April 14th, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(NEW YORK, NY) April 14, 2014 —The Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by AT&T, today announced the winners of the first-ever “Tribeca Interactive & Interlude: A Music Film Challenge,” created in collaboration with The Lincoln Motor Company via Genero.tv’s global creative community.

From new creators to experienced filmmakers, music film entries that utilized Interlude’s interactive video authoring suite, Treehouse, were received from 29 countries around the world. The three winners ultimately chosen by TFF jurors Daniels, Jason Hirschhorn and Judy McGrath, with participation from Damon Albarn and Aloe Blacc: Jakub Romanowicz for Damon Albarn’s “Heavy Seas of Love,” Mohit Israney for Aloe Blacc’s “Ticking Bomb” and Máté Szabó for Ellie Goulding’s “Dead in the Water.” All winning entries are immediately viewable on the Challenge website at genero.tv/Tribeca, and the individual films follow:

• Jakub Romanowicz of Poland (screen name cziwonamor) for Damon Albarn’s “Heavy Seas of Love”: http://genero.tv/watch-video/38137
• Mohit Israney of India (screen name Mohit Israney) for Aloe Blacc’s “Ticking Bomb”: http://genero.tv/watch-video/38176
• Máté Szabó of Hungary (screen name szabomate90) for Ellie Goulding’s “Dead in the Water”: http://genero.tv/watch-video/38112

Each of the three winners will be awarded $10,000 and have their interactive music films celebrated at an event on April 17 where Damon Albarn will perform. The films will be shown during the Festival at official venues and lounges via interactive kiosks as well as on the Tribeca Online Festival.

“This music film Challenge represents some of the best of what the Tribeca Film Festival and our partners are all about—artists supporting and recognizing other artists, and exploring new approaches to storytelling,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder, Tribeca Film Festival. “As our inaugural winners show, there is a bright future for storytelling in the digital age, and with it, the ability to involve creators and engage audiences from around the world.”

In the two-month period that entries were open on the Genero website, more than 125 approved music films were created on Treehouse and submitted as part of the Challenge where then TFF jurors and artists selected the winner.

"We’re pleased to celebrate these winning storytellers and content creators,” said Matt VanDyke, Director, Global Lincoln. “Their ambitious and varied approaches to creating interactive music films encourage us all to embrace the unexpected.  This artistic challenge was a great way for us to show Lincoln as a luxury brand committed to supporting people taking creative new journeys."

“This challenge brought together many talented filmmakers from around the world, and it was inspiring to see how the winners each harnessed Treehouse in such unique, imaginative ways,” said Yoni Bloch, co-founder and CEO of Interlude. “For years, music videos have provided a powerful way to tell stories that engage fans, and now interactive video is allowing artists to take that engagement to another level where fans can actively enjoy content and immerse themselves in the experience.”

"We are extremely proud of our global community of filmmakers and the talent they've all displayed, especially given this is the first time we've worked with an interactive medium. We look forward to bringing more interactive opportunities to Genero, helping filmmakers grow their careers and gain global exposure in unique and innovative ways," said Andrew Lane, co-founder and director of Genero.tv.

About Damon Albarn
Everyday Robots, the first fully-realized Damon Albarn solo album is released in April 2014. Its twelve songs invite the listener into Albarn’s world for a genuine ‘one-to-one’ and are the most soul-searching and autobiographical since his musical journey began.

Albarn is first to admit he’s a restless soul when it comes to music. What’s certain is that all of the projects of his musical career thus far - from Blur to Gorillaz, The Good, The Bad & The Queen, Mali Music, Monkey: Journey To The West or Dr Dee - help form this singular artist’s musical DNA.

This album is quite clearly about his experiences, from early childhood right through. Ghosts of Albarn’s boyhood in Leytonstone and Colchester walk hand-in-hand with reflections on life and love, on nature versus technology. He visits more recent habitats...under London’s Westway and idyllic Devon… as well as pondering the trappings of modern existence such as computer games and mobile phones.

‘Everyday Robots’ was recorded in Albarn’s 13 Studio in London and is produced by Richard Russell, head of XL Recordings.

About Aloe Blacc
Aloe Blacc released his major-label debut album Lift Your Spirit March 11th on XIX Recordings/Interscope Records where is debuted at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.  The set follows up Blacc’s collaboration as vocalist and co-writer on well-known DJ/producer Avicii’s track “Wake Me Up,” a song that hit the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on its Hot Dance Club Songs and Dance/Electronic Songs charts, as well as topping charts in more than 100 countries. Blacc’s five-track Wake Me Up EP came out last September and included an acoustic version of the title track.  Blacc’s current single “The Man” is quickly climbing to the top of the charts with more than 1.8 million singles sold.  Blacc began writing rap lyrics at age nine, put out his first hip-hop mixtape in 1996 and released his soul/R&B-laced debut album Shine Through in 2006.  Soon after, Blacc began work on the record that would change his life and career: Good Things, an album certified gold in the UK, France, Germany, and Australia, among other countries. Along with “I Need a Dollar” (the platinum-selling single that was selected as the theme song to HBO’s How To Make it In America), Good Things included the singles “Loving You Is Killing Me” and “Green Lights.”

Blacc is featured in the line-up for this April’s Coachella festival and will be touring the U.S. this summer with Bruno Mars. To learn more about Aloe Blacc, visit www.aloeblacc.comand follow him on Twitter (@aloeblacc).

About Ellie Goulding
UK singer/ songwriter Ellie Goulding is a global superstar selling over 5 million albums and 15 million songs worldwide with platinum records in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Italy and Malaysia. Official videos have been viewed over 400 million online. Goulding’s debut album, Lights, released onCherrytree / Interscope Records, was the best-selling debut album of 2010 in the UK and has spawned several singles including the title track which sold over 5 million copies worldwide. In 2012, Goulding returned with her sophomore album, Halcyon, which was described by The New York Times as “a deeply felt swirl of synthesizer, piano and slowly building crescendos.” Additionally, Rolling Stone raved, “The hook always go to town, and her voice mates gorgeously with electronics.” The first single from Halcyon, “Anything Could Happen” went on to platinum status, followed by the platinum Top 10 song “I Need Your Love.” In 2013, a deluxe reissue featuring ten extra songs was released, entitled Halcyon Days, featuring her fourth consecutive platinum single, “Burn” which has sold over three million copies worldwide.

Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival helps filmmakers reach the broadest possible audience, enabling the international film community and general public to experience the power of cinema and promote New York City as a major filmmaking center. It is well known for being a diverse international film festival that supports emerging and established directors.

Founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center, to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of the lower Manhattan district through an annual celebration of film, music, and culture, the Festival brings the industry and community together around storytelling.

The Tribeca Film Festival has screened more than 1,500 films from more than 80 countries since its first edition in 2002. Since inception, it has attracted an international audience of more than 4.5 million attendees and has generated an estimated $850 million in economic activity for New York City.

2014 Tribeca Film Festival Sponsors
As Presenting Sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival, AT&T is committed to supporting the Festival and the art of filmmaking through access and innovation, aiming to make this the most interactive film festival in the country, where visitors experience the Festival in ways they never imagined.

The Tribeca Film Festival is pleased to announce its Signature Sponsors: Accenture, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, American Express, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Gin, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), Brookfield, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, ESPN, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Heineken, IWC Schaffhausen, NBC 4 New York, NCM Media Networks, The New York Times, and PepsiCo. The Festival welcomes the following new Signature Sponsors: The Lincoln Motor Company, United Airlines, Santander, and VDKA 6100TM.

Lincoln Motor Company
Lincoln Motor Company is the luxury automotive brand of Ford Motor Company, committed to creating compelling vehicles with an exceptional ownership experience to match. Lincoln is in the process of introducing four all-new vehicles through 2016. For more information about Lincoln, please visit media.lincoln.com or www.lincoln.com. Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/lincoln.

Interlude
Interlude (www.interlude.fm) is a digital media company that designs, develops and markets interactive video technology. Treehouse is Interlude’s self-serve authoring suite that enables all video creators, whether enthusiasts or professionals, to create interactive videos. The company has already built a rich history of interactive video storytelling and has helped some of the world’s leading entertainment and corporate brands leverage interactive video, including Intel, Pepsi, Subaru, Shell, MAC, Fox TV, ESPN, Sony Music, Disney Music, Focus Features and others. Interlude also works with major music artists and created the internationally acclaimed interactive music video for Bob Dylan's “Like A Rolling Stone.” Founded by Israeli musician Yoni Bloch and his band, Interlude is backed by Sequoia Capital, Intel Capital, NEA, Marker and Innovation Endeavors.

Genero.tv
Genero.tv connects music artists with a global community of over 250,000 filmmakers, providing a platform for artists to find video directors or generate amazing videos, while giving filmmakers access to career-changing opportunities. The Genero community has created over 5,000 videos, including official videos for Moby, M83, James Brown, Muse, John Mayer, Duran Duran, David Bowie, The Flaming Lips, Tricky, Ringo Starr, David Guetta, Passion Pit, Linkin Park, Bingo Players, Steve Aoki, alt-J, Owl City and many more. More info: http://genero.tv/partners

 

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IMAGES FOR PRESS/EDITOR’S NOTE: Images of each artist can be downloaded at:
http://tribecafilm.com/press-center/festival/music-challenge-stills

Press Contacts

Sophia Hitti, Rubenstein Communications
For the Tribeca Film Festival
(212) 843-8069 / smhitti@rubenstein.com

Elise Chambers, Method Communications
For Interlude
(415) 548-6603 / elise@methodcommunications.com

Andrew Lane, Genero.tv
(646) 675-5303 / andrew.lane@genero.tv

Stéphane Cesareo, Lincoln Motor Company
(313) 323-8917 / scesareo@lincoln.com