Tribeca Festival Presents De Niro Con

Friday, June 14 through Sunday, June 16

At Spring Studios (6 St. Johns Ln.)

BY SCOTT STIFFLER | Having first taken place in 2002 as a way to bring attention—and people, and spending—back to Lower Manhattan after the previous year’s terrorist attack, the Tribeca Film Festival, these days, goes by the name “Tribeca Festival,” ostensibly to better rep the diversity of programming (panels, music, VR) it’s long offered above and beyond what’s been booked for the big screen.

But what’s become of its trusty, former middle name? Rest assured—with feature-length narratives, shorts, documentaries, and dozens of genre and niche selections, “Film” is still very much the star of the show at Tribeca Festival.

That’s especially apparent when scanning the content that comprises De Niro Con. Taking place for three days—June 14-16—within 2024 Tribeca Festival’s 12 days of brick-and-mortar programming, De Niro Con celebrates Festival co-founder Robert De Niro’s often intense, consistently compelling presence in some of cinema’s most iconic films (often regarded as such not just for the aesthetic or thematic statement they make, but for the impactful performance De Niro delivers).

As a result, De Niro Con delivers all the density of programming and variety of content one expects from a film “fest” while coming at its celebrated namesake with all the deep-dive obsessiveness of a Trek or Comic “con”—as in, convention; as in, a multi-day public gathering that provides a space for superfans to geek out and neophytes to binge until their inevitable conversion. There are screenings and talks; a De Niro is an Icon exhibit; and special events that actually seem as if they’re going to be something special.

Here are some selections from the schedule we’re subjectively declaring must-sees:

Screening Friday, June 14, 4pm at the Indeed Theater at Spring Studios is 1999’s Analyze This. The film finds De Niro trading on his “this hothead just might flip out and do damage any second now” tough-guy persona (he plays a messed-up mob boss who seeks the help of a psychiatrist). Following the screening, Whoopi Goldberg moderates a conversation with De Niro and the film’s well-played shrink, Billy Crystal. The following year, with the release of Meet the Parents, De Niro would begin to deliver a string of comedies bemoaned by “fans” who thought it was a step down for the guy who had, up to that point, had his greatest success working the opposite end of the smile-and-grin scale.

Many years have passed, though, since that streak of comedies—and the passage of time has been kind, indeed. Or not. It’s still the stuff of great debate—and although there’s little doubt Whoopi will peel back the curtain and elicit some real insight from the Analyze This stars, there’s nothing much else on the schedule that puts De Niro’s played-for-laughs work under the film historian or comedy deconstructionist’s microscope. And another thing: 1988’s Midnight Run—with  Charles Grodin proving a pitch perfect comedic partner—is MIA, making one think the powers that be have a few more editions of De Niro Con in mind, should this one get a warm public reception. Stay tuned…

As for the enduring classics—all must-sees if you only know them from the impression you do of that one scene everybody’s seen in clip form—are The Godfather Part II, a 50th Anniversary screening of Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro in conversation with Nas; Saturday, June 15, 2pm at the Beacon Theatre), Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Deer Hunter (movie introduction by Christopher Walken: Sunday, June 16, 4:30pm at the Indeed Theater at Spring Studios), and Taxi Driver.

There’s no doubt De Niro is more than worthy of his “icon” status, based on any one of the half-dozen film credits in the above paragraph (a list that’s by no means complete). So one of the most anticipated attractions at De Niro Con need not worry about defending its title—De Niro is an Icon: An Exhibit. This “career-spanning exhibit celebrating 80 years of the icon Robert De Niro” promises over 300 items mostly originating from De Niro’s personal archive (housed, press material tells us, “at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas”). Rare images, annotated scripts, costumes, research materials, and storyboards are among the offerings. Through June 16 at the AT&T Untold Stories Lounge at Spring Studios.

Do clothes make the man—or in this case, the character the man must make? Dressing De Niro means to tackle that matter by providing a rare window into De Niro’s character preparation. Costume designer Aude Bronson-Howard and dresser Monica Ruiz Ziegler, who’ve collaborated with De Niro for years, share stories and rare perspectives. It happens Saturday, June 15, 12pm at The Indeed Lounge at Spring Studios. Later in the day at 5pm, at The AT&T Untold Stories Lounge at Spring Studios, De Niro Fan Trivia has attendees competing in teams to show just how far their De Niro knowledge goes.

In the off chance there’s any lingering doubt about Robert De Niro’s “icon” status, consider this: “Every bodega and sandwich shop in the Tri-State Area,” event organizers tell us, “has their own take on The De Niro, an Italian-American sandwich menu staple.” At The De Niro Hero: Sandwich Tasting & Competition,” local sandwich shops will serve up bites of their “De Niro” to compete for the official title of Best De Niro Hero. A panel of judges will award the Best De Niro Hero winner with official laurels and an additional Fan Favorite will be selected by attendees.” It happens Sunday, June 16, 12pm at the Spring Studios Roof.

We’re bringing this preview to a full stop now, to wrap things up with the below where/how info. Because, really—as good as this three-day event sounds, we’re not asking any aspect of it to capture our hearts and minds any further, now that the genius phrase “Best De Niro Hero” has been introduced to the popular culture and the public record. De Niro Con II, the bar has been set high!

To visit the De Niro Con online and access the full schedule of events, click here. For the latest updates follow @Tribeca and #DeNiroCon on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and to become a Tribeca Member or purchase passes and tickets for De Niro Con, go to https://tribecafilm.com/denirocon.

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