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Tribeca Film Festival returns to life - 16th June 2021

Tribeca Film Festival has returned to New York as a live event. Big screen actors were delighted to attend the celebration of independent films.

Famous actor and festival judge Bryan Cranston describes its importance.

Bryan Cranston: "To have the Tribeca Film Festival come back after Covid lockdown, when everybody was contained, and quarantined and tight, and now to be able to loosen that up and enjoy and celebrate. It's what society needs, not just in, you know, New York for the Tribeca but all around the world to celebrate art."

The TriBeCa district of Manhattan was home to the World Trade Centre. After 9/11, a group of actors, which included Robert De Niro, founded the Tribeca Film Festival, which was first held in 2002. It succeeded in bringing optimism back to the area.

Actress Sharon Stone believes a similar need exists after the pandemic.

Sharon Stone: "We all lost. There really aren't any of us here that didn't lose – we all lost. We lost our jobs, we lost our bearings, we lost our loved ones, we lost our sense of security and self. We all lost in this epidemic."

In 2020, the festival was hosted entirely online. However, the 20th anniversary programme mixes digital and live content. This will enable people to enjoy experiences together again.

Actress Helen Hunt was a TriBeCa resident back in 2002. She feels confident about the festival's impact.

Helen Hunt: But I remember when it started and how much healing it brought at the time. So it's doing it again."