By Kat Harrison for New York Family Magazine

Born in the tragic wake of 9/11, the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) shows its true colors with consistently fresh programming. Now in its 11th year, the festival—which takes place April 18-29—received its highest number of submissions yet (almost 6,000!). And after combing through the finalists, we’ve hand-picked five choice films (and perhaps you’ll find a few other gems yourself)—showcasing especially strong in fields like sports and high school dramatics. So the question remains: why should you expose your tween to a primarily adult-focused film festival? Because going to the movies should not only be about escape, but also about growth. Here’s what we think you can learn from this year’s line-up.

KNUCKLEBALL! – Documentary
Two men, Red Sox veteran Tim Wakefield and the Mets’ own R.A. Dickey, made the unpredictable knuckleball their own. Find your seats for this inspiring sports story of two MLB players and their struggles and triumphs with the rare pitch.
FOR FANS OF: Major League Baseball

STRUCK BY LIGHTNING – Narrative
Let the “Please, can we go?” beg-a-thon begin for this coming-of-age indie written by Glee‘s ever-endearing Chris Colfer. From blackmail to high school cliques, the superstar smarts of Allison Janney, Christina Hendricks and Modern Family‘s Sarah Hyland bring a series of flashbacks to comedic glory.
FOR FANS OF: Glee; Mean Girls; Saved!

To read the full article at New York Family click here.

What inspired you to create The Comprehensive EpilepsyCenter at Beth Israel?
The need to have a family- and child-friendly center where care is coordinated between disciplines, where patients have access to their providers and where there is continuity of care from the office and clinic to the hospital and home. These families are stressed, worried and need a group of specialists who understand what it is like to be a parent with a child with a seizure disorder.

What is a typical work day like for you?
We round in the hospital in the early AM, visiting the epilepsy monitoring unit and the ICUs and then see patients in the offices. We return to the hospital before we leave at the end of the day. We have offices in Manhattan and Westchester and a big Developmental Disability Center at Roosevelt Hospital. The day is long—most days 7am to 7pm.

Why should a parent with an epileptic child come to Beth Israel?
So that the seizures can be controlled and the other problems can be solved—the attention and learning issues, etc. We [also] manage all the patients ourselves, we review the tests, perform the tests. The same team does everything so the care is not fragmented. No question is left unanswered—our families need to feel comfortable and confident that their doctors are listening and understand the issues they are experiencing as well as the fears they have.

What’s in the future for the Center?
We are creating the ability to get some testing done at home. Plus, expanding our offices in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island so families don’t have to travel so far for office visits.

First Avenue at 16th Street, 212-420-2000, wehealny.org.