2015 Tribeca Film Festival Announces Tribeca Talks Series Including Christopher Nolan and George Lucas

Next month, we’ll be heading to New York City to cover the 14th annual Tribeca Film Festival.  Started by legendary screen star Robert DeNiro and his producing partner Jane Rosenthal, the fest has become something of a launchpad for young indie filmmakers to let their projects take flight.

One of the more interesting aspects of the fest is their “Tribeca Talks” program – a revealing series of conversations with industry titans that illuminate the behind-the-scenes happenings of the business, and the future of the medium.  This year, event organizers have amassed an incredible line-up of guests including Christopher Nolan, George Lucas, and Harvey Weinstein.

Check out the full press release below, and stay tuned starting later next month when our coverage of the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival begins.

New York, NY [March 16, 2015] – The 2015 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by AT&T, today announced its lineup for the 2015 Tribeca Talks^® series. TFF will feature conversations with some of the industry’s most critically and commercially successful filmmakers, artists, and executives including Christopher Nolan with Bennett Miller, George Lucas with Stephen Colbert, Cary Fukunaga with James Schamus, Brad Bird with Janeane Garofalo, Harvey Weinstein, Gus Van Sant, Courtney Love, Catherine Martin, Christiane Amanpour, and more. The Tribeca Talks panels and events will run during the 14^th edition of TFF, taking place April 15–26.

TFF also announced four additional feature documentary films that will screen during the Festival as part of the Tribeca Talks: After the Movie series: the world premieres of CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap and The Diplomat, and the New York premieres of Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck and Misery Loves Comedy. Two advance premieres of new episodes from the anticipated Comedy Central series “Inside Amy Schumer” and Netflix’s “Chef’s Table,” one short film, Les Bosquets, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s retrospective screening of Good Will Hunting round out the Tribeca Talks: After the Movie series. Tribeca Talks: After the Movie events give audiences the opportunity to watch a film and then listen to a related conversation with filmmakers and industry experts.

This year’s Tribeca Talks series offers unique opportunities to hear from some of the top storytellers in the world about filmmaking, film distribution, and media consumption. Programs include the “Tribeca Talks: Directors Series, sponsored by Warner Bros. Pictures” where an acclaimed director participates in an intimate one-on-one conversation; “Tribeca Talks: Master Class” conversations focusing on a specific sector of the filmmaking process; “Tribeca Talks: Script & Screen, hosted by Barnes & Noble” which explores topics related to screenwriting, as well as the previously announced special “Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival Conversations” which presents conversations relating to sports and competition in film, and previously announced “Tribeca Talks Imagination powered by the Hatchery” events featuring discussions with tech thought leaders.

 “Each year, the conversations we offer are among the Tribeca’s most anticipated and sought-after events and we’re proud of the participants we’re going to hear from this year,” said Executive Vice President of Tribeca Enterprises Paula Weinstein. “These panels offer unique insights into the filmmaking process and give audiences an opportunity to learn from industry leaders across a wide range of subjects and contribute to the conversation.”

 Listed by category, the 2015 Tribeca Talks events are:

“Tribeca Talks: Directors Series, sponsored by Warner Bros. Pictures” will include intimate conversations with:

• Director and writer Christopher Nolan will review his boundary-pushing work and how he creates entire worlds and realities from his imagination with director Bennett Miller.
• Legendary director George Lucas discusses his career as a filmmaker, including his work on the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, with Stephen Colbert.
• Acclaimed TV and film director Cary Fukunaga will explore the elements of creating award-winning works for both the big and small screens with writer and producer James Schamus.
• Academy Award-winning filmmaker Brad Bird (Ratatouille; The Incredibles; Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol) will discuss how he has succeeded in creating both animated and live-action films with Janeane Garofalo.

“Tribeca Talks: After the Movie” will include:

• A sneak peak of the third season of Comedy Central’s “Inside Amy Schumer,” the Emmy®-nominated series that blends scripted, stand-up, and man-on-street interview content; followed by a conversation with executive producer/writer/series star Amy Schumer, and members of the creative and production team including Dan Powell, Jessi Klein, Kevin Kane, Kim Caramele, , Ryan McFaul, and Jonathan Furmanski.
• The world premiere of The Diplomat, a look at the legacy left by Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, whose diplomatic work spanned from Vietnam to Afghanistan; followed by a conversation with director David Holbrooke, producerStacey Reiss, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, and New York Times columnist Roger Cohen.
• The world premiere of Chef’s Table, a series that showcases the techniques and talents of some of the most well-known international chefs; followed by a conversation with creator David Gelb, episode director Clay Jeter and Blue Hill chef Dan Barber.
• The world premiere of Very Semi-Serious, a light-hearted look at the artists who create the legendary cartoons for The New Yorker; followed by a conversation with director Leah Wolchok and cartoon editor of the New Yorker Bob Mankoff.
• The world premiere of CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap, a documentary that exposes the gender gap in software engineering; followed by a conversation with director Robin Hauser Reynolds, Qualcomm chief learning officer Tamar Elkeles, GoDaddy chief people officer Auguste Goldman, and Etsy engineering director for infrastructure Jason Wong.
• The New York premiere of Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, an intimate look at Cobain’s life through the lens of home movies, recordings, journals, and artwork; followed by a conversation with director Brett Morgen and film subjectCourtney Love. Moderated by Rolling Stone ‘s Neil Strauss.
• The New York premiere of Misery Loves Comedy, a documentary with well-known comedians who share the painful experiences they’ve encountered while striving for laughs; followed by a conversation with director Kevin Pollak and cast members.
• For the annual Sloan retrospective salute, a screening of Good Will Hunting, the Academy Award-winning film that follows a janitor who, with the help of a psychology professor, gets his life on the right path; followed by a conversation with director Gus Van Sant and guests.
• The premiere of Les Bosquets, French artist JR’s short film about his personal experiences in the ghetto of Montfermeil; followed by a conversation with artist JR and dancer Lil Buck.

“Tribeca Talks: Master Class” are free events and will feature:

• Adorama Rental Co. (ARC): The Producers, a conversation with independent film producers about how they overcame all of the logistical and financial obstacles associated with independent filmmaking in order to ensure their art remain authentic. Panelists include Anthony Bregman (Foxcatcher), Matthew Parker (Beasts of the Southern Wild), and Alex Orlovsky (Blue Valentine). Moderated by The Hollywood Reporter’s Tatiana Seigel.

• Get the Look, an intimate conversation with Academy Award-winning costume designer Catherine Martin (The Great Gatsby; Moulin Rouge; Romeo + Juliet) and Vogue’s International Editor-at-Large Hamish Bowles about how costumes can create the most stunning and memorable moments on film.

• Dolby Institute: The Sound of the Coens, an exploration of how the sound of the film affects the audience’s reaction to what they are experiencing visually on screen. Panelists include long-time Coen brothers’ composer Carter Burwell (No Country for Old Men; Where the Wild Things Are; A Serious Man) and Academy Award winning Sound Mixer Skip Lievsay(Inside Lleweyn Davis, Gravity, True Grit). Moderated by Director of The Dolby Institute Glenn Kiser.
• CNN Films: Capture Reality, leading documentary filmmakers reveal how they choose their film subjects and capture their “real lives” on film. Panelists include director Liz Garbus (What Happened, Nina Simone?) director Rachel Boynton (Big Men), and director Roger Ross Williams (God Loves Uganda). Moderated by film critic Eric Hynes.

“Tribeca Talks: Script and Screen, hosted by Barnes & Noble” are free events and will include:

• Act Your Age, a discussion around the many ways filmmakers address themes concerning age, from youth to growing older. Panelists include King Jack director Felix Thompson and Gored director Ido Mizrahy. Moderated by Variety’sGordon Cox.
• The Beauty of Angst, a conversation surrounding the emotion of angst and how filmmakers can make audiences relish exploring human angst on screen without going too dark and pushing audiences away. Panelists include Meadowlanddirector Reed Morano, Thank You for Playing co-directors David Osit and Malika Zouhali-Worrall, and Necktie Youthdirector Sibs Shongwe-La Mer. Moderated by Indiewire’s Eric Kohn.
• This is the Real Life, a group of documentary and narrative filmmakers will discuss the choices they made to create films based on real events. Panelists include The Adderall Diaries director Pamela Romanowsky, As I Am: The Life and Times of DJ AM director Kevin Kerslake, Men Go Battle director Zachary Treitz and The Wannabe director Nick Sandow. Moderated by The Verge’s Ross Miller.

Tribeca Talks Conversations

• Harvey Weinstein in Conversation, hear from Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein about how he has launched careers, crafted films, and remained at the top of his game.

• David Rockwell: How Does a Space Tell a Story?, David Rockwell will discuss how the design of a space can affect our experiences, mood and even the work we produce.

• Immerse Yourself, an examination of how viewers engage themselves physically and psychologically in the ways they consume media; panelists include The Art of Immersion author Frank Rose, The Storytelling Animal author Jonathan Gottschall, and futurist and Shots of Awe creator Jason Silva. Moderated by journalist Jon Erlichman.
• Secrecy & Power, a discussion about the relationship between power and information and the impacts that result from information leaking; panelists include former spy Valerie Plame, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Bart Gellman, and director Alex Gibney. Moderated by NBC News’ Cynthia McFadden.
• Long Story Short, a discussion about short form content and choosing the right form of distribution to reach an audience; panelists include Eternal Princess director Katie Holmes, ESPN Films director of development Dan Silver, High Maintenance creators Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfeld, and “Billy on the Street” creator and star Billy Eichner. Moderated by ‘Screenwriting Advice in 6 Seconds or less’ Brian Koppelman.
• Snap It, Vine It, Tube It, a conversation about how social media has changed the ways content creators are telling stories; panelists include Snapchat stars Jerome Jarre and Chris Carm, Youtube sensation Alphacat, and The Gregory Brothers. Moderated by Maker Studios founder Lisa Donovan.

 Previously announced Special Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival Conversations

• The Greatest Catch Ever, directed by Spike Lee, reviews one of the greatest moments in Super Bowl history, David Tyree’s catch from Eli Manning in the New York Giants’ victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. After the screening, Spike Lee and David Tyree will discuss the legendary play and the state of sports fandom.
• Shock the World, directed by Zak Knutson, revisits professional wrestler-turned-politician Jesse Ventura’s improbable run to become the governor of Minnesota. After the screening, ESPN’s FiveThirtyEight editor-in-chief and statistician Nate Silver will discuss polling in political history and how it applies to the 2016 presidential election.
• Versus: Go, Sebastian, Go!.  Executive producer Eva Longoria and ESPN have created a series of short films highlighting defining moments in sports history that transcend athletics. After the screening, Eva Longoria and Versus director Retta(“Parks and Recreation”) will discuss sports and activism.