The Press Release:
The 2025 Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, today unveiled its opening night film, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, an HBO original two-part documentary, announced by Jane Rosenthal, Co-Founder and CEO of Tribeca Festival and Tribeca Enterprises, on stage at NAB Show’s Business of Entertainment event, in partnership with The Ankler. The 2025 Tribeca Festival Opening Night is presented by OKX and City National Bank.
“For nearly 25 years, the Tribeca Festival has celebrated the artists who give New York its heart and soul, and on the opening night of the 2025 Festival, we are thrilled to honor Billy Joel—an artist who has embodied that very spirit,” said Rosenthal. “Paying tribute to the legendary performer who captured the essence of a ‘New York State of Mind’ is a perfect way to kick off this year’s celebration of creativity and inspiration.”
This year’s Tribeca Festival, scheduled to run June 4-15 in New York City, will feature curated lineups across film, music, TV, audio storytelling, talks, games, and immersive programming. From independent narratives showcasing emerging filmmakers and talent to a music lineup like never before, the annual festival continues to highlight groundbreaking stories that unite communities and fans globally.
The 2025 Tribeca Festival kicks off Wednesday, June 4 with the world premiere of Billy Joel: And So It Goes at the Beacon Theatre. The HBO original two-part documentary is an expansive portrait of the life and music of Billy Joel, exploring the love, loss, and personal struggles that fuel his songwriting. With unprecedented access to never-before-seen performances, home movies, and personal photographs, along with extensive, in-depth one-on-one interviews, the documentary intimately explores the life and work of Joel, whose music has endured across generations.
“I and my co-director, Jessica Levin, couldn’t be more thrilled about our film Billy Joel: And So It Goes opening the esteemed Tribeca Festival. Our thanks go out to Jane Rosenthal and the Festival team and to HBO and the wonderful folks there who have supported us throughout in our efforts to bring an in-depth, honest, and musically expressive portrait of this complex talent,” said director and producer Susan Lacy. “We are beyond appreciative of Billy Joel’s trust in us to bring his story to the screen. There is no better place for this film to premiere than at the Beacon Theatre, the venue for so many historic musical events for decades, and in the city so important to Billy Joel.”
The documentary, directed and produced by Emmy® winners Susan Lacy (HBO’s “Jane Fonda in Five Acts” and “Spielberg”) and Jessica Levin (HBO’s “The Janes” and “Jane Fonda in Five Acts”), will debut on HBO and will be available to stream on Max this summer following its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival.
The full festival lineup will be announced soon. For more updates on programming follow @Tribeca and #Tribeca2025 on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. A Tribeca Membership or 2025 Tribeca Festival passes and ticket packages can be purchased at tribecafilm.com.
ABOUT THE 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 24th year from June 4–15, 2025 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.
ABOUT THE 2025 TRIBECA FESTIVAL PARTNERS:
The 2025 Tribeca Festival is presented by OKX and with the support of our partners: AT&T, Audible, Bulleit Frontier Whiskey, Canva, CHANEL, City National Bank, Don Julio Tequila, Indeed, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, NBC4 and Telemundo 47, NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, National CineMedia, New York Magazine, Spring Studios New York, The Wall Street Journal, Variety, Vulture, and Whalar.
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Piercing Ken Thoughts: This surely sounds interesting and I cannot wait to see the documentary when it premieres on HBO because while I’m quite the Metalhead, I do love a lot of the Billy Joel catalog. Oh wait, I forgot that I no longer subscribe to the actual HBO channel and only use the Max streaming service so I have to hope that it will be there as well. I will most likely not be in town when this years festival runs but I can tell the curious out there that it really is something else. I attended in person once a few years ago and then virtually a couple of times, the latter of which was not too appealing for me as a media adventurer. I just love being in the thick of things.
Official: https://www.tribecafilm.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tribecafestival
