Tribeca Firenze to Bring Film Premieres to Italy's Tuscan Sun Festival

IMG Artists (IMGA), the global leader in the performing arts and lifestyle events management, and Tribeca Enterprises (TE), the parent company of the Tribeca Film Festival founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in lower Manhattan in 2002, announced today Tribeca Firenze, which will bring world-class film premieres to the widely-anticipated Tuscan Sun Festival in Florence, Italy 11-18 June, founded by IMGA’s Barrett Wissman in 2003. Legendary performer and 17-time Grammy winner Tony Bennett is the first major celebrity to confirm participation in Tribeca Firenze.

Tribeca Firenze joins a stunning lineup of performing artists and celebrities, food, wine, and cultural and historical exhibitions at what the UK’s The Independent newspaper described as ‘one of the ten best festivals in Europe’. The Tuscan Sun Festival and its film initiative Tribeca Firenze are made possible through the principal support of the Ente Cassa di Risparmio of Florence, are being organized under the patronage of Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi and the City of Florence, and in partnership with the Fondazione Teatro della Pergola, the New Theater of the Maggio Musicale of Florence, the Odeon Cinema, and the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi. Gucci, the renowned Italian fashion house with strong ties to the City of Florence, will partner with the Tuscan Sun Festival as one of the lead sponsors of the festival.

Tribeca Firenze will feature an extraordinary selection of films screened over five days, handpicked by Tribeca to complement the Tuscan Sun Festival’s broad palette of cultural offerings, bridging other art forms such as music and theater. Tribeca Firenze will present an international film panorama.

Among the films to be screened, Tribeca Firenze will present the European premiere of the film The Zen of Bennett, with Tony Bennett and his son Danny Bennett, who created and conceived the film, introducing the film. Filmed by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Dion Beebe, the documentary employs a voyeuristic approach while illustrating the isolation experienced by the artist in the midst of the recording sessions for his #1 album Duets II. Illustrating Bennett’s creative process are appearances by John Mayer, Lady Gaga, Michael Bublé and most poignantly, the late Amy Winehouse, all of whom recorded duets with the singer. The Zen of Bennett takes the viewer to a variety of locales including Los Angeles, Nashville, London, Italy – including a visit to Bennett’s ancestral home in Padagoni, Italy, as well as his home and art studio in New York City.