Many students choose to watch movies from comfortably inside in the Columbia bubble. But those looking to explore the film scene in a less familiar zip code should consider hopping on the 1 train downtown and checking out 10013.
SoHo/Tribeca, the residential area that borders New York’s financial district, is primarily known for its industrial-chic architecture, cobblestoned streets, celebrity sightings, and abundance of fat wallets. In the past few years, though, it has also become a major center for film in New York City.
As celebrities like Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, and James Gandolfini have flocked to Tribeca’s multi-million dollar apartments, producers and directors have come to the area for the growing film scene. The warehouses and wide streets of Tribeca have served as filming locations since the 1980s, but it wasn’t until 2002, when the Tribeca Film Festival was founded, that the area became a popular spot for cinema.
The first Tribeca Film Festival was organized by film producer Jane Rosenthal and actor-producer Robert De Niro less than four months after the Sept. 11 attacks as a way to revitalize the neighborhood’s ailing economy. With over 150,000 attendees, the festival generated over $10 million for the area. Since then, the festival has become an annual tradition and shown hundreds of films, from both independent filmmakers and major studios. It has expanded to include panel discussions, music events, and drive-in movies on the Hudson River.
In 2003, Robert De Niro bought a small movie theater downtown and renamed it Tribeca Cinemas. The theatre screens independent movies and, on Feb. 6 and 7, will host a screening of Sex and Justice, a crime-drama film directed by Columbia Alumnus Michael DiBiasio, CC ’06. The short film, shot in a documentary style, takes place almost entirely in an interrogation room and tells the story of three cops and a prostitute who become mixed-up in a murder. Richard Brundage, who plays a corrupt district attorney, shows off his acting skills while Rebecca De Ornelas steals the show as a sexy, smooth-talking former prostitute. DiBiasio, who shot the film on a limited budget in a potato chip warehouse, shows promise as a director, even if the screenplay for Sex and Justice comes off as a bit muddled.
Located a short distance from Tribeca Cinemas, the Angelika Film Center is one of the premier theatres for independent and foreign films in New York City. Films like The Class, a French film about teacher’s experience with his junior high class, and Serbis, a Filipino film about a family that operates a run-down movie theatre, are just two examples of the quality films Angelika is currently showing.
Whether you are going to the Angelika or to a Tribeca Film Festival-related screening, it’s worth the 30-minute subway ride to explore this fantastic section of New York. Use a trip down to Tribeca as an excuse to stop studying for a few hours, venture off campus, and catch a movie.
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