The Tribeca Festival has officially begun, with co-founder Robert DeNiro presiding. Originally planned in April, the festival opened up this June to ensure the proper weather for the festival’s events.

Originally beginning a bit after 9/11, the festival was founded by DeNiro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff to help rejuvenate cultural and economic life in Lower Manhattan. Since its inception in 2002, it has showcased independent narrative storytelling in unique mediums, from filmmaking to video games. While it was originally a film festival only, the festival board decided to become more inclusive to mediums like podcasts in 2021.

This year’s festival lineup will include reunions with The Sopranos cast and Steven Spielberg’s screening of his debut feature The Sugarland Express. The festival will also be the launching pad for world premieres like the documentary Diane von Furstenberg: Woman In Charge and the road trip comedy Sacramento.

While this festival is made with the audience in mind, most entries will struggle with distribution thanks to its small marketing footprint in the film industry. Even so, Rosenthal promises filmmakers that the festival will do all it can to save those struggling with selling their work. “Our communications team works really hard with the filmmakers, with their representatives, with their publicists, with their sales agents to make sure that they’re screened,” she explained. “You know, again, the business has changed. But we do try to make everything as easy as possible because we want to support them.”