After the underwhelming release of his 1977 film New York, New York (often considered one of Martin Scorsese's worst movies), Scorsese was on a downward spiral of self-doubt and depression, fueled by a substance abuse issue with cocaine. Yet a conversation he had with Robert De Niro at a critical point in his life turned Scorsese's mind around, not just on Raging Bull, but also on his life. Related: How Goodfellas Changed The Mob Movie Genre De Niro had grown obsessed with the character of Jake La Motta after reading his autobiography on the set of The Godfather Part II, but even though Scorsese and De Niro were frequent collaborators at the time, Scorsese could not seem to understand De Niro's fascination with what he just considered another boring sports story. Scorsese had severe asthma growing up, so always felt very sheltered and kept away from sports, instead preferring to spend his time with films. This year’s edition ran from June 9 through Sunday with screenings and in-person events across the five boroughs as the city reopens.Martin Scorsese was initially resistant to Raging Bull, repeatedly turning down the opportunity to direct the film when approached by Robert De Niro.

The actor founded the Tribeca Festival with Jane Rosenthal, CEO of Tribeca Enterprises, in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the September 11 terrorist attacks. But we knew it was a special movie,” said De Niro. Scorsese and De Niro have been fielding questions about the film and their fruitful working relationship for years and talked with DiCaprio about the original source material - an autobiography by LaMotta that De Niro was drawn to but Scorsese at first resisted since he disliked sports the complexity of production, including the balletic, bloody fight scenes and convincing United Artists to let them film in black and white. De Niro won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance as Jake LaMotta, a boxer whose psychological and sexual complexities erupt into violence both in and out of the ring. The outdoor screening in Battery Park was a new 4K scan from the original camera negative of the film that was nominated for for eight Academy Awards. Tribeca Festival Unveils Talk Lineup With Paul McCartney, Conan O'Brian, David Fincher, Steven Soderbergh Harry Belafonte Social Justice Award To Jane Fonda

Robert deniro in raging bull