We Love: Jane Rosenthal and the Tribeca Film Festival

Lower Manhattan was badly damaged in the wake of September 11th—not just physically, but economically. In the days and weeks following the attacks, local business leaders and politicians feared for the area’s survival—but Jane Rosenthal took action and the Tribeca Film Festival was born. Rosenthal and her partners Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff conceived of the festival as a way to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan, and centered its mission on helping filmmakers reach the broadest possible audience while promoting New York City as a major filmmaking center. Since its debut in 2002, the festival has attracted more than two million attendees and has generated more than $425 million in economic activity for New York City. Beyond that, the festival quickly won a daring reputation for showing challenging features and documentaries from all over the world, as well as showcasing fun films that have New York City at their hearts, whether as a primary location or part of the story being told. This year’s festival will open with the world premiere of Baby Mama, shot entirely in New York and starring another Woman We Love Tina Fey and a Woman We Should Love, Fey’s “Weekend Update” co-anchor Amy Poehler.

Our hats are off to Jane Rosenthal and her partners for creating an event with such a worthy mission, and forging the path for others to do the same.