Descending on Gotham
I recently returned from the 8th annual Tribeca Film Festival. Coming into the fest, there was plenty of speculation regarding the implications of a changing of the guard with Geoff Gilmore’s ascension to Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises after his departure from Sundance where he served as Director for many a year. Officially, Gilmore is not supposed to have much involvement in the festival and will focus on bigger picture initiatives such as distribution, however, its difficult not to assume that his presence will have some effect on the direction of this rapidly evolving event. If nothing else, one conclusion that can be safely drawn from his hiring is that the festival is certainly serious about becoming a force in the crowded festival marketplace and indepedent film industry.
After years of making headlines with blockbuster studio premieres from the likes of the Mission Impossible and Spiderman franchises, the 2009 festival has steered away from such things in what seems to be an attempt to refine their artistic vision. This should please critics who have historically looked down upon the sprawling, seemingly aimless editions of years past. The question is, can Tribeca effectively establish a unique identity among current North American giants like Sundance, SXSW, and Toronto?
Filmmaker Welcome Party at the Apple Store in SoHo
In this regard, it seems that location is both a pro and a con. On the one hand, its in New York, one of the greatest cities in the world, an inexhaustible dynamo of activity. On the other hand, its New York, an inexhaustible dynamo of activity. This factor works both for the festival in that Tribeca can feed off the inherent energy of the city, but also takes away since sometimes it seems as though the festival is lost among the constant swarm of other goings on. When you’re in Austin, even more so Park City, its impossible not to notice a festival is happening. This is not necessarily the case in New York and I hope organizers can devise ways to create a more tangible atmosphere in the future.
More importantly, however, is whether Tribeca programmers can put together a slate of films that contributes to the international cinematic dialogue and provides insight into the the evolution of the art. From what I saw, this was best acheived with some of the understated foreign titles such as the lovely Turkish family drama Pandora’s Box or the Serbian drama Here and There. Both are excellent examples of what can be achieved with simple narratives, fully developed characters, and strong visual compositions and editing. In this new vertiginous world of distribution alternatives where filmmakers are customizing their films for big or small screens, its comforting to know that successful execution of the fundamentals of filmmaking will always generate a fulfilling experience.
Unfortunately, the American films I saw didn’t quite reach the same level of success. I was very dissapointed that the Polish brothers latest effort, Stay Cool, missed its mark, and The Good Guy, a dating set film about the morally bankrupt world of Wall Street was similarly average. Adrienne Shelley’s last film Serious Moonlight directed by the extremely talented multi-hyphenate Cheryl Hines was by far the best American effort I saw, although the subject of failed marriages fails to resonate with me at this point in my life. I missed the winning doc Racing Dreams, but was told by a few that it was one of the best to come along in a while.
Me, Basil Tsiokos of Sundance, and Eugene Hernandez of Indiewire at Magnolia's The Girlfriend Experience after-party
As always, the parties were great. I haven’t received the coveted Vanity Fair invite, but I did make it to the Apple Filmmaker welcome party at the SoHo store which is always fun. Its a great space. The IFC In the Loop after party at a three story penthouse off West Broaway that allegedly belonged to inventor of AOL Instant Messaging was cut short, but provided breathtaking views of the city and an indoor climbing wall for anyone brave (and sober) enough. The after party for Soderbergh’s The Girlfriend Experience, starring Sasha Grey, was, appropriately enough, at a former sex club near the West Village. Fortunately, it had been renovated (and cleaned) and is now a warm, although certainly dungeonesque, bar with cozy rooms that feature books, board games, foozeball and other diversions.
The M2 Ultra Lounge in Chelsea
At the Kodak IndustryParty, Stoli models handed out signature cocktails with names like “The Red Carpet”, scantliy clad gymnast types scaled ropes that hung from the ceiling of the two story M 2 Ultra Lounge and performed acrobatic routines and a guy in a full spandex suit did a number with an oversized balloon in which he was eventually completely engulfed.
From right to left, me, Brett Hardy, co-producer of Love the Beast, and his mate from Australia
Finally, at the A.C.E bar in the Lower East side where the after party for Eric Bana’s Love the Beast was held, I got to meet the Hulk himself as well as famed New York publicist Bobby Zarem. Sadly, I didn’t know who he was but he didn’t care and we got to talking about film festivals, one of which he runs in Savannah, Georgia. Before he left, Bobby suggested (in a completely unpretentious way) that I Google him when I got home, which I did, and found, among other things, this Times article about one of the people that, in my opinion, makes New York what it is.
