Tribeca Film Festival
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Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal 2005 |
The
TriBeCa Film Festival was founded in
2002 by
Jane Rosenthal and
Robert De Niro in a response to the
September 11, 2001 attacks on the
World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the
TriBeCa neighborhood in Manhattan.
The mission of the
film festival is "to enable the international film community and the general public to experience the power of film by redefining the film festival experience." The Tribeca Film Festival was founded to celebrate
New York City as a major filmmaking center and to contribute to the long-term recovery of
lower Manhattan.
The inaugural Festival was successfully launched after only 120 days of planning and with the help of more than 1,300 volunteers; the inaugural Festival became a critical and popular success. It was attended by more than 150,000 people, generated more than $10.4 million in revenues for local Tribeca merchants, and featured several up-and-coming filmmakers. The festival included juried narrative, documentary and short film competitions; a Restored Classics series; a Best of New York series curated by
Martin Scorsese; 13 major panel discussions; an all-day Family Festival; and the premieres of studio films
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones,
About A Boy, the American remake of
Insomnia,
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and
A League of Ordinary Gentlemen.The second annual Tribeca Film Festival brought more than 300,000 people downtown and in excess of $50 million to the local economy. The May 2003 Festival showcased an expanded grouping of
independent features,
documentaries and
short films from around the world, coupled with studio premieres, panel discussions, music and comedy concerts, a family festival, sports activities, and outdoor "
drive-in" movie screenings along the
Hudson River.
The two-weekend family festival was an extravaganza of children's movie screenings, storytelling, family panels, workshops, and interactive games culminating in a daylong street fair that drew a crowd estimated at 250,000 people.
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TriBeCa Flm Festival 2006 |
Rapid and instantaneous growth and extensive funding by large corporations such as
American Express is a questionable aspect of the Tribeca Film Festival. Although presented as a cultural institution, the festival tends to openly celebrate mainstream and established filmmakers such as
M. Night Shyamalan,
Martin Scorsese and
Wes Anderson. This may result from the requirements of the festival's official representation of the neighborhood of
Tribeca, and thus,
New York City. As such, the financial aspect of the festival mirrors the expense and fashion of the district where it is based, casting it in dubious light as a source of experimental and controversial works, which is a controversy unto itself as sources become rare due to increase
corporate sponsorship and
liability concerns. Alternatives to the Tribeca Film Festival display a demonstrably inverse relationship between experimental work and amount of funding. This would include the
New York Underground Film Festival, among others.
This is proving to be a banner year as the festival grows to highlight fifteen feature length screenings and four shorts programs and is expanding screening locations in association with
AMC Loews Theatres. A total of 169 feature films and 99 shorts were selected from 4,100 film submissions, including 1,950 feature submissions - three times the total submissions from the first festival in 2002. Of the features selected there are 90 World Premieres, 9 International Premieres, 31 North American Premieres, 6 U.S. Premieres and 28 New York City Premieres.
Two highly anticipated films this year include the April 26 World Premiere of
United 93, the fateful story of the 4th flight hijacked on 9/11, directed by
Paul Greengrass and on
May 3 the US Premiere of
Mission Impossible III, directed by
J.J. Abrams starring
Tom Cruise. Cruise's arrival at the premier was expected to cause traffic problems and make the evening news because the movies publicist had planned for the actor to simulate a Hollywood style chase scene from midtown Manhattan to Tribeca, over two miles away, using a series of train rides, motorcycles, helicopters, cars and taxis.
The Family Festival highlights include
Over the Hedge, a comedy from
DreamWorks Animation featuring the voices of
Bruce Willis,
Steve Carell,
William Shatner;
Keeping Up With The Steins, Scott Marshall's feature directorial debut, starring
Jeremy Piven,
Doris Roberts and father
Garry Marshall; and
RV, directed by
Barry Sonnenfeld and starring
Robin WilliamsShowcase:
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Akeelah and the Bee – directed and written by Doug Atchison (USA)
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Al Franken: God Spoke – a documentary directed by Chris Hegedus and Nick Doob (USA)
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Black Sun – a documentary directed by Gary Tarn (UK)
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Brothers of the Head – directed by Louis Pepe and Keith Fulton, written by Tony Grisoni (UK)
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Close to Home (Karov La Bayit) – directed and written by Dalia Hager and Vidi Bilu (Israel)
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Eden – directed and written by Michael Hofmann (Germany)
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Hanging Garden (Kuutyuu Teien) – directed and written by Toshiaki Toyoda (Japan)
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The Heart of the Game – a documentary directed and written by Ward Serrill (USA)
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Kill Gil (Volume 1) – a documentary directed by Gil Rossellini (Italy)
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loudQUIETloud – a documentary directed by Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin (USA)
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Madeinusa – directed and written by Claudia Llosa (Peru, Spain, in Spanish and Quechua)
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The Sacred Family (La Sagrada Familia) – directed and written by Sebastián Campos (Chile)
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The Shutka Book of Records – a documentary directed by Aleksandar Manic (Serbia and Montenegro)
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Sound of the Soul – a documentary directed by Stephen Olsson (USA)
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Taking Father Home (Bei Ya Zi De Nan Hai) – directed by Ying Liang, written by Ying Liang and Peng Shan (China)
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Viva Zapatero! – a documentary directed and written by Sabina Guzzanti (Italy)
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Wah-Wah – directed and written by Richard E. Grant (UK)
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Wordplay – a documentary directed by Patrick Creadon (USA)
Restored/Rediscovered:
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Barren Lives (Vidas Secas) – directed and written by Nelson Pereira dos Santos (Brazil, 1963)
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Big Combo – directed by Joseph H. Lewis, written by Philip Yordan (USA, 1955)
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Burning Patience (Ardiente Paciencia) – directed and written by Antonio Skármeta (Portugal and Germany, 1983)
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Fair Wind to Java – directed by Joseph Kane, written by Richard Tregaskis (USA)
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On the Bowery – directed by Lionel Rogosin, written by Richard Bagley and Lionel Rogosin (USA, 1957)
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The River – directed by Jean Renoir, written by Rumer Godden and Jean Renoir (India, USA)
Midnight:
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Air Guitar Nation – a documentary directed by Alexandra Lipsitz (USA)
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Alone with Her – directed and written by Eric Nicholas (USA)
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Another Gay Movie – directed by Todd Stephens, written by Stephens and Tim Kaltenecker (USA)
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Cocaine Cowboys – a documentary directed by Billy Corben (USA)
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The Gravedancers – directed by Mike Mendez, written by Brad Keene and Chris Skinner (USA)
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Hatchet – directed and written by Adam Green (USA)
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Sam's Lake – directed and written by Andrew Erin (USA)
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Sheitan – directed by Kim Chapiron, written by Chapiron and Christian Chapiron (France)
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Too Tough to Die – a documentary directed by Mandy Stein (USA)
Family Film Festival
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Beauty And The Bastard (Tyttö sinä olet tähti) – directed by Dome Karukoski, (Finland) - Ages 15+
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Elephant Tales – directed by Mario Andreacchio, (Australia) - Ages 7+
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Goal! The Dream Begins – directed by Danny Cannon, (USA) - Ages 12+
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Keeping Up With The Steins – directed by Scott Marshall, (USA) - Ages 12+
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Lassie – directed by Charles Sturridge, (USA, UK) - Ages 7+
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Laura's Star – directed by Thilo Graf Rothkirch and Piet de Rycker, (Germany) - Ages 4+
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Mee Shee: The Water Giant – directed by John Henderson, (Canada, USA) - Ages 6+
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One Last Thing – directed by Alex Steyermark, (USA) - Ages 16+
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Over The Hedge – directed by Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick, (USA) - Ages 5+
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Punching At The Sun – directed by Tanuj Chopra, (USA) - Ages 14
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RV – directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, (USA) - Ages 10+
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Speedy – directed by Ted Wilde, (USA) - Ages 7+
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When Fried Eggs Fly – directed by Constantine Limperis, (USA) - Ages 10+
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2006 Tribeca Film Festival Guide - manhattan.About.com
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Tribeca Film Festival - Official Site*
Purchasing Tribeca Film Festival Tickets*
Tribeca Film Festival Map & Directions
