Tribeca Enterprises, the Portuguese broadcast company SIC, its streaming platform OPTO and the City of Lisbon announced the first-ever European-edition of the Tribeca Festival. Tribeca Festival Lisboa marks a significant milestone for Portugal’s burgeoning arts community and will take place October 17-19. Beato Innovation District on the River Tagus will serve as the main venue for Tribeca Festival Lisboa.
Hosted by Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro and Oscar- and Emmy-nominated producer Jane Rosenthal, the festival will consist of an opening night followed by a two-day event at Beato Innovation District on Lisbon’s waterfront. Award-winning filmmaker Patty Jenkins, EGOT Whoopi Goldberg and Oscar-nominated actor Griffin Dunne have signed on as early headline speakers.
Robert De Niro, co-founder of Tribeca Enterprises, said: “At its core, Tribeca is about uplifting a community of artists–whether that community is below 14th Street in Manhattan or across the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon.”
“We believe a city thrives when its artists thrive,” added Jane Rosenthal, co-founder and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises, “We’re honored to partner with Impresa this fall to champion the young generation of filmmakers, artists, and creators coming out of Portugal today.”
De Niro and Rosenthal are acclaimed figures in the entertainment industry and advocates for storytelling. Together, they lead the Tribeca Festival, which was founded in 2001. Rosenthal is De Niro's long-time producing partner and they have collaborated on over three decades on films like “A Bronx Tale,” “Wag the Dog”, “Meet the Parents,” and “The Good Shepherd” to name a few. In 2020, Rosenthal was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture for producing “The Irishman”, which starred De Niro.
Patty Jenkins is an award-winning writer and director best known for directing the blockbuster “Wonder Woman” and her debut Oscar-winning feature, “Monster”. In 2017, Jenkins became the first woman in history to direct a live-action film with a budget over $100 million with her critical hit “Wonder Woman”. Goldberg is a multifaceted talent recognized for her achievements in acting, comedy, writing, and hosting. Having acted in over 150 films, Goldberg is one of the 19 people to achieve the EGOT, having won the four major American awards for professional entertainers: an Emmy (Television), a Grammy (Music), an Oscar (Film), and a Tony (Theater). A mainstay in Hollywood for over four decades, actor, director, and producer, Dunne, has solidified his place among the industry elite for his work in front of, and behind, the camera. His film credits include “Dallas Buyers Club” opposite Matthew McConaughey, Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours” and “An American Werewolf in London”.
Programming, led by Tribeca’s SVP of Programming and Festival Director Cara Cusumano, in partnership with SIC and OPTO, and executive producer Tony Goncalves, former WarnerMedia executive and Portuguese native, will include a curated collection of both Portuguese and international films, live talks with Portuguese and international talent, immersive installations, networking opportunities, and more. The full programming lineup will be announced this summer.
Francisco Pedro Balsemão, Impresa’s CEO, mentioned: “The entire team at SIC and OPTO is proud to bring the prestigious Tribeca Festival to Europe for the first time. Our main media platforms will present Tribeca Festival Lisboa with the same innovative spirit with which they were created.”
Carlos Moedas, Lisbon’s Mayor, highlighted: "Tribeca is a festival that aligns perfectly with Lisbon's cultural ethos and policy, where we engage with our people in their neighborhoods, on the streets of Lisbon. Culture is rooted in a City’s people and events like this put it on display and bring our community together. That is the spirit of Tribeca.”
The festival will bring together artists and storytellers from across the globe and attendees can look forward to talks from some of Hollywood’s most acclaimed filmmakers and actors. “I love the way Tribeca spotlights emerging talent from across the globe,” said Jenkins. “I’m thrilled to be joining the festival in Lisbon to share what I can, but also to immerse myself in Portuguese culture and cinema. I know it’s going to be an incredibly inspiring and enriching experience.”
Tribeca’s footprint in Lisbon signals global ambitions for the media and entertainment company, which first expanded internationally between 2009-2012 with the Doha Tribeca Film Festival, the first-ever film festival in Qatar. In recent years, Tribeca has cemented its presence beyond New York City with annual events in Los Angeles, through a partnership with LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Company and the Uninterrupted Film Festival, as well as in Miami through a partnership with Art Basel Miami.