TRIBECA FESTIVAL 2025 SPOTLIGHT: THROUGH HER LENS & CHANEL ARTIST AWARDS UNVEILED
TRIBECA
Honoring Visionaries at the Intersection of Cinema and Contemporary Art
As the 2025 Tribeca Festival continues its vibrant celebration of storytelling across mediums, one standout moment came with the presentation of Through Her Lens: Conversations – In Process, a dynamic Tribeca Talks session held at Metrograph on Friday, June 6.
Actor, writer, and director Riley Keough joined her producing partner Gina Gammell to reflect on the creative process behind their new limited series In Process, a project born from the Through Her Lens: Tribeca CHANEL Women’s Filmmaker Program. Moderated by filmmaker and producer Margaret Zhang, the conversation unfolded over 60 powerful minutes, charting Keough and Gammell’s journey from early development to final execution. The discussion touched on the realities of navigating independent filmmaking, the evolving role of women in media, and the profound influence of mentorship initiatives. Together, these women illustrated the critical intersection between opportunity and artistry.
Just as the talk underscored the importance of nurturing new voices in cinema, Tribeca and CHANEL took another bold step in that direction by unveiling the 2025 edition of the CHANEL Artist Awards Program—a hallmark of the festival now in its 19th year. Since 2005, this collaboration has honored visionary filmmakers by pairing them with some of the most influential names in contemporary art, each offering a custom piece to award-winning directors across festival categories.
Curated by Zoe Lukov, this year’s artist lineup includes a rich blend of mediums and perspectives, featuring Alteronce Gumby, Faith Wilding, Jane Dickson, Jeffrey Meris, Lauren Halsey, Marilyn Minter, Naudline Pierre, Raúl de Nieves, Simphiwe Ndzube, and Tuan Andrew Nguyen. The 2025 cohort is notable not only for its generational diversity but for its commitment to boundary-pushing, socially engaged work that mirrors the ethos of Tribeca’s most daring films.
Each winning filmmaker will receive an original piece of art that echoes the themes of their awarded work:
Alteronce Gumby – 031 (2019), Watercolor on hot-pressed paper → Best New Narrative Director
Faith Wilding – Three Dragons, One Goddess (2023), Gold leaf and pigment print → The Nora Ephron Award
Jane Dickson – Tribeca Brunch (2025), Silkscreen → Best Documentary Short
Jeffrey Meris – Everything is Everything (2025), Mixed materials → Best Documentary Feature
Lauren Halsey – Untitled (2025), Inkjet print → Best Animated Short
Marilyn Minter – Absinthe (2017), C Print → Best Narrative Short
Naudline Pierre – Eternal Freedom (2023), Lithograph → Founders Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature
Raúl de Nieves – Passage 14 (2022), Found fabric and beads → Student Visionary Award
Simphiwe Ndzube – Untitled Study (2024), Pencil and crayons → Best International Narrative Feature
Tuan Andrew Nguyen – Spirit of Bidong (2020), Pigment print → Albert Maysles Award for Best New Documentary Director
These pieces will be on display at the Tribeca Festival Hub at Spring Studios for the duration of the festival, offering attendees a rare chance to see where narrative and visual abstraction meet.
Zoe Lukov emphasized the importance of embracing art that resists categorization, stating: “This cohort is multi-generational and from diverse backgrounds, drawing from deep wells of personal experience and ancestral history to generate works that resonate with a broad public.”
Tribeca Festival Co-Founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal echoed this sentiment: “These creators are shaping culture and inspiring the future of storytelling.” The collaboration with CHANEL speaks not only to the luxurious legacy of the brand, but its deep investment in creative evolution across fields.
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This ongoing alliance serves as a symbol of resilience and reinvention—echoing the very spirit on which Tribeca was founded after 9/11. In supporting filmmakers through fine art, the program stands as a reminder that cinema and visual art are not separate pursuits, but kindred forces striving toward meaning, beauty, and social change.
With the 2025 Tribeca Festival running through June 15, audiences can expect more than just screenings. They will encounter bold conversations, daring works of art, and the boundless innovation that has come to define this beloved New York cultural institution.
