Robert De Niro launched the Tribeca Film Festival in a bid to revitalise New York in the aftermath of 9/11.
Robert De Niro launched the festival in 2002
The 83-year-old actor co-founded the world-famous film festival in 2002, and he’s now opened up about the challenge of getting the project off the ground.
In a new Netflix documentary, Tribeca 25, De Niro shared: “The festival was kind of an act of defiance.
“We had 120 days, 1,300 volunteers, no money, no blueprint, just an idea and a neighbourhood that needed people back in it.
“This wasn’t just about movies; it was about whether downtown was coming back.”
De Niro was always philosophical about launching the festival, even though it proved to be a stressful experience for him.
He said: “Nobody slept much. You looked out the window, and [the site of the Twin Towers] was still smoking. That kept things in perspective.”
De Niro also explained that the original ambition for the festival evolved over time.
The legendary actor reflected: “Our goal was to celebrate the power of filmmaking, but, more importantly, to revitalize our neighbourhood that was devastated on September 11th.
“You couldn’t even comprehend the enormity of it. It was devastation downtown. It was dying.”
Tribeca 25 is directed by Matt Tyrnauer and he’s explained his ambition for the project.
Matt said in a statement: “Tribeca 25 is a film about reinvention.
“It traces how Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal’s grit and determination to bring people back downtown after 9/11 evolved into one of the most influential cultural festivals in the world.
“I wanted to make a film about a city and a moment. Through archival footage, interviews, and scenes from downtown, the film explores the relationship between art and civic life — how storytelling can help restore a sense of community after profound tragedy.”
Matt described Tribeca 25 as a “love letter to New York and to the movies”.
The director also explained that the Netflix documentary focuses on “resilience, creativity, and the enduring human need to gather, connect, and find meaning in moments of upheaval”.
He reflected: “It is, in many ways, a love letter to New York and to the movies — to the belief that storytelling is one of humanity’s oldest and most powerful acts: a way of making meaning, building community, and imagining what comes next.
“Ultimately, it’s a story about resilience, creativity, and the enduring human need to gather, connect, and find meaning in moments of upheaval.”