April 3rd, 2019

NEW YORK, NY– April 3, 2019– The Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, announced today that it will debut Tribeca X: A Day of Conversations, a look at storytelling at the intersection of advertising and entertainment, during the 2019 Festival on Friday, April 26. The event will bring together industry leaders and creators from brands, agencies, and filmmaking to examine the achievements that are adventurous and distinctive in their work. Participants include keynote speaker P&G Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard; AT&T Communications Chief Brand Officer, Fiona Carter; Patagonia Founder Yvon Chouinard; TBWA Worldwide Chief Diversity Officer Doug Melville; President & CEO of The Ad Council Lisa Sherman; Actress/Creator Natasha Lyonne, and more. Tribeca X, sponsored by PwC, takes place during the 18th Tribeca Film Festival, which runs April 24-May 5.

The Tribeca X: A Day of Conversations program is an extension of the 4th annual Tribeca X Awards which celebrates the best artist and brand collaborations of the past year. For the first time this year, Tribeca X expands from one award to four: best feature film, short film, episodic, and VR. Also announced today are the finalists for the 2019 Tribeca X Awards representing brands such as The Carlsberg Foundation, Patagonia, PepsiCo Content Studio, AT&T, YETI, Girls Who Code, HP, The North Face, Impossible Foods/White Castle, Stand Up To Cancer/HP, and Diageo. This year, the selected finalists’ work will be screened during the Festival, with VR available to experience during the Tribeca X day event at The Tribeca Festival Hub at Spring Studios.

The winning projects will be chosen by a jury that includes Kinjil Mathur, Chief Marketing Officer of Squarespace; John Osborn, Chief Executive Officer of OMD USA; Nabil Elderkin, Film Director; Patrick Milling-Smith, Co-Founder/CEO of SMUGGLER; Kim Gehrig, Director; Jason Kreher, Creative Director, Entertainment and Editorial at Wieden+Kennedy.

“As brands continue to push the boundaries of creativity and tell deeper stories, we are excited to debut this event and bring leaders in entertainment and advertising together at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival,” said Paula Weinstein, EVP of Tribeca Enterprises.

“As festival programmers, we are keenly aware of the potential for an incredible film to move an audience, inspire action, and effect change,” said Festival Director Cara Cusumano. “It has been rewarding to see brands embracing this transformative power of cinematic storytelling in how they communicate with consumers, empowering innovative filmmakers along the way.”

TRIBECA X: A DAY OF CONVERSATIONS:
New this year, Tribeca will host a half-day conference with speakers and conversations about the state of branded entertainment and cinematic collaborations between filmmakers and brands.
Event Time:
Friday 4/26, from 9AM-2:30PM, Tribeca X: A Day of Conversations, at the Festival Hub at Spring Studios

Keynote Speaker: Marc Pritchard, Chief Brand Officer, P&G
Marc Pritchard is responsible for P&G’s brand building worldwide. He sets the Company’s multi-billion-dollar media advertising strategies, and leads marketing innovations that guide brand building for P&G’s portfolio of 65 trusted, quality brands. As top brand builder and P&G veteran for more than three decades, Marc believes in the power of brands to serve people with the best-performing products, while also being a force for good through ethics and responsibility, community impact, diversity and inclusion, gender equality and environmental sustainability. He continually leads P&G’s brand building reinvention and is a leading voice in the media, marketing and creative industry.

Founder Spotlight: Yvon Chouinard, Founder, Patagonia
Patagonia is recognized as one of the most mission-driven brands in the country. What most people don’t know is that the reach of this California-based retailer extends far beyond brick and mortar stores, blurring the lines between commerce and activism. Patagonia is an award-winning film company, an emerging leader in the organic food industry, and a fearless supporter of environmentalist causes, currently suing the Trump administration in an effort to protect Bears Ears National Monument. Patagonia’s founder Yvon Chouinard will share the story behind the brands most recent feature-length film Artifishal: The Road to Extinction is Paved with Good Intentions and the company’s mission to save our home planet.

Creator Spotlight: Natasha Lyonne
Celebrated Emmy-nominated actress Natasha Lyonne stepped behind the camera in 2019 for her critically-acclaimed Netflix show Russian Doll. Her directorial debut, in fact, came in 2017 with the short film Cabiria, Charity, Chastity for fashion brand KENZO’s 2017 campaign. In this one-on-one conversation, Lyonne will share the story behind her stunning KENZO collaboration and her point of view on the trends of brand supported filmmaking. She’ll discuss how her creative approach to a brand partnership differs from her traditional film and TV work, as well as the unique opportunities that can be created when artists, independent filmmakers and influential brands join forces.
Moderator: Brian Braiker, Editor, Ad Age

What’s Next for Women in Branded Entertainment?
Movements like Time’s Up and 50/50 by 2020 are sweeping across the film industry, demanding change and parity for women storytellers. How have these ripples been felt in the world of branded filmmaking? How do brand collaborations offer unique opportunities for women's stories and voices, and how do those stories elevate a brand and resonate with consumers and audiences? How does the incredible work being done by female creatives and brand leaders make both the content and the brand better? And now that change has come, what happens next?
Moderator: Emma Reeves, Executive Director, Free The Bid
Panelists:

• Fiona Carter, Chief Brand Officer, AT&T Communications
• Justine Armour, Executive Creative Director, 72andSunny
• Shruti Ganguly, Filmmaker & Founder, honto88
• Samantha Woolf, Head of Marketing, NY, United Talent Agency

Activism and Impact
Films have a long history of effecting change. In advertising, having a purpose is more important than ever. How can activism-oriented brands and organizations achieve their impact-oriented goals by working with real filmmakers and creators to tell stories that support their mission? How can companies support the socially impactful work already being created in this space? What types of content can be created to help further the message and raise awareness for important causes?
Moderator: Lesley Chilcott, Producer & Director, Invented by Girls (An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting for Superman)
Panelists:

• Lisa Sherman, President & CEO, The Ad Council
• Greg Hahn, Chief Creative Officer, BBDO New York
• Folayo Lasaki, Head of Marketing, SoulPancake, a division of Participant Media
• Peter Van Overstraeten, VP, Premium & Super Premium Brands, Anheuser-Busch

The Immersive Method
Immersive technology has changed the way we create and consume content. Whether you’re a creator or a brand, there has never been a better opportunity to engage audiences with experiences that tell a story. VR and AR driven concepts allow artists to take their creative visions to new and exciting heights. Brands are using experiential marketing to create interactive, story-driven experiences that resonate with consumers. How will immersive storytelling continue to evolve and influence the trends of branded content and the landscape of advertising?
Moderator: Gregory Boyer, Partner, Entertainment & Media Sector Advisory Leader, PwC
Panelists:

• Tom Vance, Independent Producer, Immersive Content
• Stephanie Riggs, Creative Director, Experiential, Refinery29
• Brandon Zamel, CEO, Springbok Entertainment
• Mia Tramz, Editorial Director, Enterprise & Immersive Experiences, TIME Magazine

Case Study: Uncle Drew
A process-oriented conversation that brings together the key collaborators behind the Pepsi franchise Uncle Drew, one of the most successful examples of branded entertainment crossing over into mainstream culture. They'll discuss how it broke the mold of conventional marketing, the impact it has achieved and how it evolved creatively – from a short-form advertising campaign to a successful theatrically released feature film.
Moderator: Doug Melville, Chief Diversity Officer, TBWA Worldwide
Panelists:

• Lou Arbetter, GM, PepsiCo Content Studio, PepsiCo
• Paula Kupfer, SVP, Global Partnerships, Consumer Products, and Product Placement
• Colin Smeeton, President, PRP
• Jay Longino, Writer, Producer

This year’s Tribeca X finalists and jury include:
FEATURE FINALISTS:

Almost Human
Notes on the human condition by 10 scientist and a robot. Stephen Fry narrates Jeppe Rønde's visionary science essay, where the artistic ambitions have intergalactic dimensions.
Director: Jeppe Rønde
Brand: The Carlsberg Foundation
Event Time: Thursday, April 25 at 7:00PM at Regal Cinemas Battery Park

Artifishal: The Road to Extinction is Paved with Good Intentions
A film about the fight for wild fish and rivers. It explores wild salmon’s slide towards extinction and the financial, social and ecological costs of human arrogance.
Director: Josh “Bones” Murphy
Brand: Patagonia
Event Time: Thursday, April 25 at 6:15PM at Regal Cinemas Battery Park

Uncle Drew
After draining his life savings to enter a team in the Rucker Classic streetball tournament in Harlem, Dax is dealt a series of unfortunate setbacks. Desperate to win the tournament and the cash prize, Dax stumbles upon the man, the myth, the legend Uncle Drew, and convinces him to return to the court one more time.
Director: Charles Stone III
Brand: Pepsi
Agency: The PepsiCo Content Studio
Event Time: Thursday, April 25 at 8:45PM at Regal Cinemas Battery Park

SHORT FINALISTS:
Event Time: Thursday, April 25 at 5:45PM at Regal Cinemas Battery Park

The Face of Distracted Driving - Forrest
Tells the story of Forrest Cepeda, a 16-year-old boy who was killed in a distracted driving accident.
Director: Errol Morris
Brand: AT&T
Agency: BBDO New York

Hometown
Billy Durney’s hard work towards his dream restaurant came to an unexpected halt when Sandy hit. But that didn't stop him from helping his Brooklyn community. He lifted spirits with damn good barbecue.
Director: Greg Kohs
Brand: YETI

SISTERHOOD: “Action”
On the eve of their 16th birthday, a group of friends get stuck on a boat. As they wait for dawn, they project their hopes for the world over the next sixteen years.
Director: Amirah Tajdin
Brand: Girls Who Code
Agency: Yours Truly Creative

Universal Machine
A meditation on the ultimate fate of humanity's relationship with technology. The film follows a gifted young woman who awakens into a post-apocalyptic world and must transcend a violent confrontation with a lifelike Artificial Intelligence.
Director: Daniel Askill
Brand: Calvin Klein
Agency: Visionaire

EPISODIC FINALISTS:
Event Time: Thursday, April 25 at 5:45PM at Regal Cinemas Battery Park

History of Memory
From Florida to India, Beijing to New Orleans, History of Memory is a documentary series about people whose lives were forever altered by the discovery, creation, or preservation of one photograph.
Director: Sarah Klein, Tom Mason
Brand: HP
Agency: Redglass Pictures, the Garage by HP

Walls Are Meant For Climbing
Since 1966, we've seen walls not as obstacles but as opportunities. They are a chance to explore what we believe to be possible. They are a vertical proving ground for grit, perseverance, and determination. This series celebrates the walls that unite us not divide us.
Director: Landon Bassett
Brand: The North Face

Wu-Tang In Space Eating Impossible Sliders
The online mini-series features Wu-Tang artists eating White Castle’s Impossible Sliders while orbiting Earth answering questions from fans. The setting represents Impossible Foods’ vision for having such an impact on the planet you can see it from outer space.
Director: Sam Spiegel
Brand: Impossible Foods, White Castle
Agency: Impossible Foods In-House, Merkley + Partners

VR FINALISTS:
Event Times:
Thursday, April 22 - Wednesday, April 24, from 10AM-6PM, registration at the Festival Hub at Spring Studios
Friday, April 26, from 9AM-2:30PM, Tribeca X: A Day of Conversation at the Festival Hub at Spring Studios

The 100%
An immersive experience following the harrowing and inspirational journey of Maggie Kurdirka, a ballet dancer and rising star at the Joffrey Concert Group, who at 23 years old was diagnosed with incurable stage four metastatic breast cancer.
Director: Hernan Barangan
Brand: Stand Up To Cancer, HP
Agency: Springbok Entertainment

Decisions: Party’s Over
Diageo’s “Decisions: Party’s Over” demonstrates the company’s commitment to social responsibility through innovative VR technology that engages consumers in a first-person, 360° immersive story about the dangers of binge drinking.
Director: Patrick Meegan
Brand: Diageo
Agency: Jaunt, Taylo

2019 TRIBECA X JURY:

Nabil Elderkin, Film Director
Kim Gehrig, Director
Jason Kreher, Creative Director, Entertainment and Editorial, Wieden+Kennedy
Kinjil Mathur, Chief Marketing Officer, Squarespace
Patrick Milling-Smith, Co-Founder/CEO, SMUGGLER
John Osborn, Chief Executive Officer, OMD USA

Passes and Tickets for the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival
Tickets for events at The Beacon Theatre and single tickets are now on sale at tribecafilm.com/festival/tickets, or by telephone at (646) 502-5296 or toll-free at (866) 941-FEST (3378).

Also available for purchase now is The Hudson Pass, an all-access pass to screenings and talks taking place at BMCC, Regal Battery Park Stadium, Village East Cinema, and SVA theaters as well as full access to all events at the Festival Hub at Spring Studios, which includes VR and Immersive projects, Movies Plus screenings and access to Festival lounges.

Single tickets cost $24.00 for evening and weekend screenings, $12.00 for weekday matinee screenings, $30.00 for Tribeca TV and Movies Plus $40.00 for Tribeca Talks events and $40.00 for Tribeca Immersive.

● iTunes:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tribeca-festival/id1208189515?mt=8
● Google Play:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tff2017.android

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About the Tribeca Film Festival:
The Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, 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 18th year, the Festival has evolved into a destination for creativity that reimagines the cinematic experience and explores how art can unite communities. The 18th annual edition will take place April 24 - May 5, 2019.www.tribecafilm.com/festival

Hashtag: #Tribeca2019
Twitter: @Tribeca
Instagram: @tribeca
Facebook: facebook.com/Tribeca

About 2019 Tribeca Film Festival Partners:
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, while expanding opportunities to diverse creators around the globe. AT&T helps millions connect to their passions – no matter where they are. This year, AT&T and Tribeca will once again collaborate to give the world access to stories from underrepresented filmmakers that deserve to be seen. “AT&T Presents Untold Stories” is an inclusive film program in collaboration with Tribeca - a multi-year, multi-tier alliance between AT&T and Tribeca along with the year-round nonprofit Tribeca Film Institute.

The Tribeca Film Festival is pleased to announce its 2019 Partners: 23andMe, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Bai Beverages, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), BVLGARI, CHANEL, Diageo, ESPN, HBO, IMDbPro, Kia, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card from Chase, Merck, Montefiore, National CineMedia (NCM), Nespresso, New York Magazine, NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Prime Video Direct, P&G, PwC, Salesforce, Spring Studios New York, Squarespace, Status Sparkling Wine, and Stella Artois.

Press Contacts:
Tribeca Film Festival/Tribeca Enterprises:
Tammie Rosen, EVP, Communications & Programming / 212 941 2003 / trosen@tribecaenterprises.com
Melissa Barreto, Deputy Director, Communications / 212 941 3944 / mbarreto@tribecaenterprises.com
Alyssa Grinder, Communications Manager / 212 941 2015 / agrinder@tribecaenterprises.com

Sunshine Sachs:
Jessica Andersen / 212 691 2800 / andersen@sunshinesachs.com

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