Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Spring/Summer 2005 | Page 19

FEATURE

The festival was the brainchild of Robert De Niro and his
business partner Jane Rosenthal and was a way to put the New
York film industry on the map and to help the recovery of lower
Manhattan after 9/11. This celebration of cinema and community
features hundreds of films and special events, free screenings under
the stars and an all-day street fair. Now, having just completed its
fourth annual run, the springtime festival brings more than 300,000
people and over $50 million in revenue to the local economy.
Even though the Tribeca Film Festival is over for this year, Tribeca
is still a great spot for people-watching. Many film industry folk live
and work in Tribeca, thanks in part to Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Film
Institute and also thanks to the fact that even though Canada has
Hollywood North, New York City is still a major filmmaking centre.
A stroll through Tribeca could easily drop you at a movie, TV or
commercial shoot. The area near Duane and Hudson streets is a
particularly popular location.
And no visit to Tribeca would be complete without a visit to
the home of Ghostbusters! Dan Aykroyd and his fellow poltergeist
eradicators used the exterior of Hook and Ladder Company #8 at
14 N. Moore St. to depict the famous Ghostbusters’ headquarters.
Today, the fire hall’s walls still boast the Ghostbusters sign plus
many photographs taken during filming.
Of course, “movie” is not the most famous type of theatre
in New York and “film” is not the only type of festival in Tribeca!
While Broadway may be the dream for actors and playwrights,
many of the most innovative works for the stage start in and
around Tribeca. Last year, the founders of the Tribeca Film
Festival formed the Tribeca Theater Festival. This October event

celebrates the creativity and innovation that flourishes in the theatre
community due south of Broadway.
Any visit to Tribeca, whether for a festival or simply to see the
beautiful architecture, would not be complete without visiting
some of the neighbourhood’s most celebrated restaurants. Robert
De Niro’s world-class restaurants, Nobu and Tribeca Grill, both
have great food as well as an excellent pedigree. Other favourite
restaurants include the Harrison, Chanterelle and 66. For dessert,
the TriBakery is known throughout the neighbourhood for its
amazing cake decorations created by bakery artists.
To grab some sleep, there’s no better place than o \