The Tribeca Festival, which began as an initiative aimed at bringing visitors, art and commerce back to Lower Manhattan, has set next June 3 to 14 as the dates of its 25th edition.
The event, which dropped the word “film” from its name, has continuously evolved over the past quarter-century. While plenty of notable narrative films and documentaries have gotten their start at Tribeca over the years, diversification has been the emphasis of late. There are now distinct verticals in the program devoted to film, television, music, talks, games and immersive experiences, with other fare in yet more categories.
The milestone 25th edition will offer more slots in the TV, podcast and NOW, a handle given in 2014 for “new online work.”
Along with looking ahead at new voices and work, the 25th will also look back at the heritage of the fest and celebrate notable alumni. Filmmakers whose early work premiered at Tribeca include Damien Chazelle (Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, 2009); Jon M. Chu (When the Kids Are Away, 2002), Ryan Coogler (Locks, 2009), Nia DaCosta (Little Woods, 2018), the Daniels (Possibilia, 2014), David Gelb (King of Central Park, 2006), and Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, 2007).
The festival has been held each spring except for 2020, when it joined other fests in shifting online due to Covid. When it re-emerged in June 2021, it was one of the first large-scale public events in New York since the pandemic shutdowns.
“Twenty-five years ago, we started Tribeca to bring people back downtown following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and to bring storytellers and audiences together,” said Rosenthal, Tribeca’s CEO. “Since then, Tribeca has become a home for bold ideas and powerful voices, a place where culture is shaped and new forms of storytelling are discovered. Our 25th festival will honor where we’ve been and boldly look ahead.”
Leading up to next June’s anniversary, Tribeca has promoted several members of its programming, operations, business, and Tribeca Studios executive teams.
The roster receiving promotions includes Casey Baron, Senior Programmer, Film & Games; Shayna Maci Warner, Director of Programming Operations; David Speer, VP of Operations; Eileen Rodriguez to General Counsel, EVP of Legal & Business Affairs, Secretary to the Board; Megan Younger to SVP of Partnerships, Client Services, & Activation; Nellie Norden to VP of Program Development & Growth Initiatives; Gretchen Higgins to VP of Partnerships & Global Development; and Bryce Norbitz to VP of Tribeca Studios, Artist Development.