From April 23 to May 4, 2008, the seventh annual Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) continued its mission 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.

199 directors from 23 different countries, 130 of whom had directed feature films in the festival, attended this year’s TFF.

An industry sponsor of the TFF, this year the DGA was more prominent throughout the festival, acting as a venue host at the Guild’s New York Theater for TFF events. The DGA also hosted a mixer for the TFF filmmakers on May 3. The event was designed to acquaint non-member directors with the Guild and featured remarks about the advantages of membership from DGA director-member Mary Harron (The Notorious Bettie Page).

Created to help economically and culturally revitalize Lower Manhattan following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, this year’s TFF presented 121 features and 79 short films from 41 countries, as well as panel discussions, filmmaker events, and gala premieres of major studio releases to the residents and visitors of Lower Manhattan. Since its founding, the festival has attracted more than two million attendees from the US and abroad and has generated more than $425 million in economic activity for New York City.