Tribeca Festival 2023; why ‘A Bronx Tale’ had to screen at this years festival as it turns 30

Which is apt; the movie itself is a love letter about the Bronx area of New York and was originally a one-man play by another cinematic legend that doesn’t quite get the love he deserves - Chazz Palminteri. Palminteri, himself a NYC boy, stated that he began writing the play after being fired from a club and based the play largely on his own childhood, specifically a harrowing moment that the protagonist, Calogero Anello, experiences in both the play and the film.

Robert De Niro, no stranger in making his admiration for the city of New York and the boroughs within it, naturally would have chosen ‘A Bronx Tale’ as his debut feature film - not merely because he’s worked with Palminteri before, but the coming-of-age drama is very much a love letter to New York in the 1960’s and deals with the struggle of identity as an Italian-American growing up with the temptations when adjacent to organised crime and the values of his honest, hardworking father, as well as racial tensions in his community.

De Niro, having already won two Oscars for his roles in ‘The Godfather: Part II’ and ‘Raging Bull,’ I envisioned having a chat with a long time collaborator and friend regarding what movie to pick for a directorial debut. I’d imagine Martin Scorsese, who has worked also with Chazz Palminteri, probably suggested to “Bobby” it might be a great first venture into filmmaking. He’s familiar with who wrote the original work, has quite the knowledge of filmmaking having worked tirelessly with Scorsese before, and the source material isn’t too dissimilar to some of the movies he has been involved in previously.

But it is the setting and the context of the work that I honestly believe led De Niro to gravitate towards Palminteri’s work and ultimately pick it up as his directorial first. He was no doubt drawn to the material because it resonated with his own upbringing and experiences in the Bronx and how the film explores themes of family, loyalty, and the influence of the streets on a young boy's coming-of-age. It reflects the cultural and social dynamics of the neighbourhood during the 1960s.

By choosing ‘A Bronx Tale’ as his directorial debut, De Niro had the opportunity to tell a story that held personal significance to him. It allowed him to explore his own roots and capture the essence of a community he was intimately familiar with. The film's themes and setting resonated with De Niro's own life experiences, making it a natural choice for him to helm as a director.

Additionally, De Niro's involvement in "A Bronx Tale" helped to bring attention to the story and provided a platform for Chazz Palminteri, who wrote the play and starred in it, to showcase his talent. De Niro's decision to direct the film further contributed to its recognition and success - but more importantly, paid a fitting tribute to New York City, much like the Tribeca Festival does itself.