Robert De Niro felt committed to launching Tribeca Film Festival in wake of 9/11

Robert De Niro has recalled feeling compelled to launch the Tribeca Film Festival in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

During an appearance for the new live series People Talks on Thursday, the legendary actor reflected on the origins of the iconic New York City cultural event.

De Niro decided to pursue an idea he had been discussing with Jane Rosenthal, who is also his long-time producing partner, after witnessing the impact of the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on 11 September 2001.

"We had talked about maybe doing a festival. It wasn't really a serious conversation. We were sort of kicking it around," De Niro explained.

"And then when 9/11 happened, we wanted to revitalise the neighbourhood, to say the least. And so we talked about actually doing it and we said, 'Let's do it.' Just made the commitment."

The pair decided Tribeca, a neighbourhood in Lower Manhattan, would be the perfect place to host the event as it was badly affected by the attacks on the World Trade Center.

Rosenthal explained that although neither of them had ever organised anything like this, they realised it was a worthwhile cause.

"I mean, we felt we had to do something because I keep saying we weren't firefighters or steel workers, so what could we do to help?" Rosenthal recalled. "Put on the screening, put on a show and try to provide a new memory."

The Tribeca Film Festival was announced in November 2001, with the first event taking place a few months later and attracting more than 150,000 visitors to the area.

Although the tight timeframe might have put some people off, De Niro and Rosenthal remained committed to the challenge.

"If we can produce a film, if we can prep a film in three months, you can prep a film festival. Why not?" Rosenthal reasoned. "I mean, it was a producer's mentality."

In a clip from the new documentary Tribeca 25 - to celebrate the event's 25th anniversary - De Niro further explained the motivation behind the passion project.

"We had 120 days, 1,300 volunteers, no money, no blueprint, just an idea and a neighbourhood that needed people back in it," De Niro shared. "This wasn't just about movies; it was about whether downtown was coming back."