Tribeca Film Festival to include video games in official selection from 2021

The Tribeca Film Festival has opened its official selection up to video games. The games chosen will be eligible for the inaugural Tribeca Games award, which will honour upcoming games that demonstrate artistic excellence in storytelling.

Over the years, games such as League of Legends, God of War, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Beyond Two Souls, Firewatch and What Remains of Edith Finch have been recognized at the festival, and the 2021 edition will mark the 10th anniversary of the inclusion of games at the festival.

A statement on the festival's website said, 'For years, video games have been a one-of-a-kind medium for storytelling, art and innovation — a way to build brand-new worlds and bring them to life in stunning detail. Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, is dedicated to celebrating such thoughtful stories. We are thrilled to announce that Tribeca Games is expanding its programming for the 20th anniversary of the festival, taking place 9–20 June 2021 in New York City.”

To steer this evolution, the festival has instituted an advisory board to help guide the Tribeca Games’ move. The board includes filmmaker Nia DaCosta; writer, producer and director Jon Favreau; Electronic Arts co-founder Bing Gordon; The Game Awards producer Geoff Keighley; legendary Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima; Remedy Entertainment creative director Sam Lake; and Halo Transmedia and Entertainment head Kiki Wolfkill.

The games eligible for submission include titles created for the web, console, virtual reality, augmented reality and mobile devices.