TFF 2012, presented by American Express®, today announced the lineup for the 2012 Tribeca Talks® panel series. This year’s programs include the returning Tribeca Talks: Directors Series, Tribeca Talks: After the Movie, Tribeca Talks: Industry, Tribeca Talks: Pen to Paper, hosted by Barnes & Noble, and the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival panel. A new series was also announced: Beyond the Screens: Globalize Your Thinking is sponsored by OppenheimerFunds. The 2012 Tribeca Talks series is open to the public, with events happening throughout the TFF window (April 18 to 29).

Participants attached to the panels are some of the most influential and prolific directors, actors and industry leaders, including Academy Award®-winning actors Robert De Niro and Susan Sarandon; writer-director-producer Judd Apatow; Academy Award®-nominated director Jim Sheridan and his daughter, Academy Award®-nominated screenwriter Naomi Sheridan; actors Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy, Lili Taylor, Christian Slater, and Crispin Glover; industry leaders from ESPN and more.

“One of my favorite things at Tribeca is the series of conversations that take place around the films and filmmaking,” said Nancy Schafer, Executive Director of the Tribeca Film Festival. “This year we bring together a wide array of talented actors and filmmakers, as well as industry leaders, all of whom will no doubt offer our audiences rich and memorable experiences.”

Six new world premiere movies were also announced, with each attached to a Tribeca Talks event. Tribeca Talks: After the Movie events include narrative films Freaky Deaky and Future Weather and documentaries Portrait of Wally and Once in a Lullaby: The PS22 Chorus Story. Wagner’s Dream will premiere as part of the new Beyond the Screens: Globalize Your Thinking series. The narrative Knife Fight will have a special screening with an extended Q&A.

Also announced today was TFF’s celebration of the 10^th anniversary of the Avant-Garde Masters grants, created by the National Film Preservation Foundation and The Film Foundation to help preserve American avant-garde cinema. On April 21, there will be a special screening and Tribeca Talks panel.

A breakdown of the panels follows, and more information on each event can be found in the online film guide.

Tribeca Talks: Director Series

♦ Academy Award®-winning filmmaker and activist Michael Moore, interviewed by Academy Award®-winning actor Susan Sarandon

♦ Academy Award®-nominated director Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father), interviewed by his daughter, Academy Award®-nominated screenwriter Naomi Sheridan (In America)

Tribeca Talks: After the Movie

WarGames
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a long standing partner of Tribeca’s Film Festival and Film Institute, sponsors a screening of the Academy Award®-nominated film, which uses advances in national security and the vulnerabilities of new technology as the backdrop for a coming-of-age thriller.
Conversation follows with director John Badham, actress Ally Sheedy, Bitcoin Technical Lead Gavin Andresen, William D. Casebeer, PhD, Program Manager, Defense Sciences Office at DARPA (USAF, retired), computer hacker and inventor Pablos Holman. Moderated by Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Craig Hatkoff.  

Freaky Deaky
A disgraced Detroit cop gets a shot at a comeback when a beautiful young actress needs help taking down a powerful movie producer. Extortion, treachery, and dynamite are just a few of the complications that stand between him and the woman he loves in Charles Matthau's adaptation of the classic Elmore Leonard novel. Billy Burke, Christian Slater, Crispin Glover, and Michael Jai White star.
Conversation follows with director/screenwriter Charles Matthau, and stars Christian Slater, Crispin Glover, Michael Jai White, and Andy Dick.

The Virgin, the Copts and Me
Hosted by the Doha Film Institute
This documentary investigates the phenomenon of supposedly miraculous Virgin Mary apparitions in Egypt’s Coptic Christian community. Facing opposition from producers and his family, the director reimagines his film as a touching, hilarious portrait of family and heritage.
Conversation follows with director Namir Abdel Messeeh, filmmaker Sameh Zoabi, screenwriter/novelist/journalist Rula Jebreal, Associate Professor and Director of the Integrated Media Arts MFA Program at Hunter College CUNY Andrew Lund, and other notable guests. Moderated by film critic Glenn Kenny.

Portrait of Wally
Tribeca presents the world premiere of this a documentary that follows Lea Bondi’s ancestors as they take on the Austrian government, billionaire art collectors, MoMA and NPR in their attempt to reclaim Bondi’s Egon Schiele painting “Portrait of Wally,” which was seized by Nazis in 1939.
Conversation follows with director Andrew Shea, critic and journalist David D’Arcy, Jane Kallir of Galerie St. Etienne, historian and attorney Willi Korte, and Chief of the Asset Forfeiture Unit at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York Sharon Cohen Levin. Moderated by Monica Dugot, International Director of Restitution and Senior Vice President at Christie's.

Once in a Lullaby: The PS22 Chorus Story
Tribeca presents the world premiere of this documentary that follows the now world-famous YouTube sensation elementary school chorus as they travel to perform the closing number of the 2011 Academy Awards®.
Conversation follows with director Jonathan Kalafer, PS22 chorus teacher Gregg Breinberg, Executive Director of the Office of the Arts and Special Projects at the New York City Department of Education Paul King, and more. Moderated by Tribeca Film Institute Education Program Developer Caitlin Meisner.

Future Weather
The world premiere the movie inspired by a New Yorker article on global warming, which follows a teenage loner who becomes obsessed with ecological disaster, forcing her alcoholic grandmother to rethink their futures.
Conversation follows with writer/director Jenny Deller, producer Kristin Fairweather, actresses Lili Taylor, Amy Madigan, and Perla Haney-Jardine, and more. Moderated by filmmaker Marshall Curry.

Avant-Garde Masters
A collection of American avant-garde classics—specially curated with TFF to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Avant-Garde Masters grants, which were created in 2003 by the National Film Preservation Foundation and The Film Foundation.
Conversation follows with filmmakers Carolee Schneemann, Abigail Child, Larry Gottheim, and TFF experimental film programmer Jon Gartenberg. Moderated by Assistant Director of the National Film Preservation Foundation Jeff Lambert.

Beyond the Screens: Globalize Your Thinking
Sponsored by OppenheimerFunds

Wagner’s Dream
The world premiere of a documentary that follows perhaps the most ambitious project in the Metropolitan Opera’s famed history, the new staged production of opera’s most formidable masterpiece: Richard Wagner’s four-part Ring Cycle.
Conversation follows with filmmakers Susan Froemke and Bob Eisenhardt, the Met’s General Manager Peter Gelb, opera soprano Deborah Voigt and tenor Jay Hunter Morris. Moderated by “the Voice of the Met” Margaret Juntwait.

Let Fury Have the Hour
This documentary brings together more than 50 big-name artists, musicians, writers, and thinkers who used their creativity as a response to the reactionary politics that came to define our culture in the 1980s, tracing a momentous social history from the 1980s to the present and imparting a message of hope.
Conversation follows with director Antonino D’Ambrosio, film collaborator and artist Shepard Fairey, the MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer and more.

The List
This documentary follows Kirk Johnson, who recently returned from rebuilding teams in war-torn cities in Iraq as he advocates for a growing number of Iraqi citizens now targeted by radical militias because they aided the U.S. in the reconstruction effort.
Conversation follows with director Beth Murphy, film subject Kirk Johnson, Executive Director and Founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) Paul Rieckhoff, Marcia Tavares Maack, Assistant Director of Pro Bono Activities, Mayer Brown LLP, and others. Moderated by The New Yorker’s George Packer. 

Tribeca Talks: Industry

Film and Brands
A conversation with filmmakers and strategic communications professionals about how brands and filmmakers are increasingly collaborating on film projects to achieve a range of objectives, from marketing and public relations to corporate storytelling and philanthropy.
Panelists include producer and director Brett Ratner, American Express’ Vice President of Global Media, Sponsorship and Experiential Marketing Rich Lehrfeld, GE’s Global Executive Director of Advertising and Branding Judy Hu, the Norman Lear Center’s Managing Director and Director of Research Johanna Blakley, Chief Marketing Officer of Chipotle Mexican Grill Mark Crumpacker and select filmmakers. Moderated by Jon Patricof, President and Chief Operating Officer of Tribeca Enterprises.

Imagine More
Sponsored by Canon
After a screening of Ron Howard’s production when you find me—the first Hollywood film inspired by a photo contest—Canon representatives and filmmakers will discuss the versatility of shooting with Canon cameras and creating films through collaborative storytelling.
Panelists include Canon USA Technical’s Chuck Westfall, The Russian Winter director Petter Ringbom, CatCam director Seth Keal, CatCam and Knuckleball! cinematographer Charles Miller, and when you find me cinematographer Andre Lascaris. Moderated by Kristin McCracken, VP of Digital Media, Tribeca Enterprises.

The Business of Entertainment
Sponsored by Bloomberg
Bloomberg returns with its signature program The Business of Entertainment. This year's discussion, "Going Global: Will Co-Production Save the Film Industry?" focuses on the recent rise of international co-production, exploring the benefits and obstacles of this often complex but rewarding strategy. Hear from major producers, financiers, and other key industry decision-makers.
Panelists include co-producer of The Girl and CEO of Bonita Films Tania Zarak and Chairman and CEO of Endgame Entertainment James D. Stern, and Chief Operating Officer, FilmNation Entertainment Milan Popelka, and producer and founder of Cine Mosaic Lydia Dean Pilcher. Moderated by Bloomberg News entertainment reporter Michael White.

The Future is Short: Storytelling in the Digital Age
Sponsored by GE / FOCUS FORWARD – Short Films, Big Ideas
A conversation with CINELAN, filmmakers and distributors on the power, art and business of short film storytelling at a time when platforms like Hulu, Netflix, Yahoo!, and The New York Times become commercially viable distribution outlets.
Panelists include CINELAN co-founder and filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, filmmaker Annie Sundberg, Jason Spingarn-Koff of The New York Times Op-Docs series, Director Content Partnerships at YouTube Laura Lee, and others. Moderated by the Director of Film and Video at TED, Jason Wishnow.

Does the Cloud have a Silver (Screen) Lining?
Sponsored by SAP
A conversation examining the best model for independent films to reach audiences and make money out of new distribution opportunities in an ever-evolving digital landscape.
Panelists include Executive Vice President and CMO at Time Warner Cable Jeffrey A. Hirsch, Eugene Hernandez, Director of Digital Strategy, Film Society of Lincoln Center, John Sloss, founder of Cinetic Media and Sloss Eckhouse Law Co LLP, Stephanie Sharis, COO of SnagFilms, Inc., and others. Moderated by Senior Vice President of Media and Entertainment at SAP Richard Whittington.

New Filmmakers on Film
Sponsored by Panavision
A discussion about Panavision’s New Filmmaker Program, which provides grants to artists that gives them the opportunity to shoot on film, instead of turning to digital technology.
Panelists include Una Noche director Lucy Mulloy, Unmanned producer Casey Fenton, Kodak’s US Account Manager of Features and Post-Production Bob Mastronardi, cinematographer Guy Godfree, and Peter Brogna, Marketing, Panavision NY. Moderated by Panavision’s New Filmmaker Program Manager, Mike Dallatorre.

Tribeca Talks: Pen to Paper
Hosted by Barnes & Noble  

Biography on Film
A discussion with writers and filmmakers who create biographical documentaries and must transform life events into film.
Panelists include TFF filmmakers Ramona S. Diaz (Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey), Petter Ringbom (The Russian Winter), Andreas Koefoed (Ballroom Dancer), and Daniel A. Miller (Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie). Moderated by Basil Tsiokos, Documentary Consultant & Sundance Film Festival Programming Associate.

The Pen Versus the Sword
A conversation examining how creative methods can cause social change.
Panelists include TFF filmmakers Antonino D’Ambrosio (Let Fury Have the Hour), Raymond De Felitta (Booker’s Place: A Mississippi Story), and Stephen Maing (High Tech, Low Life). Moderated by film and culture critic Caryn James.

Based on the Book
A conversation exploring adapting a book into a film that will examine the elements that best translate from the page to the screen and whether it is possible to create a version of the story that is better than the book.
Panelists include TFF filmmakers Pen-ek Ratanaruang (Headshot), Charles Matthau (Freaky Deaky), Donald Rice (Cheerful Weather for the Wedding), and others. Moderated by Mark Adams, Chief Film Critic / Reviews Editor, Screen International.

Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival

Beyond the Playing Field
Sponsored by Time Warner Cable
A conversation exploring the evolution of women’s sports inspired by the 40^th anniversary of Title IX.
Panelists include director Amy Berg, ESPN Films’ Libby Geist, producer and TFF co-founder Jane Rosenthal, national sports writer Sally Jenkins and filmmakers from upcoming ESPN Films. Moderated by ESPN’s Chris Connelly.

Special Tribeca Talks Events

100 Years of Universal
Available exclusively for American Express Cardmembers
A conversation celebrating 100 years of Universal Studios.
Panelists include Academy Award®-winning actor and TFF co-founder Robert De Niro and writer-director-producer Judd Apatow. Moderated by Film Editor for Deadline Hollywood Mike Fleming.

Knife Fight
The world premiere of a political satire that follows a campaign strategist who struggles to keep his wayward clients in office and out of the press.
Followed by an extended Q&A about presidential campaigns and how politics are spun with writer/director Bill Guttentag, writer and co-producer Chris Lehane, actor Rob Lowe, and campaign strategist Steve Schmidt. Moderated by MSNBC senior political analyst and co-author of Game Change Mark Halperin.

Illicit Networks: Portrayals through Film
Tribeca Enterprises and Google Ideas team up for a conversation addressing Hollywood’s portrayals of illicit networks that traffic everything from narcotics and weapons to body parts and human beings. Experts, law enforcement participants, and survivors will use what we learn from film to examine the mysterious and misunderstood world of illicit trafficking.
Moderated by Director of Google Ideas Jared Cohen.

Learn more about all the Tribeca Talks by browsing the 2012 Film Guide.