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A highlight for me during the in-person Tribeca Festival experience was to participate in a newly collaborated special weekend celebrating the career of actor, Robert De Niro known as De Niro Con. The De Niro commemoration was during the last three days of the festival held at Spring Studios in New York City, June 14-16, 2024.
The three-day tribute allowed one to purchase either a single-day pass, or one for the whole weekend. The weekend pass allowed the ticket holder to screen thirteen classic De Niro films, (commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the film MEAN STREETS); experience live conversations with Robert De Niro and his long-time collaborators; view never-before-seen materials from De Niro’s personal library; witness the world premiere of the immersive short film DE NIRO, NEW YORK; along with special fan experiences and activations.
Tribeca Festival co-founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal shared, “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate eighty years of Robert De Niro, my friend and co-conspirator for the past thirty-five years (including together setting the Tribeca Film Festival in motion twenty-three years ago), than by throwing a big bash for his fellow New Yorkers.” Adding, “From conversations with legends like Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and David O. Russell to fan experiences, it is going to be a truly historic weekend as we pay tribute to a great talent.”
The Tribeca Festival has strong roots in supporting independent film, but in addition, connects storytelling using other forms of creative expression and entertainment that includes: TV, music, audio storytelling, games, and immersive projects. Festival goals are to champion emerging and established voices, discover award-winning talent, curate innovative experiences, and introduce new ideas through exclusive premieres, exhibitions, conversations, and live performances.
I purchased the Friday single-day pass because my schedule did not allow me to attend the whole weekend, but I was not disappointed. The Friday festivities began at twelve noon allowing me to screen a film for the press, BETWEEN THE TEMPLES, prior to attending my first De Niro Con event.
Always a film festival challenge is to coordinate screening times with how long it takes one to travel to the designated locations. No small task in a big city like New York, but easily doable once one figures out the system.
My pass gave me entrance to one of the first Friday happenings—to screen the film JACKIE BROWN, followed by a conversation with director Quentin Tarantino and De Niro. I hurriedly walked to the theater location after my press screening, about a ten-minute trek. As I approached the theater, a long line of ticket/pass holders stood in plain sight. Yikes! I wondered if I would get in, as early as I was to wait in line. I took my place but the longer I stood with the masses before getting into the theater, I calculated that I would be cutting it close to attend my next scheduled event that included a good deal of travel time. I decided to skip my first event and head to the Spring Studios where I would spend the rest of the day and evening. I wanted to make sure I was in line early for those upcoming screenings and events. What I did not account for were a few surprises that made the rest of my day delightfully special.
Arriving a few hours early proved to be more fun than expected and upon checking in with my pass, I was invited to join the panel discussion with artists Jay Rinksy, Luke Neher, and Sam Gill of Little Cinema discuss their process for creating the short film DE NIRO, NEW YORK for the ISM Hexadome at De Niro Con. The Hexadome is a cutting-edge structure and format created by the Institute of Sound and Music in Berlin. The immersive installation is comprised of six large screens and fifty-two channels of sound merging a high-end art with culture. The project weaves together De Niro’s iconic characters from more than 40 films, allowing him to interact with himself across the years and on-screen personalities. This was a complicated but fascinating process to tell a story. A portion of the creative art was visible in the special exhibit, De Niro is an Icon: An Exhibit, using scenes from TAXI DRIVER.
Thereafter, I was granted entrance into the interactive fan experience where a video was made of me as a prize fighter, I took a polygraph test, and talked with volunteers who had fun giving fans an experience of being a movie star.
I had time for a quick bite to eat, then stood in line behind two families for my next event, the screening of the De Niro film ANALYZE THIS, followed by a conversation with stars Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro. The weather was super hot and muggy. In the distance, dark stormy rain clouds were quickly heading our way. At the perfect time, a kind lady approached our group to ask if we would like to attend a De Niro Con Lounge Panel with Drew Nieporent on building restaurants with De Niro, with a VIP pass and special seating to the screening we was waiting to see. I jumped at the chance!
Those of us invited were led to a special area in the Spring Studios, given VIP treatment of snacks, seating with special accommodations ready to listen to a fascinating story of how the renowned restaurateur Drew Nieporent and Robert De Niro made an impact on the restaurant industry with the Tribeca Grill, Nobu, and other projects. Time passed quickly!
Minutes before the screening of ANALYZE THIS we were taken to our VIP seats, to view the film and the conversation to follow, up close and personal. We were treated royally! Plus, we avoided standing in a line during a horrific New York rain storm.
About an hour after the closing of the ANALYZE THIS happenings, I attended my final event of the evening— the screening of SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK followed by a conversation with director David O. Russell moderated by actor, Ben Stiller. This event could not have been more special to end a day full of surprises of delightful entertainment honoring the eighty-year career of Robert De Niro. A memorable day filled with films, conversations, and smiles.