Tribeca 2025 Awards: Charliebird, Happy Birthday, and Natchez Lead the Winners Circle
Credit: Jonathan P. Moustakas
As the 2025 Tribeca Festival nears its final stretch, the awards ceremony at Racket NYC brought well-deserved recognition to the most resonant stories and emerging voices in global independent cinema. Among the many highlights: Charliebird, Happy Birthday, and Natchez were awarded top honors across the U.S. Narrative, International Narrative, and Documentary categories, respectively—cementing this year’s slate as one of the most thematically powerful and inclusive in Tribeca’s history.
The ceremony underscored a refreshing shift toward debut talent, gender equity, and international storytelling, with female filmmakers, first-time directors, and Latin American cinema shining across categories. For many of these artists, Tribeca 2025 marks both a creative breakthrough and the start of a promising future.
A Year of First-Time Filmmakers and Breakout Performances
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The U.S. Narrative competition was led by Libby Ewing’s Charliebird, which won Best Feature and saw actress Gabriela Ochoa Perez take home Best Performance for her portrayal of a terminally ill teen who forms a life-changing bond with her music therapist. Esta Isla (This Island), from Puerto Rican directors Cristian Carretero and Lorraine Jones Molina, received a Special Jury Mention and was awarded Best New Narrative Director—further emphasizing the competition’s focus on bold new talent.
On the international side, Happy Birthday, from Egyptian filmmaker Sarah Goher, emerged as a major winner, earning Best International Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, and the coveted Nora Ephron Award for exceptional female storytelling. The film’s nuanced portrayal of class divides through the eyes of a child domestic worker captivated both jurors and audiences.
Veteran actresses Andrea Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn shared Best Performance in an International Narrative for their work in Dragonfly, while Mohamed Diab and Goher were jointly awarded for Happy Birthday’s screenplay.
Documentary Winners Spotlight America’s Unresolved Truths
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In the documentary field, Natchez by Suzannah Herbert took Best Documentary Feature for its haunting portrait of a Mississippi town caught between pride and painful history. The film also earned a Special Jury Mention for cinematography and editing, with Pablo Proenza and Noah Collier recognized for their exceptional craft.
An Eye for an Eye by Tanaz Eshaghian and Farzad Jafari—an unflinching exploration of forgiveness and retribution—received multiple honors, including a Special Jury Mention for Best Documentary and wins for both cinematography and editing.
The Albert Maysles Award for Best New Documentary Director went to Augusto Zegarra for Runa Simi, a moving chronicle of cultural preservation in Peru. Rowan Haber earned a Special Jury Mention in this category for We Are Pat.
Latin American Cinema Takes Center Stage
In a banner year for Latin American films, A Bright Future, Cuerpo Celeste, Runa Simi, and Kites earned high praise. From surrealist meditations to grounded social realism, these titles further showcased Tribeca’s expanding global lens.
Walter Thompson-Hernandez’s Kites (Brazil) received the Viewpoints Award Special Jury Mention, while A Bright Future won the top prize in that category for its visionary storytelling.
Shorts, Audio, and Brand Work Get the Spotlight
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Tribeca also continued its commitment to short-form and immersive content with an array of honors across shorts, branded storytelling, games, and audio. Standouts included Beyond Silence (Best Narrative Short), I Hope This Email Finds You Well (Best Documentary Short), and Playing God (Best Animated Short).
In branded content, A New York Minute (Mejuri), Rock The Bells – LL Cool J, and Century of Cravings (Uber Eats) were among the commercial works celebrated for creativity and impact.
The Tribeca Audio Storytelling Competition honored both fiction and nonfiction excellence, with awards for The Young Old Derf Chronicles, Famous Amos: The Truest Story of the Cookie Mogul, and Blood Memory, underscoring the festival’s commitment to boundary-pushing formats.
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Here is the full list of 2025 competition awards.
U.S. Narrative
Best U.S. Narrative Feature
Charliebird, director Libby Ewing (United States) – World Premiere.
Al (Samantha Smart) works as a music therapist at a children’s hospital, taking things day by day and trying to make ends meet. Charlie (Gabriela Ochoa Perez) comes into her life as a patient, an ever immovable and unmotivated teenager. As their worlds collide following the revelation of a secret passion project, Al and the pessimistic young Charlie become a source of strength and love for each other whilst they chart a course through an unknown future.
Special Jury Mention for Best U.S. Narrative Feature
Esta Isla (This Island), directors Cristian Carretero and Lorraine Jones Molina (Puerto Rico) – World Premiere.
Best Performance in a U.S. Narrative Feature
Gabriela Ochoa Perez for Charliebird (United States) – World Premiere
Best Screenplay in a U.S. Narrative Feature
Isabel Hagen for On a String (United States) – World Premiere.
International Narrative
Best International Narrative Feature
Happy Birthday, director Sarah Goher (Egypt) – World Premiere.
Eight-year-old Toha works as a child maid for a wealthy Cairo family and forms a special bond with her employer’s daughter, Nelly. Having never celebrated her own birthday, Toha becomes determined to ensure Nelly has a perfect party, secretly hoping to experience the joy she’s never known. As Toha’s relationship with Nelly’s mother, Laila, begins to transcend typical employer-servant boundaries, deep-rooted social hierarchies are threatened, forcing the young girl to confront the harsh realities of class division in modern Egypt.
Special Jury Mention for International Narrative Feature
Cuerpo Celeste, director Nayra Ilic García (Chile, Italy) – World Premiere.
Best Performance in an International Narrative Feature
Andrea Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn for Dragonfly (United Kingdom) – World Premiere.
Best Screenplay in an International Narrative Feature
Mohamed Diab and Sarah Goher for Happy Birthday (Egypt) – World Premiere.
Best Cinematography in an International Narrative Feature
Lev Predan Kowarski for Little Trouble Girls (Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Serbia) – North American Premiere.
Documentary
Best Documentary Feature
Natchez, director Suzannah Herbert (United States) – World Premiere
At an antebellum home in Natchez, Mississippi, a group of older women convene as members of the local Garden Club. The charismatic mayor of Natchez, Dan Gibson, arrives and addresses the chatty and enthusiastic women: “I’m excited that Natchez is a new Natchez — one that appreciates and loves our city — all of it, even the bad, but it is our history. It is also a city that believes in coming together in love — and if we ever needed it in America, we need it today.” This proclamation sets off Herbert’s sharp exploration of the American South’s unreconciled history.
Special Jury Mention for Documentary Feature
An Eye for an Eye, directors Tanaz Eshaghian and Farzad Jafari (Denmark, Iran, United States) – World Premiere.
Best Cinematography in a Documentary Feature
Chance Falkner and Johnny Friday for The Last Dive (United States) – World Premiere.
Special Jury Mention for Cinematography in a Documentary Feature
Noah Collier for Natchez (United States) – World Premiere.
Best Editing in a Documentary Feature
Soren B. Ebbe and Hayedeh Safiyari for An Eye for an Eye (Denmark, Iran, United States) – World Premiere.
Special Jury Mention for Editing in a Documentary Feature
Pablo Proenza for Natchez (United States) – World Premiere.
Viewpoints Award
A Bright Future, director Lucia Garibaldi (Uruguay, Argentina, Germany) – World Premiere.
Special Jury Mention for Viewpoints
Kites, director Walter Thompson-Hernandez (Brazil) – World Premiere.
Best New Narrative Director Award
Lorraine Jones Molina and Cristian Carretero for Esta Isla (This Island) – World Premiere.
Albert Maysles Award for Best New Documentary Director
Augusto Zegarra for Runa Simi (Peru) – World Premiere.
Special Jury Mention for New Documentary Director
Rowan Haber for We Are Pat (United States) – World Premiere.
Nora Ephron Award
Sara Goher for Happy Birthday (Egypt) – World Premiere.
Shorts
Best Narrative Short
Beyond Silence, director Marnie Blok (Netherlands) – International Premiere.
Special Jury Mention for Narrative Short
Chasing the Party, director Jessie Komitor (United States) – World Premiere.
Best Documentary Short
I hope this email finds you well, director Asia Zughaiar (Palestine) – World Premiere.
Special Jury Mention for Documentary Short
Natasha, directors Mark Franchetti and Andrew Meier (Italy, Russia) – World Premiere.
Best Animated Short
Playing God, director Matteo Burani (Italy, France) – New York Premiere.
Special Jury Mention for Animated Short
Petra and the Sun, directors Malu Furche and Stefania Malacchini (Chile) – North American Premiere.
Best Music Video
Rock The Bells – LL Cool J, director Gregory Brunkalla (United States).
Student Visionary Award
Manya Glassman for How I Learned to Die (United States) – World Premiere.
Special Jury Mention for Student Visionary
Jiayi Li for āyí (United States) – World Premiere.
Tribeca Games Awards
Cairn (France) – New York Premiere.
AT&T Presents Untold Stories
Liz Sargent for Take Me Home
Tribeca X Awards
Best Feature
Abnormal Beauty Company from The Ordinary, directed by Aref Mahabadi
Best Short
First Speech by Reporters without Borders, directed by Giordano Maestrelli
Best Commercial
Century of Cravings from Uber Eats, directed by Jim Jenkins
Best Episodic
A New York Minute from Mejuri, directed by Gia Coppola
Best Content Creator/Influencer
A Robot’s Guide to Happiness from Brilliant Labs, directed by Lucas Rizzotto
Best Games/Immersive
WICKED RP: The Official Experience on Roblox from Wicked & NBCU, creative directed by Ben Caro
Best Audio/Podcast
Dragon Age: Vows & Vengeance from Electronic Arts, BioWare, directed by Matt Sav
Social Impact Award
Daniel Really Suits You from Human Rights Campaign, directed by Karimah Zakia Issa
Environmental Impact Award
A Vital Sun from Fordham University, directed by Alison Bartlett
Tribeca Audio Storytelling Competition
Fiction Audio Storytelling Award: The Young Old Derf Chronicles (United States) – World Premiere.
Nonfiction Audio Storytelling Award Famous Amos: The Truest Story of the Cookie Mogul (United States) – World Premiere
Independent Fiction Audio Storytelling Award: They Will / They Won’t (United Kingdom
Independent Nonfiction Audio Storytelling Award: Love + Radio Presents: Blood Memory (United States, UK, Ireland) – World Premiere.
A Festival That Reflects the Future
“Every year at Tribeca we set out to spotlight the most exciting new voices from around the world,” said Festival Director Cara Cusumano. “We are thrilled our jury honored this mission with winners that brilliantly represent the vibrancy and diversity of global independent storytelling today.”
From the intimacy of Happy Birthday to the historical reckoning in Natchez, and the artistic vulnerability of Charliebird, this year’s winners confirm Tribeca’s role as a launchpad for the next generation of storytellers. With the Audience Awards still to be announced and the festival wrapping June 15, the legacy of this year’s lineup is already well underway.
