ROBERT DE NIRO,
JANE ROSENTHAL AND Academy Award® Winner
Alex GibneY kick
off 2010 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL
New York, NY – April 20,
2010 –
co-founders
Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal kicked off the ninth annual Tribeca
Film
Festival (TFF) today at a press conference at the Borough of Manhattan
Community College in lower Manhattan.
De Niro and Rosenthal were joined by Alex Gibney, who directed
three
films featured in this year’s Festival; Tribeca Enterprises Chief
Creative Officer Geoff Gilmore; TFF Executive Director Nancy Schafer;
and John
Hayes, Chief Marketing Officer for American Express, the founding
sponsor of
the Festival.
The 2010 Tribeca Film Festival will run from
April 21 – May 2 and will include 85 features and 47 short films
representing 38 different countries.
44
world premieres, 7 international premieres, 15 North American premieres,
6 U.S.
premieres, 12 New York premieres and 1 restored work. In
addition to the film line-up, there
will also be a range of panel discussions involving filmmakers and
industry
experts, gala premieres of highly anticipated new studio releases –
including DreamWorks Animation’s “Shrek Forever After,” which
will open the Festival – and an array of free, community events,
including the popular Tribeca Drive-In, the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day and
the
Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair.
“This year, Tribeca has stayed true to its
mission and
has expanded to find new ways for filmmakers to reach new audiences,”
said Rosenthal. “Whether you’re an accomplished or emerging
filmmaker, a movie junkie or someone who enjoys a good film now and
then,
there’s something for you at Tribeca.”
“It’s great how much the
Festival continues to grow,” said De Niro. “One of the strengths of
Tribeca is the feeling of community. I look forward to hearing what our
audiences think about the terrific slate of films in this year’s
Festival.”
Rosenthal and De Niro also touched on
Tribeca’s significant expansion and the creation of Tribeca Film and
Tribeca Film Festival Virtual – two new initiatives that will help bring
Tribeca to people outside of New York City for the first time.
Starting April 21, some 40 million U.S.
households will be able to enjoy seven 2010 TFF selections at the same
time
they screen at the Festival via a new Tribeca-branded Video (or Movies)
on
Demand channel and/or pay-per-view feature. New distribution entity
Tribeca
Film is commercially releasing these seven diverse films, along with
five
acclaimed titles from elsewhere on the festival circuit, across
platforms
including theatrical, digital, pay-TV and home video. Limited theatrical
runs
have also been confirmed in New York and Los Angeles in May and June.
Founding
partner American Express will promote and support all Tribeca Film
titles, and
VOD partners include Comcast, Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Verizon FiOS,
Cablevision and Cox.
“Tribeca Film is an important new
means of shifting the way films – and film festivals – are
experienced,” said Gilmore. “We are advancing the dialogue around
how films find audiences and vice versa. And, thanks to our founding
partner,
American Express, we are helping filmmakers expand the audience for
their films
and helping consumers find quality independent films they would not
otherwise
see.”
While Tribeca Film advances the notion of a
film festival evolving into a distribution hub, Tribeca Film Festival
Virtual
also recognizes shifts in the marketplace by extending the festival
experience
online. Film enthusiasts across the U.S. will be able to purchase a
premium
pass for $45, which enables them to stream eight full-length 2010 TFF
feature
films, beginning April 23 with Edward Burns’ “Nice Guy Johnny.”
Far beyond access to films, though, TFF Virtual will also allow pass
holders to
view and interact in real time with panel discussions and filmmaker
interviews,
from April 23-30. The TFF Virtual website, www.tribecafilm.com/virtual,
will
also have abundant free content, including selected short films,
discussion
boards and live red-carpet action viewable by visitors from around the
world.
Today’s opening press conference was the first TFF event to be streamed
live online.
“While theatrical screenings will
always be the centerpiece of Tribeca, we are excited to expand the
horizons of
our unique festival experience,” said Schaefer. “The Tribeca Film
Festival Virtual is an interactive, community experience that brings the
same
excitement and electricity of our Festival here to people outside of the
city.
I look forward to the wider scope of this year’s strong lineup of films,
events and conversations.”
American Express, which is also founding
partner of Tribeca Film Festival Virtual, has been an essential part of
Tribeca’s growth since its inception, and is a key driver of the two new
initiatives that expand Tribeca beyond New York City beginning in 2010.
Its
support, which takes many forms due to the company’s uniquely powerful
brand presence, has benefited filmmakers seeking to expand the audience
for
their work and also consumers looking for a wider range of quality
independent
films.
“American
Express is proud to continue our longstanding partnership with Tribeca,”
said John D. Hayes, Chief Marketing Officer of American Express. “We
have
the opportunity to build new audiences, give people the chance to
discover new
films and filmmakers, and to expand Tribeca and independent film beyond
New
York City. And all of this starts with the opening of the Festival.”
“None of what we do would be possible
without the support of our Founding Sponsor, American Express, which has
been
an innovative and steadfast partner from the beginning,” added
Rosenthal.
“They have been an integral part of building a community and
international platform here. That unique atmosphere helps explain why
people
come back year after year. In fact, nearly one-third of our 96 directors
are
returning to Tribeca this year.”
Among those filmmakers returning to this
year’s Festival is Alex Gibney, whose film, “Taxi to the Dark
Side,” premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and went on to win
the
Academy Award for Best Documentary.
“My Trip to Al-Qaeda,” “The Untitled Eliot Spitzer
Film” and one of the segments of “Freakonomics,” which will
serve as TFF’s closing gala premiere. Gibney was
on hand today to talk about
his previous experience and expectations for this year’s Festival.
“Ever since the wonderful experience I
had at Tribeca with my film, ‘Taxi to the Dark Side,’ I have had a
strong personal connection to the Festival,” said Gibney. “But more
than any one film, this Festival celebrates cultural values and
community. That
is a powerful statement considering the context in which the festival
was
created. I am proud to be part of Tribeca again in 2010.”
The 2010 edition of the Tribeca Film
Festival will kick off Wednesday, April 21, with the world premiere of
DreamWorks Animation’s “Shrek Forever After” in 3D.
of all other Festival films
and a host of other Festival events will begin April 22 at various
locations in
downtown Manhattan.
Tickets for 2010
Festival
Tickets for the Festival
are $16.00 for evening and weekend
screenings and $8.00 for daytime weekday and late night screenings.
Single ticket and
discounted ticket package sales are on sale
and can be purchased online, by telephone, or at one of the Ticket
Outlets,
located at the Tribeca Cinemas Ticket Window at 54 Varick Street and the
Chelsea Clearview Cinemas Window at 260 W. 23rd Street. The 2010
Festival will
continue ticket discounts for evening and weekend screenings for
students,
seniors and select downtown Manhattan residents. Discounted tickets are
available at Ticket Outlet locations only. Discounted packages can only
be
purchased online and by phone. Additional information and further
details on
the Festival can be found at www.tribecafilm.com.
About the Tribeca Film
Festival
Robert De
Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff founded the Tribeca Film Festival
in
2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center to spur the
economic and
cultural revitalization of the lower Manhattan district through an
annual
celebration of film, music and culture.
The
Festival’s mission is to help filmmakers reach the broadest possible
audience, enable the international film community and general public to
experience the power of cinema and promote New York City as a major
filmmaking
center. Tribeca Film Festival is well known for being a diverse
international film festival that supports emerging and established
directors.
The Tribeca
Festival has screened over 1100 films from over 80 countries since its
first
festival in 2002. Since its founding, it has attracted an international
audience of more than 2.3 million attendees and has generated an
estimated $600
million in economic activity for New York City
Founding & Signature Sponsors
As
Founding Sponsor of the Tribeca
Film Festival, American Express is committed to supporting the Festival
and the
art of film making, bringing business and energy to New York City and
offering
Cardmembers and festival-goers the opportunity to enjoy the best of
storytelling through film.
The Festival is pleased to announce the
return of its
Signature Sponsors: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Apple, Bloomberg,
Brookfield,
Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), Delta Air Lines, Heineken
USA,
NBC 4 New York, NCM Media Networks, New York Nonstop, The New York
Times, RR
Donnelley, and Vanity Fair. The Tribeca Film Festival is also honored
to
welcome the following new Signature Sponsors: Caesars Atlantic City, LG
Electronics USA, Stolichnaya Vodka, Time Warner Cable, and YouTube.
