NEW YORK, April 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Illy, the leader in coffee culture and innovator of coffee products, is inspiring creativity through the Tribeca Film Festival utilizing the art form of stop-motion animation while also providing a venue for film industry insiders and enthusiasts to discuss their creativity over illy coffee. The Tribeca Film Festival runs from April 16-27, 2014.

As official coffee sponsor, illy is supporting TFI Interactive Day (TFIi), a day-long meeting of the minds that takes place during Tribeca Innovation Week at the Tribeca Film Festival. As part of TFI Interactive, illy is teaming up with Andrew Jive, a film director and stop-motion animator from Brooklyn, NY, to host a Vine video creation workshop at the iconic Frank Gehry designed IAC building on 555 West 18th street.  In addition to the workshop, Jive is also creating an illy Tribeca Film Festival themed stop-motion animation that aims to inspire creativity by showcasing the technique and the vibrant Vine medium for short beautiful looping videos. Vine, a medium for film and social networking, represents 40 million users worldwide.

Coffee enthusiasts can enjoy a range of illy products during the Festival including illy issimo ready to drink coffee beverages at the BMCC Tribeca PAC screening location. The Tribeca Film Festival green room, press room, and TFI Interactive will also debut the new Y5 Iperespresso machine, the latest illy innovation to produce the perfect shot of espresso using illy's espresso system.

One of the screenings to be featured at the BMCC Tribeca location is Chef.  illy, working with Master Barista Giorgio Milos, have created an illy version of the famed Cafe Cubano calling it "El Jefe," an homage to the film, which stars Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey, Jr. and Oliver Platt. The first screening of Chef during the Tribeca Film Festival is scheduled for April 22, 2014 at 9:30 p.m.  Chef hits theaters in New York and Los Angeles on May 9 and will open nationally on May 16.

"The recipe for El Jefe is based on the Cafe Cubano and is a creative expression from illy that also communicates a sense of irony. *We hope it inspires coffee enthusiasts to try something new and perhaps explore a historical reference within coffee culture that may have not been discovered until this moment," said Milos.  "With creativity, we can find the beauty and goodness that lives in art."

Additional inspiring creativity moments surrounding the Tribeca Film Festival can be found on the illy Instagram page www.instagram.com/illy_coffee.

Notes:
Master Barista Giorgio Milos El Jefe recipe and related blog post can be found at www.MasterBarista.Tumblr.com The foundation of a Cuban coffee is sugar added while brewing to balance the bitter more astringent flavor profiles that are present in Robusta coffee beans traditionally used to make Cuban coffee.  Illy uses 100 percent Arabica beans in its unique blend of espresso, which creates a velvety texture with sweet, floral balance without added sugar.

About illy
Based in Trieste, Italy, illycaffe produces and markets a unique blend of coffee under a single brand. Illy buys green Arabica coffee of the highest quality directly from the growers through partnerships based on the mutual creation of value. Illy considers respect for the environment and people that nurture coffee a fundamental part of doing business -- in evidence every day for 20 years across Central America, South America, India and Africa. It is expressed through Universitadel Caffe ("University of Coffee") which provides hands-on instruction at no cost to coffee growers who meet its quality standards. And it is recognized by independent arbiters like DNV (Det Norske Veritas), which in 2011 conferred its first-ever global Responsible Supply Chain Process Certificationto illy in recognition of sustainability in every aspect of its coffee sourcing, particularly the ethical, long-term direct relationships with coffee growers. In 2014, the Ethisphere Institute honored illy as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the second consecutive year. More than six million cups of illy coffee are enjoyed every day in more than 140 countries. Visit www.illy.com to learn more.

Media Contacts:
illy caffe North America
Lindsey Schwartz
[email protected] 
631 816 3033

Danielle DiPaola
Director, Sponsorship Development
Tribeca Film Festival/Tribeca Enterprises
(o) 212.941.3849 (m) 650.703.4237

SOURCE illy