Rita Moreno is given a standing ovation.
Rita Moreno walks the Tribeca Festival
red carpet for documentary premiere
BY DEAN MOSES
The Tribeca Film Festival has now
morphed into the Tribeca Festival
thanks to its inclusion of other
forms of media, such as video games.
Film is still the event’s bread and butter,
though, and celebrities such as Rita
Moreno are returning to the iconic event.
The Tribeca Festival is fi rmly looking
to take its place in history by serving as a
major contributor to the city’s comeback
story after the battle with COVID-19
by offering New Yorkers outdoor movie
premieres like Rita Moreno:Just a girl
who decided to go for it.
This documentary follows the near
century-long life of the Puerto Rican
trailblazer, including the harsh reality of
being a minority and female in the fi lm industry
during the 1950s and 1960s. Behind
the glitz and glamor, Moreno reveals an
extremely dark side of the movie industry
rampant with sexual abuse and racism
which led to her activism fi ghting for prochoice
and other women’s rights, as well as
attending Civil Rights marches helmed by
Rita Moreno at the premiere of Just
a Girl Who Decided To Go For It.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Additionally, the fi lm featured a starstudded
ensemble of colleagues and friends
who all shared their admiration for Moreno
and an appreciation for the barriers she
broke and the sacrifi ces she made. From
her co-star Justina Machado in One day
PHOTOS BY DEAN MOSES
at a time to Morgan Freeman her co-star
in the 1970s television hit The Electric
Company.
On June 12, Moreno herself walked the
red carpet of the United States Premiere at
Pier 76 in Hudson River Park. Still young
at heart despite creeping up on her 90th
birthday, Moreno reveled in the camera
fl ashes, striking pose after pose as she
joined the fi lm’s director and producers
who helped bring the story of her epic life
to the silver screen.
Dancing along the red carpet with uninhibited
excitement, Moreno glowed sharing
her absolute joy to be at the Tribeca Festival
just one day before the Puerto Rican Day
parade, showcasing her life’s story.
“I am so thrilled, and I am so proud,”
Moreno told amNewYork Metro, gushing
how Tribeca co-founder Jane Rosenthal
attended the premiere personally and
requested an autograph of the children’s
book The Story of Rita Moreno: Actor,
Singer, Dancer, Trailblazer! by Anika
Aldamuy Denise.
“You know what’s great, you don’t start
out in life trying to be a hero. All you want
is: Can I please be an actress? And a lot of
people say ‘No not really. You? You want
to be that?’ That’s what all of this is about
and getting acknowledged and appreciated
because there is a lot of that not happening
for many, many years,” Moreno said.
Puerto Rican pride could surely be felt at
the Tribeca Festival where In the Heights
premiered on June 11th, followed with
Rita’s premiere, and culminating with a
grand celebration of the Puerto Rican Day
parade.
Director Mariem Pérez Riera, also from
Puerto Rico, shared her enthusiasm to be
showcasing another fi lm at Tribeca—she
debuted her fi rst movie at the festival in
2007 through Maldeamores.
“Being here again with Rita Moreno in
her hometown, it’s amazing. The Puerto
Rican parade is tomorrow, only yesterday
In the Heights was premiered, so the
whole Puerto Rican vibe is really high
right now,” Riera said, adding, “It makes
me feel very hopeful, and it makes feel
celebratory because I think we are fi nally
showing, especially us Puerto Ricans, how
awesome we are.”
Rosenthal also attended the premiere,
showing that even though she is the cofounder
of the festival with actor Robert
de Niro, she is as much a fan as much as
she is a creator and collaborator.
“Being out of COVID to bring it back
in person right now is just one of the most
momentous times in my life to do this for
our community and the weather is cooperating,”
Rosenthal told amNewYork Metro,
highlighting that she hopes individuals enjoy
the festival as New Yorkers can gather
once again.
For Rosenthal, the Tribeca Festival has
always been about providing representation
for artists of every race, orientation,
and craft. Having the premiere of the
iconic Rita Moreno is just the icing on the
cake of what is to be a diverse festival from
June 9 to June 20.
“She is amazing, she is such a role model
for women everywhere. She is just an extraordinary
role model and talk about the
American dream story,” Rosenthal said.
After the showing off on the red carpet,
Moreno joined movie goers on the pier to
see the fi lm. Sitting beside her daughter,
Moreno watched her life unfold once more
before her very eyes in the span of an hour
and 30 minutes, after which attendees gave
the Oscar winner a standing ovation as
they danced to the closing song, Preciosa
sung by the star.
Additional reporting by Amanda
Aponte-Moses
26 June 17, 2021 Schneps Media