TRIBECA FILM INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES 24 PROJECTS
April 5th 2010 04:10
The Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) today announced the 24 projects selected for Tribeca All Access (TAA). Now in its seventh year, TAA was created to cultivate relationships between filmmakers from traditionally under represented communities and film industry executives. TAA, will present the projects throughout a six-day program taking place during the annual Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by American Express, held from April 21 – May 2, 2010. TAA is made possible by Bloomberg with major support from Time Warner and additional support provided by the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
Twenty-four filmmakers from across the country were selected from a pool of more than 453 submissions to participate in TAA this year. For the third year, four international participants are also included through the program’s partnerships with the UK Film Council and Canadian Film Centre. From April 19 – 24, women and minority directors and screenwriters will participate in workshops, as well as present their upcoming projects in one-on-one meetings with more than 100 potential investors, development executives, producers and agents. [EDITORS NOTE: A list of all selected 2010 Tribeca All Access projects and participants is attached below.]
“Through TAA, we provide woman and minority filmmakers professional connections they might not otherwise have access to,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of TFI. “But equally important to the valuable networking opportunities and guidance we provide our participants, is furthering our goal of bringing diverse voices and stories to audiences.”
As part of the TAA program, a jury comprised of industry professionals, including actors, writers, producers and directors, will review script excerpts and work samples from all TAA participants and deliberate on the most promising projects, both in the narrative and documentary film categories. The Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Awards will then be announced at the TFI Awards Ceremony on April 23. The 2010 Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Award Narrative jurors are Anthony Anderson, Anika Noni Rose, Hill Harper, Michael Kang, Kadeem Hardison, Victoria Rowell, and Kelly Rutherford. The 2010 Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Award Documentary jurors are Rebecca Cammisa and Linda Goode Bryant.
“The strength of our jury speaks to the support the industry has given this program over the past seven years,” said Tamir Muhammad, Director of Tribeca All Access. “As a result of this support, TAA participants have been able to flourish, and we look forward to continued success with this year’s projects, which show incredible promise.”
Two TAA alumni will debut their films during the 2010 Festival. Alexandra Codina will premiere Monica & David, which is also making its broadcast premiere on HBO this fall. Codina participated in TAA in 2007, where she had the opportunity to pitch her project to Nancy Abraham, HBO’s Senior Vice President of Documentary Programming, and received post production support through TAA. 2008 TAA participant Rodney Evans will also premiere his short film, Billy & Aaron, a narrative based on the life of African American composer Billy Strayhorn and Buddy Bolden. Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker) is on board to play Strayhorn and Idris Elba is slated to play Bolden.
“Bloomberg is proud to continue our support of Tribeca All Access’ mission to promote the work of filmmakers traditionally underrepresented in the film industry,” said Lex Fenwick, CEO of Bloomberg Ventures. “We commend TAA’s longstanding commitment to provide these filmmakers with unprecedented access to the industry professionals necessary to bring their films to fruition. We are delighted after seven years to resume our partnership with the Tribeca Film Institute and help give talented filmmakers unparalleled access to the film community during the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival.”
2010 Tribeca All Access Program Schedule:
TAA will kick off with a celebration on Monday, April 19 at Hiro Ballroom which will include a tribute honoring the 20th anniversary of the film House Party, featuring a special performance by guests of honor and original cast members Kid & Play and Full Force. Producer Warrington Hudlin and DJ Whiz, the official DJ of the night, will be amongst the honorees. TAA alumnus K’naan, whose Canadian Film Center supported project The River of Blood participated in last year’s program, will also perform his song Wavin’ Flag. Wavin’ Flag is the official song for the upcoming 2010 FIFA/Coca Cola World Cup. On April 20, participants will gather for a welcome lunch at Megu, followed by practice pitch sessions at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, where they will talk through their projects in front of a panel of established producers. From Wednesday April 21 – Friday April 23, TAA participants will have one-on-one industry meetings at Tribeca Cinemas Gallery. The Canadian Film Centre will celebrate its successful partnership with TAA with a cocktail party on April 22 at the Bubble Lounge.
The TAA jury will deliberate on the Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Awards on Friday, April 23 at The House before the TFI Award Ceremony held later in the evening at Union Square Ballroom. The 2010 Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Awards will grant a total of $35,000 in juried cash prizes to selected TAA winners.
TAA will officially conclude on April 24 with a panel that challenges the filmmakers to continue to engage audiences with their stories through new models of distribution.
During the Festival, Tribeca All Access will team up with David Bouley’s Test Kitchen to present Key Ingredients, a cinematic and culinary experience dedicated to creating, developing, and extending advanced approaches to food & film. The lunch will include a presentation and discussion of select work from program alumni. This showcase is part of the year-round support provided by the TAA program. Year- round support also includes access to camera, lighting and sound equipment, as well as use of editing equipment.
TAA: Films in 2010 Tribeca Film Festival and Success Stories
Since its inception in May 2004, TAA has supported the careers of more than 184 filmmakers and has facilitated 2,870 one-on-one meetings between its program participants and key industry professionals. These women and minority filmmakers have gone on to enjoy successful careers, both within TFF and beyond. This year, two TAA alumni are included as official selections of the Tribeca Film Festival:
· Monica & David, directed by Alexandra Codina (2007 TAA participant) Feature Documentary in World Documentary Competition Category – North American Premiere at TFF, Broadcast premiere on HBO October 2010-- Monica and David are in love. Truly, blissfully in love. They also happen to have Down syndrome. Alexandra Codina’s affectionate and heartwarming documentary is an intimate, year-in-the-life portrait of two child-like spirits with adult desires. Supported (and, for more than 30 years, sheltered) by endlessly devoted mothers, Monica and David prepare for their fairy tale wedding and face the realities of married life afterward.
Billy and Aaron, directed by Rodney Evans (2008 TAA participant) – Billy and Aaron is a short drama about African-American composer Billy Strayhorn and the personal and professional consequences of his decision to live as an openly gay man within the homophobic jazz milieu of the 1940’s.
Additional TAA alumni successes in the past year include:
2009 TAA juror Fenton Bailey has signed on to become the Executive Producer for La Muneca Fea (Ugly Dolls). Co-directors and 2009 TAA alumni George Reyes and Claudia Lopez were the recipients of last year’s Creative Promise Award for Documentary.
Lydia Dean Pilcher will serve as Producer of The Sisterhood of Night after meeting TAA Alumni, Caryn Waechter (Director) and Marilyn Fu (Screenwriter), at the 2008 Festival. The film was the TAA Creative Promise Award winner for Screenwriting.
Victoria Fredrick (LAF Studios and Manager of Terrence Howard) recently optioned 2009 TAA alumni Kat Candler’s, Spider in the Bathtub, which she co-wrote.
After meeting writer Stephanie Sanditz at TAA, Greenestreet Films has hired her to write an upcoming movie.
Twenty-four filmmakers from across the country were selected from a pool of more than 453 submissions to participate in TAA this year. For the third year, four international participants are also included through the program’s partnerships with the UK Film Council and Canadian Film Centre. From April 19 – 24, women and minority directors and screenwriters will participate in workshops, as well as present their upcoming projects in one-on-one meetings with more than 100 potential investors, development executives, producers and agents. [EDITORS NOTE: A list of all selected 2010 Tribeca All Access projects and participants is attached below.]
“Through TAA, we provide woman and minority filmmakers professional connections they might not otherwise have access to,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of TFI. “But equally important to the valuable networking opportunities and guidance we provide our participants, is furthering our goal of bringing diverse voices and stories to audiences.”
As part of the TAA program, a jury comprised of industry professionals, including actors, writers, producers and directors, will review script excerpts and work samples from all TAA participants and deliberate on the most promising projects, both in the narrative and documentary film categories. The Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Awards will then be announced at the TFI Awards Ceremony on April 23. The 2010 Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Award Narrative jurors are Anthony Anderson, Anika Noni Rose, Hill Harper, Michael Kang, Kadeem Hardison, Victoria Rowell, and Kelly Rutherford. The 2010 Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Award Documentary jurors are Rebecca Cammisa and Linda Goode Bryant.
“The strength of our jury speaks to the support the industry has given this program over the past seven years,” said Tamir Muhammad, Director of Tribeca All Access. “As a result of this support, TAA participants have been able to flourish, and we look forward to continued success with this year’s projects, which show incredible promise.”
Two TAA alumni will debut their films during the 2010 Festival. Alexandra Codina will premiere Monica & David, which is also making its broadcast premiere on HBO this fall. Codina participated in TAA in 2007, where she had the opportunity to pitch her project to Nancy Abraham, HBO’s Senior Vice President of Documentary Programming, and received post production support through TAA. 2008 TAA participant Rodney Evans will also premiere his short film, Billy & Aaron, a narrative based on the life of African American composer Billy Strayhorn and Buddy Bolden. Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker) is on board to play Strayhorn and Idris Elba is slated to play Bolden.
“Bloomberg is proud to continue our support of Tribeca All Access’ mission to promote the work of filmmakers traditionally underrepresented in the film industry,” said Lex Fenwick, CEO of Bloomberg Ventures. “We commend TAA’s longstanding commitment to provide these filmmakers with unprecedented access to the industry professionals necessary to bring their films to fruition. We are delighted after seven years to resume our partnership with the Tribeca Film Institute and help give talented filmmakers unparalleled access to the film community during the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival.”
2010 Tribeca All Access Program Schedule:
TAA will kick off with a celebration on Monday, April 19 at Hiro Ballroom which will include a tribute honoring the 20th anniversary of the film House Party, featuring a special performance by guests of honor and original cast members Kid & Play and Full Force. Producer Warrington Hudlin and DJ Whiz, the official DJ of the night, will be amongst the honorees. TAA alumnus K’naan, whose Canadian Film Center supported project The River of Blood participated in last year’s program, will also perform his song Wavin’ Flag. Wavin’ Flag is the official song for the upcoming 2010 FIFA/Coca Cola World Cup. On April 20, participants will gather for a welcome lunch at Megu, followed by practice pitch sessions at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, where they will talk through their projects in front of a panel of established producers. From Wednesday April 21 – Friday April 23, TAA participants will have one-on-one industry meetings at Tribeca Cinemas Gallery. The Canadian Film Centre will celebrate its successful partnership with TAA with a cocktail party on April 22 at the Bubble Lounge.
The TAA jury will deliberate on the Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Awards on Friday, April 23 at The House before the TFI Award Ceremony held later in the evening at Union Square Ballroom. The 2010 Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Awards will grant a total of $35,000 in juried cash prizes to selected TAA winners.
TAA will officially conclude on April 24 with a panel that challenges the filmmakers to continue to engage audiences with their stories through new models of distribution.
During the Festival, Tribeca All Access will team up with David Bouley’s Test Kitchen to present Key Ingredients, a cinematic and culinary experience dedicated to creating, developing, and extending advanced approaches to food & film. The lunch will include a presentation and discussion of select work from program alumni. This showcase is part of the year-round support provided by the TAA program. Year- round support also includes access to camera, lighting and sound equipment, as well as use of editing equipment.
TAA: Films in 2010 Tribeca Film Festival and Success Stories
Since its inception in May 2004, TAA has supported the careers of more than 184 filmmakers and has facilitated 2,870 one-on-one meetings between its program participants and key industry professionals. These women and minority filmmakers have gone on to enjoy successful careers, both within TFF and beyond. This year, two TAA alumni are included as official selections of the Tribeca Film Festival:
· Monica & David, directed by Alexandra Codina (2007 TAA participant) Feature Documentary in World Documentary Competition Category – North American Premiere at TFF, Broadcast premiere on HBO October 2010-- Monica and David are in love. Truly, blissfully in love. They also happen to have Down syndrome. Alexandra Codina’s affectionate and heartwarming documentary is an intimate, year-in-the-life portrait of two child-like spirits with adult desires. Supported (and, for more than 30 years, sheltered) by endlessly devoted mothers, Monica and David prepare for their fairy tale wedding and face the realities of married life afterward.
Billy and Aaron, directed by Rodney Evans (2008 TAA participant) – Billy and Aaron is a short drama about African-American composer Billy Strayhorn and the personal and professional consequences of his decision to live as an openly gay man within the homophobic jazz milieu of the 1940’s.
Additional TAA alumni successes in the past year include:
2009 TAA juror Fenton Bailey has signed on to become the Executive Producer for La Muneca Fea (Ugly Dolls). Co-directors and 2009 TAA alumni George Reyes and Claudia Lopez were the recipients of last year’s Creative Promise Award for Documentary.
Lydia Dean Pilcher will serve as Producer of The Sisterhood of Night after meeting TAA Alumni, Caryn Waechter (Director) and Marilyn Fu (Screenwriter), at the 2008 Festival. The film was the TAA Creative Promise Award winner for Screenwriting.
Victoria Fredrick (LAF Studios and Manager of Terrence Howard) recently optioned 2009 TAA alumni Kat Candler’s, Spider in the Bathtub, which she co-wrote.
After meeting writer Stephanie Sanditz at TAA, Greenestreet Films has hired her to write an upcoming movie.
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