Robert De Niro Joins IWC Schaffhausen “For the Love of Cinema” at the Tribeca Film Fest

The Tribeca Film Festival is in full swing in New York City! In honor of the festival, luxury watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen, the Official ‘Festival-Time’ Partner of the film fest, hosted its “For the Love of Cinema” event for the second year in a row.

The evening began with a private dinner at the Urban Zen loft in Greenwich Village, where IWC CEO Georges Kern was joined by guests like Tribeca Film Fest co-founder Robert De Niro, NBA superstar and Haute Time co-founder Carmelo Anthony, Patrick Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Armie Hammer, Heather Graham and model Karolina Kurkova.

The evening included an auction of a unique IWC Pilot’s Watch Spitfire Chronograph Edition “Tribeca Film Festival 2014”. The sale of this 18K red gold Ref. IW387811 timepiece by Antiquorum raised $55,000 for the Tribeca Film Institute, which IWC doubled for a total of $100,000.

Beth Janson, Executive Director of the Tribeca Film Institute, commented, “IWC’s generous support has now enabled us to provide two promising filmmakers with funding and invaluable professional development to fully realize their projects. We are grateful for the support of an organization that shares our commitment to advancing the work of media artists who act as catalysts of change in their communities and around the world.”

Kern later took to the stage to present the IWC Filmmaker Award, which went to Jay Dockendorf for his film Naz + Maalik. The film tells the story of two Muslim teens hustling the streets of Brooklyn on a hot summer day – when their secretive behavior unwittingly lands them into the crosshairs of the War on Terror.

Commenting on the film, Kern stated, “Jay Dockendorf really understands how to address his audience’s intelligence, and his artistic interpretation of reality such as his professional way of telling stories are outstanding. His sensitive take on the realities of life left a lasting mark on us all, and we look forward to seeing more films with his signature.”

Kern presented Dockendorf with the award’s $25,000 prize, as well as a Pilot’s Watch Spitfire Chronograph Edition “Tribeca Film Festival 2014”. This Ref. IW387810 timepiece was created by IWC specifically for the Tribeca Film Festival. Limited to just 100 pieces, it will be available exclusively at IWC boutiques in the US.

The evening was capped off by a private concert by Grammy Award-winning singer Estelle.

Photos courtesy IWC Schaffhausen.