NEW YORK, NY– April 30, 2018 –After 12 days filled with film and television screenings, pioneering immersive and virtual reality experiences, momentous reunions and talks, concerts, and game debuts the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, today announced an estimated attendance of more than 140,000 people to 564 screenings and Talks, the Virtual Arcade and Tribeca Cinema360, and games with an additional 1,850,000 people participating in 11 talks from afar via Facebook Live. [Note: This is on par with last year’s attendance based on capacity as many of the theaters being used in 2018 had seats reconfigured resulting in less total seating capacity]

From April 18 - April 29, the Festival presented 99 features, 55 short films, 35 immersive storytelling projects, 20 television projects, and 12 N.O.W. (New Online Work) projects representing 46 countries. Tribeca hosted 34 Tribeca Talks, including Tribeca Talks: TIME’S UP - A Day of Conversation and Action.

This year, 46% of the feature films were directed by women, the highest percentage in the Festival’s history.

Below are highlights and clip handouts of conversations, interviews, and select moments from the Festival.

FILM / TV / VR PROJECT SALES

As the Festival wraps, four of the films available for acquisition and one VR project have announced distribution deals, with additional offers on the table and deals to be announced soon.

1. Zoe(World Premiere) directed by Drake Doremus, was bought by Amazon Prime for rights including U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, Italy, Australia and New Zealand and will release this summer.
2. Songwriter (North American Premiere) directed by Murray Cummings, was bought by Apple for worldwide rights for theatrical and digital.
3. The Night Eats The World(North American Premiere) directed by Dominique Rocher, was bought by Blue Fox Entertainment for North American rights.
4. Daughter of Mine (North American Premiere) directed by Laura Bispuri, bought by Strand Releasing for North American rights.
5. TV docu miniseries Staircase (World Premiere) directed by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, had new episodes of the series bought by Netflix to release this summer.
6. The VR project Vestige (World Premiere) from lead creator Aaron Bradbury was bought by U.K.-based distributor Other Set for a spring 2019 release.

FILM

The 2018 Festival opened with Love, Gilda about trailblazing comedian Gilda Radner [interviews and introductions from opening night]

While constantly exploring the future of film, Tribeca paid tribute to the past with special reunion events that celebrated the 35th anniversary of Scarface and the 25th anniversary of Schindler's List. The Festival celebrated the 25th anniversary of New York indie gem In the Soupwith the World Premiere of its 4k restoration [interviews and clips from conversation & social clips]

The Festival closed with director Liz Garbus’ The Fourth Estate, the first part of Showtime’s new four-part documentary, which gives an inside look at The New York Times as they tracked Trump’s first year in office. [Post Premiere Q&A]

Video from post-screening Q&As from select films:

1. American Meme: Post Premiere Q&A
2. Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable: Post Premiere Q&A
3. Duck Butter: Post Premiere Q&A
4. Every Act of Life: Post Premiere Q&A
5. The Gospel According to André: Post Premiere Q&A
6. In a Relationship: Post Premiere Q&A
7. Little Woods: Post Premiere Q&A
8. Mapplethorpe: Post Premiere Q&A
9. The Miseducation of Cameron Post: Post Premiere Q&A
10. The Rachel Divide: Post Premiere Q&A
11. Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland: Post Premiere Q&A
12. The Seagull: Post Premiere Q&A
13. Zoe: Post Premiere Q&A

*See end of document for full list of Juried & Audience Awards.

MUSIC

Creating entertaining music experiences and live events connected to film is a Tribeca tradition. This year, special performances after screenings included:

Bathtubs Over Broadway – members of the cast were joined on stage for a special musical performance after the screening. [Interviews from carpet and post premiere Q&A interviews from carpet and post premiere Q&A

Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes – jazz performance with Derrick Hodge, Kendrick Scott, and Robert Glasper with a surprise appearance by rapper Common. [Clip of Common jumping into the performance]

Horses: Patti Smith and Her Band – Patti Smith was joined by her band - Lenny Kaye, Jay Dee Daugherty, Tony Shanahan, and Jackson Smith - for a special performance featuring surprise appearances by Bruce Springsteen and Michael Stipe. [Clips from performance with Patti and Bruce and interviews]

Mr. SOUL! – performance with Robert Glasper, Lalah Hathaway, Kyle Abraham, DJ Jahi Sundance, Sade Lythcott, Kathleen Cleaver and The Last Poets: Abiodun Oyewole, Umar Bin Hassan, and Felipe Luciano. [Clips from performances]

Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 – performances by Fat Joe, Kid Ink, and Gizzle.

TRIBECA TV

Tribeca TV debuted new narratives this year but also had an equal focus on docu-series. The line-up of 20 projects was made up of 8 World Premieres, one International Premiere, two North American Premieres, one New York Premiere, one Mid-Season Premiere, and two Feature Documentaries and five Indie Pilots. The section also reflects the changing landscape of players in the TV arena with shows from Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube Red along with broadcast and cable networks, Showtime, Starz and ABC.

Highlights include: World Premieres of Cobra Kai [Clips from Post Premiere Q&A, Interviews from the carpet ], Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story [Clips from Post Premiere Q&A, Interviews from the carpet], Sweetbitter[Clips from Post Premiere Q&A, Interviews from the carpet], Bobby Kennedy For President [Clips from Post Premiere Q&A], The Last Defense [Clips from Post Premiere Q&A, Interviews from the carpet], Genius: Picasso[Interviews from the carpet, Clips from Post Premiere Q&A], Staircase[Clips from Post Premiere Q&A], North American Premieres of Little Women[Interviews from the carpet and clips from Post Premiere Q&A], Picnic at Hanging Rock [Clips from Post Premiere Q&A], New York Premiere of Westworld [Clips from Post Premiere Q&A], and Drunk History [Clips from Post Premiere Q&A].

TRIBECA IMMERSIVE

Tribeca Immersive 2018 offerings included 35 virtual reality (VR), innovative exhibitions and experiences from top creators such as Jeremy Bailenson, Chris Milk, Eliza McNitt, Eugene YK Chung, Gabo Arora, and Saschka Unseld, and emerging artists Asad J. Malik, Gabriela Arp, Lucas Rizzotto, Angel Manuel Soto, Navid Khonsari, and Lindsay Branham.

Virtual Arcade featuring Storyscapes presented by AT&T highlights include: celebrated artist/director Laurie Anderson, hand painting Chalkroom, a VR experience featuring words, drawings and stories; children and adults sharing stories about creating original works of music in LAMBCHILD SUPERSTAR: Making Music in the Menagerie of the Holy Cow created by Chris Milk and Damien Kulash of OK Go; participant’s emotional responses to real-world issues addresses in documentary style projects 1000 Cut Journey, Terminal 3, Into the Now, My Africa and The Day the World Changed, and a blend of VR with immersive theater in a groundbreaking fairytale experience - Jack: Part One.

The newest addition to Tribeca Immersive, Cinema360, sponsored by PwC, was the Festival’s first VR theater and gave audiences an intimate communal VR experience.

The 2018 Storyscapes Award, presented by AT&T, which recognizes groundbreaking approaches in storytelling and technology, was given to Hero, created by Navid Khonsari, Vassiliki Khonsari, and Brooks Brown.

1. [B-ROLL] Virtual Arcade featuring Storyscapes

TRIBECA TALKS

The Festival presented 34 Tribeca Talks featuring conversations between acclaimed directors, musicians, journalists, actors, writers, and more. Highlights from the program include:

Tribeca Talks: Directors Series featured some of today’s most groundbreaking filmmakers discuss their careers and highlights. In Partnership with Squarespace.

1. Lesli Linka Glatter with Claire Danes
2. [TWITTER] “It’s difficult to be a director. It should be equally difficult for everybody.”
3. Alexander Payne with Dick Cavett
4. Laura Poitras with Sheila Nevins
5. Nancy Meyers with Carrie Rickey
6. Jason Reitman with Tamara Jenkins & the World Premiere of Tully
1. [TWITTER - CLIP]

Tribeca Talks: Storytellers returned to celebrate innovative creators who have broken from the mold and pioneered their own forms of storytelling, often mastering multiple mediums. Sponsored by Montefiore

1. Alec Baldwin and Spike Lee
1. [CLIP] Lee on his mass communications major in college and the professor that guided him.
2. [Full Facebook livestream]
2. Edward Burns with Mike Vaccaro & the World Premiere of Summertime
1. [CLIP] Burns: “It never gets any easier leading up and it’s always great when the movie works”
2. [CLIP-Twitter]
3. Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro
1. [Full Facebook livestream]
4. Jamie Foxx with Jacques Morel
1. [Full Facebook livestream]
2. [CLIP] Foxx:“I was the first person to do social media like I know it sounds weird, but I was the original.”
3. [INSTAGRAM - IMAGE]
5. John Legend and Sara Bareilles
1. [Full Facebook livestream]

Tribeca Talks: TIME’S Up - A Day of Conversation and Action
[Clips from each panel and panel introduction]
Tribeca collaborated with TIME’S UP to host the Day of Conversation and Action, which featured conversations with a range of women who are playing a pivotal role in raising awareness about inequality in the workplace. Activists, storytellers, business leaders, filmmakers, lawyers, media figures, and more shared their stories. Highlights included:

1. Julianne Moore and Jurnee Smollett-Bell opened the day by introducing TIME’S UP with Moore saying that "our understanding of what’s acceptable has been skewed by what is normalized by society,” and calling for change.
2. Saru Jayaraman (co-founder of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United) detailed the rampant sexual harassment in the restaurant industry and demanded action.
3. Mónica Ramírez (Co-Founder and President, Alianza Nacional de Campesinas) with Teresa Arredondo (one of the farmworker women leaders from Lideres Campesinas) speaking about the women farm workers movement.
4. Sienna Miller introduced the panel, "A New Direction: Behind the Lens" with female filmmakers, and said, "[we're] not just wives and girlfriends in life...it's on all of us to pave the path and help stories be told."
5. Former NFL player and advocate Wade Davis talked about the importance of starting the conversations around sexuality and sexual assault early.
6. Lupita Nyong’o, Cynthia Erivo, Mira Sorvino, and Amber Tamblyn talked about the roles women are cast in, the importance of telling rich stories on screen, and the impact of portraying powerful female characters in film. Erivo said, "I’m trying to make people aware that we have a choice in the way we are perceived. I see myself differently and I want that to help other young ladies get the permission to also see themselves differently."
7. Marisa Tomei talked about the impact of - and introduced - the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund, who discussed legal wins.
8. Mariska Hargitay introduced a panel about "Activism Through the Ages" during which Robin Morgan fired up the audience and also got them laughing, saying, "the women’s movement is the most fun you can have sitting up."
9. Ashley Judd shared a personal letter about the fortitude it has taken and the personal empowerment she has experienced as a survivor.
10. The event concluded with a speech from the CMO of TIME'S UP and a performance from the Resistance Revival Chorus.
    

Tribeca Talks: The Journey debuted with a conversation the Sarah Jessica Parker about her career path across multiple endeavors. Sponsored by TUMI.

1. Sarah Jessica Parker
1. [CLIP] Parker talks about her admiration of script writers and her love to talk about the stories.

Tribeca Talks: Master Class featured a line-up of conversations focusing on specific sectors of the filmmaking process. Supported by The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.

1. Robert and Michelle King with Steve Bodow and Jennifer Flanz (Writing & Showrunning for TV)
1. [CLIP] Flanz talks about how she worked her way up in her career starting with internships and graduating early.
2. [CLIP] Robert King explains what exactly being a showrunner means.
3. [Facebook Livestream]
4. [Facebook Livestream Part 2]
2. Aaron Lieber, Carol Martori, Jurgen Scharpf, Tom Dumican, Stuart Miller, Glenn Kiser (Sound & Music Design for Film)
3. Domee Shi and Becky Neiman-Cobb (Bao Animation Workshop)
4. Jaron Lanier (VR Pioneer)
1. [CLIP] Lanier: “We discovered that you could learn to actually operate a body that didn’t have a human body plan.”
   

N.O.W. (New Online Work)

Celebrating its 5th year, Tribeca N.O.W. is a program that discovers, highlights, and celebrates New Online Work from independent storytellers creating and sharing their work in the online space.

N.O.W. SHOWCASE
Tribeca N.O.W. Showcase brought the latest work from 12 independent online creators to the big screen - with sold out screenings - as official Tribeca selections.Trailers and clips are available here.

1. EPISODIC: Cleaner Daze, created by Tess Sweet; Dinette, created by Shaina Feinberg; Driver Ed, created by Jacob A. Ware and Amanda Cowper; Home, created by Micah Sudduth, Keylee Sudduth; Pig: The Dam Keeper Poems, created by Erick Oh; Snugglr, created by Georgia Bernstein and Cemre Paksoy
2. SHORT FORM:Crime Cutz, created by Ben Fries and Alden Nusser, with the music of Holy Ghost!; Everything is Stories, created by Mike Martinez and Tyler Wray; The Last Fisherman, created by Shal Ngo; Flint is a place, created by Zackary Canepari; The 99 Names of God, created by Yumna Al-Arashi; Under Her Skin, created by Rémy Bennett and Kelsey Bennett

TRIBECA N.O.W. CREATORS MARKET
Industry and independents came together at the Tribeca Creators Market, an invite-only event where creators discussed their work with distributors, brands, and MCNs.

TRIBECA GAMES

[Video of the talks on Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Re-Imagining God of War: The Inside Story]

Exclusive presentations of Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Re-Imagining the God of War: The Inside Story in partnership with The Madison Square Garden Company served as the tentpole events for 2018 Tribeca Games. Tribeca’s co-founder Jane Rosenthal introduced the first public gameplay footage of the eagerly anticipated Shadow of the Tomb Raider to a thrilled crowd, followed by a panel discussion with the team including the voice of Lara Croft, actress Camilla Luddington (Grey’s Anatomy, Justice League); Senior Game Director, Daniel Bisson; Lead Writer Jill Murray; Senior Brand Director Rich Briggs; and Game Awards producer Geoff Keighley.

Re-Imagining God of War: The Inside Story talk was with creative director Cory Barlog who was joined by recently announced actors Chris Judge (Stargate SG-1, God of War), Jeremy Davies (Lost, Twin Peaks, Saving Private Ryan) and Danielle Bisutti (Insidious: Chapter 2, True Jackson, VP). The audience embraced the new creative direction of the seminal God of War series and the cinematic footage presented.

Rounding out the Tribeca Games presentation was the Super League Gaming Battle of the Boroughs Amateur Esports Tournament in partnership with Tic Tac Gum and the IBM “Acceleration” Game Jam, which resulted in three brand new games which were showcased at the Festival.

TRIBECA X AWARD

The Tribeca X Award entered its third year as a juried award for excellence in creative, original, and authentic storytelling that is sponsored or underwritten by a brand. Eligible projects included scripted and documentary work for film, TV, digital, social, and VR/AR, in both feature or short length that were funded with support of a brand in collaboration with artists or filmmakers.

2018 Tribeca X Award winner: For Every Kind of Dream series for Square. Directed by Mohammad Gorjestani for Even/Odd.

ICYMI: FACEBOOK LIVESTREAMS

FILM

1. World premiere of The Fourth Estate with director Liz Garbus and subjects from The New York Times.
2. World premiere of The Gospel According to André with director Kate Novack and subject André Leon Talley.
3. World premiere of The American Meme director Bert Marcus, subjects Paris Hilton, Kirill Bichutsky, Brittany Furlan, The Fat Jew and Hailey Baldwin.

TRIBECA TV

1. World premiere of new season of Westworld.
2. World premiere of Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story.
3. World premiere of the new season of Genius: Picasso.

TRIBECA TALKS

1. Tribeca Talks: Storytellers – John Legend with Sara Bareilles
2. Tribeca Talks: Storytellers – Bradley Cooper with Robert De Niro
3. Tribeca Talks: Storytellers – Jamie Foxx with Jacques Morel
4. Tribeca Talks: Storytellers – Alec Baldwin with Spike Lee
5. Tribeca Talks: Master Class – Writing & Showrunning for TV

2018 AWARD WINNERS

1. Audience Awards – To Dust, written and directed by Shawn Snyder, was honored with the Narrative award and United Skates, directed by Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown, was given the Documentary award.
1. Chosen by audiences, who voted throughout the Festival with the official app
2. The Nora Ephron Award – Nia DaCosta director of Little Woods.
3. Tribeca X Award – For Every Kind of Dream series for Square. Directed by Mohammad Gorjestani for Even/Odd.

NARRATIVE FEATURE FILMS

1. Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – Diane written and directed by Kent Jones.
2. Best International Narrative Feature – Smuggling Hendrix, written and directed by Marios Piperides, written and directed by Marios Piperides.
3. Best Cinematography in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film – Cinematography by Wyatt Garfield for Diane.
4. Best Screenplay in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film – Diane written by Kent Jones.
5. Best Actress in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film – Alia Shawkat in Duck Butter.
6. Best Actor in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film – Jeffrey Wright in O.G.
7. Best Cinematography in an International Narrative Feature Film – Cinematography by Albert Salas for Obey.
8. Best Screenplay in an International Narrative Feature Film – The Saint Bernard Syndicate written by Lærke Sanderhoff.
9. Best Actress in an International Narrative Feature Film – Joy Rieger in Virgins.
10. Best Actor in an International Narrative Feature Film – Rasmus Bruun in The Saint Bernard Syndicate.
11. Best New Narrative Director – Shawn Snyder, director of To Dust.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS

1. Best Documentary Feature – Island of the Hungry Ghosts, directed by Gabrielle Brady.
2. Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award – Dava Whisenant for Bathtubs Over Broadway.
3. Best Cinematography in a Documentary Film – Cinematography by Niels van Koevorden for Tanzania Transit.
4. Best Editing in a Documentary Film – Editing by Frederick Shanahan, Jon Kasbe, Caitlyn Greene for When Lambs Become Lions.

SHORT FILMS

1. Best Narrative Short – Phone Duty, directed by Lenar Kamalov.
2. Best Documentary Short – Notes from Dunblane: Lessons from a School Shooting, directed by Kim A. Snyder.
3. Shorts Animation Award – Late Afternoon, directed by Louise Bagnall.
4. Student Visionary Award – The Life of Esteban, directed by Inès Eshun.

PRESS MATERIALS

VIDEO / FESTIVAL FOOTAGE - Includes interviews with filmmakers/actors/creators at red carpet arrivals and post conversations
https://www.tribecafilm.com/press-center/festival/festival-footage

STILLS
Film/project stills for the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival are available at www.image.net. If you are not an image.net media user yet, please register using referral code 2604. If you have any issues or your need is time sensitive, please contact blin@TribecaFilmFestival.org.

SOCIAL
Connect with Tribeca on:
Hashtag: #Tribeca2018
Twitter: @Tribeca
Instagram: @tribeca
Facebook: facebook.com/Tribeca

ABOUT THE TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL
The Tribeca Film Festival is the leading cultural event that brings visionaries and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, VR, gaming, music, and online work. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is a platform for creative expression and immersive entertainment. The Festival champions emerging and established voices; discovers award-winning filmmakers and creators; curates innovative experiences; and introduces new technology and ideas through premieres, exhibitions, talks, and live performances.

The Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. Now in its 17th year, the Festival has evolved into a destination for creativity that reimagines the cinematic experience and explores how art can unite communities. www.tribecafilm.com/festival

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