Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival is yet another reason why I feel so fortunate to live in NYC, and have the opportunity to take advantage of all of the mind-blowing culture it has to offer. Peter and I selected four films that piqued our interests, and after each film we met the cast, director, and others involved in the film making process, as they talked about the work and how it came to be, followed by a Q & A with the audience. Awesome, is how I would describe watching a spectacular film and then getting to meet and hear from all of the people involved in its creation. I've never seen four amazing films in one week ever before, each emotional and inspiring in their own way.
The Goods:
- Dior And I (documentary) This film follows designer Raf Simons as he is honored with the title, Creative Director, of the legendary and iconic House of Christian Dior.
- Ballet 422 (documentary) This film follows dancer/choreographer Justin Peck of the New York City Ballet as he creates La Jolla the 422nd new ballet to be premiered at NYCB. You see his passion and discipline as he works with some of the most talented dancers in the world.
- Palo Alto (feature film) Gia Coppola makes her directing feature film debut with her interpretation of Palo Alto: short stories by James Franco, this film encompasses all of the confusion and conflict that teenagers go through, all the while having to figure out what they want to do for the rest of their lives. This is a very honest and true depiction of the difficulties we all face during those very awkward and confusing years. From sexuality to self image, peer pressure to defying authority, this films covers it all.
- Iverson (documentary) This film tells the riveting story of NBA star Allen Iverson, and reinforces the phrase, "it takes a village to raise a child." Through injustice and adversity he perseveres with the help of friends, family and mentors who believed in him as he accomplished his dreams of NBA stardom. We see how the media enjoys building people up just so that they can tear them down. As misunderstood as Iverson is he refuses to be anyone other than his true self, whether people like it or not.
A couple superlatives...
Best Overall: Dior
And I Best Story: Iverson
Clip from the Q & A: Allen Iverson is asked, "What is your greatest God given gift?"
My favorite line:
"I'm just me man, I'm family...and I'm my friends
And I'm down with whatever I love, man, and that's it, man, I can't satisfy everybody, I can't be the Allen Iverson that you want me to be, the only Allen Iverson I can be is the Allen Iverson that I am , and if you love dat then coo, and if you don't...then shit, f#*% you."- Allen Iverson
Best Director: Frederic Tcheng (Dior And I)
Best Score: Ha-Yang Kim (Dior And I)
Best Scene: Dior And I(The scene that takes place backstage right before Raf Simons first haute couture show for Christian Dior. The emotion of that moment is palpable.)
Hardest Tickets To Score: Iverson (Honestly, I got nervous because the line for rush tickets was so unorganized that I thought there might be a stampede.)
Most Buzz: Palo Alto
Best Q & A: Palo Alto & Iverson
Gia Coppola speaks about her debut film Palo Alto.
S+P Ranking:
1) Dior And I
2) Iverson
3)Palo Alto
4) Ballet 422
