Tribeca Film Festival to mark 25 years of Goodfellas
TRIBECA (WABC) -- It's become one of the most important film festivals in the world thanks to the hard work of co-founders Robert De Niro and his longtime business partner Jane Rosenthal. They saw it as a way to help re-build their own neighborhood and its growth reflects the changes in Tribeca itself.
What began in the dark days after 9/11 has grown in stature along with the neighborhood the Tribeca Film Festival was intended to help.
"It was really a matter of what do we do as filmmakers to do something for our community; give our community a new memory," Rosenthal said.
That was then. This is now.
"It's a vibrant place," De Niro said. "You look back and you say: 'it went fast.'"
It's been a quarter of a century since the release of "Goodfellas" and the anniversary is being celebrated at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The long collaboration between De Niro and director Martin Scorcese began long before this movie.
"I remember the day I spoke to Marty because I was too old to play Henry so I just counted myself out and I was reading the book again or something. I was away. I was working on another film in Canada and I called him and I said 'what about Jimmy?' and we started talking, and that's how it happened," he explained.
The movie has stood the test of time.
"It's one of Marty's best. You can look at that movie almost shot-for-shot with the way the camera moves the soundtrack; there's always something fresh to look at," Rosenthal said.
"The people, the public, the critics: they all decide where it stands in history and time. You're never aware that it's going to be great," De Niro said.
The 25th anniversary screening of "Goodfellas" will close the Tribeca film festival a week from Sunday and the showing will be followed by a question and answer session with the director and cast moderated by Jon Stewart.
MORE: tribecafilm.com/festival
