Tribeca 2026: Mother Future Self | Interview with Tori Lancaster
Director Tori Lancaster told us about Mother Future Self, a seven-year journey leading to a world premiere at Tribeca 2026.
We interviewed director Tori Lancaster during the 2026 edition of the Tribeca Film Festival, shortly after the world premiere of her debut feature, Mother Future Self. What emerged from our conversation was the portrait of a filmmaker whose determination matched the ambition of a deeply personal project seven years in the making.
Lancaster wore nearly every hat imaginable on the film—writer, director, producer, production designer, and co-editor. Reflecting on the process, she laughed that it only became possible because “it took seven years to make,” adding that as a first-time feature filmmaker she felt she had to become “the engine on almost every front” to get the project completed.
The film, which follows former friends Sophie (Imani Jade Powers) and Jordan (Betsey Brown) as they reunite at an experimental movement workshop in rural Maine, faced significant challenges during production. Filming was halted by a COVID outbreak in 2021, forcing the team to pause and eventually resume years later. Yet Lancaster believes the interruption ultimately strengthened the film. “I think the film is better from having that much time for me to get better,” she said, noting how the unexpected break allowed her to grow as an artist.
The workshop setting itself comes from Lancaster’s own experience. Having participated in similar movement-based programs, she became fascinated by the possibility of bringing that environment to the screen. “I love movement and somatic research,” she explained, describing the film as her way of exploring the dance world and asking whether cinema could recreate the experience of being inside such a space.
At its heart, however, Mother Future Self is about friendship. Lancaster drew inspiration from the complicated ways platonic relationships can dissolve over time. Unlike romantic breakups, she noted, friendships often end without clear boundaries, leaving behind a kind of grief that is rarely acknowledged. That emotional complexity informs Sophie and Jordan’s relationship, which refuses simple judgments. “Neither is the clear hero or villain,” Lancaster said. “Everybody is responsible for any interaction.”
For Lancaster, premiering the film at Tribeca was the culmination of years of uncertainty. “It means the world,” she told me. “I really was like, ‘Oh, this is going to live on a hard drive unseen.’” Instead, Mother Future Self found its audience on one of independent cinema’s biggest stages, marking a remarkable debut for a filmmaker whose persistence never wavered.
Our team is on site for the 25th Tribeca Film Festival, from June 3 to 14, 2026.
