Lights, camera, Tribeca for local cineaste

Not so long ago, Parker Hill was just a kid in Riverdale with a passion for making movies.

“My friends and I would shoot things around Johnson Avenue and make ridiculous home videos in Seton Park. We were definitely Riverdale filmmakers,” she said in a phone interview from San Francisco.

Ms. Hill has come a long way. This year, her short film “One Good Pitch” is an official selection for the Tribeca Film Festival. In addition to directing the work, she shares the writing and producing credits with her writing partner, Evan Ari Kelman.

The Tribeca event is one of the most well-known film festivals in the country. It has become one of the most prestigious U.S.-based film festivals since Robert DeNiro launched it in 2002.

“One Good Pitch” will premiere on Thursday, April 14, early in the festival.

The beautifully shot film, which runs under four minutes, is about a son hoping the familiar game of catch will help him reconnect with his father. It is simple but tells a compelling, deep story.

Ms. Hill first got her first taste of the medium at Horace Mann School, where she attended middle and high school. She took a couple film classes in high school, including one sophomore year in which she learned the video editing software Final Cut Pro.

“That year got me hooked,” she said. “I knew in some way or another I wanted to be a storyteller, and that got me interested in the writing and editing process.”

Ms. Hill, who graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2015, has entered the film industry at a time when more and more people are talking about the dearth of female directors.

“I’m really excited by the challenge. There are more opportunities and programs that help women in films these days,” she said, adding that she doesn’t expect any special treatment.

“I really just want my work to be judged on merit or get my foot in the door through merit.”

Although “One Good Pitch” is Ms. Hill’s directorial debut at Tribeca, another short film, “Bandito,” which she co-wrote and produced, made it to the same festival last year. Ms. Hill said back then, she felt relieved when she heard the news. This year was a little different.

“I felt a lot of pride,” she said. “I’m a good storyteller and I told a good story, and I’m proud to share it in this way.”

“One Good Pitch,” which was her undergraduate thesis project, was filmed in Westchester. But Ms. Hill said she would like to film her hometown again sometime. A few years ago, she shot a short film at Henry Hudson Park’s baseball diamond.

“I really want to shoot something in the basketball courts at Seton Park. It’s the perfect mix. It feels like you’re in the city but it also has a small town vibe,” she explained.

Ms. Hill said the dichotomy of urban and small town feelings — especially noticeable in South Riverdale, where she grew up and still lives — would be interesting to explore. But her dream Riverdale location?

“Liebman’s!” she exclaimed. “I grew up eating hot dogs and matzo ball soup at Liebman’s. It feels like the deli is frozen in time, like I’m sitting at a booth and my grandmother could have been sitting in that booth.

“I would love to someday shoot something in there.”