New York, NY, April 29, 2007 – Tribeca Film Festival, presented by American Express, along with the Tribeca Film Institute today announced the winners of the fourth Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Awards. Tribeca All Access (TAA), a program designed to help foster relationships between film industry executives and filmmakers from traditionally underrepresented communities, is made possible by Bloomberg.

At last night’s Tribeca All Access Awards at the Tribeca Film Center, the following winners were announced:

Narrative section prize – Ben Rekhi for his current screenplay, “Waste,” which tells the story of a widowed NYC sanitation worker who must negotiate his relationship with his son after he becomes a key figure in a labor dispute (Co-written by John Campo).
Documentary section prize – Dee Rees for her documentary work-in-progress, “Eventual Salvation,” which follows an 80-year-old grandmother who returns to Liberia to rebuild her life and community after years of civil war.
Screenwriting section prize – Marilyn Fu for her screenplay, “Sisterhood of the Night,” an adaptation of the short story by Pulitzer Prize winner Steven Millhauser. Caryn Waechter is attached to direct.

Honorable mentions were given to:

Documentary – Jae-Ho Chang and Tara Autovino for their work-in-progress, “Ultimate Christian Wrestling,” which follows a group of disenchanted former pro-wrestlers as they combine their passion with ministry.
Screenwriting – Roberto Marinas for his screenplay “Last Road Home,” in which a dying man flees his suburban home to live out his final days in paradise, only to be pursued by his estranged son who’s been charged with the task of bringing him home before time runs out.

The winners were selected on the strength of their vision and filmmaking promise. The TAA Creative Promise Award comes with a prize of $10,000 for narrative and documentary and $5,000 for screenwriting. Creative Promise Award winners also received original artwork from Alex Beard, Kehinde Wiley and Jessica Ann Peavey. All of the filmmakers participating in the program have scripts or documentary proposals for which they are seeking funding and/or representation.

“The quality of this year’s projects continues to show that Tribeca All Access is an incubator for writing and directing talent,” said Jane Rosenthal. “We are thrilled that in a short time the program has become a place for the industry to find new voices and talent, and are pleased to have you all as alumni.”

“The success of our alumni shows that TAA is making strides within the industry,” said Beth Janson, Director of Tribeca All Access. “We are committed to promoting a diversity of stories in American cinema.”

2007 Tribeca All Access participants were selected from an open call for submissions, which garnered over 300 entries from across the country. A jury of distinguished entertainment and arts personalities selected the three winners and two honorable mentions.

Jurors for this year’s Tribeca all Access included actor Kerry Washington, who has starred in “I Think I Love My Wife” and “Ray”; actor Freddy Rodriguez, who has starred in “Grindhouse” and HBO's “Six Feet Under”; Vogue’s Editor at Large, André Leon Talley; Producer Elizabeth Avellàn; Susie Castillo, host of MTV’s “TRL,” and former Miss USA; Fashion designer Rachel Roy; DJ Spooky; Hip hop artist, actor and composer Heavy D; Entertainment executive Tracey Edmonds; and 2006 TAA alumni Milton Liu and Shola Lynch.

Cherien Dabis was presented with the L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth Vision Award for her screenplay “Amreeka,” in which a Palestinian woman and her son arrive in the suburbs of Chicago to escape a life of oppression, only to face the fallout from America’s war on Iraq.

Female directors actively participating in the narrative section of the 2007 TAA program were eligible for the award, and Cherien received a $15,000 cash award from L’Oréal Paris to help further her creative vision through filmmaking.

Tribeca All Access provided the participating directors and screenwriters the opportunity to meet one-on-one with more than 100 potential investors, development executives, producers, and agents in prescheduled meetings. During this year’s five-day event, Tribeca All Access arranged more than 400 meetings for program participants.

TAA is made possible by Bloomberg. Additional support provided by NYC Economic Development Corporation, Time Warner Inc., and the New York State Council on the Arts.

About the Tribeca Film Institute
The Tribeca Film Institute creates innovative programs that draw on the unifying power of film to promote understanding, tolerance and global awareness. Our commitment is to educate, entertain and inspire filmmakers and audiences alike, while strengthening the artistic and economic fabric of New York City and its Lower Manhattan community.

For more information visit www.tribecafilminstitute.org.

Venues and Tickets

AMC Theatres® is the official theatre partner for the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and will help the Festival expand its reach with two new screening venues: AMC Loews Kips Bay 15 and AMC Loews 72nd Street 1. Clearview Chelsea West is another key venue addition for 2007. In addition to these three new venues, festival screenings will take place at the following venues: AMC Loews 34th Street 14, AMC Loews Village 7, Regal Cinemas Battery Park Cinemas 11, Tribeca Cinemas, BMCC Tribeca PAC, Pace University Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts, Drive-in at the North Cove, Tribeca Film Center and The Grand Theater @ Tribeca Grand.

Please visit www.tribecafilmfestival.org or call 866.941.FEST (3378) to purchase Festival Passes, Packages and individual tickets. Single tickets can be purchased online, by phone, or at the Tribeca Film Festival box office, located at 15 Laight Street (between Varick and Avenue of the Americas, one block south of Canal Street) and additional satellite locations. Single tickets will be available to downtown residents (with proof of residency) at only the Tribeca Festival Box Office beginning on Friday, April 13th. Single tickets will be available for purchase to the general public online, by phone, and at the Box Office beginning on Saturday, April 14-Sunday, May 6.

About the Tribeca Film Festival

The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff after the attacks on the World Trade Center to help economically and culturally revitalize Lower Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music, and culture. The Festival’s mission is to assist filmmakers to reach the broadest possible audience, enable the international film community and the general public to experience the power of film, and to promote New York City as a major filmmaking center.

In its first five years, the festival attracted over one and a half million attendees from the US and abroad and created more than $325 million in economic activity for New York City.

The sixth annual Tribeca Film Festival will run from April 25th to May 6th, 2007. The Festival is anchored in Tribeca with additional venues throughout Manhattan, and includes film screenings, special events, concerts, a family street fair, and Tribeca Talks panel discussions. For more information on this year’s festival, as well as for highlights on the festival and filmmakers as it takes place, please visit www.tribecafilmfestival.org.

About the 2007 Festival Sponsors

As Founding Sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival, American Express is committed to expanding the Festival, bringing it to new audiences in compelling ways while offering Cardmembers and the general public special benefits that enhance the festival-going experience. As part of a long-term partnership with the Festival, American Express delivers on its Cardmembers’ passion for film, celebrates filmmakers, fosters community and brings energy and business to Lower Manhattan.

The Festival is pleased to announce the return of its Signature Sponsors: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, AMC Theatres, Apple, Aquafina, Bloomberg, Brookfield Properties, Budweiser Select, Delta Air Lines, Empire State Development/I Love New York, General Motors, Jameson Irish Whiskey, NBC4HD, RR Donnelley, The New York Times, Telemundo 47, Tribeca Grand Hotel and Vanity Fair.

The Tribeca Film Festival is also honored to welcome the following new Signature Sponsors: AARP, Axium Entertainment, Montblanc, Target and Yahoo!.