Biz Markie, Tierra Whack, Alicia Keys & More Documentaries to Premiere At Tribeca Film Festival

In June, documentaries on Alicia Keys, Tierra Whack, Gloria Gaynor, Milli Vanilli, and the late Biz Markie will premiere at Tribeca Film Festival.

The 2023 Tribeca Film Festival lineup has been announced and will feature documentaries that center some of the most captivating music acts of all-time. Held from June 7-18 in New York City, 109 films will premiere, including music-related movies on Alicia Keys, Tierra Whack, Gloria Gaynor, Milli Vanilli, and the late Biz Markie.

Keys, who recently announced her Keys to the Summer tour, is the center of Uncharted, a Beth Aala-directed documentary that explores Keys’ “She Is the Music” songwriting camp.

Whack, 27, stars in Cypher, directed by Chris Mourkabel. Described as a pseudo-documentary, the film “captures the weird and sinister side of fame.”

The appropriately titled All Up in the Biz, directed by Sacha Jenkins combines rare interviews with hip-hop pioneers, reenactments, and animation dedicated to Biz Markie, who died in 2021. Those who appear in the film include Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Fat Joe, Doug E. Fresh, and more. Last month, producer Prince Paul revealed to Variety that he scored the film.

“I just finished scoring a documentary for Biz Markie,” Paul said. “Just finished that, and watching it and then scoring it was so tough because I’d known him since I was a kid, so it was bittersweet. There were things about him I didn’t even know.”

1970s disco icon Gloria Gaynor will star in Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive, chronicling the singer’s gospel comeback, along with her struggles with ageism and financial instability.

Perhaps the most controversial film on the music documentary series is Luke Korem’s Milli Vanilli, a deep-dive into the former R&B duo and their public downfall. Surviving member Fabrice Morvan will appear in the film.

In-person and virtual screening passes to the Tribeca Film Festival are available now.