 Tribeca Film Festival Wrap UpScorsese showed the trailer and a 7-minute clip of GONY at the Tribeca film fest -- "America was born in the streets," the trailer offers, "Two gangs went to war, one boy witnessed it all." IndieWire.com DAILY NEWS: Tribeca Fest Wrap-up: Event Honors NYC Films Amidst Large Crowds and Silenced Skeptics; Brooklyn Fest Also in the Spotlight with articles by Eugene Hernandez, with reporting by Brian Brooks, Wendy Mitchell and Erin Torneo >> TRIBECA 2002: New York Stories "Roger Dodger" and "Manito" Win Top Tribeca Narrative Awards (indieWIRE: 05.13.02) -- Dylan Kidd's "Roger Dodger" and Eric Eason's "Manito," two top notch New York City stories, were the top dramatic winners at the first Tribeca Film Festival which came to a close last night after a crowded weekend. The top doc award went to Daniel Junge's "Chiefs." Prizes were presented at a ceremony that concluded with a surprise peak at a few minutes from Martin Scorsese's upcoming film, "Gangs of New York." "Roger Dodger," one of the fest's world premieres, was shot in New York City in the weeks following the terrorist attack of September 11th. Writer/director Kidd, and producer Anne Chaisson, jumpstarted their production after the filmmaker approached actor Campbell Scott in a Manhattan cafˇ in July of last year. Two weeks later the actor signed on and introduced the team to Hole Digger Films for financing. Isabella Rossellini, Jennifer Beals, Elizabeth Berkley, and Jesse Eisenberg were cast within two months and the 20-day shoot commenced in October. "The Tribeca Film Festival is celebrating New York and downtown, we knew it would get a lot of attention and a lot of press," producer Anne Chaisson told indieWIRE last week, regarding her decision to bring Dylan Kidd's "Roger Dogder" to this festival. After two well-received screenings here at the Festival, and a positive Variety review out of the event, the well-acted, well-shot film seems likely to nab a distribution pact once more buyers get a chance to see the solid picture. "Manito," a tough, well-told Washington Heights story, has already been honored at Sundance and Austin's SXSW this year, this week it stepped into the spotlight at home. At last night's Pace University ceremony, Eason thanked the hometown crowd as he picked up the emerging filmmaker award for his $24,000 low-budget film, only to be surprised by juror Frances McDormand moments later with a check from American Express for $25,000. Beaming after the ceremony, producers Allen Bain and Jesse Scolaro, along with Eason and actors Leo Minaya and Frankie G, posed proudly for the cameras with an oversized cardboard check. "For a lot of reasons, this festival is probably the most important (to us)," Bain told indieWIRE in our opening festival article last week. "I love New York," he added simply. "It's so cliche and at the same time it is a huge part of my life." Junge's "Chiefs," winner of the best doc prize and described as "Hoop Dreams" on the reservation, follows a Native-American high school basketball team through two seasons. In the short-subject categories, the best narrative award went to Luis Prieto's "Bamboleho," while the best doc prize went to Natalia Almada's "All Water Has a Perfect Memory." Alfredo De Villa's "Washington Heights" and "12 Hours" by director Raul Marchand-Sanchez, were awarded a special mentions, with De Villa also given a special mention in the emerging filmmaker competition. Closing the ceremony, Festival co-founder Robert De Niro greeted by a standing ovation, before offering warm words of thanks to the full-house. "I finally feel like I am part of something," De Niro concluded, before introducing his friend and frequent collaborator, festival co-chair Martin Scorsese. Scorsese stunned the audience with a surprise sneak peak at his anticipated new film, "Gangs of New York." After premiering the new two-and-a-half minute trailer for the Miramax Christmas release, Scorsese set the stage for a seven-minute clip from the picture. With studio chief Harvey Weinstein in the audience, Scorsese explained that he was determined to include the film in this festival in some fashion. Offering that the movie explores "What is an American and what is America," he added, "A lot of that was played out right here near these buildings (on and after September 11th). "America was born in the streets," the trailer offers, "Two gangs went to war, one boy witnessed it all. Cheers and whistles greeted the scene from Scorsese's film, leading into an ovation as festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal took the stage. The produced choked up as she evoked the attack of September 11th in thanking attendees and organizers for their contributions to the event. After brief remarks, Scorsese and De Niro joined her on stage for a group hug as the audience again stood to offer applause. [Eugene Hernandez] |