Film in Tribeca

The festival exists for a specific reason, and the reason is the neighbourhood itself.

Why the festival exists

The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff. Its purpose was explicit and local: Lower Manhattan had emptied out after the September 11th attacks, businesses were failing, and the founders wanted an event that would bring people back into the neighbourhood south of Canal Street.

That origin explains things about the festival that otherwise look odd — its spread across venues rather than a single campus, its emphasis on public and outdoor screenings, and its steady expansion beyond film into television, games, music and talks. It was designed as a neighbourhood revival project that happened to be about movies.

It was renamed the Tribeca Festival in 2021 to reflect that widening remit.

When and where

It runs in June, over roughly a week and a half. Venues are spread across Lower Manhattan and beyond, and not all of them are in Tribeca — which regularly confuses first-time attendees. Check the venue on your ticket carefully; some are a subway ride apart.

Getting tickets

Individual tickets go on sale ahead of the festival and popular premieres sell out immediately. Passes exist at several tiers. Rush lines are worth trying for sold-out screenings — the drop-off rate is significant.

The free outdoor screenings are the best value in the whole programme and require no ticket at all, only turning up early with something to sit on.

The rest of the year

Tribeca has a long association with film beyond the festival — De Niro's production company has been based in the neighbourhood for decades, and the wide, low-rise, period streets have been used as locations continuously since the 1970s. If you find a block closed off with trucks and light stands, that is entirely normal here.

Dates, venues and ticketing change every year. Confirm with the festival directly.