text: How the Tribeca Film Festival Handles Its Identity Crisis — Entertainment — The Atlantic
  As such, programmers each year are faced with a balancing act: blending New York-based and -themed productions with those with broader appeal. That tug-of-war between the local and global is at the heart of Tribeca, a festival that aims to remain true to its distinctive roots while becoming a major player in the international film world. Nowhere is that dichotomy more evident than in the contrast between the robust collection of New York-centric documentaries set to screen during this year's festival and organizers' concerted attempt to bring the fest to your living room and computer through on-demand and virtual platforms. Two of the five feature-length documentaries under the New York interest heading are centered on subjects with pre-existing fan bases: Carol Channing and seminal hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest. You don't have to live in the five boroughs to be interested in Carol Channing: Larger Than Life or Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest. Far more localized are two of their lower-profile companions: A Matter of Taste and Limelight. Both epitomize one long-standing Tribeca archetype: films that connect the stories of true NYC characters with broader thematic portraits of the worlds they inhabit.A Matter of Taste, from director Sally Rowe, is a documentary that follows local celeb chef Paul Liebrandt during a rocky professional decade. In 2000, at age 24, he became the youngest recipient of The New York Times' coveted three-star rating, for his work at Central Park South eatery Atlas. Acclaimed for crafting multilayered, boundary-pushing cuisine, the British native seemed headed toward culinary greatness. Yet he left Atlas after one year at its helm. Subsequently, due to a confluence of factors, some within his control and others not, Liebrandt faced a long road of disappointment and marginalization. Rowe followed her subject on and off for years, with her camera welcomed into his kitchens and benefiting from his considerable candor. The result is a film at once highly specific, name-dropping Manhattan hot spots and major players on the restaurant scene, and engagingly universal. It's as much an insightful look at the conflicting interests, fickle trends, and delicate ecosystems of a vibrant work environment as it is a specific portrait of a place and time.
  These sweeping digital initiatives are no less essential to Tribeca's identity than the small, New York-based films it spotlights. Things can't always run smoothly at a fest grounded in such seemingly conflicting aims, but that's what sets this annual spring celebration apart from its higher-end counterparts and makes it an event that is, for all its flaws, vital.Read all of The Atlantic's Tribeca Film Festival coverage.
  http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/04/how-the-tribeca-film-festival-handles-its-identity-crisis/237606/