April 6th, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK, NY (April 6, 2015) —The 2015 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by AT&T, today announced its jurors – a diverse group of 34 industry leaders, including award-winning filmmakers, producers, acclaimed actors, authors and entrepreneurs. The jury will be divided among the seven competitive Festival categories. The winning films, filmmakers and actors in each category will be announced at the TFF Awards Night ceremony on April 23 at Spring Studios. The 2015 Festival runs from April 15 –26.

“The group of unique voices and perspectives that make up this year’s jury are sure to spark thoughtful discussion – and perhaps some friendly debate – around this year’s films,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival.   

The seven TFF juries will award $150,000 in cash and prizes. Announced earlier this year, eight of the winners will also receive a work of original art by an acclaimed artist as part of the Tribeca Film Festival Artists Awards program, sponsored by CHANEL. In addition to the Festival’s main competition juries, the five jurors for the third annual $25,000 Nora Ephron Prize, sponsored by Coach, recognizing a female writer or director, were also announced.

Following is a list of all 2015 Festival jurors and their respective categories.

World Competition Categories

The jurors for the 2015 World Narrative Competition, sponsored by AKA, are:

• Paul Attanasio: Paul Attanasio is an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and producer whose credits include Quiz Show, Donnie Brasco, The Good German, and House: MD. 
• Sophie Barthes: Sophie Barthes is a French-American director and screenwriter best known for her directorial feature film debut Cold Souls.    
• Whoopi Goldberg: One of an elite group of artists who have won an Academy, Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Awards. Film and television credits include The Color Purple, Ghost, Sister Act, Boys on the Side, The Lion King, For Colored Girls, and The View on ABC. She made her directorial debut with the 2013 TFF selection Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley.
• Dylan McDermott: Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee, Dylan McDermott currently stars in the CBS drama Stalker.  Other projects he has starred in were American Horror Story, and the films Olympus Has Fallen and The Campaign. 
• Burr Steers:  Burr Steers is a filmmaker best known for his writing and/or directing Igby Goes Down, 17 Again and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

The jurors for the 2015 World Documentary Competition, sponsored by Santander Bank, N.A., are:

• Diego Bunuel: Diego Buñuel, the grandson of the legendary Spanish film director Luis Buñuel, is a Franco-American filmmaker and the new Head of Documentaries on Canal Plus since October 2014. 
• Tine Fischer: Tine Fischer is the founder and CEO of one of the leading international documentary film festivals CPH:DOX as well as the director and founder of CPH:LAB and CPH:FORUM.
• David Gelb: David Gelb has directed a variety of both fiction and non-fiction projects, most notable the critically acclaimed documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi.
• Joshua Rothkopf: Joshua Rothkopf, film critic who is currently the Film Editor at Time Out New York.
• Gloria Steinem: Gloria Steinem is a writer, lecturer, editor, feminist activist, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She is the frequent media spokeswoman on issues of equality. 

Emerging Competition Categories

The jurors for the 2015 Best New Narrative Director are:

• Mark Boal: Mark Boal is a two-time Oscar winner for producing and writing Best Picture winner The Hurt Locker, and a two-time Oscar-nominee for producing and writing Best Picture nominee Zero Dark Thirty.
• Minnie Driver: Minnie Driver is an accomplished recording artist and Academy Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and Emmy Award nominee who currently stars on NBC’s comedy, About a Boy. 
• Don Hertzfeldt: Don Hertzfeldt is an Oscar-nominated American independent filmmaker whose animated films include It's Such a Beautiful Day, The Meaning of Life, Rejected, and World of Tomorrow.
• Cobie Smulders: Cobie is a Canadian actress better known for her roles as Robin Sherbatzky in How I Met Your Mother and Agent Maria Hill in the Avenger Series.
• Joana Vicente: Joana Vicente is an award winning producer who has collaborated with filmmakers such as Jim Jarmush, Todd Solondz, Alex Gibney & Brian De Palma.

The jurors for the 2015 Best New Documentary Director are:

• Rachel Boynton: Rachel Boynton is an award winning producer and director best known for the documentaries Our Brand is Crisis and Big Men.
• Lola Kirke: Lola Kirke is a British-American actress known for her roles in Gone Girl, Mistress America, Free the Nipple, to name a few and soon to be seen in Fallen.
• Will Patton: Will Patton is an American actor starring in over 60 feature films and best known for his roles in Remember the Titans, Armageddon, The Mothman Prophecies, and No Way Out.
• Alison Pill: Alison Pill is a critically acclaimed film and stage actress who most recently starred in the Joon-ho Bong directed, Snowpiercer.
• Michael Rapaport: Native New Yorker Michael Rapaport is an actor and director who has appeared in over 50 feature films including True Romance, Beautiful Girls, Mighty Aphrodite, and Higher Learning.

Short Film Competition Categories

The jurors for the 2015 Narrative Short Film Competition are:

• Hank Azaria: Hank Azaria, a New York Native, best known for the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu, Chief Wiggins and many others on The Simpsons. He won a SAG Award for his break out role in The Birdcage.
• Mamie Gummer: A Native New Yorker, Mamie Gummer is a film, television and stage actress featured in Evening, John Adams, Off the Map, and many more.
• André Holland: André Holland stars in the hit Cinemax series, THE KNICK, and was most recently seen in theaters in the Oscar and Golden Globe nominated feature, SELMA.
• Arian Moayed: Arian Moayed is a Tony nominated actor, Artistic Director of Waterwell, and a writer/director for film.
• Sheila Nevins: Since 2004, Sheila Nevins has been president of HBO Documentary Films, responsible for overseeing the development and production of all documentaries for HBO, HBO2 and Cinemax.
• Dan Silver: Dan Silver is the Senior Director of Development for ESPN FILMS and an Emmy winning producer of series such as 30 for 30 Shorts.

The jurors for the 2015 Documentary and Student Visionary Competitions are:

• Steve Buscemi: Steve Buscemi is an American actor and director best known for his role in Boardwalk Empire, which garnered him a Golden Globe Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Emmy nominations as well as directing many TV credits including The Sopranos and 30 Rock.
• Debi Mazar: Debi Mazar, actress and native New Yorker made her film debut in Scorsese’s Goodfellas and is better known for her role as the hard charging publicist “Shauna” on HBO’s Entourage.
• Katherine Oliver: Katherine Oliver is currently a principal at Bloomberg Associates; prior to this role she served as Commissioner of NYC's Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment from 2002-2013.
• Theo Rossi: Theo Rossi is an actor, producer, and philanthropist best known for his portrayal of Juan Carlos “Juice” Ortiz on the FX series Sons of Anarchy.
• Vanessa Williams: Having sold over 25 million records worldwide, Vanessa is one of just a few artists to score #1 and Top 10 hits on various  Billboard Album and Singles charts and her work in film, television, recordings, and the Broadway stage has been recognized by every major industry award.

Storyscapes presented in collaboration with BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Gin

The jurors for the 2015 The BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® Storyscapes Award are:

• Andrew Golis: Andrew Golis, previously the Director of Digital and Senior Editor at FRONTLINE, is the founder & CEO of This.
• Shari Frilot: Shari Frilot is the curator of New Frontier at Sundance and senior programmer for the Sundance Film Festival, focusing on American and World Cinema dramatic features, as well as films that push the boundaries of conventional storytelling
• Charlie Phillips: Charlie Phillips is the Head of Documentaries at The Guardian.

Nora Ephron Prize

The jurors for the 2015 Nora Ephron Prize are:

• Rachael Harris:  Rachael Harris is a comedic actress hailing from The Groundlings. She has starred in many films, including Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Night at the Museum 3 and the independent film Natural Selection, for which she received a Breakthrough Performance award.
• Kevin Corrigan: Kevin Corrigan has been a prolific New York based actor in film and television dating back to when he was first cast in Goodfellas. In addition to his massive credits, Kevin has been a favorite of established and cutting-edged directors for over 25 years.
• Katja Blichfeld: Katja Blichfeld is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker, WGA award-winning writer, and Emmy award-winning casting director known for the critically acclaimed series, High Maintenance, which has gained recognition as one of the best new series on the web.
• Christine Lahti: Christine Lahti is a multiple-award-winning actress of film, television, and theater.
• Talya Lavie:  Talya Lavie is an Israeli director and screenwriter whose feature film Zero Motivation received the Nora Ephron Prize at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival as well as the Best Narrative Award.

Visit www.tribecafilm.com/festival for more information about TFF’s 2015 programs and the full line-up of films. 

Connect with Tribeca: To keep up with Tribeca, visit www.tribecafilm.com/festival. Like the Tribeca Film Festival Facebook page at facebook.com/TribecaFilm. Follow us on Twitter @TribecaFilmFest and on Instagram @tribeca and join the conversation by using the hashtag #TribecaTogether or #TFF2015.

About the 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. 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 1,600 films from more than 80 countries since its first edition in 2002. Since inception, it has attracted an international audience of more than 4.9 million attendees, and has generated an estimated $900 million in economic activity for New York City.

About the 2015 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, Bloomberg, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Gin, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), Brookfield Place, ESPN, IWC Schaffhausen, The Lincoln Motor Company, NBC 4 New York, NCM Media Networks, The New York Times, Santander, United Airlines, and VDKA® 6100. The Festival welcomes new Signature Sponsor: Spring Studios and Thompson Hotels.

Passes and tickets for the 2015 Festival
The new Spring Pass is on sale now at tribecafilm.com/festival/tickets. This pass will provide access to Spring Studios, throughout the Festival, including innovation talks, exhibitions, and special events, as well as a resource center, and creative workspace, with food, and drinks. This Pass will also provide reduced ticket prices for select special events. The Spring Pass costs $400, discounted to $300 if purchased before April 15.  Pass holders can invite one guest to accompany them to Spring Studios each day of the Festival. An Individual Day Pass for Spring Studios costs $50, discounted to $40 if purchased before April 15.

Single tickets cost $18.00 for evening, and weekend screenings, and $10.00 for weekday matinee screenings.

Single tickets are on sale for the general public today, April 6. Single tickets can be purchased can be purchased online at tribecafilm.com/festival/tickets, or by telephone at (646) 502-5296 or toll free at (866) 941-FEST (3378) or at one of the Ticket Outlets, with locations at Regal Cinemas Battery Park (102 North End Avenue) and Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea (260 W. 23rd Street). The 2015 Festival will offer ticket discounts on general screenings and Tribeca Talks: After the Movie and Directors Series panels for students, seniors and select downtown Manhattan residents. Discounted tickets are available at Ticket Outlet locations only.

PRESS CONTACTS
Rubenstein Communications:
Emily Vicker, Vice President
(212) 843-8078, evicker@rubenstein.com

TFF/Tribeca Enterprises:
Tammie Rosen, SVP of Communications
(212) 941-2003, trosen@tribecaenterprises.com