2009 Tribeca Film Festival

2009 Tribeca Film Festival was the 8th edition of the Tribeca Film Festival, which took place from April 22 to May 3, 2009, in New York City. The festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in response to the September 11 attacks and featured a diverse range of films, including documentary films, narrative films, and short films, showcasing the work of Spike Lee, Meryl Streep, and Martin Scorsese. The festival also included Tribeca Talks series, which featured conversations with Clint Eastwood, Jodie Foster, and Barry Levinson. The event was sponsored by American Express, Brookfield Properties, and HBO.

Overview

The 2009 Tribeca Film Festival was a significant event in the film industry, with over 250 films from more than 30 countries, including United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, and Australia. The festival featured a range of independent films, including drama films, comedy films, and horror films, showcasing the work of emerging filmmakers like Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden, and Lynn Shelton. The festival also included a Tribeca Film Institute program, which provided support to filmmakers from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, including Haile Gerima, Ann Hui, and Walter Salles. The event was attended by Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg, and Susan Sarandon, among other celebrity guests.

Films

The 2009 Tribeca Film Festival featured a diverse range of films, including World War II dramas like Defiance, directed by Edward Zwick and starring Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell. The festival also included romantic comedy films like Ghost Town, directed by David Koepp and starring Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, and Téa Leoni. Other notable films included The Brothers Bloom, directed by Rian Johnson and starring Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, and Rachel Weisz, as well as Whatever Works, directed by Woody Allen and starring Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, and Patricia Clarkson. The festival also showcased films from renowned directors like Francis Ford Coppola, Brian De Palma, and Oliver Stone.

Awards

The 2009 Tribeca Film Festival awarded several films and filmmakers, including the Tribeca Film Festival Award for Best Narrative Feature, which went to About Elly, directed by Asghar Farhadi and starring Golshifteh Farahani, Shahab Hosseini, and Taraneh Alidoosti. The award for Best Documentary Feature went to Racing Dreams, directed by Marshall Curry and featuring Annabeth Barnes, Joshua Hobson, and Brandon Warren. The festival also awarded Seth Gordon with the Tribeca Film Festival Award for Best New Narrative Filmmaker for his film The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, and Nanette Burstein with the Tribeca Film Festival Award for Best New Documentary Filmmaker for her film American Teen.

Special events

The 2009 Tribeca Film Festival included several special events, including a Tribeca Talks series, which featured conversations with Mira Nair, Sofia Coppola, and Todd Haynes. The festival also included a Tribeca Drive-In series, which featured outdoor screenings of films like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote. The event also included a Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair, which featured activities and performances for families, including a concert by They Might Be Giants and a appearance by Sesame Street characters like Elmo and Big Bird.

Impact and reception

The 2009 Tribeca Film Festival had a significant impact on the film industry, with many films premiering at the festival going on to receive critical acclaim and commercial success, including District 9, directed by Neill Blomkamp and starring Sharlto Copley, David James, and Jason Cope, and Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, directed by Lee Daniels and starring Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, and Paula Patton. The festival also received positive reviews from critics, with many praising the diversity and quality of the films showcased, including Roger Ebert, A.O. Scott, and Manohla Dargis. The event was also attended by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Governor David Paterson, who praised the festival's contribution to the city's economy and culture. The festival was also supported by Time Warner, CNN, and Variety. Category:Film festivals in the United States