[New York, NY – March 24, 2005] – Now in its second year Tribeca All Access (TAA) Connects, the Tribeca Film Institute’s unique program for fostering relationships between U.S.-based filmmakers of color and the film industry has selected 29 projects.
TAA Connects has added a new component to the 2005 program that will highlight a select number of un-represented screenwriters. The screenwriters will join the narrative and documentary directors in gaining access to four days of one-on-one meetings and events designed to generate exposure for their work. TAA Connects will arrange in the area of 400 meetings for program participants with representatives of over 80 film industry companies and organizations during this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
Some of the key facets of the program are the individually tailored half-hour meetings between participating filmmakers and industry decision-makers, including equity investors, development executives, producers, agents and representatives from philanthropic institutions.
“We’re proud to bring attention to worthy projects and create connections for filmmakers of color,” said Robert De Niro, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Institute.
“Tribeca All Access forwards the artistic ideals of our Festival,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Institute. “Two alumni of the 2004 TAA Connects program will see their works premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. Natalia Almada’s documentary Al Otro Lado/To the Other Side is in competition and Phil Bertelsen’s narrative film Rock the Paint is in the Wide Angle section. Both are testament to the burgeoning success of the TAA Connects program.”
Of the 29 selected projects, 13 are narrative (scripts with a director attached), eight are documentary proposals, five are screenplay only and three are part of the Signature Series. Of those filmmakers selected to participate, 33 percent are African American, 16 percent are Latino, 26 percent are Asian American, six percent are Native American, two percent are Pacific Islanders and 17 percent are Middle Eastern, Indian and Arab American.
One filmmaker in each category who shows extraordinary strength of vision and exceptional filmmaking promise will be awarded the Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Award which comes with a prize of $10,000 for narrative and documentary and $5,000 for screenplay only. These will be presented at the Tribeca All Access Awards and Closing Night Party sponsored by the Playboy Foundation at Tribeca Grand on April 28.
Among this year’s jurors for the Narrative and Screenplays Category are entertainment and arts figures Antoine Fuqua, Director of King Arthur and Training Day, Lisa Gay Hamilton, actress and director of last year’s Beah: A Black Woman Speaks, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, screenwriter for Lackawanna Blues and actor from Their Eyes Were Watching God, Academy Award nominated actress Rosie Perez, Native-American director Chris Eyre, Mary Schmidt Campbell Dean of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, actor B.D Wong from Seven Years in Tibet and Law & Order SVU and Bruce Ferguson, Dean of Columbia University School of the Arts.
The Documentary jury will include Warrington Hudlin, producer of House Party, acclaimed Native American poet and musician John Trudell, model and designer Bethann Hardison, producer and director of cultural and political films St. Clair Bourne, Thelma Golden the Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Programs at The Studio Museum in Harlem and award-winning documentary producer and president of Documentary and Family for Home Box Office Sheila Nevins.
Taking part in this year’s “Signature Series,” an initiative which, provides a forum for established directors of color to debut their newest projects, is Rose Troche who will launch In A Country of Mothers (a new A.M. Homes adaptation), a two-part documentary by St. Clair Bourne entitled The Black Panther Party For Self-Defense; and The Marriage Celebrant, a comedy written and directed by Barbara Wong, a New York based director whose latest film Six Strong Guys topped the box office in Hong Kong. Films in the Signature Series are not eligible for awards.
“Tribeca All Access has had unprecedented success in its first year creating far more opportunities for filmmakers than we could have anticipated,” said Madelyn Wils, President & CEO of the Tribeca Film Institute. “This year, we are delighted by the quality of material selected and are excited by the possibilities that will present themselves to our filmmakers.”
Tribeca Film Institute’s exclusive access passes to the film festival are now available by calling (212) 867-1117 or e-mailing cmayer@innovativephilanthropy.net
EDITORS NOTE: A list of all selected Tribeca All Access participants and a description of their projects is below.
Tribeca Film Festival packages and passes are now available. Individual tickets for film screenings, panel discussions and other events will be on sale April 3 to American Express Cardmembers and on April 10 to the public. For more information on the Tribeca Film Festival and to purchase tickets, the public should visit the Tribeca Film Festival website at www.tribecafilmfestival.org.
The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in response to the attacks on the World Trade Center. Now in its fourth year, the Festival’s mission is to promote New York City as the world’s independent film capital and to foster the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music and culture. The first three festivals attracted nearly 1 million visitors and created in excess of $125 million in economic activity for Lower Manhattan.
American Express is the Founding Sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival. Part of a multi-year relationship, the sponsorship demonstrates American Express’ dedication to the goals of the Festival and the revitalization of lower Manhattan.
The Tribeca Film Festival is pleased to announce the return of their Signature Sponsors: Anheuser-Busch, General Motors, Prada, WNBC, Delta Air Lines, The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, The New York Times, The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Vanity Fair, Bloomberg LP, Regal Entertainment Group, and Sony Electronics. The Festival is also honored to welcome the following new sponsors: Apple, Dewar’s 12 and the Tribeca Grand Hotel.
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For press inquiries regarding the Tribeca Film Festival, please contact Ashley Schiff at (212) 843-8069 or Tammie Rosen at (212) 843-8008. For information about media credentials please contact Lane Keough at (212) 843-9359 or email your request to Festival@rubenstein.com.
Narrative
Dirty Hands
Director/writer Cetywa Powell
Three Middle Eastern captives fight to retain their sanity and dignity in the face of their American interrogators, who in turn struggle with demons of their own. Drama.
Eat, For This Is My Body
Director/writer Michelange Quay
An unusual relationship between a woman and her young servant, Patrick, sets them on a visceral journey of self-discovery across the poverty stricken landscape of Haiti. Producer Tom Dercourt. Drama.
El Machito
Director/writer Alonso Filomeno Mayo
A retired English soccer star isn’t adjusting well to his new life as a scout until he encounters an extraordinary Peruvian soccer talent whose temper just might end his career. Producer Nina Leidersdorff. Drama.
Forbidden City
Director/writer Georgia Lee
Reclusive book editor Soliel Li inadvertently saves a strange woman from an assault, and is unprepared for the surreal consequences that follow. Producers Jane Chen and Mia Riverton. Drama.
Hong Kong Hero
Director/writer Abraham Lim
Kenya, present day: Internationally renowned martial artist and Hollywood movie star Johnny Tang is kidnapped from the set of his latest film by a resourceful young African boy who believes Johnny can save his village from a brutal warlord. Producer Karin Chien. Action.
K-Boyz
Director Jean Shim-Min
Los Angeles, 1992: Amid rising racial tensions, Korean American teenager Daniel is drawn into an Asian gang to save his family from bankruptcy. Writer Martina Nagel, Producers Eric Kim and Precy Betiong. Drama.
Neither the Veil, Nor the Four Walls
Director/writer/producer Afia Nathanial
A mother’s desperate attempt to save her young daughter from an arranged marriage turns into an epic road trip crossing many physical and cultural boundaries in present day Pakistan. Co-producer Andeep Singh. Drama.
Outside the Wall
Director/writer Elisha Miranda
Talented graffiti artist Isa, fresh out of juvenile detention, returns to her home in the newly gentrified San Francisso Mission and is drawn into an affair with an older, abusive woman. Producer Sonia Malfa. Drama.
Patria
Director Paula Heredia
After Long Island gangster Rico is arrested and deported to his native El Salvadore, a home he’s never known, he sets off through the countryside in search of his father and a way back into the U.S. and comes across an amazing discovery: himself. Writer/producer Benjamin Odell, Producer Jon Stern. Drama.
The Life and Times of H.J. Hermin
Director/writer Dennis Lee
The product of in-vitro fertilization, 13-year-old genius and college freshman Henry James Hermin sets out to solve an unbreakable computer code and find his biological father. Producer Sukee Chew. Comedy.
The Red Earth
Director/writer/producer Liselle Mei
Queensland, Australia 1880s: An illicit affair between the young Chinese mail-order bride of a cane cutter and the privileged son of the English plantation owner, leads to a clash of cultures with tragic results. Co-writer Cory Taylor, Producer, Trish Lake. Period Drama.
The Space Between All Things
Director Randy Redroad
Leaving behind the fresh memories of his dead wife, a miner seeks companionship and redemption from strangers who cross his path on the journey from Nevada to California. Writer B. Russell Friedenberg, Producers Heather Rae and Yvonne Russo. Drama.
Untitled Flies Project
Director/writer Kit Hui
As a deadly typhoon approaches Hong Kong, a fly infestation in one apartment complex forces three families to confront their demons. Producers Ramsey Fong, Cherry Montejo. Drama.
Screenplay Only
Dark Tide
Screenplay by Eric Dandridge
A scientist chases a Nazi bent on changing history. Sci-Fi Adventure.
Gibran
Screenplay by Rana Kazkaz
A small, fragile Lebanese American boy grows up to become the great and revered author of The Prophet, Khalil Gibran. Bio pic.
Glory Masters
Screenplay by Akin Salawu
St. Louis, 1933: Before tough-as-nails, gun-toting black singer Glory Masters can finally own her own nightclub, she must free herself from the violent grip of her first love, who also happens to own the bordello she was born and raised in. Period Drama.
Lyrical
Screenplay by Carter Stewart
A Harvard law student, intent on coasting through his final year of school, must face his own prejudices when forced to defend a young rapper against first-degree murder charges. Drama.
The Undeniable Charm of Sloppy Unruh
Screenplay by Mario de la Vega
Texas, 1957: A charismatic, sometime music teacher, with a knack for seduction returns to his hometown to a mixed reception, determined to con his way back into his family’s good graces. Drama.
Documentary
Lillie & Leander: A Legacy of Violence
Director/Producer Jeffrey Morgan
A woman’s research into the murder of her great aunt leads to dark secrets about her family’s involvement in racist murders in nineteenth century Florida. Producer Alice Hurwitz.
Miss Navajo
Director/Producer Billy Luther
One Navajo woman’s quest for the 2005 Miss Navajo Nation Crown leads her to question the role of women in bridging the reality and mythology of her culture. Producer Duana C. Butler. Executive Producer Fenton Bailey.
Na Hula Kane: The Men of Hula
Director/Producer: Lisette Marie Flanary
Providing a rare glimpse into the only male hula school in Hawaii, Na Hula Kane chronicles the teachings of the legendary hula teacher Robert Cazimero, a major figure in the Hawaiian renaissance movement. Producer, Keo Woolford
Nice Bombs
Director/Producer Usama Alshaibi
Filmmaker Usama Alshaibi and his father journey through the terrain of war torn Iraq after the elder’s twenty-four year exile from his homeland. Producers Ben Berkowitz, Ben Redgrave, Kristie Alshaibi.
Planet B-Boy
Director/Producer Benson Lee
Jumping continents and crossing cultures, Planet B-Boy looks at the history of breakdancing and its vibrant resurgence in urban cultures around the world.
Project Kashmir
Directors/Producers Senain Kheshgi, Geeta Patel
Traveling the forbidden territories of Kashmir, this film chronicles the journey of two immigrants on a mission to understand the lingering effects of war in their homeland and their own cultural identities.
Road To Glory
Director Lewis Payton
Following the paths of a group of traveling gospel plays, Road To Glory examines a world of black entertainment few have seen since the days of vaudeville. Producer Elizabeth V. Foley; Executive Producers Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini.
Threatened
Director/Producer Hugo Espinel
An intimate look into the lives of four people who are living under a death threat in Colombia.
