Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, director of Ladies and Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music. Christian Germoso/NBCUniversal The 2026 Tribeca Festival will kick off with the world premiere of the documentary Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial VS That’s the Weight of the World), directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.
The world premiere screening at New York’s Beacon Theatre on June 3, kicking off the 25th edition of the festival, will be followed by a live performance by Earth, Wind & Fire and The Roots. Earth, Wind & Fire was previously part of the 2017 opening night festival celebration.
The HBO original film explores the band’s legacy, cultural influence and body of work with a focus on the vision of founder Maurice White via rare access to archival materials.
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The doc, which will debut on HBO this year, is produced by Questlove, Dave Sirulnick and Samantha Grogin, KB White and Arron Saxe. The film was executive produced by Jon Kamen, Cheo Hodari Coker, Karla Zambrano, Zarah Zohlman, Shawn Gee, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and Amos Newman.
“It is an absolute honor to bring this project to the Tribeca Festival,” Questlove, who won the best documentary Oscar for Summer of Soul in 2022, said in a statement. “The past two years of deep research and creative magic surrounding Earth, Wind & Fire have been nothing short of transformative. They remain one of the most culturally significant bands in history, and this project finally illustrates exactly why their legacy is so vital.”
The selection of a music documentary, followed by a live performance, for the opening night of Tribeca’s landmark 25th anniversary edition, reflects a number of hallmarks of festival programming in recent years. The past several editions of the festival have kicked off with a documentary world premiere and music, including live performances and conversations with well-known artists, has been an increasingly significant part of the festival.
Last year’s festival opened with the world premiere of part one of the Billy Joel documentary And So It Goes, which followed opening night screenings of the documentaries Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge in 2024; Kiss the Future, which follows underground musicians and creatives through the siege of Sarajevo and the 1997 U2 concert celebrating the liberation of the Bosnian capital, in 2023; and the Jennifer Lopez film Halftime in 2022.
“We are thrilled to welcome Questlove to the festival to premiere a film that represents everything Tribeca stands for: creative pioneers at the top of their game in front of and behind the camera, showcasing the joy and community that great art manifests,” Tribeca Festival director and senior vp, programming, Cara Cusumano said in a statement. “Paired with a rare live performance from Earth, Wind & Fire and The Roots, Opening Night will be a once-in-a-lifetime New York event that reflects the energy, creativity and communal experience that has defined Tribeca for 25 years.”
Tribeca Festival co-founder and co-chair Jane Rosenthal added, “Opening night is always a magical moment! This year, as we celebrate 25 years of the Festival, it is especially meaningful. Tribeca was born in the wake of 9/11 with a belief: that storytellers have the power to bring communities together. For 25 years, we’ve seen artists, filmmakers, musicians and audiences come together in New York City in ways that are inspiring, surprising, and deeply human. We are humbled by what’s been achieved and excited for the stories yet to come.”
The 25th anniversary edition of the Tribeca Festival is set to run from June 3-14 in New York.
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