April 24th, 2025

Press Materials Available Here

 

Tribeca Festival 2025 Announces Audio Storytelling Lineup

 

The Audio Storytelling Program To Kick Off With A Live Taping Celebrating 30 Years of “This American Life” with Ira Glass and Special Guest Host Ira Madison III

 

Live Episodes Also Include The New York Times’ “The Interview” with Special Guest Sandra Oh and “Death, Sex & Money” with Special Guest Allison Williams; Plus a Live Performance of “The Memory Place” with Carrie Coon and Lili Taylor; and a Live Retrospective of the Beloved British Series “Short Cuts” with Josie Long

 

World Premieres Include the Apple Original "Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story," featuring a Live Conversation with Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco, and Audible’s “What Could Go Wrong?” from “Contagion” Screenwriter Scott Z. Burns

 

Single Tickets on Sale for Tribeca Members April 24 and General Public April 29
Tribeca Membership and Festival Passes Available at TribecaFilm.com

 

 

New York, NY, April 24, 2025 – The 2025 Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, today unveiled its audio storytelling lineup, sponsored by Audible, featuring a dynamic mix of live episodes, immersive audio experiences, and world premieres. Most of the audio events will take place between June 10–14 in New York City.

 

Tribeca's audio storytelling lineup kicks off with our annual Excellence in Audio Journalism Gala, which this year will celebrate 30 years of the groundbreaking series This American Life. The legendary Ira Glass will take the stage alongside special guest host Ira Madison III—acclaimed novelist and podcaster—for an unforgettable evening that revisits the show’s most powerful stories and pulls back the curtain on how the acclaimed series came to life.

 

Other marquee moments include live tapings of major podcasts like the first-ever live episode of The New York Times’ The Interview, featuring a conversation with Emmy® winner Sandra Oh, as well as Slate’s Death, Sex & Money with special guest Allison Williams. Radiotopia’s The Memory Place will come to life with special live performances from Carrie Coon and Lili Taylor, while Hamlet, a bold new audio adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy from the Make-Believe Association, will debut with an immersive headphone-based listening experience followed by a live conversation, hosted by The Public Theater.

 

As the first major festival to establish an official podcast selection program, Tribeca continues to remain at the forefront of cutting-edge audio storytelling while championing its vibrant creative community. This year’s official selections in competition will spotlight world premieres including: This Call May Be Recorded, a playful yet pointed investigation into the customer service industry; Jacob Reed & Me, a humorous and inventive exploration of identity and personal discovery; Lead, a scripted docudrama inspired by a true story featuring acclaimed actors Merritt Wever, Alessandro Nivola, and Cynthia Nixon; and more.

 

Tribeca will also host the world premieres of the Apple Original Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story, followed by a live conversation with host and financial journalist Maya Lau and comedian Sebastian Maniscalco, who serves as the voice actor for the titular character; plus Audible’s What Could Go Wrong?, an engrossing and timely new series from Contagion screenwriter Scott Z. Burns. Additional highlights include a retrospective of the beloved British series Short Cuts with Josie Long, and live recordings of Talk Easy (Lemonada Media) and Broken Record (Pushkin).

 

“Our 2025 Official Selections highlight where narrative audio is headed—stories with a sharper focus on voice and perspective, and experimentation with both format and subject matter,” said Davy Gardner, Curator of Audio Storytelling. “This year’s live events showcase a wide range of live show formats—from live podcast recordings and audio theater to audiobook performances and group listening experiments. The program shows that the medium not only works live, but thrives in a communal setting.”

 

Learn more about the Tribeca Festival programming team at TribecaFilm.com.

 

The full short film lineup for the 2025 Tribeca Festival is detailed below. 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, DirecTV, Don Julio Tequila, Fiji Water, 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.

 

Press Contacts
Tribeca
Ailie Birchfield | abirchfield@tribecafilm.com Nicole Elice | nelice@tribecafilm.com
R&CPMK | tribecafestival2025@rcpmk.com

 

PODCASTS AND AUDIO

 

LIVE EVENTS Live tapings of hit shows, world premieres, conversations with creators, and more.

Excellence in Audio Journalism Gala: A 30 Year Anniversary of This American Life (PRX)
Live Taping – The Tribeca Festival proudly celebrates the power of audio journalism by honoring outstanding contributions to the field each year. For 2025, Tribeca will spotlight the groundbreaking podcast and public radio institution This American Life, created and hosted by the legendary Ira Glass. This special one-night-only live taping will serve as the Opening Night event and mark the official launch of Tribeca’s Audio Storytelling program. Joining Ira Glass on stage will be acclaimed podcaster and author Ira Madison III (Keep It), who will serve as guest co-host for the evening. Together, the two Iras will take audiences on a captivating journey through three decades of This American Life, sharing iconic clips and behind-the-scenes insights into the making of the show. Distributed by PRX, This American Life continues to reach millions through broadcasts on hundreds of stations across the country.

 

Broken Record Live with Special Guest (Pushkin)
Live episode – Broken Record has become the premier podcast destination for in-depth conversations about the art and craft and making music and media. Icons Smokey Robinson and Ozzy Osbourne, rappers André 3000 and Nas, pop stars Camila Cabello and Alicia Keys, rockers Jack White and the Black Keys, and jazz legends Ron Carter and Sonny Rollins alike have graced the mic to share their insights. Tribeca will host a dynamic live taping of Broken Record featuring host Justin Richmond in conversation with a very special guest.

 

Death Sex & Money Live with Allison Williams (Slate)
Live episode – Anna Sale is back for a brand new live-from-Tribeca episode of Slate’s beloved podcast, Death, Sex & Money. Known for her thoughtful and empathetic interviewing style, Anna will sit down with award-winning actor Allison Williams (Get Out, Girls, M3GAN) to talk about her career, including her most iconic roles, and explore the complexities of identity that come with growing up in the spotlight.

 

Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story with Sebastian Maniscalco (Apple Podcasts)
Live show and world premiere – Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story, an Apple Original podcast, explores the rise and fall of Charles Ponzi, a broke immigrant in Boston who became one of America’s richest, most infamous men—practically overnight. In just nine months, he swindled the modern equivalent of a quarter billion dollars, upended the world of finance, and etched his name into history by perfecting one of the most notorious scams ever: the Ponzi scheme. Hosted by financial journalist Maya Lau and starring comedian Sebastian Maniscalco as Charles Ponzi, Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story is a docudrama that captures the rise and fall—both outrageous and tragic—of the con artist who fooled the world and paid the price. Join Tribeca for this premiere event featuring Sebastian Maniscalco, Maya Lau, and Executive Producer Will Malnati of award-winning production studio AT WILL MEDIA.

 

Hamlet: World Premiere Listening Event and Talk (Make-Believe Association)
Premiere event and live discussion – This revelatory new take on the most famous play ever written, sound-designed by Tony Award winner Mikhail Fiksel, invites listeners to experience Hamlet’s story from his point of view, hearing only what he hears, as the world shatters around him. This one-night-only listening experience will be followed by a live discussion with adapter/director Jeremy McCarter (Lake Song), star Daniel Kyri (Chicago Fire), and moderated by Davy Gardner (Tribeca Festival). Hosted by The Public Theater.

 

In the Dark: A Live Comedy Variety Show (Independent)
Live Performance – Join host Talia Augustidis for a joyful mix of audio documentaries, old radio sketches, and never-before-heard sound art that will chase the blues away. In The Dark is an international audio collective that celebrates stories told through sound. Over the past 15 years they’ve supported artists working with sound through events, funding, training, and mentorship, while expanding creative and experimental audio storytelling to new audiences and cultural spaces. They’ve hosted events and installations for well known institutions like The Barbican, the V&A, Glastonbury and the Wellcome Collection.

 

Official Selections: “Reckonings” with Host Chenjerai Kumanyika (Tribeca Festival)
Previews and live show – This year we’ve divided our Official Selection podcasts into two curated themes. This event showcases: “Reckonings” – projects that investigate, remember, and offer a moment of discovery. Tribeca Audio Official Selection alum, Chenjerai Kumanyika (Empire City), will interview the creators behind our 2025 Official Selections in narrative audio. Video previews from these creators will punctuate a conversation that will explore how each of these audio pieces came to be, shared themes explored in these projects, and what is next for this group of audio artists.

 

Official Selections: “Surprises” with Host Ronald Young Jr. (Tribeca Festival)
Previews and live show – This year we’ve divided our Official Selection podcasts into two curated themes, starting withs “Surprises”; projects that have bold formats, big imagination, and unpredictable turns. Tribeca Audio Official Selection alum, Ronald Young Jr. (Weight for It), will interview the creators behind our 2025 Official Selections in narrative audio. Video previews from these creators will punctuate a conversation that will explore how each of these audio pieces came to be, shared themes explored in these projects, and what is next for this group of audio artists.

 

Short Cuts: A Live Retrospective Celebration with Josie Long (Independent)
Live performance – Join us for a one-night-only special live performance and retrospective of the landmark audio series, Short Cuts. Host and comedian Josie Long will present a dreamlike dive into 13 years of adventurous short documentaries in Short Cuts. Listen to funny and tender short audio pieces that move from inner worlds to starlit skies.

 

Talk Easy Live with Special Guest (Lemonada Media)
Live episode – Tribeca will host this special live episode recording of the award-winning podcast Talk Easy hosted by Sam Fragoso. The acclaimed interview series features intimate and in-depth conversations with people from all walks of life. Since its inception in 2016, “Talk Easy” has become one of the most celebrated and listened to podcasts of the decade, offering listeners unprecedented access to some of the most compelling voices across arts, culture, and politics.

 

The Interview’s First-Ever Live Episode with Sandra Oh (The New York Times) Live episode – The Interview is a podcast from The New York Times, featuring in-depth conversations with fascinating people. Each week, hosts David Marchese and Lulu Garcia-Navarro chat with notable figures in the worlds of culture, politics, business, sports and beyond — illuminating who they are, why they do what they do and how they impact the rest of us. For the first-ever live episode recording of The Interview, Lulu Garcia Navarro will interview the award-winning actress Sandra Oh (Killing Eve, Grey’s Anatomy).

 

The Memory Palace Live with Guests Carrie Coon and Lili Taylor (Radiotopia from PRX)
Live performance – For sixteen years, Nate DiMeo has been telling singular stories about America's past, finding wonder, adventure, poetry, and meaning in history's dustier corners — on his beloved podcast, in residency at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, live performances in London theaters, to a rock festival in a forest in Tasmania. He brings his moving and funny live show to the Tribeca Audio Festival for one night only, performing stories from his podcast and book, The Memory Palace: True Short Stories of the Past (Random House), joined by award-winning actors Carrie Coon (The White Lotus, The Leftovers) and Lili Taylor (Six Feet Under, Outer Range). The Memory Palace podcast is a part of the independent podcast network Radiotopia from PRX.

 

2025 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Never before heard narrative audio stories from innovative creators to premiere at Tribeca.

 

INDEPENDENT NONFICTION

 

Creation Myth – World Premiere. Helena does not want kids. Her husband does—what else is our purpose? After years of trying to convince her, he leaves. She’s left with his question: what is the purpose of life? Center your pleasure, says one childfree artist. Go for adventure, says a dear friend, and isn’t parenthood the biggest adventure of all? A new romance shakes her convictions. Meanwhile the search for purpose continues. But what if it is already here? Creator: Helena de Groot

 

Heart Trouble – World Premiere. In Heart Trouble, Katelyn discovers her father's audio archives, a country radio DJ named Sid Wood who died of a heart attack in 1987. With a box of old cassette tapes, Katelyn reexamines her ties to country music, queerness, loss, and the American South. Listening to her dad raises many questions: "What is real country music and who’s it for? As a queer person, how can I enjoy it? Who can teach me about Sid’s love of radio? How can these tapes help me understand grief and my dad?" Katelyn speaks with country music historians, musicians, and Sid's former colleagues to gain insight into herself and her past. Traveling from Illinois to Texas, honky tonk bars to the Grand Ole Opry, she explores stories of family, identity, culture, and home. Creators: Katelyn Hale Wood, Alan Goffinski

 

Jacob Reed & Me – World Premiere. Jacob Reed & Me is an investigative comedy docuseries blending the heart of Heavyweight with the wild-goose chase of Mystery Show. Combining moving personal discovery with hilarious unpredictable storytelling, each episode follows host Jacob Reed as he searches for other Jacob Reeds to answer unresolved questions about his own life. Using unconventional methods to track down his namesakes, Reed's journeys unravel into bizarre, unexpected, and cathartic adventures, revealing strange corners of the world. Creator: Jacob Reed

 

Love + Radio Presents: Blood Memory – World Premiere. The motto of the Aryan Brotherhood is “blood in, blood out.” Once you joined the notorious white supremacist gang that controlled California’s prison system from the inside, the only way to leave was to die. During his 45 years in prison, Michael Thompson not only rose through the ranks to lead the gang. He became one of the few people to ever leave the Brotherhood alive — and to testify against them. But is Michael Thompson a gentle soul trapped by a broken system or, as his critics claim, a master manipulator who can’t be trusted? Blood Memory, a new series from the critically acclaimed podcast Love + Radio, grapples with that question. Creator: Nick van der Kolk

 

This Call May Be Recorded – World Premiere. Emmy and Peabody Award-winning investigative journalist Habiba Nosheen has tackled the toughest stories—think murder, fraud, and high-stakes scandals—while Theo Balcomb, a powerhouse producer behind flagship shows at The New York Times and NPR, knows how to deliver gripping audio. Now, they're teaming up to tackle their most relatable and frustrating challenge yet: navigating the nightmare of customer service. Whether it’s untangling billing blunders, unmasking corporate red tape, or tracking down answers from elusive chat bots, they dig in to solve real problems for real people—and uncover surprising stories along the way. Equal parts comedy, catharsis, and clever hacks, this show is your go-to guide for turning hold music into victories. Whether you're here for the jaw-dropping stories, ready to laugh at the absurdity of it all, or hoping to sharpen your own problem-solving skills, this podcast delivers. Creators: Habiba Nosheen & Theo Balcomb

 

NONFICTION

 

American Explorer – World Premiere. In 2012 journalist David Weinberg set out on an ambitious plan to travel down the Mississippi river in an inflatable canoe, a journey of roughly 2,500 miles. Over 20 episodes David weaves the story of his journey with interviews of the people he met along the way as well as historians, writers and government officials. What emerges is an epic story of how America went from a band of ragged colonies to a global superpower and how we are still reckoning with the legacy of empire and our belief that we can control an uncontrollable river. Creator: David Weinberg

 

Camp Shame – World Premiere. Camp Shane–the world's first weight loss camp for kids–promises extraordinary results. But behind a smiley facade is a dark underworld of exploitation and abuse. At the heart of the camp is a Succession-esque story of family founders: the Ettenbergs. Their multi-generational feud includes theft, lawsuits, disinheritance and, above all, gross negligence. Camp Shame will unpack decades-old stories of abuse and reexamine the fatphobia that allowed this camp to thrive in an attempt to answer the question: what is the price of shame? Creator: Kelsey Snelling

 

Dirtbag Climber – World Premiere. A murder victim with multiple identities. A fugitive running from his past. Dirtbag Climber, from CBC Podcasts, is a five-part docu-series investigating the unsolved homicide of “Jesse James,” a rock climber found dead in Squamish, B.C. Local reporter Steven Chua unravels a story stretching across continents, exposing the shocking double life of an enigmatic con artist—one whose path winds through chess tournaments, white supremacist rallies, and the wild frontier of early online crime. Creators: Kathleen Goldhar, Chris Kelly, Steven Chua

 

Famous Amos: The Truest Story of the Cookie Mogul – World Premiere. This series from Vanity Fair is the story about how Wally Amos, a Black man from the segregated South built a wildly successful cookie company in the 1970s, against all odds, and then spent the rest of his life chasing the fame, money, and glory he enjoyed, and sadly lost, at the expense of those closest to him. Throughout the series, his daughter, Sarah Amos, traces the good, the bad, and the hilarious stories that make up her family’s legacy. Creator: Sarah Amos

 

Radiotopia Presents: We're Doing the Wiz – World Premiere. In 2004, a racial controversy erupted at a small, mostly white performing arts high school in rural Massachusetts. There were protests. TV news crews. A tense all-school assembly. And then, a surprise announcement: the school would stage The Wiz – the iconic Black retelling of The Wizard of Oz. Radiotopia Presents: We’re Doing The Wiz tells the story of that production — from the teachers lounge, to the audition room, to the tensions that nearly derailed the entire show. A new series from PRX’s Radiotopia podcast network. Creators: Sakina Ibrahim and Ian Coss

 

INDEPENDENT FICTION

 

Last Resort – World Premiere. Last Resort follows Nikki Delgado and five other guests of a remote island resort called Ichos. Nikki, a fashion influencer whose career is in jeopardy after dissing a fan, must harness her inner rage-monster when she uncovers her hosts’ dark secret: They’ve accessed a strange signal from deep space and are using Nikki and the others as guinea pigs to test its powers. Sassy, self-aware, and darkly funny, Last Resort blends different genre elements to explore themes of social acceptance, untamed ambition, and the jagged edges of personal identity. Creator: Chance Muehleck

 

The Assignation – World Premiere. Two years after a mass shooting, Ben and Abigail meet in a group for survivors of the victims. Unbeknownst to Ben, Abigail's son was the shooter who killed his wife, among many others. Intensely drawn to each other, they begin an affair—Ben unaware of Abigail’s secret, and Abigail too afraid to confess. When the truth emerges, their lives, and all those around them, face another devastating reckoning. Featuring performances from actors Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Evan Handler (Sex and the City/And Just Like That), and Justin Kirk (Succession, Angels In America). Creators: Joel Johnstone, Daniel Reitz

 

The Harbingers – World Premiere. When Adam Blackwell met Amy Stirling, they immediately clashed. As graduate students studying a dead language, they were bitter rivals... and, briefly, paramours. Then, they became the only people in the world with magic powers. Soon, they were global superstars. Until the day Amy pushed Adam into doing something incredible and terrible. Now they face questions. How should they use their powers? Have they done irreparable damage? And what are they going to do next? Creator: Gabriel Urbina

 

They Will / They Won’t – World Premiere. Imaginary Advice is a rolling anthology of audio-fiction experiments, produced by Scottish playwright Ross Sutherland. Inspired by language games and creative play, Sutherland produces a brand new piece of audio-fiction every month. They Will / They Won’t is a collaboration between Sutherland and Welsh author Joe Dunthorne (Submarine, Children of Radium). Described as a “duelling rom-com”, Sutherland and Dunthorne took turns writing chapters, passing control of the story back and forth. One author had the explicit goal of bringing the two protagonists together (Team Love). The other was tasked with devastatingly breaking the characters apart (Team Unlove). Both authors use every dirty trick in the book to try and manipulate the story to their own desired outcome. Creator: Ross Sutherland

 

FICTION

 

Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story – World Premiere. In 1920, a broke immigrant in Boston became one of America’s richest, most infamous men—practically overnight. In just nine months, he swindled the modern equivalent of a quarter billion dollars, upended the world of finance, and etched his name into history as the mastermind behind one of the most notorious scams ever: the Ponzi scheme. Hosted by Maya Lau and featuring comedian Sebastian Maniscalco, Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story is a docudrama that captures the rise and fall—both outrageous and tragic—of the con artist who fooled the world and paid the price. Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story is an Apple Original podcast, produced by AT WILL MEDIA. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts. Creator: Will Malnati

 

Lead – World Premiere. After a routine check-up reveals elevated lead levels in her nine-month-old son, Shannon sets out to find the source of the exposure and keep him safe. Finding herself powerless against the devastation lead is wreaking on her son's brain, Shannon goes back to school to obtain a nursing degree. Armed with knowledge, science, and everyday angels, the family begins to unravel the mystery - transforming them into advocates to end this perfectly preventable disease. An acclaimed cast including Merritt Wever (Severance), Alessandro Nivola (The Brutalist), and Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) bring this true story to life. Creator: Shannon Burkett

 

Stanland – World Premiere. A fantastical comedy about what happens when capitalism colonizes magic, StanLand follows cynical podcaster Melanie Hughes (Rhea Seehorn) as she stumbles into a crumbling fantasy realm through the IKEA wardrobe of a mediocre Maryland man, Stan Little (Bobby Moynihan). There, she discovers Zyngia--once a land of noble beasts, ruled by a talking lion, now a dystopian theme park of vape shops, fast-food chains, and elves working in retail. Melanie and Stan must find a way back home as they navigate corporate leaders on power trips (Jon Hamm, Timm Sharp), a lion king turned couch potato (Steve Little), and a sea creature with a dark past (John Waters). A sharp, absurdist satire in the spirit of The Good Place, StanLand asks: What happens when wonder gets monetized? And more importantly—who profits? Creators: Mike Sacks, S.G. Wilson

 

The Young Old Derf Chronicles – World Premiere. The team behind the acclaimed sci-fi podcast Mission to Zyxx, takes the improvised narrative format in a new direction by de-emphasizing a rigid structure and putting a less-than-reliable narrator at its center. What results is a tale of murder, redemption, and mystical powers, full of alien worlds, galactic intrigue, and a little bit of juckin’ around. Improvised dialogue, meticulous editing, a beautiful original score, and epic, binaural sound design come together to make this twisty, hilarious, and sonically lush miniseries. Set decades before the events of Mission to Zyxx, The Young Old Derf Chronicles trades the space opera office comedy setting for a ramblin’ man’s search for answers, love, and a quick cigarillo if you’ve got one to spare. Creators: Alden Ford, Allie Kokesh, Jeremy Bent, Justin Tyler, Shane O'Connell, Seth Lind, Winston Noel & Moujan Zolfaghari

 

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