AT&T (No. 4 on the Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies list) and Tribeca are teaming up to launch a new film initiative, “AT&T Presents: Untold Stories. An Inclusive Film Program in Collaboration with Tribeca.”
AT&T will provide funding of up to $1 million for 1 talented filmmaker to create his or her film, and Tribeca will provide mentorship from seasoned industry professionals. AT&T plans to distribute the winning film across several of its video platforms, including DIRECTV NOW, AT&T’s streaming over-the-top service.
The new film initiative is a multi-year, multi-tier alliance between AT&T and Tribeca along with the year-round nonprofit Tribeca Film Institute. It will debut at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, which begins on April 19 in New York City. AT&T will serve as the presenting sponsor of the Festival for the fourth straight year.
“AT&T Presents: Untold Stories is about pushing the boundaries of storytelling, connecting our customers to new and exclusive content and celebrating diversity,” said Fiona Carter, AT&T Chief Brand Officer. “At AT&T, we’re passionate about innovation, culture and community the same values that drive the Tribeca Film Festival. By launching this program with Tribeca, we are helping to give underrepresented filmmakers in the industry opportunities they have not had before.”
“As a champion of supporting underrepresented filmmakers for over a decade, Tribeca Film Festival and Tribeca Film Institute are proud to collaborate with AT&T on AT&T Presents: Untold Stories, a significant and essential program that goes beyond the generous funding,” said Jane Rosenthal, co-founder and Executive Chair of the Tribeca Film Festival and co-founder and co-chair of the Tribeca Film Institute. “To be able to say to a filmmaker that we are not only going to help get your important story made, but we will provide the mentoring, guidance and guaranteed distribution so it will get seen, is an incredible feeling.”
“We are excited to collaborate with AT&T on this timely and critical new initiative, AT&T Presents: Untold Stories,” said Amy Hobby, Executive Director of Tribeca Film Institute. “This program fits squarely within our year-round work at TFI to bring stories from underrepresented filmmakers to audiences around the world and we look forward to providing guidance to all of the talented pitch participants to help fully realize these amazing projects.”
AT&T Presents: Untold Stories kicks off April 18 with a live pitch event in New York City. Five talented and diverse filmmakers, curated by Tribeca Film Institute, will present their story ideas, budgets and film scripts to a Greenlight committee, includingFiona Carter (AT&T Chief Brand Officer), Jeffrey Wright (Actor), Anthony Mackie (Actor), Josh Deutsch (Chairman and CEO, Downtown Records), Lee Daniels(Film Producer), Len Amato (President, HBO Films) and Frida Torresblanco (Film Producer).
Tribeca will livestream the pitch event on its Facebook page for fans to follow along. The Greenlight committee will then narrow the selection to one filmmaker who will receive the $1 million grant. The chosen filmmaker will be announced later that day at a luncheon that celebrates inclusivity in storytelling.
