You may not realize it but there’s a lot of film festivals and other film-related events and organizations around the county. One such organization is the Tribeca Film Institute.

This organization was formed to “help foster and nurture relationships between film industry executives and filmmakers from traditionally underrepresented communities.” Today, the institute announced the winners of its Creative Promise Awards, which took place last night in New York.

Recipients of awards included the narrative Rhymes for Young Ghouls and the documentary The New Black, which were selected from 11 projects “based on the strength of their vision and filmmaking promise.”

Each project received $10,000, as well as an original piece of art from a contemporary artist. Rhymes for Young Ghouls took home Stephen Hannock’s Study: A Recent History of Art in Southern California, 2012 and The New Black received Hugo Tillman’s The Echeverria, 2008.

The Institute also announced this year’s TAA alumni grants and fellowships during the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. The grants, all presented last night, total $92,000 in funds.

For more, check out the full press release after the break.

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Even with the proliferation of Film Festivals, some still stand above the others in terms of credibility and prestige. One of those is the Tribeca Film Festival, which takes place each year in the Tribeca section of new York.

Founded in 2001 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, the festival was created to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of the lower Manhattan district through an annual celebration of film, music and culture. The Festival’s mission is to help filmmakers reach the broadest possible audience, enable the international film community and general public to experience the power of cinema and promote New York City as a major filmmaking center.

In that spirit, the festival announced the winners of this year’s awards. And, here they are:

WORLD NARRATIVE COMPETITION CATEGORIES:

The jurors for the 2011 World Narrative Competition were Souleymane Cissé, Scott Glenn, David Gordon Green, Rula Jebreal, Art Linson, Jason Sudeikis and Dianne Wiest.

• The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – She Monkeys (Apflickorna), directed by Lisa Aschan, written by Josefine Adolfsson and Lisa Aschan (Sweden). Winner receives $25,000 and the art award “Anna Christie Entering the Bar, 1965-1967” by Robert De Niro Sr. Sponsored by AKA Hotel Residences. The award was given by Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro and Larry Korman from AKA Residences.

• Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film – Ramadhan “Shami” Bizimana as Yvan in Grey Matter (Matière Grise), directed and written by Kivu Ruhorahoza (Rwanda, Australia). Winner receives $2,500. The award was given by Rula Jebreal.

• Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film – Carice van Houten as Ingrid Jonker in Black Butterflies, directed by Paula van der Oest, written by Greg Latter (Germany, Netherlands, South Africa). Winner receives $2,500. The award was given by Rula Jebreal.

• Best Cinematography in a Narrative Feature Film – Luisa Tillinger, Artificial Paradises (Paraisos Artificiales) (Mexico). Winner receives $5,000 and $50,000 in post production services provided by Company 3. The award was given by Rula Jebreal.

• Best Screenplay for a Narrative Feature Film – Jannicke Systad Jabobsen, Turn Me On, Goddammit (Få meg på, for faen) (Norway). Winner receives $5,000. The award was given by Rula Jebreal.

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Every year the Hollywood Foreign Press Association picks a recipient for the Cecille B. Demille Award, which is awarded during the televised Golden Globes award show. The award is given for lifetime achievement in film.

The Wrap is reporting that Robert De Niro will be this year’s recipient. Philip Berk, the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, made the announcement earlier today.

De Niro has appeared in over 80 films thus far. His most iconic performance was arguably in Taxi Driver (1976.)  He played Travis Bickle, an unhinged taxi driver who becomes involved with trying to save a teenage prostitute played by Jodie Foster.

Other notable performances were in Good Fellas, Casino, The Deer Hunter, Raging Bull, and countless others. He is also one of the founders of the Tribeca Film Festival, which takes place every spring in lower Manhattan.

Past recipients of the award include Harrison Ford, John Wayne, Paul Newman, and Steven Spielberg. The award is named after Demille, a film producer who was responsible for bringing us The Ten Commandments, Cleopatra,The Greatest Show on Earth,  and over 80 other titles.

The Golden Globes ceremony will take place on Sunday, January 16, 2011.  Ricky Gervais will host.

The Tribeca Film Festival, which takes place in New York from May 5 to May 18, has announced the winners of it’s prestigious event. And without further to do, here’s all the info you need to know from the official press release:

The ninth annual Tribeca Film Festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, and presented by founding sponsor American Express, announced the winners of its world competition categories tonight at a ceremony hosted at the W Union Square in New York City.

The world competition winners for narrative and documentary films were chosen from 12 narrative and 12 documentary features from 20 countries. Two awards were given to honor New York films, which were chosen from seven narrative and six documentary features. Awards were also given for the best narrative, best documentary and student visionary films in the short film competitions. This year’s Festival included 85 features and 47 short films from 38 countries.

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While most eyes are on Austin, Texas this week for SXSW, many people on the East Coast eagerly await a closer show as this year’s Tribeca Film Festival kicks off on April 21st. The festival is mainly for indie pictures, rather than the larger, blockbuster films, but is also a great place for up-and-coming directors and writers to showcase their work.

With the festival coming up in just over a month, they are already rolling out this year’s schedule and have announced the first 34 films out of a total of 85 feature length and 47 shorts screening at this year’s fest. Among the titles were those submitted to the World Narrative and Documentary competition, as well as the Showcase and Special Events.

Some of the titles look to be quite intriguing, and could include some of the bigger names of the next decade. Be sure to check out the first 34 films to be announced after the jump, and keep it here, as we bring you extensive coverage of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.

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