The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff. It was intended to help revitalize lower Manhattan after the September 11th attacks. The original plan was for a one-time event, but it became an annual tradition.
Every year, it features important cultural moments, screenings, and discussions. It’s a tentpole in my calendar.
After Covid, my mindset about going out changed. My motto is go big or stay home, and I really love being a homebody. I prioritize sleep. I want to feel good when I wake up, because mornings are my most productive hours. I like to write. I like to read. I like to think.
These days, we can watch anything from our finger tips on demand. But I’m a firm believer that being in the right room or at the right event not only breeds camaraderie, builds community, and limits isolation, but can also lead to life-changing encounters and connections. Certain events, parties, and conferences can be portals to new worlds. Tribeca always has that gravitas.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been, how many awesome premieres I’ve seen, and how many amazing rooms I’ve been in. Tribeca has never reached top tier international film festival status, but it always does a good job of curating relevant pieces and figuring out how to cut through the noise with big moments. It does this especially well when tapping into music.
Opening night is always a spectacle: from Nas’ Documentary “Time Is Illmatic” in 2011, to Clive Davis’ “The Soundtrack to our Lives” in 2017. I love opening night. The afterparty is always one of the most memorable nights of the year.
This year opened at The Beacon with the new Billy Joel film, And So It Goes, which will be released in two parts on HBO in July. On Saturday, I spent a few hours at the hub at Spring Studios where I saw Mark Ronson and Wyclef Jean trade exciting stories that I’ve never heard. It was a fun format: the two of them storytelling with instruments in hand, sharing very inside, behind-the-music anecdotes like this, but backing it with real music demos and samples.
After that, I got to enjoy a series of music videos from the likes of Talking Heads, Freddie Gibbs, LL Cool J, and Kid Cudi. Afterwards, Cudi did a Q&A that left me feeling inspired.
This Friday, Slick Rick and Idris Elba are premiering their new project, VICTORY, at SVA Theatre at 6pm. This will coincide with Rick’s highly anticipated first album in 26 years that also comes out that day. The album is executive produced by Idris and is being distributed by Nas’ label, Mass Appeal. I’ve been close with Rick and his wife/manager, Mandy, for years and had a hand in setting this up with them and Tribeca. I’m excited for the world to get their first taste of this body of work ahead of the rolling releases and content we’ll deliver over the course of this year and beyond.
This Friday is the only place you’ll be able to see the full visual in its entirety until it’s released down the line. I used to love the days when I’d go to a Tribeca film premiere and that night at the afterparty, the producers were hard negotiating distribution rights in between kissing family members’ cheeks to celebrate the premiere. The business has changed drastically with streaming and unlimited access points, but you never know what can happen on any given night in a room like this.
Tickets are still available as of today but this will sell out.
