Robert De Niro founding Tribeca Festival after 9/11 marked a turning point for Lower Manhattan, as the 2002 event, created by De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff, aimed to help revive the neighborhood following the devastation of September 11. Now in its 24th year, the festival has become a major arts event, recently setting a new record for 2025 project submissions.
The Vision Leading Up to Tribeca’s Creation
Although the September 11 attacks accelerated the process, the idea behind Tribeca Festival was already forming before that tragic day. Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff wanted an event to rejuvenate the area and bring people together after the neighborhood was hit hard by the attacks and their aftermath. Reflecting on the origins, De Niro said,
“We had started even before 9/11. We were thinking about just what it would be like,”
—Robert De Niro, Co-founder.
After September 11, the need for community support became urgent. The group felt a responsibility to give people a reason to return downtown and create new, positive memories. De Niro described the early conversations:
“It was just a random sort of conversation, nothing was to be expected from it. But then [9/11] happened, and I think Jane said, ‘Well, what about the festival now, for the community?’ We had done other things. Dinner downtown, took busloads of people, Chinatown, Little Italy from all this area. Eventually, we just said let’s do it, and got hold of people to start it up and that was it.”
—Robert De Niro, Co-founder.
Launching the First Festival in Record Time
Once the concept received approval, progress was swift. De Niro explained how quickly things moved:
“We did that first festival in 120 days.”
—Robert De Niro, Co-founder.
Jane Rosenthal, who co-founded the festival and helped steer it through its early stages, commented further:
“It was really about what we could do for our community, to bring people back downtown to give our neighbors a new memory of something to look forward to,”
—Jane Rosenthal, Co-founder. She added,
“I think our attitude was, ‘Okay, if you can produce a film in three months, you could produce a festival in three months. Of course, we knew nothing about sponsors or anything like that. Miraculously, the film festival came off. The first festival was four days, and now it’s 10 days. And here we are, it’s 24 years later. It’s kind of crazy.”
—Jane Rosenthal, Co-founder.
Thanks to early determination, the festival doubled its attendance the following year and quickly became an annual tradition for New York City. Over the years, it expanded its reach, eventually dropping “film” from its name in 2021 to better reflect its inclusion of video games and music, opening new doors for creative arts in Lower Manhattan.
Tribeca Festival Sets New Submission Milestone for 2025
The festival’s growth has continued at a rapid pace, establishing itself as a staple for filmmakers and artists. In 2025, Tribeca Festival achieved a significant milestone by receiving 13,451 project submissions, a record for both feature-length and short films. This achievement highlights the ongoing popularity and prestige of the event.
Jane Rosenthal praised the dedicated individuals responsible for evaluating festival submissions:
“An extraordinary group of programmers led by Cara Cusumano, our festival director, and a great group behind her that looks to curate the best program,”
—Jane Rosenthal, Co-founder. Rosenthal also shared her excitement for discovering new talent and broadening the event’s scope:
“You can hope to find new voices in our competitions. We have a really robust program, and it’s a great way to sample what is going on in entertainment more broadly, including what goes on in the influencer and creative world.”
—Jane Rosenthal, Co-founder.
Spotlight on De Niro’s Iconic Films and Anniversary Events
Among the thousands of creative entries, two notable projects will be honored at this year’s event. Casino celebrates its 30th anniversary, while Meet The Parents marks its 25th, each being a “crown jewel” in De Niro’s extensive film history. Sharing his thoughts on these special screenings, De Niro remarked,
“It’s a nice thing to be able to share the films with the other people involved with it,”
—Robert De Niro, Co-founder.
He further elaborated on the significance of bringing together past collaborators:
“[Casino with] Marty [Scorsese], and Meet The Parents with Ben Stiller and Jay Roach and John Hamburg and everybody. It’s great to be able to fold that into the festival and to be something that people would want to see.”
—Robert De Niro, Co-founder.
The Festival’s Continued Impact and Future Prospects
Since its inception, the Tribeca Festival has not only revitalized Lower Manhattan but also solidified its standing as a diverse platform for arts, attracting programmers like Cara Cusumano and creative figures such as Scorsese and Ben Stiller. Running from June 4 to June 15 this year, the festival continues to provide opportunities for both established and emerging talents. The record-breaking number of submissions for 2025, combined with high-profile anniversary screenings, reinforces Tribeca Festival’s growing influence in the entertainment industry and promises an even richer experience for audiences and artists alike.
