Tribeca Film Festival Continues to Evolve

The Film Festival Honors Travis Bickle, & Dozens of Other Star Characters

June 9, 2024 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, with the sun shining brightly, accompanied by very comfortable temperatures as I made my way down to the Tribeca Film Festival. Mother Nature was tugging at me, fully aware of my yearning for some more outdoor time.

https://bw-manhattanbuzzce-site.s3.amazonaws.com/media_library/DSC04135_(1).jpeg

Tribeca Film Fest Honors one of its Own with De Niro Con

Nonetheless, I shrugged her off, as I headed into Spring Studios on Varick Street. I was going to De Niro Con. What's a De Niro com, you say? It's the Tribeca Film Festival paying tribute to one of its two founding fathers [Craig Hatkoff is the other, and Jane Rosenthal is the single founding mother]: Robert De Niro.

Robert De Niro turned 80 in August of 2023, having spent the past 60 years of his life in show business. This is the Tribeca Film Festival's way of honoring the 'old man' and I reckon it's a very special thank you too.

De Niro Con includes numerous exhibits and panel discussions wherein elements of De Niro's long career are discussed. There will also be screenings of some of his prior films, and appearances by some of the famous people he's worked with over the years, including Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese. De Niro's career began somewhere around 1963 and his first credited role came in a 1965 film entitled 'Three Rooms in Manhattan'. De Niro is currently playing a role in a Netflix thriller entitled 'Zero Day' which is due to be released sometime in the coming year.

CLICK here to view the Tribeca Film Festival 2024 - De Niro Con.

Visiting De Niro Con at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival

As I entered Spring Studios, I could see that the nice day outside, was going to work for me on the inside, as it wasn't quite as crowded as it has been on my visits in years past. Don't get me wrong, there were still a lot of people lined up to enter for specific programs, and plenty of people moving about the four floors of the seven story building used by the Tribeca Film Festival [TFF]. I hadn't come down to see any program in particular this time, except to take in what the TFF had named De Niro Con.

I had seen numerous movies that either featured or starred Robert De Niro, like Godfather II, Meet the Parents, and The Irishman - to name a few off hand. These don't include many of his most famous movies, for which the list is quite long. And in spite of the many violent films he's been in, my mother who abhorred violence, always liked Robert De Niro, possibly because of his political views.

De Niro Con Exhibits

As I entered the De Niro Con exhibit, I decided to first scout out all of the exhibit rooms, to get a sense of the breadth and depth of the exhibit I had come to see. It didn't take long for me to realize how much I did not know about Robert De Niro. So I'm including a slide show for you can get a sense of what I saw, and draw your own conclusions.

The Tribeca Film Festival Keeps Evolving & Keeps Things Interesting

One of the things that I've come to appreciate about the Tribeca Film Festival is that the folks running it keep it interesting by keeping it abreast of the times. From just film in 2002 when the festival started, it's grown and evolved to encompass so much more. While they started with many of the major categories of storytelling, over the years they've evolved to include various technologies, including DVR [Digital Virtual Reality], and gaming consoles story telling.

Part of what enhances the experience is the congregation of so many digital and video artists, producers, creators, writers and actors - all in the same place. The four floors they occupy during the Tribeca Film Festival also offers some food / beverage / cafe options, so you can sit a spell and talk things over with whomever you came, or - if you have Superman-like hearing - listen to the conversations of those around you.

De Niro's Character Range runs Full Spectrum - Who is He Really?

After a couple of hours I was ready to listen to Mother Nature, and leave the building to take in the great inner city outdoors.

After stepping outside and walking for a bit, I began to position myself to hail a TAXI DRIVER. But after mulling over what I had just seen and heard, and upon further consideration, I decided it might be safer to hop a subway back home.

You never know when you're going to meet a young Travis Bickle. Maybe at the Tribeca Film Festival 2025?