In the mere thirteen years since its establishment, the Tribeca Film Festival has garnered quite a bit of attention for its identity, or lack thereof. It began in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, in part as a means of mending the New York spirit – the grab-a-bagel-and-a-slice, you-talkin’-to-me charming braggadocio we all know and love. In fact, one of its founders is the man responsible for those very words, our most memorable New Yorker, Roberto De Niro. The Festival, however, is young compared to other events of similar renown, like Sundance or SXSW, which have been around since 1978 and 1987, respectively. Tribeca has always heavily featured films about New York or by New York filmmakers and screenwriters. But, for much of its early life without any unifying cinematic attraction, the Tribeca Film Festival simply picked up what other festivals threw to the wayside. Tribeca tended to be an eclectic mix of indie rejects, films appealing to New Yorkers and blockbusters not usually meant for the festival circuit (Joss Whedon’s Avengers filled the prestigious closing spot in 2012).
2014 was different. This year the festival took advantage of its youth and premiered a whole bunch of new events that especially appeal to a younger crowd and those aiming to rewrite traditional Hollywood conventions. For a full day, and with the help of sponsors, all the films and talks were free to attend – a remarkable achievement considering most ticket packages cost anywhere from $400-$1,200 and a single screening ticket costs $20. Tribeca premiered its Innovation Week, which leads into the actual festival and is dedicated to “gamers, coders, hackers, screenwriters, futurists, directors, financiers and anyone who has a story to tell.” It featured “Future of Film” talks with the likes of Aaron Sorkin, Bryan Cranston, Terence Winter, Beau Willimon (showrunner of House of Cards) and many others. They talked about how to successfully crowdfund and how to market independent films on YouTube, and Vine co-hosted a #6secfilms competition with comedy, drama, and animation submissions from anyone who wanted to participate (including one from De Niro himself).
The festival week also proved to be breaking the mold: it specifically highlighted female directors and screenwriters (which most other festivals have yet to do) and promoted online availability of content. Joss Whedon’s newest film, In Your Eyes, premiered at the festival and is now available for immediate download by anyone with a spare five bucks. Three other films are available on-demand from Tribeca Film: The Bachelor Weekend (think the Irish version of The Hangover meets Without A Paddle), Bright Days Ahead (about a sexually experimental older French woman *surprise* played by Franny Ardant) and Beneath The Harvest Sky (a coming- of-age story fueled by desperate attempts to leave a small town and halted by money, drugs, and an unreliable father played by Aidan Gillen who, yes, plays Littlefinger on Game of Thrones). And right now, you can watch the Bombay Sapphire “Imagination Series” on YouTube, which took one script and turned it into five wholly different short films: a fast-paced action film, a suspenseful thriller, a romantic comedy, a sci-fi drama and a dark horror-thriller.
Things to look for in the coming months: Gia Coppola’s Palo Alto featuring Emma Roberts and James Franco (who, in a painful dose of irony, plays a gym coach who has an inappropriate relationship with his student), Megan Griffiths’ Lucky Them featuring Toni Collette and Thomas Haden Church and Victor Levin’s indie dramedy 5 to 7, which turned out to be a festival-wide favorite.
Though the Tribeca Film Festival is still quite new, it proved itself in 2014 to be breaking the traditional Hollywood mold, welcoming emerging mediums and narratives and pushing its competitors to do the same. Hopefully, the efforts clearly emphasized by this year’s Tribeca Film Festival will continue and the industry it has pressured will diversify and grow.