FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INNOVATION PROGRAMS ADDED FOR TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL® AT SPRING STUDIOS INCLUDING DEFCON HACKING CONFERENCE, OCULUS™ STORY STUDIO, INDUSTRY CONVERSATIONS, NEW TRIBECA TALKS: IMAGINATION SPEAKERS, AND A SPECIAL EVENT WITH A$AP ROCKY

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CHRIS MILK IS NAMED THE INAUGURAL TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL FEATURED CREATOR AT SPRING STUDIOS

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Creative Hub Gives Festivalgoers Insider Access like Never Before Spring Pass Now Available on Early Bird Sale at TribecaFilm.com

NEW YORK, NY (April 3, 2015) —The 2015 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by AT&T, today announced additional programming to take place at Tribeca Film Festival Spring Studios including DEFCON’s renowned hacking conference, Oculus™ Story Studio’s virtual reality experience, a special event with A$AP Rocky, and industry discussions in partnership with leading cultural institutions—“Tea Talks”. Additionally Chris Milk has been named the inaugural featured creator at Spring Studios. Access to an extraordinary line-up housed at the new downtown creative hub is available via the Spring Pass that lets the general festivalgoer feel like an industry insider.  Passes are now available on early bird sale at TribecaFilm.com.  Tribeca Film Festival Spring Studios, located at 50 Varick Street, will be open for the Festival from April 16 - 26. 

Like never before, the Spring Pass empowers holders to explore TFF’s dedication to innovation in storytelling during the Festival. Pass holders will have the opportunity to encounter immersive multimedia installations, delve into virtual realities, engage in talks and activities that will draw together the vanguard of the tech and interactive industry, and attend screenings, events and exclusive performances. Whether taking a break between screenings, meeting with friends, collaborating with colleagues, or attending an event— Spring Studios will be the cornerstone of TFF 2015.  Passes for the duration of the Festival and individual day passes are available.

DEFCON, the world's biggest, longest-running underground hacking conference, will, for the first time ever, bring their famous Villages – interactive spaces stocked with gear, projects, and brilliant humans – to the Festival, where visitors can immerse themselves in hands-on activities, and open-ended experimentation designed to bring out the hacker in everyone. Inspired by film and current events, Festivalgoers will be invited to explore and participate in hack-type scenarios to further illustrate the importance of technology, security, and knowledge in this digital age.  A special talk by founder Dark Tangent will kick start the festivities, which begin on April 23, and continue through April 25.

Oculus Story Studio is a small internal team of film and game developers dedicated to exploring ‘immersive cinema’ — real-time story-driven VR experiences that let the viewer step inside and actively participate in the story. Their goal is to learn more about cinema and storytelling in VR and to share that knowledge with the film community.

Oculus Story Studio will showcase its short (6.5-minute) experience called ‘Lost’ using the Oculus Rift™ Crescent Bay prototype.  “Lost” takes the viewer on a journey to a moonlit forest inhabited by an unexpected creature. The piece is directed by Oculus Story Studio’s creative director Saschka Unseld, who was also the director of Pixar’s short film ‘The Blue Umbrella’.

Chris Milk will be the inaugural Tribeca Film Festival Featured Creator at Spring Studios throughout the Festival. Chris Milk is an American artist, director, and entrepreneur. He is well known for his trailblazing interactive projects like “The Wilderness Downtown” and “The Johnny Cash Project” and for his large scale installations, “The Treachery of Sanctuary” and “The Exquisite Forest” (which was featured in Storyscapes in 2013). He is now working on groundbreaking virtual reality projects through his new endeavor, Vrse, with a collective of artists, technicians, thinkers, and innovators in the field. Chris brings a sense of artistry, craft and beauty to the virtual reality space. A selection of his VR projects will be featured throughout Spring Studios including “Evolution of Verse” and “Clouds Over Sidra.”

Rap phenomenon, director and style icon A$AP Rocky will join journalist/curator/creator Elliott Wilson for an extraordinary Tribeca Talks event on Tuesday, April 21, sponsored by Hennessy V.S. Native New Yorkers Rocky and Wilson will talk music, life—and the role that storytelling, directing and music videos played in his rise to Global Hip Hop royalty. The event—which will be filmed to air on WatchLOUD.com— is part of the critically-acclaimed CRWN series, a live + mobile + social experience, which has hosted Drake, Nicki Minaj and Kendrick Lamar.

Throughout TFF, key cultural organizations will participate in a series of discussions on the business and burgeoning creativity behind the scenes of the film industry —Tea Talks at Spring.  Each group will bring their unique perspective to intimate conversations taking place in the Festival lounges at Spring Studios.  Curating companies include The Blackhouse Foundation, Creative Future, The Film Foundation, IFP, Kickstarter, and NYWIFT.

In addition, IBM’s Alexa Swainson-Barreveld, and GE’s Alex Tapper were added as participants in the Tribeca Talks: Imagination series on April 22

Below is the full schedule of programming taking place at the Tribeca Film Festival Spring Studios in addition to multiple lounges for pass holders.  (Tea Talks programming will be posted on tribecafilm.com/festival beginning April 13.) All events and lounges are accessible with a Spring Pass unless otherwise noted.

Monday, April 13 - Wednesday, April 15

Free and open to the public, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 16

Free and open to the public, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Free, reservation required; reservations accepted starting April 6 at tribecafilm.com,      1:00 – 11:00 p.m.

Friday, April 17

Free and open to the public, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Free, reservation required; reservations accepted starting April 6 at tribecafilm.com, 12:00 - 11:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 18

Free and open to the public, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Free, reservation required; reservations accepted starting April 6 at tribecafilm.com, 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Doors open 9:30 a.m., programming 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Spring Pass, Spring Day Pass, or Invitation required

Sunday, April 19

Free and open to the public
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Free, reservation required; reservations accepted starting April 6 at tribecafilm.com 
Free, reservation required; reservations accepted starting April 6 at tribecafilm.com, 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Spring Pass, Spring Day Pass, or Tickets required: $35, tribecafilm.com 1:00 p.m.

Spring Pass, Spring Day Pass, or Tickets required: $35, tribecafilm.com 4:30 p.m.

Monday, April 20

Free and open to the public
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Spring Pass, Spring Day Pass, or Tickets required: $35, tribecafilm.com
1:00 p.m.

Spring Pass, Spring Day Pass, or Tickets required: $35, tribecafilm.com 4:00 p.m.

Spring Pass or Tickets required: $18, tribecafilm.com 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, April 21

Free and open to the public
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Spring Pass, Spring Day Pass, or Games 4 Change Pass
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Spring Pass or Ticket required, tribecafilm.com
7:30 p.m.

 

Wednesday, April 22

Free and open to the public
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Spring Pass or Spring Day Pass required
2:00PM – 6:00PM

Spring Pass or Spring Day Pass required

Spring Pass or Tickets required: $35, tribecafilm.com 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 23

Spring Pass or Spring Day Pass required
12:00PM – 6:00PM

Spring Pass or Spring Day Pass required
9:00AM – 5:00PM

Friday, April 24

Free and open to the public
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Spring Pass or Spring Day Pass required
10:00AM – 6:00PM

Spring Pass or Spring Day Pass required
12:00PM – 6:00PM

Spring Pass or Spring Day Pass required
9:00AM – 5:00PM

Spring Pass or Spring Day Pass required
3:00PM – 5:00PM

Saturday, April 25

Free and open to the public
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Spring Pass or Spring Day Pass required
10:00AM – 6:00PM   

Spring Pass or Spring Day Pass required
11:00AM – 6:00PM

Spring Pass or Spring Day Pass required
9:00AM – 5:00PM

Connect with Tribeca: To keep up with Tribeca, visit www.tribecafilm.com/festival. Like the Tribeca Film Festival Facebook page at facebook.com/TribecaFilm. Follow us on Twitter @TribecaFilmFest and on Instagram @tribeca and join the conversation by using the hashtag #TFF2015 or #TribecaTogether.

About the Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival helps filmmakers reach the broadest possible audience, enabling the international film community and general public to experience the power of cinema and promote New York City as a major filmmaking center. It is well known for being a diverse international film festival that supports emerging and established directors.

Founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001, following the attacks on the World Trade Center, to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of the lower Manhattan district through an annual celebration of film, music, and culture, the Festival brings the industry and community together around storytelling.

The Tribeca Film Festival has screened more than 1,600 films from more than 80 countries since its first edition in 2002. Since inception, it has attracted an international audience of more than 4.9 million attendees, and has generated an estimated $900 million in economic activity for New York City.

About the 2015 Festival Sponsors
As Presenting Sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival, AT&T is committed to supporting the Festival and the art of filmmaking through access and innovation, aiming to make this the most interactive film festival in the country, where visitors experience the Festival in ways they never imagined.

The Tribeca Film Festival is pleased to announce its Signature Sponsors: Accenture, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, American Express, Bloomberg, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Gin, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), Brookfield Place, ESPN, IWC Schaffhausen, The Lincoln Motor Company, NBC 4 New York, NCM Media Networks, The New York Times, Santander, United Airlines, and VDKA® 6100. The Festival welcomes new Signature Sponsor: Spring Studios and Thompson Hotels.

Passes and tickets for the 2015 Festival
The new Spring Pass is on sale now at tribecafilm.com/festival/tickets. This pass will provide access to Spring Studios, throughout the Festival, including innovation talks, exhibitions, as well as a resource center, and creative workspace, with food, and drinks. It also includes access to select special events at Spring Studios. The Pass will give discounts to all general screenings and panels during the Festival. The Spring Pass costs $400, discounted to $300 if purchased before April 15.  Pass holders can invite one guest to accompany them to Spring Studios each day of the Festival. An Individual Day Pass for Spring Studios costs $50, discounted to $40 if purchased before April 15.

Advance selection ticket packages are on sale now. All advance selection packages and passes can be purchased online at tribecafilm.com/festival/tickets, or by telephone at (646) 502-5296 or toll free at (866) 941-FEST (3378).

Single tickets cost $18.00 for evening, and weekend screenings, and $10.00 for weekday matinee screenings.

Single ticket sales begin Tuesday, March 31 for American Express Card Members, Sunday, April 5 for downtown residents, and Monday, April 6 for the general public. Single tickets can be purchased online, by telephone, or at one of the Ticket Outlets, with locations at Regal Cinemas Battery Park (102 North End Avenue), Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea (260 W. 23rd Street), and the Tribeca Film Festival creative hub at Spring Studios (50 Varick Street). The 2015 Festival will offer ticket discounts on general screenings and Tribeca Talks: After the Movie and Directors Series panels for students, seniors and select downtown Manhattan residents. Discounted tickets are available at Ticket Outlet locations only.

PRESS CONTACTS
Rubenstein Communications:
Lynn Trono, Vice President
(212) 843-8495, ltrono@rubenstein.com
Emily Vicker, Vice President
(212) 843-8078, evicker@rubenstein.com

TFF/Tribeca Enterprises:
Tammie Rosen, SVP of Communications
(212) 941-2003, trosen@tribecaenterprises.com

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