AARP Hearing Center
Robert De Niro was in midtown Manhattan on the morning of September 11, 2001, when he heard the World Trade Center had been hit. He raced downtown to his loft apartment ten blocks north of the towers, just in time to see them collapse. "I was watching them out of my window," he recalls, "and looking at CNN on my television to confirm what I was seeing with my own eyes. It was so unreal."
For the lifelong New Yorker, the terrorist attacks devastated not only his country but the community he loved. A pioneering resident of Tribeca, the once neglected warehouse district south of Canal Street where he had lived for 20 years, the iconic actor and filmmaker had helped transform the neighborhood into a booming destination of cool loft buildings, businesses, restaurants, and shops. He was the area's premier cultural tycoon, having established the Tribeca Film Center—a mecca of offices for New York film, television, and entertainment companies and home base of his own Tribeca Productions. He also owns the popular Tribeca Grill, where he displays canvases painted by his artist dad and frequently lunches with friends. "Bob felt personally insulted by what happened down here," says movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, De Niro's good friend.
A few months after the attacks, it was De Niro's business partner, Jane Rosenthal, with whom he has produced such films as Wag the Dog and Meet the Parents, who suggested they launch a project they had long discussed. "To help downtown, we felt that this would be the time to start a film festival, if we were ever going to do it," says De Niro. "We needed something to uplift the spirit of the community," adds Rosenthal. "Our neighborhood looked like a war zone—there were emergency vehicles all over, police with machine guns and combat gear, helicopters buzzing over, constant sirens, and the smell. We wanted to give people, particularly the kids in the neighborhood, a new memory."
De Niro and Rosenthal were joined as cofounders of the Tribeca Film Festival by Rosenthal's husband, real-estate investor Craig Hatkoff, who secured sponsors, including American Express, the festival's long-term partner. In May 2002, thanks to the heroic efforts of a team that included 1,300 volunteers, the Tribeca Film Festival came to life. Rosenthal oversaw planning details for a juried film competition, filmmaker panel discussions, and an all-day family festival, while De Niro made key phone calls to enlist heavyweight help. His longtime collaborator Martin Scorsese agreed to curate a Best of New York film series, while movie buff and friend Nelson Mandela accepted an invitation to speak about the healing power of movies at opening ceremonies on the steps of City Hall. De Niro also scored a coup by persuading George Lucas to let Tribeca host the premiere of Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones.
More From AARP
AARP Poll: Voters 50+ Favor Republicans in 2024 Elections
Survey of most competitive congressional districts also has DeSantis doing better against Biden than TrumpHouse Approves Bill Slashing Health Coverage
Fate of legislation now rests with Senate