Opening Night of the #TRIBECATVFESTIVAL Kicks Off With James Spader, Whoopi Goldberg, Forest Whitaker, Ilfenesh Hadera and more @IlfeneshHadera @WhoopiGoldberg @ForestWhitaker @tribeca

On Thursday, September 12, 2019, the Tribeca TV Festival kicked off its weekend long festival with World Premieres of Godfather of Harlem and a talk with James Spader and Whoopi Goldberg.

Following the screening executive producers Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein, were joined by star Ilfenesh Hadera and star and executive producer Forest Whitaker.

The conversation was moderated by The New Yorker’s Jelani Cobb.

“I was drawn to the character because he’s constantly fighting against people who are trying to push him down.”

–Forest Whitaker

“We talk about the Opioid Crisis, which is still happening now. We explore polarization in the nation which is still happening, race relations which are still an issue now… I wanted people to think about our political situation now and the political situations of the past and how we got to where we are now.” –Forest Whitaker

Series Synopsis

Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker) returns from Alcatraz after an eleven year absence to reunite with his family and reclaim his Harlem territory from Italian mob boss Vincent “Chin” Gigante (Vincent D’Onofrio). He finds an unlikely ally in his old friend Malcolm X (Nigel Thatch). From the creators of Narcos and starring Academy Award®-winner Forest Whitaker, don’t miss this early look at your new historical crime obsession.

TRIBECA TALKS: JAMES SPADER WITH WHOOPI GOLDBERG

“Just living in New York City is the greatest experience of my lifetime…I got shanghighed to Los Angeles for a while, but I would come back to New York and be like ‘why the fuck am I not still living here.”

Photos by: Dominik Bindl & Jim Spellman/Getty Images 

About the Tribeca TV Festival:

Tribeca TV Festival brings people together to discover and celebrate episodic storytelling on any screen – from TV to online, mobile to VR. The Tribeca TV Festival is an extension of the Tribeca Film Festival. The 2019 Tribeca TV Festival partners include Gatorade.

Tribeca has a history of introducing audiences to new series that went on to garner both critical acclaim and commercial success. Past TV programming at the Tribeca Film Festival included the series world premieres of Chernobyl, The Hot Zone, The Handmaid’s Tale, Genius, The Night Of, and more; plus special one-night-only conversations celebrating TV milestones such as The Simpsons’ 30th anniversary, the 25^th anniversary of the finale of In Living Color, a farewell to Mr. Robot and more. #TribecaTVFestival