Tribeca Talks Panel Series Announced For 2008 Fest

The Tribeca Talks Panel Series line-up for the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival has just been announced. Like years past, the traditional panel series continues with the addition of a new program, “Behind the Screens: films and conversations about truth, clarity and responsibility” sponsored by iShares. “Behind the Screens” will feature three half-hour, in-depth discussions and audience Q&A with film participants following select screenings at the Directors Guild Theater. The 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by American Express, runs April 23rd – May 4th. Be sure to stay tuned to The Film Panel Notetaker. We will be out in full force at the Tribeca Film Festival. Now, here is the line-up:

BEHIND THE SCREENS

Lake City
This screening of Lake City, directed and written by Perry Moore and Hunter Hill, will be followed by a conversation with actress Sissy Spacek. The film is a dramatic narrative about a family threatened by violent criminals and a mother and son who must reconcile the past in order to save their home. Powerful performances by Spacek and Troy Garity highlight this potent drama, which also features Dave Matthews and Rebecca Romijn.

DATE: Saturday, April 26
TIME: 6:30 PM
LOCATION: Directors Guild Theater

Confessions of a Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha
Melvin Van Peebles will discuss his career and his latest film, Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha. Written and directed by Van Peebles, Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha is a semi-autobiographical boisterous adventure that ranges from Harlem to the high seas and follows the exploits of an unforgettable character (MVP, natch) who’s always on the move—but keeps ending up back in New York.

DATE: Thursday, May 1
TIME: 6:30 PM
LOCATION: Directors Guild Theater

Under Our Skin
Andy Abrahams Wilson, director of Under Our Skin, will talk with Dr. Richard Horowitz and author/Lyme disease sufferer Amy Tan about his provocative and often terrifying documentary about arguably the most overlooked and misdiagnosed ailment currently verging on epidemic throughout the United States - Lyme disease - and the shocking controversies surrounding its identification and treatment.

DATE: Sunday April 27
TIME: 6:30 PMLOCATION: Directors Guild Theater

TRIBECA TALKS PANEL SERIES

TRIBECA TALKS: Mike Figgis
Hosted by Skillset
Despite being nominated for an Oscar®, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe, Mike Figgis is still considered an “indie” film maverick. He was ahead of the digital filmmaking trend with 2000’s Timecode, is a founding patron of the online community Shooting People, and created a stabilizer for digital cameras known as the “Fig Rig.” A world-class director, writer, and composer, Figgis believes that cinema is today’s best storytelling medium, and his constant evolution in digital filmmaking challenges the way we experience those stories.

This special Tribeca Talks is hosted by Skillset’s Trailblazers program—a showcase for the best and brightest of new British cinema talent.

DATE: Monday, April 28
TIME: 6:30 PM
LOCATION: Directors Guild Theater

Pangea Day, TED & Tribeca
If you had the world’s attention, what story would you tell? The Tribeca Film Festival joins CNN’s Christiane Amanpour and TED Prize-winning filmmaker Jehane Noujaim (Control Room) to discuss the launch of Pangea Day (May 10, 2008)—a moment when the world stops, watches, and listens to each other’s stories around the world’s first global campfire. Moderated by TED curator, Chris Anderson.

DATE: Tuesday, April 29
TIME: 7 PM
LOCATION: Directors Guild Theater

Injecting the American Dream
Part of the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival
America’s performance enhancing appetite has never been bigger. And it’s not just in pro-sports or Hollywood. From high school locker rooms to anti-aging clinics, our nation is embracing steroids and human growth hormone like never before, spurring a furious debate about the ethics of enhancement. Join filmmaker Christopher Bell, who documented his brothers’ struggle to be “the best,” Victor Conte and others in a provocative discussion about the pitfalls and promise of the asterisk era, and where we go from here. Moderated by Steroid Nation author Shaun Assael.

DATE: Saturday, May 3
TIME: 5 PM
LOCATION: PACE

TRIBECA TALKS – INDUSTRY

Tribeca Talks Industry: Shane Meadows
Hosted by Skillset

With over 30 short films to his credit, self-taught director, writer and sometime actor, Shane Meadows is well regarded as one of the shining stars of British cinema. A 2008 BAFTA winner for Best British Film forThis Is England, Meadows brings a thoroughly unique post-modern style to filmmaking. With each of his films, set in the Midlands, Meadows gives audiences a front row seat to the broad experiences of disenfranchised youth. Join us for a conversation with Meadows and his writer Paul Fraser as he brings his latest, Somers Town, to the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. Moderated by film journalist Anthony Kaufman.

This Tribeca Talks: Industry panel is hosted by Skillset’s Trailblazers program—a showcase for the best and brightest of new British cinema talent.

DATE: Saturday, April 26
TIME: 3 PM
LOCATION: Kellen Auditorium

Reuse, Remix & Renew Film tools for the 21st century
Being an indie filmmaker is expensive—emotionally, financially, and legally. Many young artists don’t have the tools to create the films they want or to license them for future use. How does one navigate the uncharted legal waters of the internet, blogs, and podcasts? How can a “some rights reserved” approach to copyrighting benefit filmmakers and film fans alike? Join Eric Steuer (Contributing Editor, Wired; Creative Director, Creative Com­mons;) Paul “DJ Spooky” Miller, Himanshu Singh from the University of Southern California, and filmmaker and Webby Awards founder Tiffany Shlain for a discussion about technology, intellectual property, and the future of participatory media.

DATE: Thursday, May 1
TIME: 5 PM
LOCATION: Kellen Auditorium

Click To View: The Future of New Media
Sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter
Writers fought for it, directors want it, and actors are next in line. What is “new media,” and what does it mean for artists and audiences? Join those on the frontlines of this fast-growing industry for a conversation with filmmaker Isabella Rossellini, whose series of short films were created for mobile devices, and Gaurav Dhillon, founder and CEO of Jaman, about what we watch, make, and distribute outside the multiplex. Moderated by Georg Szalai (Hollywood Reporter).

DATE: Friday, April 25th
TIME: 5 PM
LOCATION Tribeca Cinemas, Theater 2


CONVERSATIONS IN CINEMA

Standard Operating Procedure
Can a photograph change the world? Can an expose also be a cover-up? In Standard Operating Procedure, Academy Award-winning director Errol Morris turns the camera on the American soldiers who took the infamous Abu Ghraib photographs. Join filmmaker Errol Morris in a conversation with Jarhead author Anthony Swofford following the North American Premiere of Standard Operating Procedure.

DATE: Thursday, April 24
TIME: 6:30 PM
LOCATION: Directors Guild Theater

2001: A Space Odyssey - Ahead of its Time
Sponsored by Alfred P Sloan Foundation
It’s one of the most spine tingling and memorable lines in movie history "Just what do you think you're doing, Dave?" - and it was spoken by a computer. 2001: A Space Odyssey was ahead of its time in many ways – depicting the most accurate vision of outer space to date (the weightlessness, the silence), to predicting many "modern" inventions: credit cards data strips, flat-screen TVs, in-flight entertainment and voice recognition. Join us for a special discussion following a screening of Kubrick's futuristic masterpiece, where pilot and astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 11, the first lunar landing, will join scientists and Contact screenwriter Ann Druyan to discuss the realities of the film, and the realities of artificial intelligence.

DATE: Sunday, April 27
TIME: 3PM
LOCATION: PACE

90 Miles The Documentary
The title of Grammy-winner Gloria Estefan’s latest album, “90 Millas,” refers to the distance between Cuba and southern Florida, a region that has become synonymous with Latin culture. At the core of that culture is its music, and Gloria’s husband Emilio captured the blood, sweat and tears that went into the new record in this very intimate film about the music-making process. Join director Emilio Estefan, Gloria Estefan, and musicians Nelson Gonzalez, Johnny Pacheco and La India for a candid discussion after the screening.

DATE: Thursday, May 1
TIME: 6 PM
LOCATION: BMCC

Celebrating Berlin
Hosted by the School of Visual Arts

Lou Reed's critically acclaimed 1973 album "Berlin" was yet another musical step forward in the career of the man who brought the darkest themes of literature to rock and roll. For years, "Berlin" was considered one of the more eclectic works in Reed's extraordinary catalog, but one that clearly cried out for a theatrical presentation. In 2006, backed by a full orchestra, Reed performed the mini-opera in its entirety over five nights at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, NY. And, under the direction of painter/director Julian Schnabel, this historic event was captured on film.

Join Lou Reed in a conversation with Vanity Fair's Lisa Robinson following the premiere of Julian Schnabel's film Lou Reed's Berlin.

DATE: Sunday, May 4
TIME: 7 PM
LOCATION: Directors Guild Theater