It’s Raging Bull vs. the Thin White Duke.
Robert De Niro, who co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival, is said to be steaming mad at David Bowie, who’s curating the upstart High Line Festival, a 10-day “mash-up of music, film, comedy, visual art and performance,” which begins three days after De Niro’s highly commercial extravaganza ends on May 6. The High Line series is being touted as younger, hipper and edgier.
“I hear it’s driving Robert De Niro crazy,” an insider tells nymag.com, the Web site of New York magazine. “And that’s just great because he’s a big, old wrinkled thug versus these young guys.” At 63, the Oscar winner is only three years older than rock legend Bowie, but he’s ancient enough to be the father of High Line producers David Binder, 39, and Josh Wood, 33.
“Ours happens to be a little younger and rougher around the edges and more multidisciplinary than theirs,” Binder and Wood boasted to nymag.com.
But a source at the Tribeca festival sniffed to Page Six: “I think they are envisioning themselves as Slamdance to our Sundance and living off the success of Sundance.”
Some High Liners believe De Niro has already sabotaged them by keeping Tribeca’s public relations team, Rubenstein Communications, from doing press for High Line, the Web site reports. De Niro’s flack had no comment. But one longtime De Niro pal insisted, “He could care less.”
Rubenstein Communications President Steven Rubenstein denies there’s any feud, adding that Bowie was set to attend last night’s Tribeca kickoff party sponsored by Vanity Fair. Bowie told us in a statement: “I am afraid I have no control over the inexplicable comments from the High Line producers. I think the Tribeca Film Festival is unique and irreplaceable.”
In five years, Tribeca has become a fat-cat festival - it’s sponsored by American Express, for which De Niro shills in ads, and this year will premiere the summer blockbuster “Spider-Man 3.” High Line is backed by budget-fashion giant H&M and features hot alt bands like Air and the Polyphonic Spree, as well as comic Ricky Gervais.
Robert De Niro, who co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival, is said to be steaming mad at David Bowie, who’s curating the upstart High Line Festival, a 10-day “mash-up of music, film, comedy, visual art and performance,” which begins three days after De Niro’s highly commercial extravaganza ends on May 6. The High Line series is being touted as younger, hipper and edgier.
(Via pagesix)
