Today, the organizers of the Tribeca Film Festival have announced that video games will be added to official selections starting with next year’s event that is set to take place June9-20, 2021 in New York City. For the first time, Tribeca will open submissions for games to join the Festival as Official Selections. Those chosen will also be eligible for the inaugural Tribeca Games Award, which will honor upcoming video games from the selections that demonstrate artistic excellence in storytelling in a game. Submissions can be made here. Alongside the award, a newly-formed advisory board will help shape Tribeca Games’ evolution. The board consists of various top creators from across games and film.

📢For the 1st time ever, Tribeca is opening submissions for games! #TFF2021 marks the 10th anniversary of games at Tribeca & we want to see your work. Submit, learn more about Tribeca Games, and check out our stellar advisory board at: https://t.co/0JLiKNcSv6 pic.twitter.com/7z4SxLSL2D

— Tribeca (@Tribeca) September 24, 2020

Next year’s Tribeca Film Festival marks the 10th anniversary of games’ inclusion in the festival. History was made with Rockstar Games’ L.A. Noire which was the first game that was recognized as an Official Selection. Games such as League of Legends, God of War, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Beyond Two Souls, Firewatch, What Remains of Edith Finch, and Death Stranding have been showcased since.

“In the ten years since we first welcomed a game to Tribeca’s official program, we’ve seen an exciting convergence of games, film, and immersive experiences. Where there was a clear distinction between media, there is now a blurring of the lines – stories have become games and games have become stories,” said Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Film Festival Co-Founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal. “Broad recognition for voices at the forefront of this ever-changing landscape is long overdue, and we intend to be a home for these creators whose incredible work should be celebrated.”

The new advisory board for Tribeca Games consists of: filmmaker Nia DaCosta, writer, producer, & director Jon Favreau, Co-Founder of Electronic Arts Bing Gordon, The Games Awards producer Geoff Keighley, legendary game creator of Death Stranding Hideo Kojima, Creative Director of Remedy Entertainment Sam Lake and Head of Halo Transmedia & Entertainment, Kiki Wolfkill.

Casey Baltes, Vice President of Tribeca Games said “Tribeca Games is expanding in response to the enthusiasm we have seen from the games community and our audiences. Games have proven to be one of the most sophisticated storytelling vehicles today — not only with narrative but also with incredible artistic mastery, the creation of highly immersive worlds and providing meaningful connections to communities all over the world. We’re excited to celebrate games and game creators alongside film, immersive, music, art, and more at next year’s Festival.”