About Reframe

Reframe is a program of Tribeca Film Institute, and is funded by John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation with additional support from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The goal of Reframe is to help individual filmmakers, distributors, archives, libraries and other media owners to digitize and sell their work using the internet, and to become a one-stop location for anyone seeking these films.

The Problem

Substantial amounts of film, video and media arts remain “stuck on the shelf,” inaccessible to large segments of the public. Sometimes this is due to rights-clearance issues, but more often it is because of the high cost to convert to digital formats that would allow for broad circulation.  Even media that is available for distribution can be difficult to find because it is held and catalogued in many places, and in less than ideal databases.

Reframe was conceived as a solution.

Our Partnership with Amazon

Under a unique deal with Amazon’s CreateSpace division, we are able to offer digitization at little to no cost to our partners.  Once digitized, these works are made available for non-exclusive distribution through both the Amazon storefront and Reframe website at prices set by the partner.  Titles may be sold via DVD-on-Demand, which forgoes the cost of large product runs and inventory storage, and Digital Video on Demand to rent or buy, which allows consumers to stream films on their PC and Macintosh computers or download them directly to a PC or to a television via TiVo DVR, Roku Digital Video Player or Sony BRAVIA Internet Video Link.

A Community of Content

In addition to bringing together works from numerous sources of independent and alternative media, much of it available to the public for the first time, Reframe aims to enrich the experience by offering professional insight and encouraging discussion.  We have invited noted directors, professors, critics, film societies and experts in the field to contribute to blogs and make curatorial recommendations.  Users are encouraged to build profiles, create and share their own lists of favorite films, review available films and comment on blog posts. 

We’ll continually roll out additional new features to enhance and promote interaction in the Reframe community.

Ultimately, we hope Reframe will become the destination for scholars, artists, teachers and film enthusiasts to easily locate and eagerly share the best of our visual heritage.

About Tribeca Film Institute

Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff founded the Tribeca Film Institute in the wake of September 11th to educate, entertain, and inspire filmmakers and film lovers alike. The Institute creates innovative programs that draw on the power of film to promote understanding, tolerance and global awareness. TFI also supports the cultural and economic revitalization of New York City and Lower Manhattan through arts-based initiatives that:

• Celebrate and promote film and filmmaking to people of all ages as a medium for self-expression and social action.
• Identify and encourage diverse voices from the US and around the world to participate in creating the cultural landscape.
• Develop new opportunities and access for those interested in film and the arts.
• Educate children, youth and adults about historical and emerging themes in culture.

The Tribeca Film Institute is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization.  Additional programs can be found at www.tribecafilminstitute.org