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Yesterday, the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival came to a close, wrapping up nearly two weeks of premieres, panels, and parties. In addition to the notable increase in size and star power compared to previous years, TFF 2015 was home to a slew of female filmmakers, producers, and actresses who are making ground-breaking strides to disrupt a historically male-dominated field with skewed diversity. Discussions from Selma director Ava DuVernay, comedic goddess Amy Schumer, and Thought Crimes documentarian Erin Lee Carr were just a few of the many featured female talents who shared their experiences in working their way to the top of their respective fields and helped make TFF 2015 one of the most influential festivals in its 14-year history. Here are a few of our favorite moments.
The house that Jane Rosenthal built.
Robert De Niro may be the face of the Tribeca Film Festival, but co-founder Jane Rosenthal and her army of female producers and programmers helped make the annual celebration bigger than its ever been. Founded after September 11 to help restore downtown Manhattan, TFF has become one of the most important outlets for up-and-coming talent to showcase their skills.
Ava DuVernay took on race and the politics of framing a scene.
Ava DuVernay took to the Tribeca Talks stage with rapper Q-Tip to talk about the importance of lighting black actors and actresses to accurately reflect their true skin tones — even if this isn’t the Hollywood norm. DuVernay discussed her films Selma and Middle of Nowhere, and emphasized how critical it is to work with a cinematographer who understands the humanity and influence in how a person of color is framed and lit onscreen. In DuVernay’s case, she lucked out when she met photography prodigy Bradford Young, who we can’t get enough of, either. [Where to stream Selma and Middle of Nowhere]
Amy Schumer challenged Hollywood double standards.
Following a preview of the new season of Inside Amy Schumer, the comedian and her team of writers took to the stage to break down what exactly it means to have a “Last Fuckable Day,” and how this time around the Schumer squad is “going to do whatever the fuck we want,” in making this third season the raunchiest and most honest we’ve seen yet. [Where to stream Inside Amy Schumer]
Zosia Mamet and Diane Bell discussed the importance of women helping women both on and offscreen.
Girls‘ Zosia Mamet stars in Bleeding Heart as Shiva, a prostitute whose estranged sister, May (Jessica Biel), puts her peaceful life on the line to protect her from her abuse boyfriend and lifestyle. Directed by Diane Bell, the film shows two different feminist perspectives through characters who have more in common than what meets the eye. “Jessica is the most incredible person,” Mamet gushed about her co-star, who just gave birth to a baby boy a few days prior. Bell went on to compliment both actresses who helped make her deeply personal film a reality. “One of the driving forces of the film was to have two women who are from completely different backgrounds but who are sisters and actually have so much more in common than they think,” Bell told Decider. “That was definitely something for me, as a woman, that I just wanted to explore in this film. For me, this film is like my fantasy of what women should do for each other and what women helping women really means.”
Erin Lee Carr took on convicts, cannibals, and 'Thought Crimes'
Erin Lee Carr, daughter of late David Carr, channeled her journalistic roots for the fascinating documentary Thought Crimes, coming soon to HBO. Carr followed the aftermath of the arrest and conviction of the infamous Cannibal Cop Gilberto Valle, a former NYPD officer who allegedly planned to rape, cook, and eat women he stalked online. She interviewed dozens of experts on cannibalism, fetishism, and conflicting ideas surrounding “Big Brother” aspects of convicting people on the potential they could be dangerous based on what they confess online. It’s a twisted look on what could happen when the virtual world behind our computer screen seeps into our everyday lives. [Thought Crimes premieres on HBO, HBO Go, and HBO NOW May 11]
Click for more coverage on the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.
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