You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares…
…So go downtowwwwwwwwwn, where all the lights are bright!..”
As the streets of lower Manhattan teemed with hipsters, moviemakers and cinephiles of all ages, it seemed like the only thing missing from the background was a soundtrack sung by Petula Clark. The stage was set, as the Tribeca Film Festival kicked off its third year May 1, with over 250 films from 42 countries–this time expanding its program by adding an international features category as well as the Tribeca All Access initiative, created to foster relationships between U.S.-based filmmakers of color and the film industry. But perhaps the most expanded arm of the festival was its effective publicity machine, which made it LOUD and CLEAR that the nine-day festival had landed, and its legacy has only just begun.
Actor/producer Robert De Niro co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival in 2002 with business partner/producers Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in an attempt to revitalize business in post-9/11 New York, and they seem to have more than achieved their initial goal of inspiring commerce, talent discovery and the return of movie business to the East Coast. The mere presence of the Festival is, in itself, making a statement that all aspects of film production has a vital and thriving presence in New York City–and should continue to be thought of as such.
This year, billboards, bus stops and publications at every newsstand splashed announcements of the festival, which stretched the span of the island from all points below Chinatown’s Canal Street. From early morning through the wee hours, normally busy streets of the financial district were further congested with fest-goers, easily identified by their trend-setting, dangling ID badges, for all others to see. Information kiosks were aplenty, strategically located among the events and venues.
A beehive here and a dread there; a yamulka here and burka there; a retro turquoise Mohawk here and a clean-shaven head there-the streets of Tribeca morphed into a multi-culti vision of harmony indeed. With such a wide spectrum of attendees, it was close to impossible to distinguish for whom the festival was dedicated: Neighborhood families? Corporate sponsors? Local businesses? The artists themselves? But whether attending a movie screening, panel discussion, red carpet premiere or just hitting the party scene, it seemed that everyone had a reason to be there. It is both refreshing and alarming that the Tribeca Festival seems to lack a certain identity, and yet, to see those who showed up–from wavy skateboarders to uptight art gallery types, from hip-hop spoken-worders to Orthodox twentysomethings, from fashion world scenesters to scruffy politicos–it all somehow made sense.
The well-organized festival held screenings in several locations, and receptions and parties were everywhere, as crafty filmmakers celebrated their works by taking their pick of hot spots: BLVD (for Tony and Tina’s Wedding), Lush Lounge (for Happily Ever After), Viscaya Lounge (for Brother to Brother) and the Marquee (for Point & Shoot). Even Billy Crudup and co-star Claire Danes, whose highly anticipated film Stage Beauty were seen lounging at the swank Tribeca Screening Room’s Bar. The music was pumping as several downtown DJ’s with faithful followings spun at these special fest-related events, where people ‘got down’–mingling and schmoozing in the name of cinema.
Running from place to place could have been very tricky, but the [American Express sponsored] shuttles made trips from screening to screening convenient and even informative, with guides schooling riders on the genesis and growth of the Tribeca fest. On that note, we’ll take that same tour bus approach, highlighting some movies that stood out within this year’s greater plethora:
Provocative, daring and downright inspiring, Baadassss!, directed by Mario Van Peebles, perhaps serves up the best cinematic metaphor for the challenges and rewards one can attain while in pursuit of the “American Dream.” The film is based on his own father, Melvin Van Peebles, the groundbreaking independent filmmaker who helmed Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassss Song in 1971. As a maverick black director, the challenges the elder Van Peebles faced as an indie helmer were only compounded by his ethnicity and outsider-ism within the business during heated racial times.
The film artfully plays with fact and fiction, as old footage, new footage and re-creations blended, and juxtaposed one another to create a vibrant and true pastiche.
Mario
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played his dad with unforgettable precision in a role both sympathetic–and not–and the movie also features brilliant performances by Joy Bryant, Rain Wilson and Khleo Thomas.
After the film ended, Mario and his father Melvin walked onstage to a thunderous standing ovation from a wowed audience that included the likes of Glenn Close and noted Spike Lee actor/collaborator Roger Guenveur Smith. Independently made and shot in 18 days, Baadassss, still faced parallel hardships in getting financed and distributed, although shot more than 30 years later than Van Peebles‘ original flick. Mario discussed why his father was so inspiring as a filmmaker–because, even back then, Melvin insisted on working with multiracial collaborators. Mario added that he came away from the film with a greater respect for the choices his father made: “My biggest gripe back then was being involved in the battle, without understanding the war.”
…Next stop on our tour is another provocative film, first-time feature director Shawn Regruto‘s Point & Shoot, an innovative stand-outer that truly marks the coming of age of our media-savvy society weaned on and addicted to “reality-based” voyeurship. Beautifully shot on video, the semi-autobiographical yarn unfolds through the eyes of fashion photographer played by Regruto, who documents his burgeoning relationship with an upcoming model named Athena.
Sex, drugs and music lace the entire narrative following the reckless life of Manhattan’s young and beautiful, who strip down and cocaine-snort their way through games of “truth or dare” that would cause the likes of Madonna to blush. All the characters play themselves, and to viewers it’s not always clear if they’re exaggerating–which if not, is both sad and intriguing. To the film’s credit, this question is never quite answered.
While the superficial world of fashionistas circulating in New York’s nightlife is enough to give one a bellyful, Regruto still manages to find substance behind the gossamer. When the emcee introduced the filmmakers at the end, it was clear that the enthusiastic audience had been successfully seduced into feeling that they really “knew” the lives those people who were on stage–or did they?
…Now we pull up to Edward J Burns‘ Looking For Kitty, still looking for distribution. Creating a small, independent meditation of sorts, Burns has filmed another dialogue-driven character tale in which two people roam the streets of Manhattan–one a detective (Burns) and the other a baseball coach (David Krumholtz)–in search of the coach’s wife who’s run away with a second-rate rock star. New York City is once again a muse that inspires both men to confront their fear of change and habitual tendency to revel in loneliness. Fittingly, the film is accompanied by compelling, lyrical soundtrack as well.
In discussing the film after the screening, Burns declared, “New York City is the best co-star you can have!” Shot on DV and inspired by the low-budget, three-person story told in The Station Agent Burns stuck to an indie philosophy: actors did their own hair and makeup, and they shot outside restaurants rather than inside to avoid incurring costs. An obvious labor of love, Burns‘ tale investigates the erratic and sabotaging nature of human behavior. He doesn’t explain to the audience his characters’ motivations, saying only, “People don’t have any answers to the things they do.”
The concluding awards ceremony, held May 9 at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, was a star-studded celebration in recognition of the films that received the most attention. In attendance were Larry Clark, Jeffrey Wright, Kyra Sedgwick, Stanley Nelson, and Mary-Louise Parker, among their fellow jurors with whom they presented awards. Best Narrative Feature and Best New Narrative went to Liu Fen Dou, for The Green Hat.
Several other high profile films screened which had audiences a buzz were: Whore starring Daryl Hannah, Denise Richards, and Joachim de Almeida; the sumptuous William Hurt-starrer, The Blue Butterfly shot on location in Costa Rica, directed by Lea Pool; Cavedweller Lisa Cholodenko’s engrossing third feature starring Kyra Sedgwick; Sundance 2004 award winner, Brother to Brother directed by Rodney Evans; Tony and Tina’s Wedding an adaptation of the long-playing off-Broadway hit; and Kaena: The Prophecyvoiced by Kirsten Dunst, a mesmerizing fantastical tale set on another planet. Panel discussions with such luminaries as Martin Scorsese, Garry Marshall, Peter Jennings, Glenn Close, John Cameron Mitchell, LisaGay Hamilton and Chris Eyre touched upon everything from ethnicity, religion, sex and politics.
While many stories danced with themes of fact versus fiction, the Tribeca Festival itself brought to its door many real people to partake in the establishment of a new reality–a heavyweight film festival in downtown Manhattan. With a full plate to chose from, the Tribeca Festival was as perplexing–and ultimately rewarding–as diving into a good old’ NY shhhmorgasbord.
