6 buzzworthy films that made their debut at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival

— -- Every year, some of the motion picture industry's most talented filmmakers, directors and actors descend on lower Manhattan to debut their latest projects at the Tribeca Film Festival.

At this year's festival, which took place from April 19 to April 30, moviegoers waited in line to see the cast of "The Godfather" reunite for its 45th anniversary, an intimate conversation with Tom Hanks and Bruce Springsteen and the world premiere of season 3 of Netflix's "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," among many other star-studded screenings.

As many film buffs know, the festival has been an important launching pad for some of the industry's most acclaimed works through the years.

Among the movies that generated buzz in Tribeca theaters this year were "Buster's Mal Heart," which stars Rami Malek as a father and husband, and "Blame," which the director and star, Quinn Shephard, started writing when she was 15 years old.

Here are six movies to watch out for that made their U.S. debut at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival:

"Buster's Mal Heart"

Fans of USA's "Mr. Robot" will recognize "Buster's Mal Heart" star Malek, who plays Buster, formerly known as Jonah. Jonah works the overnight shift at a Montana hotel to support his loving wife and daughter, whom he teaches Spanish. But his life is turned upside down by a late-night visitor to the hotel, and he becomes a fugitive in Montana's snow-covered woods. As he makes his way from empty vacation home to vacation home, he struggles with knowing what is real and what isn't. The thriller is director Sarah Adina Smith's second feature film.

"Abundant Acreage Available"

The Martin Scorsese–produced drama "Abundant Acreage Available" shows how a hard-hitting North Carolina sister Tracy Ledbetter (Amy Ryan) and God-fearing Jesse Ledbetter (Terry Kinney) cope with their father's death after sickness. The two find themselves debating what they will do next while cleaning out their farmhouse of their father's belongings. The ill-timed arrival of three old squatter brothers (Max Gail, Francis Guinan and Steve Coulter) on their tobacco farm intensifies the dispute between the two. After greeting the three with the family rifle, Tracy learns she met the men in her childhood. They have returned to the land to bury their father, who sold the property to the Ledbetters' father nearly 50 years ago, and wish to buy it back. The Ledbetters, torn between selling and settling, find themselves coping with death yet again on their farm and question how to move on.

"The Exception"

"The Exception" highlights actor Christopher Plummer's portrayal of exiled German monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II, who is living with his wife (Janet McTeer) in a secluded mansion in the Netherlands at the onset of World War II. Wilhelm soon finds his life infiltrated by German soldier Stefan Brandt (Jai Courtney) after concerns that Dutch spies are watching the former leader. Plummer frequents humor with his character, creating a complex juxtaposition between his role and the tense moments unfolding throughout the thriller. At one pivotal turn in the film, Wilhelm unexpectedly shows his wit when he helps Stefan make a rebellious escape from the German military with his new mistress, Mieke, a maid in Wilhelm's home whom Stefan discovers is secretly Jewish and working as a spy for the Dutch resistance. Devotion is a central theme in the film. "The Exception" pushes its characters to make a tough choice between honoring nation or heart.

"Super Dark Times"

Zach (Owen Campbell) and Josh (Charlie Tahan) are best friends growing up in the mid-1990s in this feature debut by director Kevin Phillips. The teens deal with bullies, school and a crush on their classmate Allison (Elizabeth Cappuccino). But during one afternoon in the park, things go terribly wrong after they borrow Josh's older brother's samurai sword. The thriller, which is reminiscent of coming-of-age dramas like "Stand By Me," follows the friends as they deal with the aftermath of the tragedy in drastically different ways and comes to a shocking and bloody conclusion.

"Blame"

"Blame" is the feature debut of Shephard, 22. She said she started writing the film when she was a teenager with a slight obsession with Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible." Shephard stars as Abigail, who develops a close bond with her high school substitute drama teacher, Jeremy Woods (Chris Messina). The teacher-student relationship goes unnoticed by school administration and parents; however, the romance spurs shock, jealousy and rage in fellow classmates. Nadia Alexander, who plays mean girl Melissa Bowman, won the festival's award for best actress in a U.S. narrative feature film. Abigail and Melissa navigate high school while carrying the secrets and lies of their dark pasts.

"Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives"

The documentary that opened the festival, "Clive Davis: Soundtrack of Our Lives," takes audiences through the life of music legend Davis, from his early career as a lawyer to a record-company executive who introduced artists like Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Barry Manilow and Alicia Keys. "Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives," which was directed and edited by Chris Perkel, also shares intimate moments and memories of Davis' relationship with Whitney Houston.