The Tribeca Festival has opened official submissions to social media creators for the first time, formally recognizing digital storytelling across platforms including TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
The expanded “Tribeca NOW” program runs June 3 to 14, 2026 in New York City as part of the festival’s 25th anniversary edition, presented by crypto exchange company OKX.
The 2026 slate features ten creators selected through a holistic evaluation process that considered individual pieces, overall body of work, storytelling voice, and cultural impact. Official selections span a range of formats and genres, including a micro-filmmaking experiment, a found-footage dating satire, a Gen Z workplace comedy, and an Emmy-nominated documentary series chronicling America’s reverse migration to Mexico.
Senior Programmer Jarod Neece described the expansion as a continuation of the festival’s broader mission.
“Tribeca has always been at the forefront of how storytelling evolves, from early online series to today’s creator-driven ecosystem, and Tribeca NOW reflects that legacy in motion,” he said in the announcement. “What began as ‘Up Next’ has grown into a program that recognizes these artists for who they truly are: world-builders, community architects, and pioneers of an entirely new pathway into the industry.”
Live Events and World Premieres
“Tribeca NOW” will host several live events during the festival.
A June 7 screening of KeyTV’s “The Rise & Fall of DivaGurl” will be followed by a conversation with Keke Palmer and Lawrence Murray, moderated by NOW creator Taj Rani.
On June 11, the festival will present the world premiere of two episodes of Kareem Rahma’s “Keep The Meter Running,” a New York City taxi series transitioning from short-form social video to long-form YouTube storytelling. Producer Adam Faze will join Rahma for a post-screening conversation moderated by New York Times critic Jon Caramanica.
Whalar Group and The Lighthouse Brooklyn will host two additional panels, including a reunion of New York-based creators from the 2025 “Up Next” cohort.
Building on Prior Creator Investment
The 2026 expansion follows a series of creator-focused initiatives that Tribeca launched in recent years. The festival introduced a Creator Vertical in 2024 in partnership with Whalar Group and brought the “UpNext Creators” program to its stages in 2025, offering 12 digital creators red-carpet access alongside traditional filmmakers.
Festival Programmer Tiana Harris said the programming reflects different stages of the creator journey. “Our KeyTV event, highlighting Keke Palmer’s digital platform, underscores the role digital plays in shaping and sustaining a career, even for established A-list talent,” she said.
Tribeca NOW, first launched in 2014 as the festival’s dedicated platform for online work, has previously featured projects that went on to HBO acquisition and Academy Award nominations.
Passes and ticket packages are available at TribecaFilm.com, with single tickets on sale April 28.
Nii A. Ahene is the founder and managing director of Net Influencer, a website dedicated to offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Together with its newsletter, Influencer Weekly, Net Influencer provides news, commentary, and analysis of the events shaping the creator and influencer marketing space. Through interviews with startups, influencers, brands, and platforms, Nii and his team explore how influencer marketing is being effectively used to benefit businesses and personal brands alike.
The Tribeca Festival has opened official submissions to social media creators for the first time, formally recognizing digital storytelling across platforms including TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
The expanded “Tribeca NOW” program runs June 3 to 14, 2026 in New York City as part of the festival’s 25th anniversary edition, presented by crypto exchange company OKX.
The 2026 slate features ten creators selected through a holistic evaluation process that considered individual pieces, overall body of work, storytelling voice, and cultural impact. Official selections span a range of formats and genres, including a micro-filmmaking experiment, a found-footage dating satire, a Gen Z workplace comedy, and an Emmy-nominated documentary series chronicling America’s reverse migration to Mexico.
Senior Programmer Jarod Neece described the expansion as a continuation of the festival’s broader mission.
“Tribeca has always been at the forefront of how storytelling evolves, from early online series to today’s creator-driven ecosystem, and Tribeca NOW reflects that legacy in motion,” he said in the announcement. “What began as ‘Up Next’ has grown into a program that recognizes these artists for who they truly are: world-builders, community architects, and pioneers of an entirely new pathway into the industry.”
Live Events and World Premieres
“Tribeca NOW” will host several live events during the festival.
A June 7 screening of KeyTV’s “The Rise & Fall of DivaGurl” will be followed by a conversation with Keke Palmer and Lawrence Murray, moderated by NOW creator Taj Rani.
On June 11, the festival will present the world premiere of two episodes of Kareem Rahma’s “Keep The Meter Running,” a New York City taxi series transitioning from short-form social video to long-form YouTube storytelling. Producer Adam Faze will join Rahma for a post-screening conversation moderated by New York Times critic Jon Caramanica.
Whalar Group and The Lighthouse Brooklyn will host two additional panels, including a reunion of New York-based creators from the 2025 “Up Next” cohort.
Building on Prior Creator Investment
The 2026 expansion follows a series of creator-focused initiatives that Tribeca launched in recent years. The festival introduced a Creator Vertical in 2024 in partnership with Whalar Group and brought the “UpNext Creators” program to its stages in 2025, offering 12 digital creators red-carpet access alongside traditional filmmakers.
Festival Programmer Tiana Harris said the programming reflects different stages of the creator journey. “Our KeyTV event, highlighting Keke Palmer’s digital platform, underscores the role digital plays in shaping and sustaining a career, even for established A-list talent,” she said.
Tribeca NOW, first launched in 2014 as the festival’s dedicated platform for online work, has previously featured projects that went on to HBO acquisition and Academy Award nominations.
Passes and ticket packages are available at TribecaFilm.com, with single tickets on sale April 28.
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