During the Sundance Film Festival Universal Cinema Film & TV Journal’s Amir Ganjavie interviewed José Rodriguez a feature film Programmer for the Tribeca Film Festival. What follows is part of that interview.
Amir Ganjavie, UniversalCinema Magazine (UM): What is the selection process like for your festival?
José Rodriguez (JR): We tend to open [for submissions] end of September/early October, and we go through January. We actually just passed our final deadline, which was January 18th, so just right before Sundance. Right before submissions open, I and the entire programming team have lists of films that we’re already tracking. As soon as we open, we start to notify and reach out to our personal list of films that we are interested in considering, to let them know, and encourage them to apply and submit.
Then I would say a month or two into the opening of the submission, we have our own screening committees. I myself run the documentary Features committee, which covers both International Documentaries and US Documentaries. Then I have two other colleagues, one of them runs the US Fiction Committee, and the other colleague runs the International Fiction Committee. These committees’ members are the first line of defense… sifting through the big wave of submissions and being the first ones to start screening.
They report back to us. We have weekly meetings with all three committees, and they put forth films that they are recommending that we consider, or give a second look to. We ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. Each committee is comprised of maybe 10 to 12 people, and there are film professionals who work at other festivals or film journalists and film critics. They start sending us films or putting forth films that we should be watching. But we ourselves have our own list that we’re looking at, and then as we’re doing that, we’re also making sure that we’re being aware of any time-sensitive films.
Maybe it’s a high-priority film that has a connection to New York, in which case it’s a priority for us, and we want to make sure that we at least put eyes on those films quickly so that we can confirm them, lock them, because we know our audience tend to really gravitate towards those New York City-centric films. We keep doing that all the way through the holidays. We take a little bit of a break, but we’re still watching a lot. Then we’re ready, we hunker down, and review internally once the Sundance lineup is announced to see how many [titles] are no longer available for World Premieres.
Then we come here to the Sundance Film Festival to watch those that we maybe already, have a submission in, but we can watch them here in person, or if we have any blind spots, any films that maybe didn’t submit to us. Once we go back to New York, we can determine how many films out of Sundance we’ll invite. February is our last month to make any final invites.
The festival for the last two years, and now going onto the third year will be in June. June 7th through the 18th. March, April, and May are all about logistics. Working with the filmmakers, talking to the press, and making sure that we’re doing our due diligence with outreach. The press release goes out, and we continue to promote our slates. Yeah. And then, as soon as tickets start being on sale, ensure that our screenings are well tended.
(UM): How important is it to have films that are crowd pleasers, especially when considering ticket sales?
(JR): [Ticket sales are] a reality for sure. We at Tribeca have a few venues that have smaller theaters. That’s precisely for the more art house, smaller films but we also have these big houses. We always have to figure out what could fill out, and what could sell tickets at that.
If it’s a documentary about a famous person, a famous musician, athlete, or actor, those tend to do very well with us because people know immediately, “Oh, it’s a documentary about Madonna or whatever.” They’re going to buy tickets for that and then on the fiction side, then it’s relying on and looking at films with a lot of celebrities. We want talent. We want well-made independent films that have really compelling talent and actors, so those tend to do very well.
(UM): What is your main criteria for film selection?
(JR): I think the way I explain, and describe Tribeca is we really do try to nail a balance between the big commercial films, that are not very cinephile-ish. Audiences that don’t necessarily watch the more art house films can come and enjoy some broader films, but very well-told films.
A balance between that and the smaller art house, more maybe experimental. Not experimental, but more a forum pushing films. I think that’s the balance that we seek. But then being a New York City festival, we prioritize, like I mentioned, New York City stories. If its subject matter or topic has to do in any way with New York City life or society or culture, we’re going to be interested in taking a look. If it’s about a documentary about a famous person, we also, know that there’s going to be a built interest. Then like, multicultural stories, Latinx. Latin American stories, Queer narratives, LGBTQ stories, those do well for us. Also, now that we’re in June, June is Pride Month in New York.
We have a lot of Latinx celebrations in the city, cultural events and New York City is very multicultural so we know those stories also do very well.
I think in many ways, we have to reflect as much as possible on the multiculturality in the plurality of New York City citizens.
(UM): What is your take on programming films that deal with controversial topics?
(JR): Both in my previous role, looking at grant applications for funding and now as a programmer, we’re open to anything. We just need to see the film. I think there is seemingly a trend at many festivals where people don’t want to go towards controversy and want to play it safe. Maybe that’s not the healthiest thing to do. I think controversy can be good, but I think I’m of the belief that you shouldn’t chase it just to have controversy.
I think if it’s a hot-button topic, there should be a mature exploration of it and not just do it for the sake of being edgy.
(UM): I’m asking this question because as you mentioned, I see that many of the festivals are becoming very similar. They care about, for example, they say that we are very open to diversity, we are very open to gender balance. You feel that even the Oscars is looking, for example, the criteria are becoming like the other film festival or the movies that they are going or aboard, so I’m just curious if you have any thoughts on this issue of diversity and how you are trying to approach it at Tribeca because at some point it could become a guideline that anybody should follow on that.
(JR): Speaking for myself, I try to push for more for riskier filmmaking more and more and my colleagues do that as well. But there’s a difference between that and when a film comes along that I might love, but knowing full well this is just not for us. There’s a slight distinction there because it might be edgy or something that we rarely see, but we might discern there is an interest for a New York City audience to watch, but then again, you have to disassociate yourself a little bit and say, “Is there an audience? Realistically speaking, will we sell out the three screenings that this film has?” Sometimes you have to realize, no. But for the most part, if you decide. You basically have to decide, if you’re inviting it, you have to work double, you have to double the work to promote that film. The smaller films that are riskier in subject matter or in style, it’s not an easy sell.
You need to commit to making sure [it sells], that it takes a lot of work. That distinction is always in our heads of what’s risky and maybe a divisive approach. Because it’s, let’s say a queer story a film about like youth in Columbia, we’re like, “Okay, those things are appealing to a New York City audience so I think we should invite.” But then there are films that are very small, and you’re like, no matter how much I love it because of my taste, you have to separate yourself a little bit and say, “It’s not really fit for us.”
(UM): How important is having World Premieres for you?
(JR): Our competition sections require a world premiere. I think now that we’re in our third year in June, that gets a little trickier (the festival used to be in April prior to the move).
Being in April would put us in a more competitive arena with SXSW, with HotDocs, and with Cannes. But now that we’re in June, we have had to recalibrate or revise how we invite films, and how we pursue films, because now in the calendar we’re a bit farther away. Understandably, a lot of filmmakers don’t want to, if we invite them, they don’t want to wait three months to premiere.
It takes a little bit more effort, but also the reality of where we are in the calendar and the needs of the filmmakers. We try to incentivize as much as possible why they should go with us. But again, it’s understandable why they would go somewhere else.
(UM): Do you have a quota in the festivals in terms of gender and diversity balance?
(JR): Well, that’s interesting because I went to this, there’s this new convening of festival programmers and staff in Barcelona. They did the first gathering in September. It’s called Flash Hub. I was maybe one of two US Americans there. It was mostly Spanish Catalonian Festival staff speaking to each other about quotas. They asked me that as well, and it’s fascinating how the other parts of the world and other festivals tackle this. For us, it’s an instinctual thing. We don’t necessarily start the vetting screening process with the idea of quotas, we just do it. I think, as we invite films, and confirm them, we’re keeping an eye out for that. But it’s not something that we have to spell out. It’s already built into our thought process. I think this past year we almost reached gender parody. I think we were maybe 40-60 women-directed films and male directors. We tend to do very well with Latin American, and Latinx films with LGBTQ films. But then there are things that we need to do better on. Which are indigenous stories, stories about disability, and disability rights. Yeah, we’re always going to have room for improvement. But in terms of quotas, that’s just something that we, what do you call it? Subliminally or instinctually do?
(UM): Finally, what’s the main difference between Tribeca and Sundance?
(JR): There are a lot of differences.
I think here people industry descend on Utah, on Park City, this is a very small ski town. Whereas Tribeca is one of the biggest cities in the world, multicultural, chaotic, and lively, and the fabric of the festival has to reflect the DNA of the city.
The programming, as I said, has to reflect, has to show communities that live in New York. New York is a media capital, so we want to make sure that our films reflect that.
I think Sundance is Sundance, but it just so happens to be in Utah. Whereas, whether we’re in April or June, it’s an incredible launchpad and we were founded after 9/11.
It is also first and foremost all about bringing the community together and celebrating film. Our first edition was like months after 9/11 in early 2002. Our co-founder, Jane Rosenthal always says that at the start of every festival, at the opening brunch, she always says, that like, “We should never forget where we started.”
It’s all about bringing people together and bringing community and the filmmaking community and the city community together while also reflecting what the city is and how rich and diverse it is. Yeah, so that’s what makes us unique is we’re the festivals like a mirror to the city and vice versa.
© 2020-2023. UniversalCinema Mag.