Tribeca Film Institute announces 27 projects for the 2009 Tribeca All Access programme
The Tribeca Film Festival has announced the selected projects for Tribeca All Access 2009. For the second year, Tribeca All Access will include international delegates by featuring six projects through its associations with the UK Film Council, Screen Australia and Canadian Film Centre. The participants from the UK are David Alexander and Lab Ky Mo.
New York – 23 March 2009: The Tribeca Film Festival, presented by American Express, the founding sponsor of the Festival, along with the Tribeca Film Institute today announced the selected projects for Tribeca All Access (TAA). TAA is designed to help foster and nurture relationships between film industry executives and filmmakers from traditionally underrepresented communities; the program is made possible by Bloomberg. Celebrating its sixth year, Tribeca All Access will present 27 new projects during the six-day event taking place April 20 – 25 during this year's Tribeca Film Festival, held from April 22 – May 3.
TAA will provide the participating directors and screenwriters with access to workshops and the opportunity to present their upcoming works in one-on-one meetings with more than 100 potential investors, development executives, producers and agents. There are 24 U.S.-based filmmakers involved in 27 projects, which were selected from a pool of more than 475 submissions, and six projects through international associations.
This year's TAA jury is comprised of respected industry professionals – actors, writers, producers and directors – who will review script excerpts and work samples prior to the Festival, and deliberate over the most promising projects. The 2009 Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Award Narrative jurors are Viola Davis, Sanaa Lathan, Anne Carey, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Luis Guzman, Darnell Martin, Lance Reddick and Amy Robinson; the 2009 Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Award Documentary jurors are Ellen Kuras, Fenton Bailey, and Lola Ogunnaike.
2009 Partnerships and Programs
For the second year, Tribeca All Access will include international delegates by featuring six projects through its associations with the UK Film Council, Screen Australia (formerly Australian Film Commission) and Canadian Film Centre. The participants are: from the UK – David Alexander and Lab Ky Mo; from Australia – Pauline Chan and Samantha Saunders; and from Canada – K'naan Warsame and Sudz Sutherland.
Additionally, "Tribeca All Access OnTrack" – an expansion of the TAA program, which provides year-round support to TAA alumni – will host four TAA alumni (Camila Martin, The Row; Michael Golamco, Please By; Rodney Evans, Day Dream; Bennie Klein, Lost Tribes) at this year's Tribeca Film Festival to showcase a special presentation of their respective work-in-progress films. The event is made possible through the TAA OnTrack Presentation Screenings. OnTrack also offers alumni filmmakers access to camera, lighting and sound packages; in addition, it loans out an on-site editing suite equipped with Final Cut Pro. Alumni may apply twice a year for support in any project in which the alumnus is serving as director or screenwriter; support is not restricted to TAA projects.
TAA: Films in 2009 Tribeca Film Festival and Success Stories
Since its founding in May 2004, Tribeca All Access has supported the careers of more than 155 filmmakers from traditionally under-represented communities within the film industry and facilitated 2,432 one-on-one meetings for them with key industry personnel. From 2004 – 2008, a total of 158 projects have participated in TAA. This year, two TAA alumni were selected to premiere their films at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival in the Discovery program. A third TAA alum was selected to provide a work-in-progress screening, which will be followed by a talk with the filmmaker and other guest speakers.
"Arts and culture is a reflection of our society and it is no secret that there are too many demographics that are underrepresented in our industry," said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Institute. "I am proud that TAA is helping to bring these voices and visions to the forefront - ultimately enhancing all of our film experiences."
- Off And Running, directed by Nicole Opper (2008 TAA participant) – World Premiere, Documentary. Off And Running follows Avery, a 17-year-old African American track star and adopted daughter of two white Jewish lesbian moms in Brooklyn, who embarks on a quest to meet her birth mother in Texas.
- Entre nos, directed by Paolo Mendoza and Gloria La Morte (2008 TAA participants) – World Premiere, Narrative. An immigrant mother and her two children struggle to survive in the United States and chase after their American dream after their husband and father abandons them.
- Making the Boys, directed by Crayton Robey (2007 TAA participant) – Work-in-progress, Documentary. Making the Boys is an in-depth look at the creation of the ground breaking play and film that dramatized the complex experience of being a gay man in the 1950s, long before the Stonewall riots and gay pride parades. The screening will be shown as a work-in-progress and a talk with Crayton, Mart Crowley (the writer of The Boys in The Band) and other guests will follow the screening.
Among the other TAA alumni making strides in the past year are:
- 2007 TAA award winner Cherien Dabis premiered Amreeka (for which she secured private financing through an introduction at the program) at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. The film—which was recently acquired by National Geographic Films, with a release date of Fall '09—will also open MoMA and The Film Society of Lincoln Center's annual Directors/New Films series in New York City.
- Actress Joy Bryant joined The Infinite Life of Stuart Hornsley after being introduced to director Leigh Dana Jackson at TAA 2008.
- After attending TAA 2008, independent producer Frida Torresblanco signed on to produce Bardos by screenwriter and TAA Creative Promise award winner Anslem Richardson.
- Philanthropist Sheila Johnson has become Executive Producer to Ella es el Matador (She is the Matador) after meeting director Gemma Cubero at TAA 2008, where Cubero was presented with the Creative Promise Award for Documentary.
- 2007 TAA alum Tze Chun premiered his feature film Children of Invention at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Chun received postproduction support for the project through TAA Ontrack Equipment Loan program, part of the year round support for TAA alumni.
"This year's line up continues the tradition of bringing year-round access and exposure for filmmakers with voices often unheard," said Tamir Muhammad, Director of Tribeca All Access. "The focus is on supporting the careers and not just the one project, allowing the selected filmmakers to continuously make an impact on a larger community. In just six years, we are proud of the success and response the industry has shown to the program."
"Bloomberg is proud to support Tribeca All Access' longstanding commitment to filmmakers traditionally underrepresented in the film industry," said Lex Fenwick of Bloomberg Ventures. "TAA is one of a small number of distinguished programs in New York City expanding the voice and image of film to reflect the rich diversity of the global community. We are delighted after seven years to continue our partnership with the Tribeca Film Institute to give filmmakers the opportunity to meet industry leaders and showcase their films during the Tribeca Film Festival."
2009 Awards
The 2009 Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Awards will provide a total of $55,000 awarded in juried cash prizes to selected TAA winners through the TAA Creative Promise Award and the L'Oréal Paris Women of Worth "Vision" Award. Three filmmakers and one screenwriter will be awarded the Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Award, which comes with a prize of $11,000 for narrative, documentary and emerging narrative and $7,000 for screenwriting. L'Oréal will once again present "The L'Oréal Paris Women of Worth Vision Award" in the amount of $15,000 to a promising female filmmaker participating in the Tribeca All Access program. Announcements regarding the winners will be made at the 2009 TFI Award Celebration on April 24th at City Winery in New York City.
TAA is made possible by Bloomberg. Additional support is provided by Time Warner, L'Oréal Paris, the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
EDITORS NOTE:
About the Tribeca Film Institute
The Tribeca Film Institute is dedicated to creative innovation in film and media arts. The Institute creates original programs that draw on the unifying power of film to promote creativity, understanding, tolerance and global awareness. Our commitment is to educate, entertain and inspire filmmakers and audiences alike, while strengthening the artistic and economic fabric of New York City and its Lower Manhattan community. For more information visit www.tribecafilminstitute.org.
Ticket/Package Dates and Purchase Information
Advance selection ticket packages are currently on sale for American Express Cardmembers and for the general public on Monday, March 16, 2009. All advance packages can be purchased online at www.tribecafilm.com/festival or by telephone, toll free, at (866) 941-FEST (3378).
Single ticket and discounted ticket package sales begin for American Express Cardmembers on April 14, 2009, for downtown residents on April 19, 2009, and for the general public on April 20, 2009. Single tickets 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 AMC Village VII Ticket Window at 66 Third Avenue. Downtown residents can only purchase tickets with a discount at the Tribeca Cinemas ticket window. Discounted packages can only be purchased online and by phone. The 2009 Festival will continue ticket discounts for evening and weekend screenings for students, seniors and select downtown Manhattan residents. Additional information and further details on the Festival can be found at www.tribecafilm.com/festival.
Tribeca Film Festival Online and On-the-Go
Visit the Tribeca Film Festival online and become a part of the My Tribeca community at http://www.tribecafilm.com/register/
Join the Tribeca Film Festival Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribeca-Film-Festival/10854154757 and follow the Festival at Twitter.com/TribecaFilmFest.
Starting March 16, access the film guide online from your mobile device on www.tffmobile.com. Film information can also be accessed on your mobile device by texting* a film's information code to TRBCA (87222). Information codes can be found in the box next to each film and special event listing. (*standard text messaging rates apply).
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, New York City 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 two million attendees and has generated over $530 million in economic activity for New York City.
About the 2009 Festival 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 benefits that enhance the festival-going experience.
The Festival is pleased to announce the return of its Signature Sponsors: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Apple, Bloomberg, Brookfield Properties, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), Delta Air Lines, iShares, NBC 4 New York, RR Donnelley, Snapple, The New York Times, Telemundo 47 and Vanity Fair.
The Tribeca Film Festival is also honored to welcome the following new Signature Sponsors: AMC, DIRECTV and Heineken.
For additional information on Tribeca All Access please contact Gladwyn Lopez, (212) 843-9231, glopez@rubenstein.com.
For press inquiries regarding the Tribeca Film Festival, please contact Kimberly Kress at 212-843-9394 or Tammie Rosen at 212-941-2003.
