The Tribeca Festival brings artists and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms , including film, TV, music, adudio storytelling, games, and immersive experiences.

With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is synonymous with creative expression and entertanment. This year, the Mexican Cultural Institute of New York, is co-hosting the North American Premiere of the Mexican movie “La Cocina”.

In the heart of a bustling Times Square kitchen, dreams and desperation collide as the back-of-house staff each chase the elusive American dream. When money goes missing from the till, the spotlight falls on Pedro (Raúl Briones), a passionate dreamer entangled in a tumultuous love affair with Julia (Rooney Mara), a waitress grappling with her own commitments. As tensions rise and shocking revelations unfold, the relentless pace of the kitchen threatens to shatter the hopes and aspirations of those who keep it running. 

La Cocina is a poignant and darkly comic tribute to the invisible heroes who fuel our culinary desires while fighting for a place in a world that often refuses to acknowledge their existence. Tribeca alum Alonso Ruizpalacios masterfully weaves together a kaleidoscopic narrative that exposes the harsh realities immigrant workers face, creating a claustrophobic yet captivating portrait of life behind the scenes.––Jarod Neece

Alonso Ruiz-Palacios

Ruizpalacios was born and raised in Mexico City. He studied stage directing in Mexico City, before moving to London where he trained as an actor at RADA. Ruizpalacios writes and directs for both stage and screen. His short film Café Paraíso won multiple awards on the film festival circuit. His debut feature Gueros, shot in black and white, was lauded by critics and won five Ariel Awards in 2015, including Best Picture, Best First Film and Best Director.[1] Ruizpalacios also directed the music video for "Hasta la Raíz" by Mexican singer-songwriter Natalia Lafourcade. He recently directed the movie Museo, starring Gael García Bernal. The film won the best script award at the Berlin International Film Festival. Museum has also been present in other international festivals. The film tells the story of the famous robbery to the National Museo of Anthropology on December 25, 1985, in Mexico City.

Raul Briones

Raúl Briones is a graduate of the University Theater Center (CUT) of the UNAM ​. He began his career as a theater actor , and made his film debut with the short film Los Pescadores (2008) by Martín Mainoli and in Güeros (2014), by Alonso Ruizpalacios , with whom he became a frequent collaborator. In 2020, he won the Ariel Award for Best Male Co-Acting for his role in the film Asfixia, by Kenya Márquez , an award he won again in 2023 for his work in El Norte sobre el Vacío , by Alejandra Márquez Abella . In 2022, he won the Ariel Award for Best Actor for his performance in A Police Movie, by Ruizpalacios.

Premiere: Village East by Angelika