Tribeca 2009: Full Festival Recap

The Tribeca Film Festival has been over for a week, so I thought I would share my highlights and opinions of the festival. I know in my Day 11 Recap I said I would post this in a day or two, so I am sorry for the delay. I am also sorry for the big delay in all my reviews from the festival. But don’t blame me; blame my sham of a college education. Apparently in my 2 weeks off for Tribeca, I was assigned sh*tloads of homework and projects, which I had to do all week long. Why I have to take elective classes that are not related to my major and only assign meaningless busy work is beyond me. I still have 2 papers to start and 3 final exams to study for, but they are for next week so I am taking today to procrastinate. Please forgive my lateness and get ready for a week full of catching up on the Tribeca Film festival†¦

I will be honest with all of you. I have never been to a film festival before. I know that is strange for an independent filmmaker/film student/film blogger/film lover but it’s true. I have wanted to attend Tribeca numerous times but I just never went. When Staten Island started it’s own film festival a few years ago, I figured I’d get to go since I’m a local. This June will be my first time going, and that’s probably just because I am premiering my own film there. For some reason, I just haven’t attended any festivals. I have seen many Official Selections when they are eventually released on DVD or in theaters, but never at a festival. Until this year’s Tribeca Film festival, where I attended 8 of the 11 days, saw 18 movies + 4 screeners, and interviewed some very cool people.

I had no idea what to expect. I have seen the coverage of it on TV that focuses on the celebrity filled red carpets and footage of massive crowds waiting to get in. But that was not really my experience at all. One of the main reasons for that is that my press badge was not all access. Essentially, my press credentials expired at 5:59 pm on weekdays and 2:59 pm on weekends. All red carpets started 6 pm or later. After 6 (or 3) I could not get in to the screening and had to wait in a rush ticket line for close to an hour in hopes a ticketholder to a sold out film wouldn’t show up so I could get in. From the press I talked to, Rush usually meant not getting in. So that is one reason why I did not get to see every film I wanted and also why I did not experience Tribeca as it is seen on TV.

Instead, most of the films I saw screened in half empty theaters to press & industry only. My screenings started as early as 9 am, which meant I left my home around 7:15 am in order to make sure I got there in time. Despite my best efforts, sometimes traffic got the better of me and I missed the film anyway. (cough ‘Girlfriend Experience’) While I do like the quiet and less crowded screening atmosphere, I missed the Q & A’s that typically occur after a festival screening. I also found it odd most filmmakers were not at their own press screening to try to solicit media attention. I would have loved to personally speak with every single director/cast member/crew member in attendance at the festival. Someone told me they are discouraged from attending but as a filmmaker, I would not listen to that suggestion. I did get to attend a few public screenings that occurred before my cutoff time, and I found them more enjoyable, especially when the Q & A took place after.

It may sound like I am making some backhanded comments about the festival, but that is not my intention at all. I absolutely loved all 8 days I attended. I can’t wait to attend next year; I just hope I can score an all access Hudson Pass that would allow me to attend all screenings, galas, red carpets and panels. To those running the festival, I am 100% serious in saying that if you give me a Hudson Press Pass next year I will attempt to attend every movie possible.

And now some highlights, thoughts, and ramblings†¦

The DirectTV Tribeca Press Center – They had Macs set up, press materials, horrible tasting energy bars and FREE SNAPPLE. Everyone reading my daily recaps knows that I helped myself to as much free Snapple as possible. I love the stuff and if Snapple wished to sponsor me/provide me with free beverages for life, I would mention Snapple in every film I make. I will even start off every review with “While enjoying an ice cold Snapple, I watched†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . My love of Snapple aside, the Press Center was also great for interviews. While it would have benefited from more rooms, and quieter air conditioners, the Press Center was a great spot. It was also a pretty good area to hang out for long gaps between movies. While I missed all the parties there, it seemed like it was a good location for them.

The Volunteers – The festival had over 1500 volunteers. When attending press screenings, there were usually 5 or 6 volunteers stationed outside each theater plus many more just wandering the area. They probably need that many for public screenings, but not press. Regardless, everyone was friendly and usually very helpful. There was some misinformation towards the start of the festival but things seemed to run smoothly the second half. Many of the volunteers were students of local colleges that were studying film/TV/animation, and there was always someone to talk to.

The Theaters – Most of the films screened at the AMC Village VII, which is a great theater for a festival. It has a theater on every other floor for the first 3 theaters, and doubles up on theaters 4 & 5 and 6 & 7 towards the top. There is a nice amount of space on the floors for lines to form. The SVA Theater, which I only went to once (Hysterical Psycho premiere), was used mostly for premiere screenings. It was also a nice setup, with a big stage that accommodated Q & A’s after. I did not go to the Tribeca Cinemas, which was also used mostly for premieres. The biggest problem with the theaters is how far apart they are. I walked from AMC Village VII to SVA and that is not a mistake I would make again. At least the Village VII was very close to the DirectTV Press Center since they were the two places I spent most of my time.

The Events – In addition to the regular festival screenings, there are a ton of events that take place around the festival. Tribeca partnered with Barnes & Noble to have screenwriting lectures in a local store and Apple Store SoHo also had a filmmaker lecture series. There were also discussion panels that were part of the “Tribeca Talks†¦Ã¢â‚¬  series and a few special screenings with discussions held afterwards. There were also different events taking place in the DirectTV Tribeca Press Center and the Filmmaker’s Lounge, such as press & industry parties and meet & greets. For insiders, there were also parties every night, although I was only invited to 3 the entire festival and attended a total of 0. For press (and the filmmakers), all roundtables, interviews and press conferences took place in the afternoon during press screenings. There was so much going on, it is unfortunately impossible to cover it all. But I did as much as I could.

And finally, The Films – Like most indie filmmakers, I submitted my film to this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and just like most filmmakers, I was rejected. After seeing many of the films, I can see why. My film does not fit the mold. Aside from Lloyd Kaufman and our secret guest cameo, I have no celebrities starring in my film. Only a handful of American films were sans celebrity. The same would go for budget. Aside from a handful of films, mostly documentaries, I would guess that every film I saw at the festival was made for more than $600,000. A few that did display their budget were in the $4 million range. But were these films only at the festival because of the celebrities and high production value? In my opinion, NO. There weren’t any bad soon to be straight to DVD titles in the batch. I enjoyed nearly every film I saw, which was probably because I mainly went to see films that interested me. I only saw a few of the films with little prior knowledge and they usually surprised me.

Here are some of my favorite films at the festival still in need of distribution†¦

Hysterical Psycho – Written and Directed by Dan Fogler, this IS the next cult classic people will be talking about. It is insanely fun, completely twisted and the closest thing to Evil Dead 4 we will get.

TiMER – I loved this movie. It was sweet, funny and has a brilliant concept that is very well executed. The cast was perfect, as was the script. It still has me thinking about what life would be like with a TiMER.

City Island – This won the audience award and with good reason. It is a hilarious look at a dysfunctional family living in New York. Andy Garcia delivers a fantastic performance, along with everyone else in the cast.

My Last Five Girlfriends – I thought the film looked interesting so I checked it out and it blew me away. This brilliant slice of fried gold comes from the UK. It is as funny as it is inventive and just may be one of the most intriguing films of the year.

Con Artist – Outrage was great, Cropsey was fascinating, and Partly Private was cute but Con Artist is hands down my favorite documentary of the festival. It is a funny and interesting look at artist Mark Kostabi, who is a brilliant subject for a documentary. I had never heard of him before but he is definitely one of my favorite artists now, despite his lack of actually making his own art.

If you are a distributor, what the hell are you waiting for? Contact the people behind the films above and start striking up some deals. I’d also like to throw in nods to The Good Guy, Midgets Vs. Mascots and Newsmakers, which are also fantastic films that need distribution immediately! Also, feel free to contact me if you are interested in the rights to Stuck Like Chuck.

I’m going to leave off here because I sense this post is getting too epic. I hope it gave you a little insight into what it was like to be press at the Tribeca Film Festival. If you liked this but didn’t get a chance to check out my daily recaps, go back and read them. And be sure to keep checking back for my Tribeca Reviews that will be posted throughout the next few days. I will also post my interviews towards the end of the week. Schoolwork be damned.

Jerry Cavallaro – www.AreYouStuckLikeChuck.com