2012′s best documentaries understand people. It’s as simple as that. They include beautiful character portraits, from group pictures like Indie Game: The Movie and El Gusto to individual pieces like Jiro Dreams of Sushi and Marley. Even the most issue-oriented films achieved their strength through keeping things personal, building powerful political and social arguments through the lives of their subjects. They chronicle the lives of victims who are also heroes, filmmakers who are also subjects, and unique characters who end up representing us all.

The 2012 Tribeca Film Festival will attack eyeballs from April 18-29, and they’ve launched their first offensive by declaring some of the movies they’ll have in their arsenal. That group includes James Franco and Ian Olds‘s Francophrenia (or Don’t Kill Me, I Know Where the Baby Is) which was filmed during tapings of Franco’s appearances on General Hospital. It also boasts new work from Harmony Korine and several of the most interesting-sounding flicks from the European Film Market. Check out the full list below: