Tribeca Festival kicks off with premiere of Jennifer Lopez documentary "Halftime"
NEW YORK -- The annual Tribeca Festival kicked off in Washington Heights on Wednesday night with the premiere of a new documentary about Jennifer Lopez.
CBS2's Ali Bauman was on the red carpet with all the stars.
The first night of the 12-day festival was a success. After a rocky couple of years, the Tribeca Festival has come back to its roots in Manhattan, but the founders say this year there's going to be a big emphasis on music.
J-Lo fans lined the streets outside the United Palace Theater hoping to get a glimpse of the superstar at the world premiere of her new film, "Halftime."
The documentary follows Lopez's career.
"An icon, who's turning 50 years of age, a Latino woman in Hollywood -- that's expected to be on someone's downslope, not on the rise, and the exact opposite happened. She got bigger," "Halftime" producer Dave Broome said.
And who better than "Jenny from the block" to kick off the festival.
"When you're from the Bronx you feel like you came up with the person. You're so involved with them. So, it's a beautiful thing," rapper French Montana said.
The Tribeca Festival was founded in 2002 by legendary actor Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal in an effort to revitalize the city after 9/11.
During the pandemic, the festival was canceled in 2020 and scaled down last year, but now it's back in full swing.
"People always talk about New York, like, you know, is it gonna survive? This and that. I've been in New York my whole life. It takes a lot. It's not gonna not survive. We go through our ups and downs, but that's gonna be it," De Niro said.
While films are still its foundation, the festival has expanded to include music, television, games, podcasts, live talks, and more.
"There's a lot more music in the festival this year. We've taken over Baby's All Right in Brooklyn, so you can see battle of the bands and a lot of new artists," Rosenthal said.
There's a lot to be excited for in this festival. In honor of the 50th anniversary of "The Godfather," fellow legend Al Pacino will introduce a remastered version of the film.
The festival runs until June 19.
CLICK HERE for more details about this year's event.
Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal talk about importance of the festival
The annual Tribeca Festival kicks off Wednesday night in Washington Heights.
CBS2's Ali Bauman was on the red carpet outside the United Palace Theater, where the celebrities were just starting to arrive for the world premiere of a the film "Halftime," a documentary following the career of Jennifer Lopez.
This year, the Tribeca festival is going back to its roots, while adding new mediums of storytelling.
Wednesday marked the first of a 12-day celebration of movies, music, television, games, podcasts, and all types of entertainment. The festival was created in 2002 by Robert De Niro and producer Jane Rosenthal, and has grown tremendously in the decades since.
After the festival had to be canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, last year it returned on a smaller scale, with many premieres in outdoor venues spread around the five boroughs. However, this year the festival is back to mostly indoor theaters in Manhattan, but with more of an emphasis on music, gaming, and live talks.
"You created the festival after 9/11 to revitalize the city. Now the city is once again in a position where it's trying to bring people back to New York, does it feel like a full-circle moment for the festival?" Bauman asked.
"Yeah, but I always feel New York is gonna come back. No matter how you look at it, it's gonna come back," De Niro said.
"We have a film at the festival called "Broadway Rising," and it really talks about the perseverance of not only the city but the perseverance of the artist," Rosenthal added. "It's really a testament to all for New York in times of trouble, getting together and putting on a great show, which is kind of what we've done with the festival all these years."
The festival runs until June 19.
Speaking with the stars
CBS2's Ali Bauman caught up with festival co-founder Robert De Niro before the big event.
"I'm just, if you call it, excited to see what happens and how everything goes," he told her.
"It's really exciting as more artists are coming into different mediums," added co-founder Jane Rosenthal.
See more of their interviews tonight on CBS2.