Geoffrey Gilmore
Chief Creative Officer, Tribeca EnterprisesGeoffrey Gilmore joined Tribeca Enterprises as Chief Creative Officer. He is responsible for Tribeca's global content strategy and leads creative development initiatives and expansion of the brand. Gilmore has also joined the Board of Directors of Tribeca Enterprises. He came to Tribeca from the Sundance Institute, where he served as the Director of the Sundance Film Festival. He was responsible for film selection and the overall direction of programming from 1990 through 2009. In addition, Gilmore was a consultant for the Sundance Channel and also served as consultant to the Sundance Cinemas. He directed the Sundance Institute’s Annual Independent Producers Conference for 18 years and worked with the Institute on numerous international and national projects and symposia. For 14 years, he served as head of the UCLA Film & Television Archive's programming.
David Kwok
Director of ProgrammingHaving been with the Tribeca Film Festival since its inaugural year in 2002, it’s been exciting and interesting to see how not only the Festival has changed and grown, but how the world of film has changed as well. Our first year yielded 1,300 submissions compared to 5,055 for 2010. The increase in the number of films has given us the ability to present a more diverse slate each year. We’ve seen new directors able to make films that perhaps they may not have been able to make seven years ago. Additionally, more countries are producing films than ever before. For me, that’s what makes putting together the program together exciting—the chance to view all these films from around the world—and bring them together in one place. Now, more than ever, we can say that our film program really has something for everyone.
Jon Gartenberg
Programmer, Experimental FilmsI have programmed the experimental, independent, and avant-garde films and videos for Tribeca since 2003. These films are integrated into the various sections of the Festival, enabling such cutting-edge works to be appreciated by a general audience. A number of these films have won prizes at Tribeca. My varied career as a film archivist, distributor, and programmer extends back several decades. I formerly worked as a curator in The Museum of Modern Art, acquired avant-garde movies for the permanent collection of the Department of Film, and restored the films of Andy Warhol. Currently, my company, Gartenberg Media Enterprises, distributes experimental films on DVD and licenses clips from these films for documentaries. I advise cutting-edge filmmakers on the economics of experimental film distribution and exhibition, and I have recently published an article (“The Fragile Emotion”) about this in the book Swimming Upstream: A Lifesaving Guide to Short Film Distribution.
Photo credit: Kyle Goldman
Maggie Kim
Short Films ProgrammerEven though a short film is, more often than not, characterized by its runtime, by no means does it define the short film. Having watched films for most of my life, I have experienced viewing moments ranging from the 10-minute piece that felt like a lifetime to the three-hour epic that flew by. No doubt, short films pose a unique challenge for filmmakers to be creative and skillful within a relatively short period of time that inherently is much less forgiving. What is amazing is the number of filmmakers that meet that challenge each year and completely blow us away with their creativity and talent. The privilege of being a shorts programmer is the opportunity to access and watch these films that would otherwise be unavailable. Bottom line, given the tremendous volume of shorts considered, sometimes it’s a no-brainer when making selections—because you know you have something special when that 11-minute short you saw 581 films ago is still stuck in your head.
Sara Nodjoumi
Associate ProgrammerI’ve been working with the Tribeca Film Festival since 2002. Each year we watch hundreds of films and with every film, there’s a sense of excitement—curiosity—what am I in for now? In the end, what catches my eye is a film with a certain level of social awareness—a window into the “other”—capturing anything from a child’s true life experience to teenage angst about life’s challenges to our state of affairs. Films that give people young and old a chance to empathize with a character—to come away empowered or with a greater understanding of the world. To me, films that can entertain and cause a certain level of introspection are successful films. A film festival has an obligation to present films outside of the mainstream. And our audience is hungry for such content. It’s a pleasure to be part of a team that presents an exciting slate of films to such a diverse and enthusiastic crowd. Hopefully festivalgoers will agree.
Ben Thompson
Associate Shorts ProgrammerGrowing up as a lad in the seedy London underworld I’ve always seen myself as a bit of an underdog, fighting my way up the ladder for recognition and respect. Ever since I watched my first short film for Tribeca back in 2003, I can’t help but see shorts in the same way. Although they seldom bring about the buzz of a hip new indie feature or the hype and glamour of a Hollywood blockbuster, the best ones are crammed with just as much talent and creativity, and despite being vertically challenged, can pack one hell of a punch. For many, shorts films are the springboards for filmmakers to develop and refine their craft while exploring and experimenting with new ideas. To me though they will always be the little guys, the underdogs, in the back alleys and behind the scenes fighting their way to the top, and that is the reason why I love watching them.
Ashley Havey
Associate ProgrammerEveryone’s got a story; it’s just a matter of whether you‹the reader, the programmer, the audience‹are given a chance to hear it. The films in this year’s slate comprise a coterie that Vonnegut could get behind: in it, nothing is minor. Each film/filmmaker gives us something to absorb. Whether it's a fable about collecting tears or a story about a hermaphroditic pre-teen named after a dining utensil, we’re in the lucky positions to take away parts of someone else’s vision and somehow make them our own. And even if the Big Show is really inside our heads, this Festival’s curated on-screen phantasmagoria will give you enough brain footage to last through the next late-April. So get out your mental Bolex and start capturing.
Cara Cusumano
Associate ProgrammerMy first job in film, like so many other eager but not-yet-qualified young film nerds, involved wearing a bowtie and tearing tickets at a 99-cent second-run movie theater in my hometown. Somehow, I made it from there to here, and it was an honor to serve on the Tribeca Film Festival programming team for my second year. I am in awe of the hundreds of talented filmmakers whose work I screened. These filmmakers have put their passion in the hands of the Festival, and it is the programmers’ responsibility to be just as passionate, to advocate for those films that demand to be seen, and to work together to make sure audiences are getting access to the finest, freshest, most visionary voices representative of the breadth of works considered. The result of this collaboration is an exceptional program that I am honored to have had a part in shaping. A decade after my summer at the 99-cent theater and I’m still essentially in the same place, standing between the films and the audiences, hoping you enjoy the show.
Nancy Schafer
Executive Director, Tribeca Film FestivalNancy Schafer oversees all programming, budgeting, and operations for the Festival as well as working closely with the sponsorship team to raise funding. She joined the staff for the first Festival in 2002. As a Senior Vice President of Tribeca Enterprises, Schafer is responsible for Tribeca Film and Tribeca Film Festival Virtual, where she oversees programming and business development. In addition, she is responsible for the organization’s programming of Tribeca Cinemas. Prior to joining Tribeca, she created and ran the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas for eight years. Along with her festival experience, Schafer has worked on several films, including two from director John Sayles (Sunshine State, Limbo); two from director Robert Byington (Olympia, Shameless), and began her film production career on The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Schafer is a graduate of the University of Virginia.
Genna Terranova
Senior ProgrammerMovies are my favorite form of storytelling. Having the power to transport me to another place—whether I am ready for it or not—they range from a sweet escape to a sobering wake-up call. Before joining Tribeca, I worked for several years as a film acquisitions executive and watched movies at festivals around the world to determine what I believed audiences would want to see and what would thrive in the marketplace—an alchemic decision-making process that may never fully be mastered. Since festival programming allows for more range and diversity, and no less of a discerning eye, my own eclectic tastes can be entertained. Although my programming choices are made in an equally intellectual and intuitive way, it’s hard not to yield to my old sentiments—I like what works and moves me. However, in the end, the filmmakers are the true tastemakers, and I just try to sit back, enjoy the ride, and steer the good ones your way.
Jim Browne
Programmer2010 will mark my fifth year working at the Tribeca Film Festival. Each year I continue to be amazed by the variety and breath of work that we see from around the world. I'm so fortunate to be able to work with an incredible group of people who are so committed to finding the real gems out there and helping to bring them to the screen each spring. For me, part of the thrill of programming is about finding the titles that tell stories about people and ways of life that we don't usually get to experience. In the rapidly changing landscape of film distribution, film festivals are an integral part of the release for so many films, and it's a real honor to be able to help give some of these films a home at our Festival. I look forward to seeing this year's roster of inspired work on the screen.
Sharon Badal
Short Films ProgrammerI’ve been with Tribeca since the festival’s inception, and thousands of short film submissions later, I still get excited when I watch a film for the first time. I’m looking for new talent, unique stories, and an invitation into a world that I haven’t seen before in exactly the same way. I’m searching for storytelling that “gets me.” It gets me to cry, to laugh, or to sit stunned by its brilliance. It’s that moment of discovery. Watching more than 1,500 short films each season requires self-imposed exile, a great deal of concentration, and a passion for short films. Being a programmer means helping filmmakers to reach an audience, and exposing the audience to work they may not have a chance to see otherwise, especially the short films. That’s why I wrote a book about it, and why I love being a programmer.
Caroline Tran
Associate ProgrammerI work for the Tribeca Film Festival in many different capacities, but watching films is probably my favorite part of the job. My year begins in September when the first of the thousands of submissions the Festival receives arrives on my desk. No matter how the films come or where they come from, there is nothing more exciting than to open a package that contains the chance to cross borders, travel across continents and even through time. For me, the surprises of the stories are endless and the experience of film, whether I am viewing as a part of the programming team or as a member of the audience, takes me on many different journeys and introduces me to worlds that I am not a part of. I think our program represents both the familiar and the unexpected and I hope our audience allows themselves to be swept away as well.
Roya Rastegar
Associate ProgrammerI believe films can change the world—but not without people. As screens become smaller and more individual, festivals are one of the few spaces people can inspire, provoke, and excite one another by sharing a cinematic experience. I come to the Tribeca Film Festival after experience at a number of festivals, including Sundance, the Arab Film Festival, and the Los Angeles Film Festival. My passion for programming reaches nerdy depths: my doctoral dissertation examines the role of film festival curatorial practices on audience interaction. I heart programming because each great film delivers surprising surges of energy to unexpected outcomes. Whether they are quirky characters in everyday situations, or accessible characters with unique conditions, what gets me every time are earnest, well observed stories that reveal vulnerabilities and take me to the limit of humanity and back. Whether it be a documentary that makes the personal political, or a romantic comedy that shirks (co-)dependence on a single, infallible love interest… they all offer small steps towards a kinder world.
Ben Dorf
Associate ProgrammerWatching a good film, like connecting to any other story, can be completely transformative, transporting the viewer to an entirely different world. As far back as I can remember, movies have been able to accomplish that experience—they have drawn me in and inspired me to share that (sometimes even forcibly shoving DVDs and movie tickets into the hands of my friends). As overly idealized as it sounds, there is some reason to the madness: I’ve always thought there is something noble about finding the unsung heroes of cinema and giving them a platform to be seen, stories which otherwise would have no opportunity to reach an audience. To be part of the programming team for this year’s Festival and share with you the films we’ve been in love with for so many months now, I couldn’t be more excited and hope that filmgoers love these stories as much as we do.
Ian Hollander
Assistant ProgrammerGrowing up in northern Michigan, I was fortunate to live in the one town with a cinema that showed movies outside of the mainstream—foreign and indie fare was the norm. Despite my geographic isolation, I was treated weekly to new perspectives from around the globe. Film, perhaps more than any other medium, has the ability to transport you to an entirely unfamiliar milieu and to let you see the world through another set of eyes. The Festival experience takes this transportive power and amplifies it, bringing together a staggering array of voices for an 11-day stretch. As programmers, we are charged with condensing a pool of thousands of submissions, each of which represent years of effort on the part of the filmmakers, into a select few—a truly humbling task. In my first year on the programming team, it's been an honor to help seek out fresh voices in film and take part in the impassioned debates that shaped this year's slate.
