Tribeca Launches New 11-Day Program to Support Independent Storytellers through Keynotes, Workshops, and Networking with Industry Veterans

The 2025 Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, today announced the first slate of keynote speakers for the inaugural Storytelling Summit—a dynamic, festival within a festival for the filmmaking and creative community from June 5–15. The new event, previously titled Creators Forum, widens access to the annual Tribeca Festival and helps independent storytellers advance their projects and careers by connecting them with industry veterans. For $250, Storytelling Summit badge holders gain access to 11 full days of creative and industry keynote addresses, panel conversations, roundtable discussions, and workshops as well as a dedicated space within Spring Studios to use for networking and meetups with other attendees.

Headline speakers include Emmy Award-winning actor Steve Buscemi and Tony and Emmy Award-winning producer and actress Wren Arthur discussing the art of collaboration and creative partnerships; playwright, actor, and screenwriter Jeremy O. Harris on his approach to authentic storytelling as a multi-hyphenate artist; Oscar and Emmy Award-nominated producer and Tribeca Festival Co-Founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal on a three-plus decade career producing 50 credits and supporting independent filmmaking; comedian, writer, and actor Julio Torres on developing his unique voice and adapting it for stories on both the big and small screen; and Killer Films Co-Founder Christine Vachon reflecting on the past, present, and future landscape of independent film and three decades of Killer Films.

“Damien Chazelle, Ryan Coogler, the Daniels, Jon M. Chu… Tribeca’s legacy is rooted in talent discovery. Built on two-plus decades of artist development and mentorship, the Storytelling Summit marks the next chapter,” said Tribeca Enterprises co-founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal. “In an increasingly challenging landscape, our community is more important than ever before. The Storytelling Summit is all about fostering connections and collaboration and will serve as a launchpad for world-changing voices and talent.”

The program runs from 10am–5pm each day with the following six tracks, Luminaries: one-on-one conversations with industry visionaries who have redefined the creative landscape; Industry Now: practical sessions to address the current and future state of content creation from financing models to distribution strategies; Case Studies: symposiums on successful projects from concept to completion; Next Wave: dissections on the future of storytelling from gaming, AI, podcasting, or immersive media; Speed Sessions: insights on today’s hottest topics from a diverse mix of leading experts and industry titans; and Connect: strategic networking events to build lasting creative and industry relationships. At the conclusion of the day’s events, participants will be invited to networking mixers and happy hours.

“We hear every year from our festival alumni filmmakers how much their lives and careers were changed by the access, wisdom, and connections gained through their Tribeca Festival experience,” said Tribeca Festival Director and SVP of Programming Cara Cusumano. “With the Storytelling Summit, we aim to make those catalytic experiences accessible to all, so that everyone with a story to tell can benefit tangibly from the unique community and opportunity that happens during the magic of Tribeca.”

Since its founding, Tribeca has supported thousands of emerging and underrepresented artists, and the Storytelling Summit represents the festival’s continued commitment to this tradition. Storytelling Summit badge holders will also have access to the Tribeca Festival’s rush line and complimentary day-of tickets to festival-wide programming. For more information or to purchase a badge, please visit TribecaFilm.com/StorytellingSummit. The full Storytelling Summit program will be announced in May.

About the Tribeca Festival

The Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, brings artists and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, music, audio storytelling, games, and XR. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is synonymous with creative expression and entertainment. Tribeca champions emerging and established voices, discovers award-winning talent, curates innovative experiences, and introduces new ideas through exclusive premieres, exhibitions, conversations, and live performances.

The Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. The annual Tribeca Festival will celebrate its 24th year from June 4–15, 2025 in New York City.

In 2019, James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems bought a majority stake in Tribeca Enterprises, bringing together Rosenthal, De Niro, and Murdoch to grow the enterprise.