December 18th, 2025

 

As Tribeca Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary, Festival Expands Tribeca NOW Category to Include Content Creators for Official Selection

Tribeca Invites Content Creators to Apply for Tribeca NOW and Tribeca X Categories: https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/submissions

 

 

NEW YORK, NY – (December 18, 2025) – As the Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary, Tribeca announced an expansion of its Tribeca NOW (New Online Work) category to formally include social media creators—becoming the first major film festival to invite creator work for official selection alongside traditional festival categories.

 

This milestone builds on Tribeca’s long-standing leadership at the intersection of technology, culture, and storytelling. At every major inflection point in how audiences discover and experience stories, Tribeca has been there first—championing new formats, new platforms, and the bold artists defining what comes next.

 

First introduced in 2014, Tribeca NOW quickly became one of the earliest festival platforms dedicated to boundary-pushing online storytelling, spotlighting creators behind the digital series High Maintenance before its HBO acquisition and other breakthrough projects including Lena Waithe’s Hello Cupid, Shaina Feinberg’s Dinette, Elvira Lind’s Academy Award® nominated The Letter Room, and Barret O’Brien and Mark Duplass’ The Long Long Night.

 

The 2026 expansion marks the next chapter in Tribeca’s 25-year commitment to discovering and elevating new forms of storytelling. From early mobile filmmaking with the Nokia 6682 in 2005, to YouTube-native series through a 2012 Maker Studios partnership, to short-form storytelling on Vine in 2013 and Snapchat in 2016-2017, Tribeca has always met artists and audiences wherever stories are being told.

 

By welcoming social media creators into Tribeca NOW, the Festival formally recognizes the artistry, originality, and cultural impact of creators telling stories across platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Submissions will be evaluated holistically, celebrating not only standout pieces of content but also a creator’s full body of work and storytelling voice, and are due February 5: https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/submissions. 

 

“Storytelling is evolving—and so is Tribeca,” said Jane Rosenthal, Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Board of Tribeca Enterprises. “For 25 years, we’ve been drawn to new forms of creative expression and the artists pushing those boundaries. Today’s creators are among the most inventive storytellers working in any medium. Expanding Tribeca NOW honors how audiences experience stories today—on every screen, in every form. That spirit of reinvention is what Tribeca was built on.”

The expansion also builds on Tribeca’s recent creator-centered initiatives, including the launch of its Creator Vertical in 2024 in partnership with Whalar Group and the debut of the UpNext Creators initiative as a digital showcase spotlighting visionary talent across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. In 2025, UpNext Creators made its in-person Festival debut—inviting twelve standout creators to Tribeca’s iconic red carpets and big screens, offering them the same industry access and recognition traditionally reserved for filmmakers and official Festival selections.

 

“Tribeca’s interdisciplinary programming has always celebrated the best in cinematic storytelling across all platforms, injecting fresh creative voices into the independent ecosystem wherever they are found,” said Cara Cusumano, Tribeca Festival Director and SVP of Programming. “This evolution of our signature NOW program will not just connect breakout digital storytellers with new audiences, but also with the traditional film industry, broader creative community, and potential future collaborators the way we have been doing for filmmakers and artists for 25 years.”

 

Tribeca’s track record of identifying emerging creators early continues to grow. Veronika Slowikowska, an inaugural UpNext Creator and 2024 Festival alum, was recently tapped to join the cast of Saturday Night Live. Other UpNext Creators, including Kareem Rahma of Subway Takes and Public Opinion of Track Star, further demonstrate how Tribeca elevates the next generation of multi-platform storytellers.

 

As part of Tribeca’s broader creator ecosystem, Tribeca X’s Content Creator/Influencer category spotlights creators whose inventive storytelling helps brands reach audiences in authentic and culturally resonant ways. Tribeca X underscores how today’s most influential storytellers move seamlessly between art and commerce—shaping cultural conversations while redefining how brands and audiences connect.

 

From underground filmmakers to digital pioneers to today’s social-native creators, Tribeca’s mission remains unchanged for its 25th year: discover what’s next—and give it the biggest stage.

 

Submissions for the expanded Tribeca NOW category (extended deadline February 5) and the Tribeca X Content Creator/Influencer category (extended deadline February 24) are open now at: https://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/submissions.

 

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Press Contacts: 

Annie Davis – adavis@tribecafilm.com

Mia Ogle – mogle@tribecafilm.com

 

About Tribeca Festival:

The Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, brings artists and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, music, audio storytelling, games, and immersive. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is synonymous with creative expression and entertainment. Tribeca champions emerging and established voices, discovers award-winning talent, curates innovative experiences, and introduces new ideas through exclusive premieres, exhibitions, conversations, and live performances. The Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. The annual Tribeca Festival will celebrate its 25th year from June 3–14, 2026 in New York City. In 2019, James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems bought a majority stake in Tribeca Enterprises, bringing together Rosenthal, De Niro, and Murdoch to grow the enterprise.