Tribeca Film Institute (TFI)

In September 2020, TFI announced a “pause” in its operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

History

In 2001, the Tribeca Film Institute was founded after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, to revitalize the artistic community in Manhattan. The co-founders were actor Robert DeNiro, real estate investor Craig Hatkoff, and his now ex-wife Jane Rosenthal. ^{2 3 4}

In 2002, TFI launched the annual Tribeca Film Festival. Soon after, the Festival was spun off as an independent organization. ⁴

In 2003, TFI’s founders established Tribeca Enterprises, a for-profit media outlet that finances entertainment programs throughout the world. In 2019, Lupa Systems, owned by James Murdoch, purchased a majority stake in Tribeca Enterprises. ⁵

In 2004, TFI launched Tribeca All Access, a fund for films created by individuals who allegedly face discrimination due to their “race, gender, class, sexuality, age, ethnicity, citizenship, and/or ability.” ⁵

Operational “Pause”

In September 2020, the Tribeca Film Institute announced that it was entering a “pause” in operations due to troubles fundraising during the COVID-19 pandemic. It stated, “A large percent of TFI’s funding is generated from a devoted and generous network of individual donors, many of whom are shifting priorities during the global pandemic. TFI also relies greatly on being able to fundraise at movie theaters, at in-person events, and most notably during the Tribeca Film Festival, the nature of which changed for 2020.” ^{3 6}

According to a source who spoke to IndieWire, TFI was likely to remain closed indefinitely. ³ TFI laid off fewer than 10 people with the announcement, while the rest of the employees were transferred to Tribeca Enterprises. ⁶

Speak Truth to Power

In 2010, the Tribeca Film Festival, New York State United Teachers, and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights launched Speak Truth to Power, a video competition that asked students to create a three-minute presentation about a human rights issue and the individuals fighting for justice. The organizations have worked with the American Federation of Teachers to train contestants in how to present their videos. ⁷

Controversy

In 2016, the Tribeca Film Festival accepted the screening of the film, Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe, a documentary that promoted the alleged link between vaccines and autism, directed by Andrew Wakefield, the author of the most influential anti-vaccine scientific paper later retracted by The Lancet. After facing backlash, the Tribeca Film Institute pulled the film from the screening. In a statement, co-founder Robert De Niro said: “My intent in screening this film was to provide an opportunity for conversation around an issue that is deeply personal to me and my family. But after reviewing it over the past few days with the Tribeca Film Festival team and others from the scientific community, we do not believe it contributes to or furthers the discussion I had hoped for.” ^{8 9}

However, shortly afterward, De Niro expressed regret for pulling the film. ¹⁰

The following year, De Niro and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held a conference in Washington, D.C. at which they laid out concerns regarding vaccine safety. The two offered $100,000 to anyone who could prove the safety of vaccines. ^{11 12}

Funding

Clothing brand Gucci funded the Tribeca Film Institute’s Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund. ¹³

From 2009 to 2018, TFI received $2.4 million from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. ¹⁴

In 2015, TFI received $800,000 from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. In 2013, TFI received $762,000. ^{15 16}

In 2012, TFI received $25,000 from the William T. Grant Foundation. ¹⁷

TFI has received funding from the Oath Foundation, the Alec Baldwin Foundation, and the Angelo Family Charitable Foundation. ¹⁸

Leadership

Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Robert De Niro is a two-time Oscar-winning actor. De Niro has donated to Democratic politicians ¹⁹ and repeatedly criticized former President Donald Trump during his term. De Niro has called then-President Trump an “enemy of the arts” and a “white supremacist.” Then-President Trump has responded by implying that De Niro is brain damaged. ²⁰ In October 2023, De Niro issued a statement at the Stop Trump Summit calling former President Trump “evil,” dangerous, a threat to democracy, and “a wannabe tough guy with no morals or ethics.” ²¹

De Niro, who has an autistic son, has alleged a possible link between vaccines and autism, which mainstream scientific authorities reject. ¹⁰