Stephanie Linus among Tribeca Film Festival 2023 Jurors

Nigerian Actress and filmmaker, Stephanie Linus, was selected as one of the jurors for the 2023 Tribeca film festival in New York.
She is distinguished as one of the five-jury members of the Documentary feaNture completion alongside Mark Duplass, Adam Goldberg, Alexandra Pelosi, and Ryan White. These jury members will select winning projects in film, immersive, games and audio storytelling sections for its 2023 edition.

The festival kicked off Wednesday, June 7, with the documentary ‘Kiss the Future’ a stirring testament to art’s enduring ability to cast light even in the darkest of circumstances. ‘Kiss the Future’ follows an underground community that worked and created through the nearly four-year long siege of Sarajevo. The 2023 programme features 109 films from 27 filmmakers across 36 countries. The festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, 21 years ago.

According to Linus, “It is such an exciting festival with many voices amplified, especially women’s voices. It has given a platform for both new and seasoned filmmakers to showcase their works. I am having a great time reviewing the shortlisted films and recommending winners for the 2023 Tribeca Festival.”

The philanthropist and filmmaker is part of a collection of actors, writers, directors, producers, and cultural leaders that includes Oscar winner, Brendan Fraser, Zazie Beetz, Chloe Grace-Moretz, Chance the Rapper and to mention a few. The festival will close June 18, 2023 with the 30th anniversary screening of Robert De Niro’s directorial debut, A Bronx Tale, with a post screening conversation.

Meanwhile, Stephanie Linus also attended the Chanel and Tribeca Festival luncheon for the Through Her Lens filmmaker programme. The fete celebrated its 9th year at The Odeon, which was attended by women writers, directors, actors and creatives. The partnership mission is to cultivate, mentor and support women filmmakers with year-round programming.

Co-founder of Tribeca Film Festival, Jane Rosenthal, while addressing the importance of the Through Her Lens programme, said it is more vital than ever for women to have a platform to tell their stories.

The festival’s director and vice president of programming, Cara Cusumano, added that women directed 68 per cent of the films at this year’s festival.
 
There were mentoring sessions and peer networking to pitch and refine short-film projects with a total of $100,000 awarded across five teams with one team in the juried programme receiving full funding to complete their project.