Stripped of the thrill of celebrity sightings and indie film screenings, film fests are basically about one thing: partying. I assume this to be a mantra of festivals in general: “work” in the daytime (aka watch movies) and “celebrate” in the evening (aka get wasted on free booze). At Tribeca’s “Industry & Filmmakers” party last night at M2 Ultra Lounge, this mantra was fully realized. Imagine a sea of lonely wandering journalists, vague industry mavens and nondescript filmmakers flooding a trendy nightclub blaring the sounds of Lady Gaga and Depeche Mode. Above, “acrobats” adorned in corsets and fishnets swung from the ceiling by lush pieces of fabric and a man in a checkered body suit wrapped himself in bubble-like latex. No resemblance to the Tribeca film festival whatsoever. Really.
As for real Tribeca updates (aka the daytime shenanigans), De Niro & Co. announced the award winners of the fest. The lucky ones included Ian Olds of Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi for Best New Documentary Filmmaker, Here and There for Best NY Narrative and About Elly for Best Narrative Feature. With jurors such as Uma Thurman, Meg Ryan and Mary-Kate Olsen, that’s quite an honor.
