Tribeca: Tony Gonzalez film, Spike Lee doc among sports programming

“Play It Forward,” a documentary about the sure-handed former NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez and his close relationship with his older brother, Chris, whose own football dreams were never realized, is set to debut at the Tribeca Film Festival next month.

The world premiere of director Andrea Nevins’ film will kick off Tribeca’s ESPN Sports Film Festival section on April 16, organizers announced Monday.

Nevins’ film chronicles a pivotal year for Gonzalez, who was first inspired to pick up a pigskin by his elder brother and ended up playing 17 seasons of pro football for the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons.

This year’s fest-within-a-fest will also include three films followed by conversations with their makers: Director Spike Lee and his subject will discuss “The Greatest Catch Ever,” a look at David Tyree’s improbable ball-to-helmet catch during Super Bowl XLII; FiveThirtyEight stats guru Nate Silver will speak after “Shock the World,” Zak Knutson’s short about pro wrestler turned politician Jesse Ventura; and executive producer Eva Longoria and director Retta will talk about the short-film series “Versus,” which explores themes of perseverance and grit.

Sports-related films previously announced for this year’s Tribeca fest include Jonathan Hock’s documentary “Fastball,” Adrian Biniez’s soccer drama “El Cinco,” and Katie Holmes’ documentary short “Eternal Princess.”

The full lineup for the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival is available on the fest website. The Tribeca Film Festival runs April 15-26.

Follow @ogettell for movie news