NEW YORK—Perhaps you’ve seen crowds queued and cameras flashing near red carpeted theater entrances downtown. The Tribeca Film Festival has come to signify the arrival of spring in the city.
Just before the festival’s ninth annual installment kicked off last week, The Epoch Times sat down with three of Tribeca Enterprises’s senior producers.
Executive Director Nancy Schafer explains, “One of the things we’re about is trying new things that are growing off the festival—and that’s a very New York sentiment.”
Schafer likened the festival, with 132 films from 38 countries, to New York itself, with its smaller communities within the larger city.
“Everyone in New York is working really hard, and I feel that there is that feeling all around me now everywhere,” she says.
Originally conceived by actor Robert DeNiro and producer Jane Rosenthal to help revitalize lower Manhattan after 9/11, Tribeca has quickly taken its place amongst the world’s most respected film festivals.
This year, Tribeca Enterprises has further expanded its reach, launching a sister festival in Qatar called Doha Tribeca Film Festival as well as an online experience dubbed Tribeca Virtual, which allows movie fans to screen independent films from their homes.
“We’ve really put our brains around ‘how do we get films out to more people?’” says Schafer. “One of the things we’re doing with virtual in particular is looking at the way people are consuming media.
“If you ask college-aged kids how they watch TV shows and movies ... they’ve never turned on the TV in their lives! They’re pulling them off the internet,” declares Shafer.
“Let’s show people movies where they are. If they can’t come to New York City, why can’t they experience some of our films? They’re consuming that media anyway, so lets show people films online.
“It won’t be like Robert DeNiro is right there waving at the crowd, but it should feel like you’re in an environment where you’re with like-minded people … That’s the kind of things we’re going for [and that’s] how you create communities around film,” Schafer explained.
Just before the festival’s ninth annual installment kicked off last week, The Epoch Times sat down with three of Tribeca Enterprises’s senior producers.
Executive Director Nancy Schafer explains, “One of the things we’re about is trying new things that are growing off the festival—and that’s a very New York sentiment.”
Schafer likened the festival, with 132 films from 38 countries, to New York itself, with its smaller communities within the larger city.
“Everyone in New York is working really hard, and I feel that there is that feeling all around me now everywhere,” she says.
Originally conceived by actor Robert DeNiro and producer Jane Rosenthal to help revitalize lower Manhattan after 9/11, Tribeca has quickly taken its place amongst the world’s most respected film festivals.
This year, Tribeca Enterprises has further expanded its reach, launching a sister festival in Qatar called Doha Tribeca Film Festival as well as an online experience dubbed Tribeca Virtual, which allows movie fans to screen independent films from their homes.
“We’ve really put our brains around ‘how do we get films out to more people?’” says Schafer. “One of the things we’re doing with virtual in particular is looking at the way people are consuming media.
“If you ask college-aged kids how they watch TV shows and movies ... they’ve never turned on the TV in their lives! They’re pulling them off the internet,” declares Shafer.
“Let’s show people movies where they are. If they can’t come to New York City, why can’t they experience some of our films? They’re consuming that media anyway, so lets show people films online.
“It won’t be like Robert DeNiro is right there waving at the crowd, but it should feel like you’re in an environment where you’re with like-minded people … That’s the kind of things we’re going for [and that’s] how you create communities around film,” Schafer explained.
While Schafer focuses on Tribeca’s overall strategy, a spirited duo heads up the festival’s programming team. They described the undertaking of narrowing down 5,000 film submissions to the 85 features and 47 short films that would make it into this year’s program.
“The programming process starts the previous fall and summer,” explains Genna Terranova, senior programmer.
“We’re responsible for the entire slate. We do have a great team of about 10 associate programmers and programmers, and two others who take care of the shorts,” added David Kwok, director of programming.
When asked how they divvy up the work, Kwok explained that they split up the work both geographically and based on interest.
“I like genre stuff, so I focus a lot on that,” Kwok says with a smile. “She likes. . .”
“Don’t say it!” interrupts Terranova, both laughing.
“He likes to say that I like romantic comedies, but who doesn’t?” she quips sarcastically. “But that’s not my only affection of cinema.”
The pair go on to detail the process of narrowing down the film slate.
“It’s all a puzzle piece,” says Kwok.
“A puzzle piece and a sifting process. And there are a lot of opinions that help determine which films keep moving forward in the process,” adds Terranova. “Each team member is responsible for viewing a few hundred [films] in a condensed period of time.”
When asked how many films are watched in a day, Kwok said, “The most I’ve done is eight to ten in a day.”
“Yeah, that’s in the really condensed watching phase,” says Terranova. “You wake up at nine in the morning and don’t stop screening until possibly at midnight.”
The Tribeca team seemed to exude with pride and excitement in their work.
“You know, you hope people get an experience, and get transported to another place, and that they come away with something valuable from the experience,” says Terranova about the work they do.
“It’s that community aspect,” adds Kwok about the value of coming to see films at Tribeca.
“It is why people like me, continue to do what we do. You see these films that actually and completely startle you, and open your eyes to something that you didn’t know about. You know, even just an emotion and that you tapped into an emotion that resonates with you,” concluded Schafer.
“The programming process starts the previous fall and summer,” explains Genna Terranova, senior programmer.
“We’re responsible for the entire slate. We do have a great team of about 10 associate programmers and programmers, and two others who take care of the shorts,” added David Kwok, director of programming.
When asked how they divvy up the work, Kwok explained that they split up the work both geographically and based on interest.
“I like genre stuff, so I focus a lot on that,” Kwok says with a smile. “She likes. . .”
“Don’t say it!” interrupts Terranova, both laughing.
“He likes to say that I like romantic comedies, but who doesn’t?” she quips sarcastically. “But that’s not my only affection of cinema.”
The pair go on to detail the process of narrowing down the film slate.
“It’s all a puzzle piece,” says Kwok.
“A puzzle piece and a sifting process. And there are a lot of opinions that help determine which films keep moving forward in the process,” adds Terranova. “Each team member is responsible for viewing a few hundred [films] in a condensed period of time.”
When asked how many films are watched in a day, Kwok said, “The most I’ve done is eight to ten in a day.”
“Yeah, that’s in the really condensed watching phase,” says Terranova. “You wake up at nine in the morning and don’t stop screening until possibly at midnight.”
The Tribeca team seemed to exude with pride and excitement in their work.
“You know, you hope people get an experience, and get transported to another place, and that they come away with something valuable from the experience,” says Terranova about the work they do.
“It’s that community aspect,” adds Kwok about the value of coming to see films at Tribeca.
“It is why people like me, continue to do what we do. You see these films that actually and completely startle you, and open your eyes to something that you didn’t know about. You know, even just an emotion and that you tapped into an emotion that resonates with you,” concluded Schafer.
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