What You Might Have Missed at This Year's Tribeca Festival

The annual event featured premieres, panels, and parties as well as a special announcement.

July 12, 2023

Mayor Eric Adams presented festival co-founder Robert De Niro with a key to the city at a private ceremony at Tribeca Grill ahead of the festival’s opening night.Photo: Courtesy of Tribeca FestivalNEW YORK—This year’s Tribeca Festival faced some unforeseen obstacles, including the city's air quality, which was affected by the Canadian wildfires, as well as the ongoing writers' strike. (Festival organizers consulted with the Writers Guild of America and implemented some programming changes in light of the strike.)

But despite the challenges, the festival stayed the course. Held June 7-18, the 2023 event, presented by OKX, kicked off with Kiss the Future and closed with a gala and 30th anniversary screening of A Bronx Tale, which was produced by and starred, respectively, festival co-founders Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro.

For the first time, the closing ceremony was broadcast on demand via Webex Events—in addition to the live event at The Beacon Theatre. Webex by Cisco served as the official technology provider for the gala. “Tribeca at Home” also returned with a selection of films. The online platform was available from June 19 through July 2.

During the festival, organizers also announced De Niro Con, a three-day fan event that’s slated to take place Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 at Spring Studios with screenings, panels, and talks by the actor’s longtime friends and associates, all in celebration of his 80th birthday. Mayor Eric Adams presented De Niro with a key to the city at a private ceremony at Tribeca Grill ahead of the festival’s opening night.

The fan experience will feature appearances by De Niro himself, along with recreations of iconic film sets, immersive installations, classic film screenings, musical performances, and panel conversations. It will also include special appearances from co-stars and frequent collaborators. The full programming lineup will be announced this summer.

Overall, the festival followed its usual format and showcased filmmakers and other storytelling mediums with premieres, panels, and parties.

Keep scrolling to see how brands activated during this year’s Tribeca Festival…

New York City-based urban design firm Urban Umbrella supplied the festival’s canopy for the red-carpeted entrance at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center. The custom-designed canopy featured sprawling white arches, a 20-foot opening that extended over the entrance, ornamental lighting, and a classically inspired illuminated cinema marquee.

Photo: Courtesy of Urban Umbrella

Mayor Eric Adams presented festival co-founder Robert De Niro with a key to the city at a private ceremony at Tribeca Grill ahead of the festival’s opening night.

Photo: Courtesy of Tribeca Festival

Audible’s Premiere of 'The Space Within'

Audible, Tribeca Festival’s audio entertainment sponsor, hosted the premiere of “The Space Within” during an immersive experience at Chelsea Industrial.

Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty for Audible

The premiere consisted of five vignettes, representing key scenes, and featured choreography of light and sound. The audio series, which premiered June 15, is a sci-fi mystery that follows Dr. Madeline Wyle (Jessica Chastain) as she investigates memories of alien abduction.

Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty for Audible

Star and executive producer of the Audible Original Chastain visited the experience.

Photo: Rodin Banica/johnnypuetz Productions for Audible

Following the audio premiere, guests explored the gallery-style vignettes during the after-party.

Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty for Audible

AMC Networks’ 'The Walking Dead: Dead City' Promotion

AMC Networks’ The Walking Dead took over iconic New York City establishments, including Katz’s Deli, H&H Bagels, Joe’s Pizza, the New York Hot Dog King cart, and more, ahead of the premiere of The Walking Dead: Dead City, which took place during the festival. Each location featured merchandise giveaways and the show’s legendary “walkers,” along with treats from the NYC staples.

Photo: Shutterstock

Tribeca X

At The Indeed Theater at Spring Studios, industry thought leaders—including Diane von Furstenberg, GE’s Linda Boff, General Motors’ Alan Wexler, Tubi’s Mark Rotblat, and Vaynermedia’s Gary Vaynerchuk—discussed AI-assisted story finding, purpose-driven stories, the proliferation of distribution channels, and the creation of a more diverse and inclusive creative industry during an all-day event filled with conversations and breakout sessions.

Photo: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for 2023 Tribeca Festival

AT&T Presents: Untold Stories

At the sixth annual iteration of the event at Spring Studios, the telecom company announced David Fortune’s Color Book as the winner. He will be offered a premier spot at the 2024 Tribeca Festival and has been awarded a $1 million prize along with a year-round mentorship. Untold Stories is a mentorship program that connects historically underrepresented filmmakers with the necessary resources and support to bring their stories to life.

AT&T also brought back its Pitch Studio, giving creators the chance to receive one-on-one coaching from four previous Untold Stories winners and two established filmmakers in an effort to help participants craft a professionally edited video of their pitch.

Photo: Getty Images for AT&T

‘Smoking Tigers’ Premiere

Last year’s Untold Stories winner, Smoking Tigers, was the first Untold Stories film to make it to the festival’s U.S. Narrative Competition. It premiered at Village East by Angelika.

Photo: Getty Images for AT&T

Bulleit Frontier Whiskey’s 'The New, New York' Event

At this year’s festival, Bulleit Frontier Whiskey presented the latest chapter of the Bulleit Pioneer Project at Chelsea Factory. The spirits brand joined forces with independent artist platform UnitedMasters to spotlight New York's creative talent in film, music, food, and drink from across the five boroughs.

The evening commenced with the inaugural hour of its 100-Hour Commitment, an initiative to foster growth and collaboration between emerging artists and renowned talent from the label. Local talent was granted one hour of guidance and expertise from mentors such as J. Ivy, Joel Leon, Clintn Lord, and Chaucer Barners, CMO of UnitedMasters.

Photo: Courtesy of Bulleit Frontier Whiskey

Emerging talent from across NYC took the stage during the event, including Brandon Blue, Liana Banks (pictured), and Tosh Alexander, along with DJs from each borough, including Turbz from Brooklyn, Venus X from Manhattan, and Krystal Vega from Manhattan.

Photo: Courtesy of Bulleit Frontier Whiskey

The event featured five bars, each curated and hosted by mixologists from different boroughs who served cocktails inspired by the flavors of their NYC areas. The curated menu included pork belly bao buns, lentil falafel, mini chopped cheese sliders, mini Jamaican beef patties, and caprese skewers.

Photo: Courtesy of Bulleit Frontier Whiskey

Sommsation Lounge

Wine experiential company Sommsation partnered with the Tribeca Film Center to host the Sommsation Lounge throughout the festival. The wine lounge consisted of food and wine pairings, with sommeliers on hand to walk guests through the experience.

Photo: Courtesy of Sommsation

Moët Hennessy x 'Anthem' Premiere After-Party

At the after-party for the premiere of the feature documentary, Anthem, Moët Hennessy’s brands—including Belvedere, Volcan Tequila, and Moët & Chandon Brut and Imperial Rosé—were available in the VIP area as well as at the bar in the Boom Boom Room.

Photo: Courtesy of Moët Hennessy