AT&T Unveils Star-Studded Greenlight Committee and Finalists for 7th Untold Stories Film Competition at 2024 Tribeca Festival

Finalists will pitch their story ideas at the Tribeca Festival Hub at Spring Studios in New York City at the AT&T Untold Stories Lounge on Friday, June 7, to an accomplished, expert panel of jurors including actors Yvette Nicole Brown, Daveed Diggs, Cynthia Erivo, Tanya Saracho, So Young Shelly Yo (Director, 2022 AT&T Untold Stories winner) and Kellyn Smith Kenny (Chief Marketing and Growth Officer, AT&T). The panel will be moderated by journalist and host Brooke Baldwin.

Also at this year’s festival, the 2023 Untold Stories winner Color Book, directed and written by David Fortune will make its world premiere on June 8th at Village East Cinema. Further showcasing this program’s remarkable success, Color Book will be entered in Tribeca’s signature Viewpoints selection, which will screen in competition at this year’s festival.

A black and white film set in Atlanta, Color Book follows a devoted father who is learning to raise his son with Down Syndrome as a single parent after the passing of his wife. While adjusting to their new reality, the two embark on a journey through Metro Atlanta to attend their first baseball game.

What are people saying?

“AT&T created Untold Stories to connect underrepresented filmmakers and storytellers to greater possibilities, and it’s working,” said Kellyn Smith Kenny, chief marketing and growth officer, AT&T. “Our esteemed group of past winners have not only produced several critically acclaimed films and reached millions of people, but their stories have inspired audiences and connected communities all over the world. Year after year, the Untold Stories program proves that connecting talented filmmakers with mentorship and resources really can change everything.”  

“We are thrilled to have AT&T Presents: Untold Stories as part of our Tribeca Festival lineup for the 7th year—it is such a powerful program that truly changes an individual’s career as a filmmaker,” said Jane Rosenthal, CEO and co-founder, Tribeca Enterprises. “This year, we’re also excited to welcome back our 2023 Untold Stories winner and first-time director David Fortune, as he premieres his winning feature film Color Book.”

“Working with AT&T and Tribeca over this last year to bring Color Book to life has been a beautiful experience,” said David Fortune, winner of 2023 AT&T Presents: Untold Stories. “I’m incredibly grateful for the experience and hope to inspire this next crew of filmmakers to share their own truths as they present their films at this year’s Untold Stories pitch event.” 

Why it matters

AT&T joined forces with Tribeca to unite communities through innovative storytelling across film, TV, games and more. Since the beginning of the program in 2017, AT&T has awarded over $7M to connect historically underrepresented filmmakers with the resources needed to reach greater possibilities.

Most recently, the 2022 winning film Smoking Tigers from So Young Shelly Yo went on to attend 21 festivals and won six awards, including three at Tribeca. With a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the opportunity to view Smoking Tigers on a streaming service will be unveiled later this year.

In addition to the $1M award, AT&T and Tribeca assist the winner throughout development, production, and marketing of their film, offering mentorship opportunities with industry experts along the way. Since its inception in 2017, the Untold Stories program has received an impressive 2,000 submissions, with an outstanding 436 submissions pouring in this year alone, marking a record-breaking milestone for the program for the most submissions.

Additional information about the 2024 Untold Stories finalists:

For Your Own Good

For generations, the De Leon women have been cursed in love, resulting in one heartbreak after another. When the youngest daughter, Espe, gets engaged to a man they barely know, her mother, Gloria, enlists the help of every prima, tia and abuela to break up the engagement before history inevitably repeats itself.

Carmen Corral (Screenwriter)
Gabriela Garcia Medina (Director)
Vicki Syal (Producer)

Honeyjoon

Kurdish-Persian mother Lela and her diaspora daughter June take a trip to the romantic Azores off the Portuguese coast, after a recent loss. Out of place amidst honeymooners in paradise, they attempt to reclaim their lust for living. But life – and each other – keeps getting in their way.

Lilian T. Mehrel (Writer/Director)
Andreia Nunes (Producer)

In an Orderly Fashion

In the peaceful suburbs of Miami, a Cuban family’s lives are upended when Rafa, after forty years of hard work, is rewarded with a terminal illness on the first day of his retirement. Chaos ensues when Rafa asks the unthinkable from his wife: to help him end it all, so long as he doesn’t know when it’s coming.

Adrian Cardenas (Writer/Director)
Maria Altamirano (Producer)

Shoots

When Jasmine, a floundering high school senior, gets her hands on a bag of stolen marijuana before graduation, she ropes in her level-headed best friend, Nainoa, on a late-night odyssey across Maui to make some quick cash for a dream apartment. Dodging drug dealers, overbearing aunties, and past lovers, the two grapple with the oncoming changes to their lives and the island they call home.

Kanani Koster (Writer/Director)
Lailanie Gadia (Producer)

Something About the Tide

Jen, a misanthropic single mother and recovering addict, is confronted with her dying mother's confession: the existence of a long-lost baby given up for adoption back in Japan. When Jen tracks down her seemingly perfect half-brother, her insecurities run rampant as she attempts to fulfill her mother’s final wish – bring the other child home before it’s too late.

Julia Morizawa (Screenwriter)
Desdemona Chiang (Director)
Ashley Song (Producer)