'Silver Linings Playbook' Premiere Sheds Light on Tribeca Teaches®

It was so much fun we did it twice! Last week, we did our annual TFI benefit screening with a showing of Skyfall at the Ziegfeld in midtown NYC. Last night we returned to the legendary theater for the New York premiere of the Oscar-hyped Silver Linings Playbook (starring TFI founder Robert De Niro), with proceeds going to Tribeca Teaches®.

With the difficulty for many schools in the country to provide proper programs to help introduce kids to the arts, since 2007 Tribeca Teaches® has been dedicated to bringing the art of filmmaking into the classroom and enrich the educational experiences of students at schools in outlying communities.

"This is a great night to celebrate and honor the transformative experiences of the 20,000 young people and teachers who participate in our school programs," says Vee Bravo, director of TFI's Education program.

In the midst of the flashbulbs and screaming fans, we were able to grab a few stars from Silver Linings Playbook who told us how the influence of the arts in their youth shaped their lives, or how they're giving back now.

Bradley Cooper says he regrets never taking advantage of the theater program at his high school, but while at grad school he did share his time to help kids expand their talents. "I was involved with Learning Through an Expanded Arts Program and went into public school to teach the arts. It was an incredible experience."

"it's a shame that the first thing that goes in budget cuts are arts programs," says Julia Stiles who recalls the great arts classes she attended as a kid in her elementary school in NYC. "I think creative expression is such a healthy and therapeutic thing kids should have."

For Brea Bee, it was her early introduction to music that shaped her career. "My second grade music teacher told my parents to get me into theater. If I hadn't had that music class I don't know where my life would have gone. It's a huge part of who I am."

"My stand up comedy started back when I hosted a talent show in my high school," says Chris Tucker. "I found my passion early on and with that came discipline to your craft, so it was very important."

And Silver Linings Playbook director has been lending his time to the Ghetto Film School in the Bronx for the last ten years. He calls it a why of him giving back the only way he knows how. "If we were on a desert island I couldn't make up a meal, but I could show you how to create an entertaining story." He says the biggest thing he pushes to the kids is to tell him a story. "But I don't want them to be precious about it," he says. "I want them to just tell it in an emotional way. People are often scared to go forward and tell their story and I'm like you're only going to figure out how to do it until you just tell it more and more and you'll figure out the best way to do it."