the opportunity to showcase their work. we'll be covering different aspects of the festival, asking if co—founder robert de niro's strident anti—trump rhetoric interfered with tribeca's celebration of cinema. he wants to do everything possible to mess things up. we'll also be seeing how activist or political films were making an impact, and films from around the world, including the story of a young somali girl who became an olympic athlete. and we sit down with one of america's great independent film—makers, richard linklater. it's not hard coming up with the films you want to make. it's hard to get them financed sometimes, but people are going to make films somehow, some way. since 2002, lower manhattan has hosted the tribeca festival. among those instrumental in bringing it into being was the legendary actor robert de niro and his producing partner, jane rosenthal. originally, it was more of a civic restoration project designed to bring life back to the devastated tribeca neighbourhood in the wake of the september 11th attacks. today, it has grown to become more of an audience—focused showcase, embracing notjust films but virtual reality, artificial intelligence presentations, immersive installations, panel discussions and much, much more. we're trying to be gentlemen in this world! in the days leading up to the festival, co—founder robert de niro, in an event organised by the biden campaign, was exchanging barbs with donald trump supporters as he intensified his long—running criticism of the former president outside the courthouse where he was convicted. donald trump wants to destroy not only the city but the country and, eventually, he could destroy the world. "wacko former actor" is how donald trump described robert de niro in the wake of his remarks. later that day at a tribeca press event, de niro told me he believes a second trump presidency would be a danger for everyone, including the film—making community. he wants to do everything possible to — that he can to mess things up. i don't know what it is, it's a sickness, and it is a big concern for all of us, yeah. within the ranks of the festival, there seems to be support for de niro's anti—trump stridency — although the claim is made that it takes focus away from tribeca as a showcase for cinema. some trump supporters are saying that robert de niro is using the tribeca festival to advance an anti—trump agenda. what is your response to that? i'm very proud of bob for using his microphone to support his beliefs in what will be the most consequential election of our time. and he doesn't hold back, does he? that's bob. the festival is taking place in the midst of an extremely polarised presidential election campaign in the us. celebrated irish actor fiona shaw, who's on the tribeca jury this year, thinks given the volatile politics of our times, all film—makers have an obligation with their art. it's the duty of the art to be on the moment or ahead of the moment, to see the terrible things that are coming and to make films about them so that we're ready. in some way, art can arm people and i think there is no avoiding politics — of course, there isn't. the prism through which we see things is now, inevitably, political. this year, tribeca was bustling, showing more than 100 feature films in some 50 countries — movies of all different kinds. but among the themes were activist films tied to the fraught geopolitical zeitgeist. tribeca has politics in its dna, more overtly in the documentaries. for example, this year, there's a documentary called the cranes call... who were the people and units that were involved in the executions that we've just documented? ..which is a documentary about george clooney�*s foundation forjustice and people there working to prosecute war crimes against a russian general that they're trying to track down who's committed war crimes in ukraine. only a few films in the middle east were shown at tribeca this year. come closer, a drama, was the sole israeli film in the line—up. since the israel—gaza war, israeli film—makers have found many international film festivals reluctant to show their work. anyone want flyers from the israeli film festival? but the israel film center festival in new york, running at the same time as tribeca, was screening several israeli movies and holding a panel discussion on israeli cinema since the october the seventh hamas attacks. the organiser believes film—makers can build bridges. this is where we're going to see palestinians and israelis sitting together. the politicians are having a hard time getting to the same table. i know a lot of the protesters are disqualifying each other immediately. and i know that palestinian film—makers and israeli film—makers want to sit at the same table and want a resolution and want peace. tribeca also brought festival—goers the wonders of ai. it invited five directors, among them iranian—american film—maker reza sixo safai, to create short films using text—to—video ai technology. in effect, it enabled him to instruct his computer to make a film. you start to describe what it is you want to see, right? what you want to be generated. i wanted to convey in a dreamlike way what it is, you know, that we've been experiencing, uh, in iran. saxophone plays. new york is most definitely robert de niro's home town and one tribeca event exciting a lot of his new york fans was a three—day celebration of the movie legend. to many, robert de niro is quite simply the best and most influential actor of his generation... he's done everything, hasn't he? taxi driver — infamous film. followed him along the years. i like him, he's a good guy, good actor. are you talking to me? ..and many of his fans know his lines. you talking to me?! fantastic. the celebratory de niro con event included items on view from his personal archive and screenings of his classic films, and an immersive robert de niro short film. so, tojoin in with the celebratory spirit of de niro con, we asked film critic noah gittell to give us his assessment of robert de niro's very impressive body of work. as far back as i can remember, robert de niro was always my favourite actor, and he will no doubt be remembered as one of cinema's greatest artists. # and i knowjust what to do. a lifelong new yorker, he grew up in greenwich village and dropped out of high school at 16 to pursue acting. after starring in a few early films by brian de palma, his big break came when he was cast by martin scorsese in mean streets asjohnny boy, a loose cannon and low—level hustler in little italy. tony says my credit ain't no good no more. he followed that up with an oscar—winning turn as young vito corleone in the godfather part ii, and an iconic performance in 1976 as travis bickle, a lonely man who turns to violence, in taxi driver. de niro is much revered here in his home town of new york. he quickly became known for his deep immersions into his characters, as well as an ability to physically transform — both of which bloomed during another collaboration with scorsese, 1980's raging bull. to play boxerjake lamotta, himself a native new yorker, de niro transformed his body twice — first getting lean and muscular to play the boxer during his younger years and then gaining weight to play him towards the end of his life. the transformations earned de niro his second academy award. a lot of people out there? yeah, it's crowded. never content with his achievements, de niro experimented with other types of roles and films in the 1980s, playing supporting characters in the untouchables and brazil, and leading the action comedy midnight run. his return to the gangster film with martin scorsese's classic goodfellas in 1990 kicked off another incredible decade, when de niro starred in casino and cape fear. come out, come out, wherever you are. de niro also finally got to act opposite his old friend al pacino in heat. the famous diner scene in which cop and criminal bond over their shared fears and anxieties was worth the wait. to everyone�*s surprise, de niro became a comedy star in the late �*90s, headlining monster hits meet the parents and analyze this, both of which inspired sequels. hello? yeah, yeah! hello? yeah, hello. 0k. who is this? it's me. me who? mewh...? me. me? me who? me. me, you know me. me. yeah. how's it going? he found a new collaborator in film—maker david 0 russell, with whom he made silver linings playbook, amsterdam and american hustle, and teamed again with his old friend scorsese on the irishman and killers of the flower moon. along the way, he even directed two films — a bronx tale and the good shepherd, an account of the formation of the cia. now in the seventh decade of his career, de niro has not slowed down, continuing to act, becoming active in politics and guiding the tribeca festival towards the quarter—century mark. as an actor, de niro was defined by his persistent drive to explore the unknown. it's a trait that has defined his career on and off the screen. tribeca is very much a new york city festival so, in many ways, the opening night film was a fitting choice because its subject was a celebrated new york figure, a woman who's become an internationalfashion powerhouse. camera lens clicks. the adventure of my own life has been...incredible. the documentary diane von furstenberg: woman in charge is mostly a first—person portrayal of the belgian—born von furstenberg, who revolutionised fashion in the 19705 with the wrap dress which symbolised the free—spirited, independent woman. diane von furstenberg. i created the wrap dress and i wrapped america around. it epitomised a modern woman who could have it all. - she was one of the first women who broke through the glass ceiling in business. she created a multimillion—dollarfashion empire. she believes her ability to prevail came, in some respects, from her jewish background. she was born 18 months after her mother left the nazi horrors of auschwitz. her mother was an inspiring force. 18 months before i was born, my mother was just nothing. she was in the ashes. she wasn't supposed to survive, but she did. and 18 months after, i was born. so, i didn't realise when i was growing up that it had an effect on me but growing up, i know it did, because my mother taught me never to be a victim. egon and diane were like this it couple. she married a rich german playboy and became a princess. she had high moments and low moments but she has led a very full and seemingly very rewarding life. you know, i wanted to tell diane's story because it's a story that needs to be told. it's an anthem of freedom, you know, and she tells it in this most beautiful way, where she takes you through the history of the world and the history of her life. and you go from world war ii right to europe in the �*50s and �*60s, america in the �*70s and �*80s. and it's — in telling her life story, she's also setting the geopolitical stage and what life was like. that's what really drew me to this film. the film is a bit of a vanity project. it makes much of diane von furstenberg being a feminist icon. i want you to be strong. i want you to be the woman you want to be! the narrative seems a bit forced at times in trying to make that point. some people, though, might challenge the notion that she is a feminist because she spent her career in a business — the fashion industry — which some feminists say is designed to make women beautiful for the gratification of men. you have to work with the system to change the system and diane has worked with the system to change the system. and you need people like that to sort of rattle the system in order to create spheres of change. and i think that there's always going to be people who are going to think about fashion and think about the way the fashion industry is, but you also have to think about the way people have changed fashion. diane talks about the woman before she talks about the dress — that is revolutionary. we all had many lovers. the documentary also explores diane von furstenberg's adventurous love life. in the 19705, she was a habitue of the disco—era nightclub studio 5a. by her own admission, she had many liaisons with men. she loves to say that she's had a man's life in a woman's body. she has quite a seductive personality, but she's not in any way pretentious. most important thing in life is your relationship with yourself, and to be true to yourself allows you to be free. even if you're injail, if you're true to yourself, you're free, and that's the most important. my mother used to say that i was her torch of freedom. it's summertime here in new york city and tribeca draws down the crowds. festivalgoers seemed impressed by what was on offer — films that came in many instances from distant lands. among them is samia, from a continent away in somalia. it tells of the efforts of a determined sprinter, young samia yusuf omar, in conflict—torn mogadishu. she was free—spirited, independent and assertive. she has ambition. she was only 17 when she managed to qualify for the olympics and that was out of, like, really, mogadishu, which was, you know, for many decades destroyed, so an amazing achievement of a young woman. samia was selected to represent somalia in the 2008 summer olympics. what stands out in this story is her fierce determination to run, despite opposition from local militants and others who believe women shouldn't be involved in sports. but it's notjust a story of one young woman's ambition, this is a film which touches on many different issues, as well as samia herself. chuckles. she was an inspiring figure for so many women and muslim people all over the world. but, of course, there's so many aspects about this movie because there's her personal story, which is an athlete — a young woman who's a talented runner — and there's, of course, a political side about it — there's — it's about female rights, it's about, you know, determining your own future, making your own decisions and, of course, it's about how we deal with women who go their own way and what kind of obstacles that they�* re facing in some areas more than others. so — so, i think samia's story has a lot of elements which really deeply touched me. so, when i knew — found out about the story, i knew, of course, that needs to be told, and i think it's relevant for so many people. what may help this picture get a distribution deal in the fragile, challenging world of independent cinema is the compelling depiction of relationships. what we really tried to do is, like, make this family alive, the people around her, because the — it's about also family and support. because samia could do the things because she was supported, like, by a father, for example, who did not think that there's anything wrong with a woman running. and that's what we tried to portray, to say, "look, "there is, like, this cliche out there that every somali "or every muslim father has a problem with his daughter "being, you know, like, independent women, "but it's not." at the film's tribeca premiere was italian novelist giuseppe catozzella, who wrote the book on which the film is based and co—wrote the movie's screenplay. it is a tragic tale. samia may have been an olympic athlete but she ended up drowning as a refugee trying to cross the mediterranean. giuseppe catozzella hopes the picture gets audiences to identify with the plight of migrants. this is the — the biggest hope, that they, after watching the movie or reading the novel, that they understand that we are all the same human being. the film at least got off to a good start at tribeca. the audience gave it a standing ovation. although samia herself drowned in 2012, this picture is helping to keep her story of spirited determination alive. just over ten years ago, the celebrated american independent film—maker richard linklater came to the tribeca festival with his romantic drama before midnight. while the director wasn't at tribeca this year, his latest picture, hit man, could be seen in nearby local new york cinemas. it's been earning some strong reviews. emma jones went to meet richard linklater. five—time oscar nominee richard linklater is that rare director — an independent film—maker with commercial hits. comedy, romance and sex all meet in linklater�*s latest movie, hit man, starring top gun: maverick�*s glen powell. congrats, gary! you just got promoted to contract killer. linklater and powell co—wrote a tale incredibly loosely based on a true story of a stuck—in—a—rut professor called gary, who moonlights as a fake hit man for the police, falling for a woman who tries to hire him. chivalry may be dead but i didn't kill him. and i tried looking you up, and nothing. it's like you don't even exist. the film sizzles with the chemistry between powell and his co—star adria arjona. we're expecting heavy turbulence, so prepare to brace for impact. people say, "oh, there'sjust not sex in movies any more". well, there's not adult in movies. sexuality in movies equals adult. at movies, that was when i was like, "oh, the adult world "looks pretty interesting to me! "i can't wait to get there. "it looks fun." and that wasn't just the sex, it was adult situations. but somewhere along the way, hollywood kind of inverted that and it's like, we're going to make films for — stay 13 forever. hit man was a big critical and word—of—mouth hit when it premiered at autumn film festivals last year. hit man could be linklater�*s most commercial film since school of rock. its good reviews made its lead actor, glen powell, one of the most talked—about faces of 202a. i'm just wondering how hard it is to be an independent film—maker, you know, right now, coming up with original ideas. i mean, at least you've got a huge body of work behind you as well. it's not hard coming up with the films you want to make. it's hard to get them financed sometimes or get them made. so that's the — but, you know, i've been more lucky than most, so i can't complain about anything. but it's always a struggle — i mean, it always has been. but people are going to make films somehow. my name is garyjohnson and my simple question for you is... ..who is your... imitates explosion. ..hit man? we'll see. well, that brings this special tribeca edition of talking movies to a close, and we hope you've enjoyed the programme. please remember, you can reach us online at bbc.com/talkingmovies. among the music documentaries being shown at tribeca this year was one featuring a performance by sting and, i have to say, one of my favourite sting songs is englishman in new york. i can relate to that. so, we're going to leave you with that song as we bid you farewell from new york. # i don't drink coffee, i take tea, my dear. # i like my toast done. # and you can hear it in my accent when i talk. # i'm an englishman in new york. # you see me walking down fifth avenue. # walking cane here at my side. # take it everywhere i walk. # i'm an englishman in new york. hello. saturday brought more than ourfairshare of heavy, thundery downpours. for some of us on sunday, there probably won't be quite as many showers, particularly across england and wales, whereas for scotland and northern ireland, we'll see cloud and outbreaks of rain sinking southwards. on the earlier satellite picture from saturday, you can see clumps of cloud all rotating around the centre of an area of low pressure. this low still with us for sunday but loosening its grip a little bit, so the winds will be easing, especially down towards the south. some showery rain first thing across some central and eastern parts of england. that should clear. then, we will see some spells of sunshine, a scattering of showers, but not as many as we had during the first half of the weekend. conversely, for scotland and northern ireland, cloud will sink its way southwards with some outbreaks of showery rain. quite breezy across the western side of scotland, down into the north coast of northern ireland. lighter winds down towards the south. temperature—wise, well, 13, 1a degrees in the north of scotland, 19 or 20 in parts of south wales and southern england. now, as we head through sunday night, we'll see this band of increasingly light and patchy rain sinking into northern england, parts of north wales. a lot of cloud filtering into western scotland and northern ireland. that'll hold the temperatures up — 11 degrees there in belfast, a little bit chillier where we do see any lengthy, clear spells. we will see some spells of sunshine on monday — perhaps the best of those across parts of wales, the midlands, down towards the south of england. the channel islands could just see one or two showers and then, we will see some showers breaking out once again through the day, always with a fair amount of cloud across the western side of scotland and northern ireland. temperatures north to south 13—21 degrees, so not far off the average for the time of year. this clump of showers likely to move across the channel islands, perhaps clipping into south east england on tuesday. some showers popping up elsewhere. a decent amount of dry weather. temperatures still in that range between 12, 13 in the north, 21 degrees down towards the south of the uk. now, this ridge of high pressure is going to try to settle things down through the middle part of the week but there's still a bit of uncertainty about how long it will hold on. this frontal system trying to push in from the south, this one trying to push in from the west — either or both of those could bring the return of some rain later in the week. there are some tentative signs that things could turn a little bit warmer later next weekend. live from washington, this is bbc news. world leaders gather with ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky to discuss how to bring peace to the country. israel says eight of its soldiers were killed in an explosion during an operation in gaza's southern city, rafah. and south african lawmakers put together a new coalition government which faces some of the country's biggest challenges in decades. hello, i'm carl nasman. the g7 summit of the world's richest nations came to a close saturday, with leaders gathered in italy signing off a communique covering a range of pressing issues. the document covers migration, artificial intelligence, chinese trade policy, and the us�*s proposed israel—gaza ceasefire deal. but the main focus was on the war in ukraine, with leaders pledging $50 billion of loans to ukraine secured on the interest of assets seized from russia. the final communique says: