud to welcome an eclectic group of jurors." (Translation: We've assembled the Avengers of the entertainment industry, darling.)

Mark your calendars for June 12 — that's when all these brilliant minds will crown their chosen ones across 15 categories. And yes, they're covering everything from traditional narratives to gaming and audio storytelling, because it's 2025 and apparently, we're all living in the future now.

Between Matthew Broderick's old-school Hollywood charm and Stephanie Hsu's fresh perspective (still riding high from that Oscar nod for "Everything All At Once at Last"), this year's jury lineup feels like the perfect blend of "been there, done that" wisdom and "wait, what if we tried this?" innovation.

In a year when AI-generated content is flooding our screens (looking at you, questionable Netflix algorithm), there's something deeply satisfying about having real humans — complicated, opinionated, brilliant humans — making these crucial creative calls. The 2025 Tribeca Festival isn't just celebrating stories; it's championing the messy, beautiful, human art of storytelling itself.

Darlings, the 2025 Tribeca Festival just dropped its jury lineup, and honey, it's giving us everything we didn't know we needed. Think of it as the Met Gala of the indie film world — except instead of questionable fashion choices, we're getting an absolutely delicious roster of creative powerhouses who'll be deciding which films deserve their moment in the spotlight.Let's dish about who's holding court this summer (June 4-15, if you're marking your calendars). The U.S. Narrative Feature Competition — arguably the festival's crown jewel — has landed quite the catch with Nia DaCosta. Fresh off her absolutely haunting "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" (still having nightmares about that third act, by the way), she's joining forces with Pulitzer darling Colson Whitehead and industry veteran Art Linson. Now there's a combo that could either spark pure magic or total chaos — and honestly? Here for either.The international category? Oh, honey. Kyle MacLachlan — yes, Agent Cooper himself — is bringing his otherworldly charm to the judges' table. He's teaming up with "Succession" scene-stealer Dagmara Dominczyk (whose Twitter takes on last year's AI actors' strike were absolutely *chef's kiss*) and the brilliant Toby Jones, fresh from his Indiana Jones adventure.Speaking of brilliant combinations — the Nora Ephron Award panel is serving us some serious comedy credentials. Annie Murphy (post-"Schitt's Creek" glow still intact) and Caroline Aaron (forever our favorite Maisel ensemble member) are taking the reins. If anyone knows how to spot that special Ephron-esque magic in female filmmakers, it's these two.But wait — there's more. Documentary features are getting the star treatment with Mira Sorvino (who's basically reinvented herself as an industry power player since her Romy and Michele days), alongside documentary heavyweight Sara Bernstein and the unstoppable Ben Proudfoot.The short film category? Just casual excellence with Ilana Glazer bringing her signature chaos energy, paired with the legendary Sheila Nevins. That's like pairing a shot of espresso with aged whiskey — unexpected, but potentially brilliant.Nancy Lefkowitz, Tribeca's EVP, summed it up with characteristic understatement: "We're proud to welcome an eclectic group of jurors." (Translation: We've assembled the Avengers of the entertainment industry, darling.)Mark your calendars for June 12 — that's when all these brilliant minds will crown their chosen ones across 15 categories. And yes, they're covering everything from traditional narratives to gaming and audio storytelling, because it's 2025 and apparently, we're all living in the future now.Between Matthew Broderick's old-school Hollywood charm and Stephanie Hsu's fresh perspective (still riding high from that Oscar nod for "Everything All At Once at Last"), this year's jury lineup feels like the perfect blend of "been there, done that" wisdom and "wait, what if we tried this?" innovation.In a year when AI-generated content is flooding our screens (looking at you, questionable Netflix algorithm), there's something deeply satisfying about having real humans — complicated, opinionated, brilliant humans — making these crucial creative calls. The 2025 Tribeca Festival isn't just celebrating stories; it's championing the messy, beautiful, human art of storytelling itself.