New York, Sept. 12 -- Academy Award-winning actor Robert De Niro has reflected on the origins of the Tribeca Festival, recalling how he and producer Jane Rosenthal decided to launch the event in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to help revive New York City's Tribeca neighbourhood.

Speaking at a People Talks event ahead of the release of the documentary 'Tribeca 25', De Niro said the idea of starting a film festival had existed before the attacks but became a reality as the city grappled with the tragedy.

"We had talked about maybe doing a festival. It wasn't really a serious conversation. We were sort of kicking it around. And then when 9/11 happened, we wanted to revitalise the neighbourhood, to say the least. ...