12 Projects Announced for 8th Annual Tribeca All Access Program

The Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) today announced the 12 projects selected for Tribeca All Access (TAA) program. This year, the program will introduce $10,000 grants for each project along with tailored mentorships to maximize its impact. Now in its eighth year, TAA was created to help foster and nurture relationships between film industry executives and filmmakers from traditionally underrepresented communities. TAA will present the 12 projects throughout a five-day program taking place during the annual Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by American Express, held from April 20 - May 1, 2011. TAA is made possible by Bloomberg with major support from Time Warner and additional support from, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, The Academy Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), and The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

Ten filmmakers from across the country were selected from a pool of more than 376 submissions to participate in TAA this year. For the fourth year, two international participants are also included through the program's partnership with the Canadian Film Centre and for the last time the UK Film Council. New to this year's program, participating filmmakers will receive an initial $10,000 each in grants and will be paired with an advisor from the Producers Guild of America (PGA), in advance of the festival program. The PGA East and West Diversity Committees will also jointly produce a panel for past and present TAA filmmakers to showcase their work and highlight current concerns in the industry. As part of TAA @ TFF, projects featuring women and minority directors and screenwriters will be presented in one-on-one meetings with more than 100 potential investors, development executives, producers and agents on April 26 and 27. The filmmakers will also participate in workshops and networking events. 

"With this year's expanded grants to participants, we are committed to finding more ways to encourage women and minority filmmakers' visions to be seen and heard by our industry," said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of TFI. "The access and support that TAA provides filmmakers is crucial to showcasing their talent to wider audiences."

Throughout the TAA program, a jury comprised of industry professionals, including actors, writers, producers and directors, will review script excerpts and work samples from the TAA participants and deliberate on the most promising projects. Two Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Awards for Documentary and Narrative films will then be announced at the TFI Awards Luncheon on April 28 awarding each winner with an additional $10,000 in funding to support their film project. The 2011 Narrative jurors are Hiam Abbass, Ajay Naidu and F. Gary Gray. The 2011 Documentary jurors are Elvis Mitchell, Suroosh Alvi, and John Quinones.

"We are looking forward to implementing the new grants and mentorships so that we can continue to make the most of the benefits of our program. It is truly rewarding to see the direct impact that TAA has had on our filmmakers' success both at Tribeca Film Festival, and beyond, and we hope to continue that momentum," said Tamir Muhammad, Director of Feature Programming for TFI. "This year's projects also show incredible promise and we can't wait to see the potential they bring."

As part of TAA's mission to support filmmakers year-round, TAA recently extended its programming and support for alumni by awarding $25,000 in grants and fellowships for past TAA projects in development or new works by program alumni. The grants include: TAA Adrienne Shelly Foundation Filmmaker Grant to aid in the advancement of talented women filmmakers; The Games for Change Fellowship which TAA will collaborate with Games for Change (G4C) to support one alumnus in creating a game as part of the filmmaking process; and the Audience Activation Grant which one filmmaking team will work with Push Creative, a full service branding agency, to encourage audience development, including a newly designed website. Additionally, alumni will continue to have access to free or discounted equipment and services for any of their projects, and be eligible to take part in a series of workshops, panels and industry events. Promotional support and screening opportunities will also be provided for completed films.

"Bloomberg is proud to continue its support of the Tribeca All Access program," said Bloomberg L.P. Chairman Peter T. Grauer. "We're excited to join forces with an organization committed to helping diverse filmmakers access key industry leaders and present their work to the high-caliber audience that Tribeca Film Institute provides."

2011 Tribeca All Access Program Schedule
Beginning on Friday, April 22, Tribeca All Access will team up with world renowned Chef David Bouley for David Bouley's Test Kitchen Presents "Key Ingredients," a cinematic and culinary experience dedicated to creating, developing, and extending advanced approaches to food & film. The event will include a presentation and discussion of select work from TAA alumni over lunch. This showcase is part of the year-round alumni support provided by the TAA program.
Time Warner will host the first day of TAA programming, which officially begins on Monday, April 25. TAA participants will gather at the Time Warner Center for a Welcome Luncheon, practice pitch sessions and a special screening of a TAA alumni film. On Tuesday, April 26 and Wednesday, April 27, TAA participants will have one-on-one industry meetings and a special TAA Filmmaker Mixer at Helen Mills.

The TFI Award Luncheon will take place at Riverpark NYC on Thursday, April 28. In addition to the annual presentation of the TAA Creative Promise Awards, this year, TAA will also present the new grants awarded exclusively for TAA Alumni totaling $25,000. Other specialized awards will also be presented during the event.